Previous part: https://hive.blog/english/@herosik/7usckw-list-of-10-very-good-full-length-anime-movies-part-1-2
Lupin the III: The Blood Spray of Goemon Ishikawa
When I figured out which movie from the "Lupin" series is the best one, I focused my attention on 3 - "Castle of Cagliostro" by Miyazaki (yes, the one from Ghibli studio), "Jigen's gravestone" and the one that I chose. I rejected the castle immediately because I like it the least. The other two went head-to-head like their rivals in the Shounen Jump manga, but in the end, I chose Goemon. Although I liked the story of Jigen more, I prefer sword duels + a samurai movie turned out to be a hair better meeting my criteria. Goemon's fighting style, as well as the type of his opponent, makes IMO more impressive than a duel of snipers and shooters. Especially between such characters. The title Goemon is a samurai from the thirteenth generation who does incredible things with a sword as if he were the hero of some "Bleach" or "Naruto". Speaking in the language of games - Goemon packed his whole life in agility, and his opponent pumped into strength. It can be described with many epithets, but the most accurate one that comes to mind is "the embodiment of the statistic of strength". The guy throws people as if they were dolls and fights with axes that chop everything down. Such a clash of two equal characters who want to kill themselves and have no leniency towards each other, such as that we do not beat below the belt or something like that.
I chose this video for several reasons - virtually all of them are technical. It does not require knowledge of Lore Lupin and his companions, and the plot can be treated as a complete whole, an additional adventure detached from the TV series. Sure, the more we know about this world and heroes, the better, but that knowledge is not absolutely necessary for understanding it. Just as often, we don't know much about the heroes of action movies, such as "John Wick" and his like - it is enough to treat the painting with a samurai in the same way. I mentioned this example for a reason, in "Lupin the III: The Blood Spray of Goemon Ishikawa" there are a lot of such actions, and additionally, there will be a lot of good for fans of watching melee combat. Everything looks, moves, and works in the best possible shape. The line, as well as the script, are like from an adult animated film. The animation is as fluid and filling as it is with the best fight scenes from the prettiest shounen. You can feel Hawk's animal strength and the Japanese approach in striving for perfection in the edition of Goemon, especially when it comes to fighting over a short, maximum medium distance. The director also took care of the smallest details - Hawk, due to his muscle mass, cannot make too sweeping movements, because they absorb too much oxygen. As a result, the giant must carefully plan his every move and carefully dispose of oxygen so as not to shit himself at some point when his muscles run out of gas. From Goemon's perspective, it looks a bit different - a giant, weighing a little 5 times as much, maybe even 8, which throws axes. A careless dodge or a half-second delay due to hesitation may end up losing ahead or a piece of the body.
And when you watch this movie, I encourage you to watch the rest and "Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna" - a great TV series that has the same atmosphere and a similar tone. It is even drawn in a similar way. While I like both the more comedic and the more serious Lupin, the latter's adventures will be easier to swallow if you don't like some Japanese elements. The discussed film and the above-mentioned series are much more accessible to the Western audience.
Perfect Blue
When I write lyrics about the anime that influenced my life the most and the best ones, "Perfect Blue" will occupy top places in both. I am so in love with this film that while in the UK I bought a limited collector's edition at Steel-box. "Gundam the Origin" I had to say no to myself in the same edition, the hedonistic lifestyle won, but in this case, I couldn't deny myself. I could not eat enough for a few days, skip a little entertainment for a week, but I had to buy THIS movie. A brilliant title that makes our brain mush. I watched it about 3 or 4 times and each time I walked the next day feeling deprived and dead. Maybe it's an exaggerated reaction, but most of my friends, those from real life and the Internet had the same. Not necessarily the same, they probably felt it easier, but the movie made an impression on them.
