It all started with Spirited Away. I have heard of the film before as the first animated feature to win an Academy Award. Michi (as with most of the anime I know) showed me the film through her ipod. I didn't get to finish the film at that time since her ipod ran out of juice somewhere in the middle of the film. So, I was forced to download the film to my delight. It was really a great film with simple yet artistic cinematography. I wouldn't deny it its right to win that prestigious award.From then on, I watched Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and just today, Tales from Earthsea. Each of these animated films have their own stories. Like Howl's Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea, which were adopted from novels of the same title, tried to follow the plot on the books they were based on. On the otherhand, Princess Mononoke, as wikipedia put it, was an environmental film portrayed by Japanese mythology. Yet all these films seemed to have the same simplicity in terms of visual effects and artwork. It's not overly digitalize like most animated films of this age, rather, it used the old method of hand-drawn animation with just a few touches of computer CGI to give it flavor. What made them amazing was that they were made by one creator, Miyazaki.
But before I start typing reviews for all of these films (which I have been itching to do and I nearly did right now!), I have learned that it was hard to find and acquire each of this films
. There's a lot on the list even if I have to just look for Miyazaki's works, I wouldn't be able to get them all. Just today, I came from Makati Cinema Square where I found a complete Studio Ghibli collection (as of 2007) a year ago. With it's thousand peso price back then, it was impossible for me to purchase the collection considering I still had no work then. However, my search today was not as fruitful as it was before, I may have the buying power now, but the collection was gone. I hope I could find that collection soon.
Worthy, maraming Studio Ghibli collections sa Quiapo, and meron din sa UP Diliman:)
ReplyDeleteAND, have you watched the other works of SG? I recommend My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies:)
Their newest release is Tales from Earthsea:)
Napanood mo na pala Tales from Earthsea:) ahahahaha!!!
ReplyDeleteHehe, I second that "My Neighbor Totoro" recommendation. We used to have a VHS tape of that one, and I must admit that I didn't like it when I first watched it as a child. As you've probably noticed, though dealing with supernatural stuffs, Miyazaki's style is not something that a child will thoroughly appreciate. When I was some years older, I watched it again and that time liked the story very much. Though I didn't know it was Miyazaki's work until I saw my co-intern's collection of em. =x Too bad we no longer have a VHS player, and the tape is probably non-usable anymore.
ReplyDeletePersonally I've only watched the two movies you saw in my iPod (Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away), and "My Neighbor Totoro", and I've been wanting to watch the other movies too. That's why even I am quite disappointed that you can't find the collection anymore. I know I can find some in those "special" places I order from, but I believe that Miyazaki's works are one of those that are actually worth adding to a collection, and I really want to buy the original ones. =x
If you find any originals, don't you DARE forget to tell me.
I thought so... kaso mukhang wala na akong oras para magpunta ng quiapo or UP Diliman... Hindi naman ako masyadong nagtagal sa Cinema Makati Square kung saan ko nakita yung Ghibli Collection... thanks bernie...
ReplyDeleteMukha ngang maganda talaga yung "My Neighbor Totoro" since yun yung ginamit nilang mascot ng studio Ghibli. Well, happy hunting to all of us, then. hehehe...
ReplyDelete