Puedo Eschuhar el Mar - Umi ga Kikoeru Spanish DVD

Umi ga Kikoeru is also now available in the Spanish market, courtesy of Aurum.  This was actually released in October, 2008, and also retains the movie's actual title - I Can Hear the Sea.  Why should the English-speaking world be stuck with the bland and lifeless "Ocean Waves?"  The Ghibli titles are far more poetic and inviting to my ears.

I like the design of the Spanish DVD.  It's closer to the Japanese R2, and uses an illustration from the Ghibli Calendar.  And I'm thrilled anytime one of these great movies can be seen by the outside world.  Animation can be used for more than stale fairy tales and childish power fantasies.  You can do more than just rip off Star Wars and Snow White and Toy Story.  This awareness is slowly creeping into the American consciousness, very slowly.

Like the Optimum UK release, I Can Hear the Sea includes a single disc and no extras beyond the trailers.  At the time, this was the only Western release of this film.  I'd like to see Disney release this movie here, but a North American release remains highly unlikely.  If you live on the American continents, imports and downloads are your only options.

Ocean Waves (Umi ga Kikoeru) DVD Released in the UK

Our Ghibli friends in the UK have another reason to gloat over their American cousins: Umi ga Kikoeru/Ocean Waves is now available on DVD.  This means that our English, Scottish and Irish friends now have all of Studio Ghibli's theatrical films.

Umi ga Kikoeru was Studio Ghibli's 1993 film.  It was created by the younger staff members who had been trained and mentored for several years at the studio's art school.  They learned under both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and were set loose on a 72-minute television adaptation of a popular manga.  Outside director Mochizuki Tomomi was brought in to head the project, Ghibli's first without Miyazaki or Takahata.

I've always been a great fan of this film, and Ghibli's forays into neo-realism.  The idea that animation could be used to depict real life dramas...this was a shattering revelation when I discovered Grave of the Fireflies.  Even though Umi ga Kikoeru (Ocean Waves is the standardized Western title, but the direct translation is "I Can Hear the Sea") is considered a "minor" work in the Ghibli canon, I believe that designation is unfair.  This teenage melodrama is brilliantly paced and skillfully animated.  The final scene is truly stirring, and never fails to move me.

True story: When I was in Bogota in December, Umi was playing on Cinemax, in Japanese with English subtitles.  That was a surprise for me.  You can actually find bootlegged DVDs of all the Studio Ghibli films on the streets of Bogota, cough, cough.

I have only one major complaint with this new DVD - no extras.  The Japanese Region 2 DVD includes an hour-long video that reunites the filmmakers on Umi's 10th anniversary.  There's no reason why that couldn't be included.  Indeed, naturalist anime is a rather tough sell in the West.  We need all the help we can get.  Much thanks to Optimum for bringing Umi to the West, but no skimping on the extras next time.

Best of the Twin Cities 2010 - Vote For The Ghibli Blog

Vote for The Ghibli Blog - Best Local Blog

City Pages is the alt-weekly newspaper in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and they are now accepting ballots for their annual Best of the Twin Cities 2010 issue. This is a very high honor in the Twin Cities and the American Midwest, and this year, I want us to win.

I'm asking everybody, regular contributors and casual readers alike, to cast a vote for The Ghibli Blog in the Best Local Blog category. It only takes a quick moment to fill out the ballot, and you don't have to worry about the other categories if you don't want.

A win for Best Local Blogger would be a great achievement for this blog, as well as the greater animation community. This will be a win for all of us, artists and readers alike. I have always said that The Ghibli Blog would not be possible without your devoted support. Here is another opportunity to demonstrate that.

To vote, simply click on the big button on the top-right of the page, just above Heidi Marco Anne. You can also steal that button for your own use if you wish. Do everything you can to help spread the word and bring in the votes. Ballots must be entered by April 5. The Best of the Twin Cities issue will hit newsstands on April 21. Thank you very much for all your support. Now let's win this thing!

Vote for The Ghibli Blog - Best Local Blog

New Poll: Vote For Best Animation Feature

We haven't had a poll at The Ghibl Blog in a long time, so what better time than now, after last night's Oscars?  Pixar's Up won the Academy Award for Best Animation Feature..what do you say?  Which of the five nominees do you think deserved to win?

Here are the five nominees:

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up
"I Like Pie"

Everyone gets one vote, and we have all week to participate.  Feel free to leave your comments on this post, explaining your choice.  I'm very interested to hear what everyone thinks; honestly, I think this will be a much tighter race than last night's Oscars.

As always, the final choice is a jokey throwaway - I Like Pie.  I just use that for laughs, and also because I don't my vote to influence the final outcome.  Besides, if a movie can't compete against a slice of your favorite pie, can it really be called a good movie?  I think not.  Good luck!

Do I Really Have to Watch the Oscars?

Okay, we've all had our morning coffee and our cinnamon bagels, and the hangovers are wearing off.  What did everybody think of this year's Oscars?

I've been a fan of the Oscars for many, many years; it really is an event where the whole family sits down in front of the television set together.  So I suppose there's a degree of brand loyalty on my part.  That said, I've become increasingly bored over the past several years.  Either the show's producers are far too cautious and timid, and they've squeezed out all the spontanaeity and life, or I've figured out the "formula" by which the Motion Picture Academy hands out awards, or perhaps I've just outgrown it all.  Whatever the reasons, I'm getting very bored.

Was it just me, or were the jokes just falling flat?  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin seemed like they could make a good team, and I like the idea of having a duo trade barbs and wisecracks.  In practice, however, it really didn't happen.  Either the writers weren't inspired this year, or Martin & Baldwin needed to work on their timing, I don't know.  I don't think they were on stage nearly enough.  Just what is the purpose of the Oscars MC?  They deliver an opening monologue and then disappear while other celebrities do all the heavy lifting.  Very strange.

