tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post7064512185110341894..comments2024-03-19T02:27:08.584-05:00Comments on Ghibli Blog: Studio Ghibli, Animation and the Movies: Movie Review: Omohide Poro Poro (Only Yesterday) (1991)Daniel Thomas MacInneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-16511131141969095222012-11-24T13:35:25.464-06:002012-11-24T13:35:25.464-06:00Duly noted. I've made a slight edit, and adde...Duly noted. I've made a slight edit, and added a paragraph explaining my views on the title. In this case, there is no such thing as a "direct" translation; the Japanese implies ideas that don't translate entirely to the West.<br /><br />@Per A J Johnson: Yes, the middle sister is gay. At least, that was my reading of the scene. Great insights on Takahata's films, too.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-43614050111256249712012-11-24T08:20:17.921-06:002012-11-24T08:20:17.921-06:00Great article. I'm so glad I came across this ...Great article. I'm so glad I came across this piece, because I think this movie is my favorite animated movie of all time. However, as Shika mentioned graciously above, the title translation you gave in the article is inaccurate. Please edit it, or at least acknowledge her comment.Korean Dramashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13976106705625748089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-65207249498529070572012-11-02T19:14:57.662-05:002012-11-02T19:14:57.662-05:00Middle-sister Yaeko apparently has a secret crush ...Middle-sister Yaeko apparently has a secret crush on an actress and is embarassad when Taeko discovers her fascination and her big picture of the actress. The actress has a male part in an all-female acting troupe (Takarazuka revue?). Here is a link:<br />http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/opp/synopsis/Per A J Anderssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13832543922585489688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-15781458170318188492012-08-24T23:55:18.831-05:002012-08-24T23:55:18.831-05:00what a beautiful review of one of my favorite anim...what a beautiful review of one of my favorite animated film. I love your references to Ozu - I learned about him in my silent film class and absolutely love his unconventional filming style. <br /><br /><br />Just curious, I was reading your reply to a comment and you mentioned that the older sister was gay ... I must've missed the subtleties but could you explain this a little more? Linnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16200825805280661280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-75462475623079400352012-04-24T09:06:53.197-05:002012-04-24T09:06:53.197-05:00Michael Barrier's comments? Well, I mostly fea...Michael Barrier's comments? Well, I mostly fear for his sanity. His eyesight. Or both. Have we even seen the same films? His patent dismissal of "comic-book" stories is another thing to be examined, once I'd get him on the sofa of my favourite shrink. I've probably read more good stories in "comic-strip" format (in Swedish, Danish, English, French, Italian, Dutch or Norwegian) than he has. And some of the very best stories were produced in Japan.<br /><br />Well, Takahata doesn't like to go the already trodden route. In "Chie" he made the "poor little girl" stand up for herself in a most magnificent way. In "Goshu" he talked about music composition as no-one has ever tried to. In "Grave" he didn't shy for the most difficult of story-telling, deliberately hurting the viewer (to make us feel the reality of war) in the process. In "Only" he juxtaposed two different storylines, mixing them in a unique way. In "Pompoko" he focused his story around a collective of characters, portraying them in no less than four (deformed, cartoony/normal, realistic and transformed) ways. In "Yamadas" he tried to make a pioneering big-budget digital movie out of a simple yet poignant and well-written daily gag-cartoon (with commercially disastrous results).<br /><br />You can say a lot about Isao Takahata's film-making, but using the words "nothing more than" does not really fit in there. :-)Per A J Anderssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13832543922585489688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-34489140007677833672012-02-24T18:56:04.301-06:002012-02-24T18:56:04.301-06:00I haven't yet seen this one, Daniel, but what ...I haven't yet seen this one, Daniel, but what did you think of it and Pom Poko's rather (uncharacteristically) curt dismissal by Michael Barrier?<br /> "If you saw the two animated features directed by Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli colleague Isao Takahata on Turner Classic Movies the other night, you may have come away, as I did, with fresh respect for Miyazaki's strengths as a filmmaker. The Takahata features, Only Yesterday and Pom Poko struck me as nothing more than moving manga, very long (around two hours in both cases) animated Japanese comic-book stories, a criticism I would never level at Miyazaki's films. Pom Poko was especially exasperating. Magical animals who can transform themselves into almost anything fight back against bullies that would despoil their woodland home; haven't we seen that story on the screen before? Yes, of course—Pom Poko is a two-hour Bugs Bunny cartoon, without the gags. Not for me, thanks."Njordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12517760174309412006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-66828312166082786302010-08-10T23:44:51.369-05:002010-08-10T23:44:51.369-05:00@otheryaddayadda: That's an excellent question...@otheryaddayadda: That's an excellent question. I don't know what model car Toshio drives in the movie. I have no doubt it's a real make and model from the early '80s. Takahata's realism demands such true-to-life details. Keener eyes would be able to discern the answer better than I can.