It is all the more noticeable that the beginning of "Perfect Blue" does not announce a thriller, and more ... Hmm ... a comedy? Well, something looser, anyway. Initially, the action takes place on the set during the shooting of the super-sentai series (very briefly - this is how all "Power Rangers like" are called), then we move to a concert of a team of Japanese pop idols. Who are the idols? They are young, pretty, charming, and charming girls. As a rule, they play simple pop songs, act as role models for young people, and must have an unblemished image - something like priests, pastors, or teachers. The main character, Mima Kirigoe, wants to develop her career and leaves CHAM after the last concert! and goes to the acting craft. She doesn't expect her to make one of her fans a light Hikikomori in the process. Who is this? To put it briefly and simplified, I encourage the curious to read the full definition on the foreign Wiki, a man extremely alienated from society. The type who doesn't want to go to work, school, or even leave his room. In Poland, it could be called a loser, a cellar, although with some reservations (in the sense that the above-mentioned terms only partially overlap with Hikikomori, it is even deeper and more complicated). I wrote "light" on purpose because it's hard to call Mamoru Uchida a real Hikikomori because going outside is not that much of a problem for him. I suspect his anti-social habits are more due to the fact that he has a face like a pot and people don't really want to deal with him.
The young actress struggles with problems - in the beginning, she mainly gets insignificant roles and is treated by directors and producers as a small, frivolous child. The text has little, it is not overly complicated - there is no opportunity to stand out. He doesn't even get them despite expressed willingness. On the other hand, they eagerly use her visual advantages, convincing her, for example, to play the role of a woman raped at a disco. At first, it doesn't bother her, she tries to approach her work in a professional way, but afterward, she feels dirty and falls into a deeper and deeper depression. Especially since the stalker following her becomes more and more dangerous. She sends threatening letters, murders people, and spam about her on the internet. Initially a loose fairy tale, it becomes more brutal and darker with each scene. This can also be heard from the music, which at the beginning is lively, joyful, like many anime openings for younger boys or girls, and then gradually, her mood changes to that appropriate for horror movies or thrillers.
I recommend it, but I make a reservation that it is better not to watch this movie when you have a hard time in your life or if you are in a good mood. One, that it can kill you too much, and two, why spoil your positive mood? However, if you have at least a day to get sick of this screening, then go ahead. Although more than 22 years have passed since the premiere, the director's debut Master Satoshi Kon still makes an electrifying impression.
Paprika
To this day I feel a bit of a regret that Satoshi Kon did not manage to break through to the Oscars with Paprika in 2006. It is a pity that he did not enter the mainstream permanently, Paprika was the best opportunity to do so. This late gentleman was a genius director with great talent and skills. This production is a typical film for him (read: psychedelia and drilling a hole in the head), but it is extremely colorful and, how to put it ... he used the fact that it was an animation very vividly and created a suitable world for it. Very colorful and lively, like in a full-length movie for children, but in an adult version. More and stronger than in any production, it is his opus-magnum in this aspect of animation. I know some of you may shake your heads right now, but I find it hard to believe that Nolan or Aronofsky was not (at least partially) inspired by Satoshi's work. I know that some directors (such as James Gunn or Quentin Tarantino) like to watch Chinese cartoons, so it is quite possible that you will also. "Inception" and "Black Swan" are IMO too similar to "Paprika" and "Perfect Blue" to be a mere coincidence. I can't find the source of this information right now, and I don't remember which director said it, but I'm sure one of them gave something like that in one of the interviews - "Japanese cartoons are a good source when it comes to ideas or inspiration. This is favored by the style of anime and various themes in them, often in a completely different way than Western creators do. "
If you know "Inception", you will feel a familiar atmosphere watching Satoshi Kon's movie. When it comes to Japanese production, such a short summary - the therapist Chiba Atsuko, together with the scientist Tokita Kosaku, create a device for penetrating and interfering with human dreams. The invention is stolen, so the pretty doctor and detective team up to retrieve it and prevent their dreams from being used against their owners. "Paprika", like the above-mentioned film by Nolan, eagerly takes advantage of the fact that some of the action takes place in a dream. Well, it does it even better, but it results from a different form of performance. In a cartoon movie, it is easier to present the quirks and absurdities that function in the world of absurdities and nonsense than in the case of works with actors. Not only is it cheaper, it doesn't have so many restrictions, you just need to draw it. Filmmakers often have to struggle to bring it to an acceptable form. Take some shortcuts, and in the case of cartoons, we are mainly limited by the imagination and skills of cartoonists, the budget is incomparably less of an obstacle.
