From Up On Poppy Hill is one of the two Ghibli films I never watched, Ponyo being the other. There is no specific reason as to why, I just never got around to it but recently, I finally decided to watch it. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every minute. As someone who sorely dislikes every film directed by Goro Miyazaki, I feel compelled to write a proper review for a movie of his that has truly earned every bit of my praise.
At its core, this story is a period piece, set in 1963, in Japan. The country is still recovering from the recent
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wars and trying to overcome its regretful past. It is a tale that encourages us to embrace our past, both its virtues and flaws, regardless of their severity. If you are overly adamant about erasing all of your past and pretending nothing happened then you will not only dampen your growth towards a brighter, peaceful, progressive, and tolerant future but you will also be disrespecting all those who were lost to it. As Shun states “There’s no future for those who worship the future but forget the past.” The students doing their best to halt the deconstruction of their Latin quarter clubhouse also symbolizes this message among other things; Willing to change and improve is the correct mindset but doing that by completely deleting everything just because of a jarring dark point in your history isn’t right. So, a personal conflict like the one in the film where the past starts to suddenly haunt the leads fits in seamlessly and it could've been perfect if it was executed and conveyed slightly better. Still, the narrative and the film as a whole hits right. The characters are very charming and the dub is cast with such sincerity that it only further elevates the good writing.
Umi and Shun are amazing leads. I love how effortlessly charming Shun is and Umi's character is such a breath of fresh air too. She is a dedicated, caring, and resilient young woman who tries her very best to balance her domestic responsibilities with her school life. She cooks for the family, she cleans, she makes sure everybody gets up at time and doesnt miss out on their daily endeavours, shes exactly the kind of woman that you find in most of our households here in Pakistan and Asia in general. So, seeing someone like that represented in something felt really nice to see. Even if her turmoil after the main reveal could've had better execution, it fits in serviceably. We can clearly see Umi is more shaken up by this then she has perhaps ever been by anything. Yet she still tries her best not to neglect any of her responsibilities.
The OST and animation are both top-tier. The score in particular is filled with so much joyful energy that I couldn't help but bop along at times. I see myself rewatching this film solely to vibe with the amazing tracks.
I have heard so many weird complaints surrounding this film and all of them are, in all honesty, baffling to me. Forgive me if this sounds pretentious but I strongly believe that the people who complain about this film "promoting" or "normalizing" incest simply weren't mature enough to comprehend any of it. These people would almost certainly unironically paint Final Fantasy 8 in the same light. The critical conversations surrounding this film have been astonishingly stupid to me.
The intent of that turmoil in the story was very obvious. It was to make both you, the audience, and the characters extremely uncomfortable by the big reveal. The chemistry between the two lead characters is so good that most viewers will likely be ‘shipping’ them, and then, suddenly, bam! The reveal happens. So, you would too be just as disheartened as the characters. I do wish there were one or two more scenes dealing with the shock, it would only add to the potency of it all but the subtle discomfort, revulsion, and disappointment these characters felt regarding it was excellent in my opinion.
I also feel that the internal conflict experienced by Umi after the central plot twist/reveal, how she felt betrayed by the past because of her newfound awareness of her father’s potential infidelity and the possibility that he was merely a pretender in all aspects, deserved much better execution. I’d rather that they say all of that outright as opposed to this, in my opinion, failed attempt at nuanced storytelling that was presented in the film. Overall, this is still a very good film. I recommend that you give it a watch when you get a chance, and please go in completely blind, I have even come across its synopses on multiple websites containing spoilers for some essential plot moments. If you loved “Whisper of the Heart” and/or “Only Yesterday,” this film is similar to those with how it writes its characters and how it beautifully highlights everyday struggles and joys of life. 8.5/10
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Nov 7, 2024
Coquelicot-zaka kara
(Anime)
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From Up On Poppy Hill is one of the two Ghibli films I never watched, Ponyo being the other. There is no specific reason as to why, I just never got around to it but recently, I finally decided to watch it. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every minute. As someone who sorely dislikes every film directed by Goro Miyazaki, I feel compelled to write a proper review for a movie of his that has truly earned every bit of my praise.
At its core, this story is a period piece, set in 1963, in Japan. The country is still recovering from the recent ... 
Oct 12, 2024 Not Recommended Informative  Preliminary
(3/4 eps)
I can’t, in good faith, recommend anyone watch this anime before reading the manga. It skips so much stuff, which naturally, takes away all the buildup and tension from every single moment.
