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WHAT IS GOING ON?!? FIRST TIME WATCHING "THE BOY AND THE HERON" (Patreon)

Published:
2024-07-06 02:23:41
Imported:
2024-07
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2024-07-05 19-44-33.mp4

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Comments

Bloodsbane

So this is my second time watching this movie; I saw it in theaters (english dub, which was very fun) when it came out and had a good time with it! I do think it's a confusing one, but I'm also someone who grew up watching Ghibli films, so I'm used to the way they prefer to tell stories. I think a big thing to keep in mind is that they don't try toning down the influence of Japanese folklore, culture, etc., in their movies, which is something you do also get in some anime but not often. A lot of what might seem like more straightforward iconography or references to traditional ideas, stories, stuff like that, can be somewhat lost on a Western audience. It sounds like you had a similar experience with Spirited Away, which I know happens to plenty of people - if you're not used to it, stories like this can definitely feel alienating or overwhelming, or even nonsensical or like they don't have a point! With this one, I think it's very much about Mahito's emotional journey rather than dealing with what's happening in a literal sense. You sit and you enjoy the visuals, the music, the way these things try to convey feelings rather than the idea of a larger, concrete plot that needs developing. This movie's also got a lot going on under the hood, not that I've looked into it much myself, but from what I've heard a fair bit of the themes have to do with Miyazaki's own journey as an artist in his later years, his hopes/expectations for his son in his creative endeavors, stuff like that. In the end, I think this movie is mostly about grief; dealing with it, and trying your best not to let the difficult or cruel elements of our world turn you into something worse. My view of it is that the granduncle escaped into the tower and tried to craft a better world with his own hands, but the reality is you can't make and sustain the idea of perfection, things can't stay balanced in that way. He wanted Mahito to take over, bring new blood and life into the project and sustain it in his absence, but Mahito grew to understand that perpetuating a faulty system won't work, and what's most important is trying to be there for the people around you, friends and family who care about you even while having their own problems. This is most directly addressed in his relationship to the step-mother, whose own grief over losing her sister to the war, having to now raise her nephew as his new mother, possibly knowing he resents her for taking that position, all while in the process of having her own child (in what I think is heavily implied to be a difficult and near-deadly pregnancy), makes it difficult for two of them to meaningfully connect. All in all I think what this movie is going for becomes a bit more clear when you learn the original idea for the title (which also happens to be the title of the book Mahito finds in his room) was "How do you live?" which I think is at the center of what the movie is trying to ask: how do you live after such a tragedy, during such a horrible moment in history, when you're so young that it's difficult to process any of it, and move on? It's definitely a movie that's asking you to think more in the way of emotions and what's going on internally with the characters than what's stated outright. I will say, again, this is one of the more fantastical and esoteric of the Ghibli films, and probably not the best one to watch so early if you're not used to these kinds of stories or simply don't enjoy them. Some folks in your chat were recommending Princess Mononoke, which I also think would be better suited to your tastes. It's my absolute favorite Ghibli film actually, I grew up watching it, which is funny considering it's one of their more outright mature ones. The plot, themes, characters and such are much more straightforward, the story has a clear throughline, GREAT characters, a thrilling third act, and satisfying ending. Anwyay, sorry for the longass comment. Even if you didn't really like The Boy and the Heron, it was fun watching along! Thanks!

Zay C.

It stopped at 2 hrs btw