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Ghibli fans! Get a full box of popcorn ready! Because you are about to enjoy a series of blockbusters with “extremely sharp” picture quality on Netflix! Ghibli Asia Animation Studio is a familiar name for the anime fan community. One of Ghibli’s productions was also awarded a prestigious Oscar – something most Asia animation studios dream of.
Recently, the giant Netflix – the online movie viewing service – has just announced that it will bring Ghibli cartoons closer to the audience. So the “movie geeks” will comfortably review their childhood with the quality of the “stretch” movies, with both captions and subtitles! Let’s take a look at the 15 films that made the name of this famous Japanese studio with Animost! And see how many movies you’ve seen already!
Spirited Away
Considered the Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland, Spirited Away received the Golden Bear award at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival and the prestigious Oscar gold statue in the Best Animated Feature category in 2003 – became the first foreign 2D animated film in industry history to win an Oscar.
Spirited Away is about the adventures of the little girl Chihiro Ogino to the land of magical spirits while moving house to a new town with her parents. Because of accidentally eating the food of the gods, her parents were turned into pigs. In order to rescue her parents and return to the human world, Chihiro Ogino must work for the cunning witch Yubaba.
In this world, Chihiro Ogino met Haku again – the God who saved her from death when she fell into the river as a child. Also from Spirited Away, the character a.k.a No Face is known to many people.
Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky is the first anime released by Ghibli Studio. The film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and brought the company the Anime Grand Prix award in the category of Best Animated Feature in 1986.
Inspired by the flying island Laputa in the novel Gulliver’s Journey of the writer Jonathan Swift, the film tells about the exciting and equally thorny adventure of the little girl Sheeta and the miner boy Pazu on the journey to find Laputa castle. Pazu and Sheeta must overcome many challenges and escape the pursuit of the evil Muska.
This anime is considered a part of the childhood of the 8x generations. Although more than 30 years have passed, Castle in the Sky still retains its value and conveys the message of director Miyazaki through his characters.
Grave of the Fireflies
After more than three decades, Grave of the Fireflies is still one of the “worth watching” anime in the list of Ghibli animated films. Adapted from the same-name-novel of writer Nosaka Akiyuki, Grave of the Fireflies is set in the post-World War II period in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The anime tells the tearful story of two orphans named Seita and Setsuko. Both Seita and Setsuko struggled with poverty and hunger to survive after their mother’s death due to a fierce US government air raid on Kobe city. After being abandoned by relatives, Seita carried Setsuko to an abandoned bunker where her sister died of starvation and disease. Seita later collapsed at a train station after Japan announced its surrender to the US.
The anime brings a fierce reality in wartime, but still contains the warmth of humanity, the innocence of children.
Only Yesterday
Only Yesterday is an anime adapted from the manga of the same name by Yuko Tone and Hotaru Okamoto, this is a beautiful story about the past. The main character in the film is Taeko. She is a single 27-year-old girl, born and raised in Tokyo.
The story begins when Taeko takes a leave of absence to go to the countryside to help her brother harvest safflowers. From here, Taeko’s life and way of thinking have been completely changed, she realizes that she has missed a lot of things in her childhood. Through the film, the producer Studio Ghibli also reminds young people who are reeling in the chaos of their lives that “On your journey of growing up, whether you miss something or not?”
Whisper of the Heart
Despite not being directly produced by one of Ghibli’s two famous directors, Hayao Miyazaki or Takanaka, Whisper of the Heart is still the most popular work.
The film tells about the journey of a young couple pursuing their dreams and ambitions, along with the pure and sweet first vibrations of life. Adapted from the manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi and written by Yoshifumi Kondo, a top animator at Ghibli, there is no world of magic, miracles, or amazing adventures.
Whisper of the Heart is an idyllic film, about small people – young people who are pursuing an artistic path, along with their idyllic dreams.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle is adapted from the popular British novel of the same name by writer Diana Wynne Jones.
The film is about Sophie – a young girl who is accidentally transformed into an old woman. Sophie is forced to leave her family to find a way to break the curse. Along the way, Sophie meets the wizard Howl, the fire demon, and the strange flying castle, from there, they begin their magical adventures. Hayao Miyazaki’s film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Howl’s Moving Castle is not only a great film about the magical world but also conveys a meaningful message of humanity about tolerance and forgiveness for each other after the hatred of war.
Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke also known as Mononoke Hime, is an excellent historical fantasy anime film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Ghibli and broke box office records in Japan at the time of its release in 1997.