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-33732713107707005032010-08-08T15:55:53.525-05:002010-08-08T15:55:53.525-05:00I apologize for asking such a banal question but w...I apologize for asking such a banal question but would you happen to know what Toshio's car was? It looks like it was drawn from a model that existed and the first time that little car appears has probably worn thin on my copy because of the number of times I'd played it back.Otherwise Maladroithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13610709790857705942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-41063803483724955112010-05-18T02:57:22.016-05:002010-05-18T02:57:22.016-05:00I notice you haven't added any note to the inc...I notice you haven't added any note to the incorrect translation of the title you've posted that I corrected earlier. I really think it would be considerate to not mislead future viewers in such a way....Shikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11702084239894293936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-27910001254092604192010-02-01T09:57:10.495-06:002010-02-01T09:57:10.495-06:00Thanks, Daniel.Thanks, Daniel.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07036103762441216161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-12284213706536058282010-02-01T09:38:12.166-06:002010-02-01T09:38:12.166-06:00@stephen: Go ahead, steal whatever you need. It&#...@stephen: Go ahead, steal whatever you need. It's free for the taking. Thanks for the kind words. Is this essay really reaching its 5th birthday? Time flies.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-77832278296744659272010-02-01T07:10:07.365-06:002010-02-01T07:10:07.365-06:00Daniel, do you mind if I link to your lovely revie...Daniel, do you mind if I link to your lovely review of this film?<br /><br />I've been watching and writing about a lot of animation and I am going to publish a post of links to 'animated' reviews at my small blog. I'm just trying to open my own eyes to what is an under-discussed part of Cinema. <br /><br />Thanks. This blog is a fantastic Ghibli treasure trove.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07036103762441216161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-26602180495958383762009-12-27T00:30:26.028-06:002009-12-27T00:30:26.028-06:00I'm not sure where you got your translation fr...I'm not sure where you got your translation from, but Omohide poroporo actually doesn't mean "Memories of Falling Teardrops".<br /><br />The word "Omohide" means memories, and the word "Poroporo" is how the Japanese write the sound of something, like teardrops or just anything, trickling down. The title is likening Taeko's memories to this kind of trickling. A very awkward translation could be something like "Memories trickling down".<br /><br />However, converting this to "Memories of Falling Teardrops" is incorrect and really just gives an entirely different meaning to the title than what Takahata intended.Shikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11702084239894293936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-66143527119442581782009-09-09T08:23:48.532-05:002009-09-09T08:23:48.532-05:00@return: I'm glad you loved this movie. Since...@return: I'm glad you loved this movie. Since you've seen it, you can understand why Disney will never release it here in the US.<br /><br />It's not just the subject matter of girls having periods, or the older sister who's gay. It's the scene that depicts a naked child in a Japanese bathhouse. There isn't a studio executive anywhere in the world who would volunteer to put their head on the chopping block for this.<br /><br />And you've seen the mass hysteria whipped up the wingnut right in this country. That conservative base is one of Disney's key demographics.<br /><br />Ideally, we would live in a civilized country, and this would never be an issue. If Disney presented the Studio Ghibli films as a seperate brand, that might help a little, maybe, maybe not.<br /><br />Personally, I think the smartest move would be to hand Omohide Poro Poro (and I Can Hear the Sea) to Criterion Collection. Let them put it out on DVD and Blu-Ray, and quietly collect the royalty checks.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-63033822350480566492009-09-09T02:21:43.234-05:002009-09-09T02:21:43.234-05:00I am so glad i decided to do this Ghibli catch up ...I am so glad i decided to do this Ghibli catch up this week. Just finished Only Yesterday and was blown away. I only wish that it was dubbed by Disney so that i could share it with my family (English is their second language and they struggle to keep up with subtitles). When i finished this wonderful film i was linked the trailer to Princess and the Frog, a film i was anticipated quite a bit. And while the animation looks fantastic, i just wish Disney could make a simple story like this, animation is a medium tat allows you to create such power from such simple stories. Hopefully Disney can get over their fear of menstration and give this movie a proper go on blu ray.returnofthesmithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-86113491020002547442009-08-14T10:51:43.960-05:002009-08-14T10:51:43.960-05:00The two things I appreciate most about both Miyaza...The two things I appreciate most about both Miyazaki & Takahata are their (almost?) religiously inspired earth-centered themes and strong, sensitive portrayals of female characters.<br /><br />Since Takahata infuses the spiritual singing of Bulgarian women's dainas with Toshio's rural world and the scene you mention where the farmers pray at sunrise makes me think that Ghibli's "environmental" stance goes beyond the merely political. To them, it is a religious necessity & survival issue for humanity to "go back to the land." <br /><br />I couldn't agree more.<br /><br />"...and we got to get ourselves back to the garden..." Crosby, Stills, Nash, & YoungToongirlnoreply@blogger.com