A well-known and reliable Japanese composer is responsible for the music. Susamu Hirasawa ie the first time he created the soundtrack to the anime Satoshi Kon. Previously, there was "Millennium Aktorka" or the series "Paranoia Agent", and he is also known to fans of "Berserk" for such musical compositions as Aria or Forces. His style and skills match the same director's attributes. When it's serious we hear songs that go along with it, when it's supposed to be weird, which is common in Kon's movies, it's sometimes scary or disturbing. The musician mainly uses electronic genres but also draws from rock and pop. It is difficult for me to put him on any specific level, but I certainly appreciate him and consider him a professional in his profession.
As for the overall impression, although I appreciate this movie and saw it twice with pleasure, I do not like it. I love "Perfect Blue" even though it's such BDSM for my brain and after each session I have to recover as if I was partying hard the day before. I have the same with "The Millennium Actress" or "Tokyo Godfathers" (though without the moral hangover and sadness after the screening), which I also saw twice. I just did not like "Paprika". Maybe I will appreciate it during the third session that I plan, but I am waiting for an opportunity and inspiration.
Wolf Children
A great animated film in the spirit of the best Disney animations. Although it is directed mainly to the youngest audience, older viewers, both with and without children, should not be bored. You can even feel the carefree joy of the child we ourselves were 20, 30 years ago. Even if we are resistant to Japanese voices, you can play the version with English dubbing and Polish subtitles, as if it was another picture from the Mickey Mouse studio. If the elements of Japanese rural folklore were changed to a more farmer atmosphere in the American style + a few other things, nobody would notice the difference between a Japanese fairy tale and a production from Pixar, Disney, or a similar studio. "Wolf Children" is a story about the hardships of motherhood, raising two unusual toddlers, and the problems they cause while growing up. Aside from a few strands that follow from their father's race, there are no supernatural elements. Family problems are the prose of life, matters with which we come into contact on a daily basis. The need to get used to a new life, experience a severe trauma, learn how to deal with children, their problems and diseases, find a male role model for a growing werewolf, etc. Despite the wolf elements, it can be easily translated into a familiar life, experienced parents will surely see something they know from their own or others' experiences.
At the beginning, we meet Hana, a hard-working student who meets a mysterious man at the university. The relationship develops, they fall in love, at some point, there is a full moon, which turns Ookami into a wolf. The woman sees it and is not afraid at all, on the contrary - her feeling deepens. The fruit of their love is two children - the boy Ame and the girl Yuki. Unfortunately, Ookami cannot enjoy them for long, because at one point he was caught by the city law enforcement. The trouble of raising two cute little werewolves, therefore, falls on Hana. Just as parents have problems with ordinary children (the first diseases, their dangerous curiosity about the ENTIRE world around them, the first manifestations of negative personality traits that they do not control and do not understand), Hana's troubles are a completely different league. Adults go to the doctor or other specialists, and the mum of two werewolves must recognize the symptoms first and then decide whether to go to a human doctor or a vet. As the children grow up, problems multiply and a cramped apartment is not enough for them, so Hana decides to move to the countryside, far from the city.
The characters are drawn somewhat simplified. That's not to say they're ugly, they just drop in less detail and less polished than the heroes of nearly all of the movies on this list. As a result, the animation of children into wolves and vice versa flows very smoothly. It may bother someone, but I believe it would be a forceful cling. Such a line fits the fairy-tale atmosphere and morals conveyed by this picture. Its plasticity also improves the fairy-tale feeling straight from the best Disney animations. I would also like to add that this applies only to the characters, because the backgrounds, nature, elements of nature, and all the rest are drawn very well. The whole thing is very colorful and you can feel the relaxing atmosphere that is typical of the province. Together with the music, they perfectly emphasize extremely positive, genuinely warm feelings. Evil, if it occurs, is shown in a natural way without unnecessary aggression, as one of the elements of life that cannot be escaped. However, there is not much of it, and so are the elements of violence, which have also been presented in such a way that they can relate to our reality.
