Category: Anime

REVIEW: Only Yesterday (1991)

1991 saw the release of Isao Takahata’s second film for Studio Ghibli, Only Yesterday. Hayao Miyazaki was inspired by a manga of the same name, which detailed the everyday life of a little girl named Taeko. However, he didn’t think he could adapt the episodic, vignette-style comics to fe...

REVIEW: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

1989 saw the release of yet another whimsical Hayao Miyazaki-directed adventure, Kiki’s Delivery Service. I can vividly remember the ads for this movie’s American home video release when I was a kid; I can practically hear the cheesy, upbeat, “inspiring” song they played over it. However, th...

REVIEW: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Studio Ghibli released two movies in 1988. After Isao Takahata’s first film with the studio, Grave of the Fireflies, explored the aftermath of WWII in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s next was a decidedly more light-hearted venture. Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky were a mixture of fantasy and steampunk, ...

REVIEW: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Based on a 1967 autobiographical short story of the same name, 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies would be Isao Takahata’s first film at Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki’s work often overshadows that of his late, lifelong collaborator. However, I think Takahata’s filmography is equally as impressive...

REVIEW: Castle in the Sky (1986)

After the success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki’s next film came two years later in the form of Castle in the Sky. I forgot to mention last week that Nausicaä was technically produced before Studio Ghibli was formed, making Castle in the Sky their official first film....

REVIEW: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

When I watched and reviewed Earwig and the Witch last week, it got me thinking about Studio Ghibli as a whole. This was their first film in six years (seven for us here in the United States), and it was disappointing to most fans, to say the least. However, it’s worthy of note that a …

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