Uzumaki follows the story of Kirie and Shuichi as they go through their daily lives in the spiral-infested fictional two of Kurozu-Cho. The story builds upon every weird and horrific encounter taking place in this city with great immersion and well-placed reveals. The anime takes away most of the manga’s charm by simply rushing through so many of these stories. Even episode 1, animated quite nicely, skims over a lot. Then, the second ... 
Jul 26, 2024
Isekai Suicide Squad
(Anime)
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This is a fairly well-animated show with an amazing English dub cast. The animation can sometimes look off but all around is very good and Harley in particular has never been animated any better. Even if the writing doesn't click and isn't to your liking there have been entertaining action segments in every episode thus far. The cast dynamics have been really enjoyable; Harley and Deadshot in particular have had great team synergy and comedic chemistry.
It is very cheesy though and for some people that might be a turn-off and it is as of yet missing the edginess that accompanied that cheesiness in other recent ... 
Apr 12, 2024
Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka
(Anime)
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I have eagerly anticipated this film’s release ever since the day it was announced way back then and now it is at last here. The Boy & The Heron is a visual spectacle, akin to most Ghibli films a single frame from this can go for a solid wallpaper. They went overboard with some of the stuff here; even “minor” stuff like the flame animations and the cloth physics are sure to fill up oddly satisfying boards online when this drops on digital.
If I were to make comparisons to previous Ghibli films and their artistic direction, I’d say this feels like an amalgamation of ... 
Nov 2, 2023 Recommended Informative
I am beyond surprised that Capcom actually gave Onimusha to a team that cares about the source material that they are adapting. This, in my opinion, is an amazing adaptation with superbly choreographed fight scenes and plenty of likable character moments.
The only shred of hope I had for this adaptation came from the fact that Takashi Miike was at the helm of the production as director and he is most likely the reason why action scenes look as amazing as they do. I think on its own, the show is still good, but as an adaptation of Onimusha, it is great. Animation: To start ... 
Oct 26, 2023
Pluto is a mature adaptation of one of the most iconic arcs of Astro Boy. The manga, by the same name, is widely considered a masterpiece and is a deep passion project for the writer. I want to keep this mostly spoiler-free. I would highly recommend going into this blind, and if you love Seinen anime/manga, you will have an absolute blast here. Pluto comprises some of the most well-written and heartfelt characters whose story reaches a perfect end.
Every single character from the original arc in Astro Boy has been given justice in this remake. Atom (Astro Boy Himself) and Gesicht are the main ... 
Jul 14, 2023
Biohazard: Death Island
(Anime)
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It is a good film with some well done action scenes that will leave most fans satisfied. After all, this time around the movie features every single one of the main characters of this legendary franchise getting together to take down this new threat. I'm glad to inform you that it mostly does justice to all of them other than Jill being a bit extra at times (in her mannerisms, not the action sequences) and Rebecca's introduction scene with Chris being a bit meh. Also, sadly most of the characters don't get that much time to shine as the movie's main character is Jill and
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Nov 18, 2022
This is the best Detective Conan movie in a long time. The story is great and how it all comes together near the end is just very satisfying to watch. I really like Amuro, he's one of my favorite characters in the show, who sadly doesn't get much exposure. So seeing a movie heavily focused on him tell a very enjoyable story was a delight.
The narrative is very enjoyable and even tense at times. The twist is alright, I saw it coming but it will be surprising for people who aren't that accustomed to the mystery genre. They do great character development for the characters ... 
Jun 17, 2022
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
(Anime)
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was incredible. I was concerned because of CGI animation, but it becomes almost unnoticable after the initial 10 minutes or so.
The fighting is very good throughout. The action scenes are very well choreographed and the music is also decent. The fanservice is legit perfect. They did Piccolo and Gohan justice and they also did justice to every other character that appears in this. I legit had a huge smile on my face from start to finish. I went in expecting nothing extraordinary but I was blown away this shit legit made my day. Highly recommend it 9/10 
Jul 8, 2021
Biohazard: Infinite Darkness
(Anime)
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It is only ok all the resident evil animated movies are way more enjoyable to watch. I can only hope the next season is like the movies and actually makes Leon and Claire badass and gives them screentime.
The show is very small and that is one of its many problems it tries to tell a story similar to re revelations but its just boring here. They also have made Leon and Claire pretty boring here. This is supposed to take place after re4 but Leon makes it seem like it takes place after re2 because he is not being the badass and is more ... |