In the catastrophic war between man and nature, Princess Mononoke tells the extraordinary, pure, and beautiful love story between the brave, resolute Emishi prince – Ashitaka and the strong, determined Princess of the Mononoke wolf tribe – San. Ashitaka helped and protected San, also, suppressed the hatred between nature and the human world.
The film conveys a naked message about the current state of the environment. At the same time, with the message calling for people to live in harmony with nature, Princess Mononoke is definitely the never-ending hot movie in the Ghibli movie collection.
My Neighbor Totoro
This is the film that has made the image of the cartoon character Totoro more widely known to the public over the past few decades. The film tells a human story about how children explore the world through their rich imagination. It’s rare to find a character that both adults and children love, so it’s not surprising that Totoro has become an anime monument that no other character can beat.
The story begins when the family of two sisters Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe move to the peaceful countryside. While walking in the forest near her house, Mei happened to meet Totoro, a cute big-bellied beast who was dubbed the forest god here. From there, the magical adventure of the two little girls and Totoro officially begins.
From Up on Poppy Hill
From Up on Poppy Hill is directed by Gorō Miyazaki and written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa based on the manga series by Tetsurō Sayama and Chizuru Takahashi.
Set in 1960s Japan, the film depicts Umi and Shun’s youthful vibrations along with misunderstandings about their bloodline. The sight of Shun carrying Umi on an old bicycle to the poppy field in the sunny sunset, and the melody of the song “Sayonara No Natsu” is definitely the image of the From Up on Poppy Hill anime.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Adapted from the novel of the same name by female writer Eiko Kadano, Kiki’s Delivery Service tells the story of an apprentice witch Kiki. It all started when Kiki moved to a new town, she used her ability to fly to deliver goods and help the people in town.
This is a light-hearted film, with bright colors, by Ghibli Studio, sketched by director Hayao Miyazaki and promoting the independence of Japanese girls. In the process of delivering goods and helping those around, Kiki has learned many things and gradually matured. Besides the animated film produced in 1989, the novel was also adapted into a live-action film and premiered in 2014.
Ocean Waves
Ocean Waves is adapted from the typical novel I Can Hear the Sea by Saeko Himuro, a Japanese writer and playwright. As a work about student love, Ocean Waves brings quiet moments for the audience to immerse in tender and poetic emotions when reminiscing about each person’s beautiful youth.
Throughout the film is a series of pure memories of student Taku Morisaki about his silent first love. That’s when he and his best friend Yutaka Matsuno both fall in love with Muto Rikako (a sweet, lovely girl who has just moved from Tokyo to their Kochi countryside).
When Marnie Was There
Beloved Marnie is adapted from the novel of the same name by Joan G.Robinson published in 1967, this is Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s second film at Ghibli. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015.
The work tells the story of the meeting between a sick girl Anna and Marnie – a mysterious girl who always forces Anna to keep the meeting a secret. Anna is a little girl who has no friends, since her grandmother died, she moved to an orphanage and was adopted by a family. Here, her friendship with her strange friend Marnie begins.
This is not the work that brought Ghibli great success, but the film still brings deep values of content about friendship and intimacy.
My Neighbors The Yamadas
This is a movie that you cannot miss during family gatherings. Unlike other movies, using techniques, detailed drawings. My Neighbor The Yamadas uses cartoon drawings, showing cute and funny shapes, making the film more familiar and simple to the audience. No matter what age you are, this is a movie that you must definitely see, we will find our own shadow through the actions and gestures of each character.
Despite often arguing, angry, competitive, and jealous, after all, family is still a warm and loving place for all of us.
The Cat Returns
The Cat Returns is one of two films adapted from the manga by female artist Aoi Hiiragi. The film is about Haru’s strange adventure to the cat kingdom. After accidentally saving a strange cat, she fell into an unwilling marriage with the Prince of the Cat Kingdom. In order to get out of the weird engagement and return to a normal life, Haru needs the help of the knight cat Baron. Although not directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this is still a must-see movie.
The Wind Rises
The Wind Rises is adapted from the manga of the same name by Hayao Miyazaki, based on the short story The Wind Has Risen by Tatsuo Hori and the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the Mitsubishi A5M and Mitsubishi A6M Zero aircraft in Japan in the World War II.
The film was nominated for many prestigious awards such as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and the Japan Academy Prize for Animated Film of the Year.
Related post: Top 4 Japanese animation companies with shows be loved most across the world
Conclusion
Each animated film of the Ghibli Asia animation studio brings a different beautiful message about life. When you have time to rest, leave behind the chaos and worries of daily life, give yourself a ticket to go back to childhood, find that old day with dreamy memories through these 15 familiar but very meaningful anime, friends!
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