Back to Kyosuke69's Profile Kyosuke69's Profile

I went in to it knowing nothing about the film other than it was a Miyazaki film. This ain't no "Totoro". Yeah, this is a bit of a sleeper, so it won't appeal to everyone (hence the Mixed Feelings). But being a bit of a history buff and an aeronautics fan, this piqued my interests. But wow, what a tear jerker. I don't think I've cried so hard since "Grave of the Fireflies".
The animation was stunning, as we've come to expect from Studio Ghibli. The music was stirring, and there were a few moments where I felt like ... I heard echos of the Nausicaa theme.
The story was definitely darker and more serious than his other works, but its punctuated periodically by whimsical dream sequences with the protagonist's idol. But the main story follows the life of a young boy who loves airplanes, and goes on to become an aeronautical engineer who designs Japan's most celebrated aircraft, the Mitsubishi Zero. Being an American, it was interesting to see the Japanese view (or at least Miyazaki's view) of the events leading up to WWII, but his anti-war stance reverberates though-out the film. But probably what struck me was how the protagonist evolves from a dreaming child, to a idealist college grad, to the height of his career, to losing everything and regretting the path he chose in life.
And then there is the developing love story, and emotional train wreck. It is short, intense, but ultimately doomed. You know it is coming, that foreboding feeling in the pit of your stomach follows you through the last half of the film. At times, it is quite graphic. And other times, a million emotions are expressed in subtlety and moments of total silence. It made me think of my relatives (in America) who succumbed to epidemics in that generation. It made me think of my wife's family living in Asia in that era. It made me think of what is important in life.

I watched a few episodes back in college in the 1990's, but never had a chance to watch the whole series (subtitled anime was hard to find back then, especially long series). But I have been a huge KOR fan, and I've always heard how great MI is. Now I am in my 50's, and anime is much easier to come by, so I gave it a gander.

Story: 8
I'll be honest, the first 25 episodes were really difficult to watch. I really felt no love or connection, or really anything positive about any of the characters. In the 30's, we get ... some interesting developments, but then it is back to sadistic glee torturing Godai. I've seen other anime that exhibited this type of mean-spirited "humor", but I've always found it repulsive. It wasn't until about the last 25 episodes that the story actually became noteworthy, IMO. Once Godai and Kyoko are able to get away from the constant goading and manipulation from Akemi, Mrs. Ichonose, and Mr. Yotsuya, the story delves into some pretty serious stuff that will pull your heartstrings.

On a side note, what kept me going through the series was actually the glimpse into everyday Japanese life in the 1980's this show presents. It helped illustrate some of the stories my wife tells me about growing up in Asia.

Art: 8 - Pretty typical of the era.
Sound: 8 - No complaints
Character: 7 - Yeah, they get interesting towards the end, but they still feel a little one-dimensional. Sadly, the writers chose to keep harping on Godai's bad luck instead of digging in deeper to Kyoko's psyche, for example. Over the 6 years of the story, it seems like the only growth she experiences is making up her mind to remarry. Yawn.
Enjoyment: 7 - I liked the parts of the story focused on Kyoko and Godai's relationship. But as I said before, the incessant goading and teasing actually detracted from the story.
Overall: 8 - The last 25 episodes really made the show. I mean, if they condensed the entire TV series to about 40 episodes, I probably would have given this a higher rating.

I dislike the artwork. Why did they change Godai's face, but the others look close to the TV series. There were also several scenes where characters were just drawn badly. Like the scene where Godai and Kyoko talk by the front door - their necks are absurdly long. And who ever did the shading should be ashamed of themselves. At times, the art reminded me of whoever did Macross DYRL (another movie where I loved the story and characters, but really hated the artwork).

I think the thing I disliked the most was the lack of new material. I kept asking ... myself, why did they bother to make this movie? Seems like a cash grab to me. Instead, we just revisit what we already know, and this "mystery letter" only takes like 5 minutes. What a wasted opportunity to explore other aspects of their wedding, honeymoon, or early married life.

I'm not sure I can really describe it better than other have already done, but let's just say it is like a bandage on a hairy leg. You know it is going to hurt to pull it off, no matter what you do, but it is something that must be done. The inevitable confrontation looms near, and Kyosuke knows there will be collateral damage. If only he had made his feelings clear in the beginning, it wouldn't be so bad.

I, for one, am glad the story takes a more serious tone, and tries to deal with the nagging problem head on. We ... all suffered through the TV and OVA episodes from his indecisiveness. But be prepared to shed some tears.

There are a few scenes where the voice acting really stands out. The emotions carried in their voices went to "11" while the animation frankly took a back seat. Perhaps that was intentional, so as to make you focus on the dialog.

But I wanted to add that for those of you in the United States, you can rent (or purchase) this movie on Amazon Video. The Amazon link on this site doesn't actually work - it just brings up a bunch of creepy unrelated products.

I remember watching this in my college dorm room back in the 1990's. A dozen guys packed into one tiny room watching n-th generation VHS fan-subs on a tiny TV, all shouting at Kyosuke whenever he was being a moron. By the end, I am pretty sure every guy in the room had a secret crush on Madoka.

This is the series that really stands out in my memory, after all these years. Looking back, I think it was the chemistry between Kyosuke, Madoka and Hikaru (i.e. the story writing), but it was also magnified by the stellar performances of the Japanese voice ... talent, Akemi Takada's character designs (yeah, old-school, but still awesome. Check out her art books, amazing stuff.), and the outstanding music, especially the songs by Kanako Wada (yeah, a little sappy but it hits you right here... 8>).

But what really stands out is Madoka. So much of her complexity is non-verbal and subtle. She doesn't usually berate Kyosuke for his foolishness, but you can feel her wounded heart in her voice, expression and what is left unsaid. But to Kyosuke's credit, he usually hears it loud and clear, just too late to avoid the damage he's caused. I think many young male viewers are attracted to Madoka's character because she represents an unrealistic idealized woman. But I recommend paying more attention to how not to break her fragile heart because it a difficult life lesson to master in real life.

Now, many years later, as I watch the series again, I find that it is still surprisingly poignant. After being married for many years to my own "Madoka", I've come to realize we guys are all Kyosuke's at times when we unknowingly hurt her feelings. Watching this again also refills my heart with the wonder and humor of young love. So if you're an old anime fan like me, I invite you to relive the best years of your youth.