Generally speaking, due to its universal message and more or less equal entry threshold for most age groups, I can recommend "Wolf Children" to everyone. It doesn't take too long and you can have a nice time. If not alone, then with family or children who have nothing to watch.
Spirited Away
This is the only Ghibli movie that I have seen more than 10 times. I used to watch it every day with my little sister for about 2 weeks. Is this the best Miyazaki film I've ever seen? Probably not, but I can definitely say it's my favorite. There are no morals as good as "Princess Mononoke" (or I don't understand them), but it's my favorite world by Ghibli. I like him for everything - interesting creations of the Gods, the main character, and many other characters, as well as the presentation of magic in it. I also like the audio-visual setting, which does not always suit me in the productions of this studio. The line is great, the animation is a miracle, but it often doesn't suit me as a whole. When it comes to music, no other OST from Ghibli films has as many songs that I like. A very colorful and fairy-tale world that is in no way inferior to Disney productions. The numerous awards are the best proof of this.
If I had to describe the anime in one sentence, I would write in quotation marks that it is "Chihiro in Wonderland". As it unfolds, the plot tells about a 10-year-old girl who is on her way to a new home. Her parents decide to stay at one of the buildings. They passed through it and found themselves in another world, once inhabited by Deities and spirits. Bad luck meant that there was a lot of food there that was not intended for them. It was something of a sacrifice for the above-mentioned. As punishment, they were turned into pigs to reflect their greed and insatiable hunger. Chihiro decides to save her parents and return to her world with them. Her path to achieving this goal will be difficult, sometimes dangerous, sometimes joyful, but also fairy-tale like. While working for the witch Yubaba in her SPA for Gods, she will meet some Gods and friends, such as Haku, Lin, Kaonashi, and Kamajia, and will undergo an accelerated course of life. However, basically, you don't need that much. Chihiro is not pampered, nor is she bothered by hard and dirty work, which contradicts the approach of some women today. Not so long ago, and in some parts of the world until today, women had to do the really dirty and smelly work more often, which in civilized countries is usually done by less-educated men.
The music was written by one of the greatest Japanese-born composers, Joe Hisaishi. So it could not be otherwise than very good. But to be honest, I don't like most of his pieces. As usual, I only like some of the selected songs from Ghibli's movies, on Spirited Away I liked the whole soundtrack. Their composition stands out from the anime, and so does the graphics. The pieces are diverse and are perfect for fairy tales for people who are more mature and more sensitive to art. Some evoke involuntary tears, and some, such as The Dragon Boy, are the essence of the word "epic". When it comes to the level of lines, animation, and drawings, let me say briefly - this is Japanese Disney, but better in my opinion. True, Mickey Mouse's animated films are more popular and have become a permanent part of pop culture, but the lessons from Miyazaki's studio are equally important, and sometimes even more - see "Princess Mononoke". Besides, the visual setting of their films is a miracle. I'm too lame to appreciate it, but the older I get, the better I see the richness and variety of these films, different from productions coming from the American or European market. Lovers of worlds that differ in their principles from ours will have something to admire. Ghibli has his own private army of animators and cartoonists who have delighted viewers with their work for decades.
As for morals, they are not as important and strongly outlined as in the previously described "Princess Mononoke", but not everyone has to have one. It's a truism, but the most important thing is having fun, and "Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi" provides it in large quantities. I recommend starting Netflix, you should not regret the time spent.
Well, this is what the top-list of films recommended by me looks like. I know, I cut corners a bit, but if I wanted to write about the titles that I mentioned at the beginning of the text, I would be only halfway through it. I can spread the series over a few days, it is easier for me to spend, for example, 12 hours on the weekend than to find 2-3 for a movie, as long as I want to get the full experience out of it. I also prefer to watch them in the right atmosphere, according to my current emotional state. What is your list of the best anime movies that you would recommend to people who do not watch Japanese cartoons on a daily basis? I'd love to hear what you have to say.
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