A brief description
Shizuka, a fourteen-year-old intermediate school student in modern day Japan, finds herself at the crossroads of life in this beautiful story of discovering one's own self-identity, and in the course of this discovery, her first love. A bookworm who "can't wait" for libraries to open, notices that by some coincidence or design the name, Amasawa Seiji, is on the library checkout cards of all the books she has checked out. Thus begins a mystery of whom this Amasawa is.
One day while riding the train Shizuka notices a large plump cat riding on the train with her. The cat gets off at the same destination as hers. Like Alice in the Wonderland following the white rabbit, Shizuka follows this Cheshire looking cat until she comes upon a place almost as enchanting as Wonderland, an antique shop filled with unique and beautiful treasures from the world over. She befriends the shop's owner, and his grandson, a boy who attends the same school.
The story delves into the world of young students in Japan, their fears, hopes, and intimacies. Like Kiki in the Anime Kiki's Delivery Service, Shizuka finds the most difficult world is the one with her feet on the ground.
Although Miyazaki has acted as both character designer and director of most of his productions at Studio Ghibli, this Anime has the exception of being directed by Yoshifumi Kondo with Miyazaki as the character designer. Miyazaki does however direct the short two-minute fantasy sequences in the movie.
My impression
This story can be best described as human interest story with a mature plot theme that does not rely upon science fiction, fantasy, or action. A story that could happen, or has happened to any of us that had to "grow up." The only fantasy is from Shizuka's imagination, depicted for about two minutes in the movie.
As for kids, I think this Anime would appeal mostly to the 11-year-old or older set on up to adults. Younger kids might get bored. As my four-year-old said, "Daddy, this movie is really long!"
When I was in college, Shakespeare was described to me as a writer that could capture the emotions and feelings of people of all walks of life, young, old, rich, poor, noble or common. Kondo and Miyazaki have opened a window and captured the very essence of falling in love in Japan for the first time. In Japan where the open expression of intimacy is considered repugnant, this story is able to reflect all passion of Romeo and Juliet. Westerners might easily miss how important the mere holding of another's hand is, or the usage of Japanese polite terms such as san or kun at the end of one's name and the connotations they imply when used or not used. Miyazaki's genius cannot be missed with each delicate expression of the characters throughout the movie.
I enjoyed the brief references to the Anime Porco Rosso. And for sharp eyes only, there's another reference to the character Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service.
Although there was no great original musical score to this Anime, you will never listen to John Denver's Country Road the same way again.
| Back to the main page | The Anime of Miyazaki |