The Academy's producers seem terrified that any unscripted events will happen, like Roberto Begnini standing on chairs, or Michael Moore denouncing the Iraq War, or that streaker who ran past David Niven.  But that's why I'm watching the Oscars!  I want to see something crazy and unexpected happen.  I want Jack Palance doing one-armed pushups!  I want Adrian Brody making out with Hally Berry.  I want Jack Nicholson drunk off his ass and making a fool of himself.

I want something, anything, that demonstrates these Beautiful People in show business are real human beings, and not animated robots.  I don't want an efficient machine.  Life is neither efficient nor a machine.  I want the excitement and passion of the movies.  I want the melodrama and the thrills and the spills.  I want Groucho Marx hitting on Margaret Dumont.  I want Nora Desmond begging for her closeup.  I am not interested in yet another boring acceptance speech that thanks family members and then shuffles off, in time for the next stupid commercial.

Maybe it's because I never watch television anymore.  If it weren't for the Nintendo and the DVD player, I wouldn't even own one.  My fab stereo system is the center of my living room.  Just listen to Miles Davis on the Sony turntable!  Listen to Beethoven!  It's amazing!  Why would you waste your precious lives on Jay Leno and reality shows when you could be immersed in great music?

So perhaps Marshall MacLuhan and Terence McKenna are right, and the media we consume skewer our sensory ratios.  Perhaps my brain has become wired against the passive drugged-out experience of television.  Even when there's something worth watching - Ken Burns' latest documentary, the Winter Olympics, Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show - it feels like a compromise.  I'd rather see it in person, or hear it on the radio.  The idiot box just makes me cranky now.  It feels designed to make you stupid and numb.  It feels like an idiot narcotic to me.

So I sit down and watch the Oscars, and pass along my cranky grandpa rants to Marcee, who keeps me sane, and I pass along notes on Twitter for the sake of my readers.  It was okay.  It was sadly predictable, boring, lifeless, and always slightly off the mark.  Will I remember any of this in a week's time?  Will we remember anything next month?  Part of me fears that I'm losing interest in the movies.  I hope that is not the case.  There's so much strang and drum to muscle through, but there's always a surprise, a hidden gem, a truly great movie, if you are but willing to look.  When we lose curiosity, our spirit of exploration, that is when we truly grow old and die.  That is when the idiot narcotics win.

Miyazaki Comics - The Age of the Flying Boat (1989)

Hayao Miyazaki wrote and painted The Age of the Flying Boat in 1989 for Model Grafx Magazine in Japan.  This story was later evolved and expanded into Studio Ghibli's 1992 movie, Porco Rosso.  In 1993, Animerica Magazine scored an impressive scoop: an English translation, released in three monthly installments, as part of their extensive coverage of Porco Rosso and all things Miyazaki.

This must have been amazing to read back then.  Holding this comic in your hands was pure gold.  There was no hope of ever seeing the movie, unless you knew someone in Japan.  Porco Rosso wouldn't be officially released in North America until 2006!  Oh, the dark days when Ghibli's films were impossible to find, copied and shuttled around on beaten videotapes among the anime underground.  Even with the popular success of Katruhiro Otomo's Akira, and the hunger for "Japanimation" (Thank God that word was retired), Miyazaki would remain an unknown for another decade.

What a wonderful luxury we have today with the internet.  I am humbled and grateful that such works are now freely available.  I've helped to play my role in bringing that about.  I hope you enjoy reading "Crimson Pig" in The Age of the Flying Boat, from the pages of Animerica.


Part One - Animerica, July 1993:

Part Two - Animerica, August 1993:

Part Three - Animerica, September 1993:

Ghibli Blog on Twitter

Tonight, I'm watching the Oscars and commenting at Twitter.  If you wish to follow along, just click to The Ghibli Blog's Twitter page and enjoy.  My thanks to everyone who is visiting tonight.  We're getting more traffic tonight than on Tuesday, which was the day of Studio Ghibli's DVD and Blu-Ray releases.  Thank you very much!

Download These Fan Translations

I've added a new downloads section to the Ghibli Blog - Download These Fan Translations.  My big project today has been to organize the large number of Miyazaki comics in my collection.  I've found and downloaded these scans and fan translations over the years, some by our reliable friends at BakaBT, and others from websites that are no longer alive.

I'm also trying to reach the manga teams who are working on "scanlating" Miyazaki's 1999 comic, Otto Carius - Tigers Covered in Mud.  This watercolor manga appeared in Model Grafx magazine in Japan, and five of the six episodes are finished.  Only the final installment remains to be completed; thankfully, a 1999 script translation is available online.

I'd like to provide links to all of these comics, for the sake of preserving history.  There are a number of sources, but it's still very scattershot, and we need to organize.  In a perfect world, yes, there would be a giant book called, "Hayao Miyazaki Comics" that we could buy, which would contain all the short-form comics in the artist's career.  Until then, we fans will have to organize the best we can.

If you only know Miyazaki from his directorial films at Studio Ghibli, you've only been exposed to one segment of his work.  Remember that he originally wanted to be a manga artist.

Photos - Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro (Blu-Ray 720p)

Might as well snap a bunch of photos from the Castle of Cagliostro Blu-Ray (fansub version, of course).  It's really nice to watch in a higher resolution, and it does look better than the existing DVDs, but the picture is still dirty and grainy.  This movie needs to be properly restored and remastered for high-definition.  Unfortunately, that's something a small Japanese publisher like VAP can do by themselves.  Frankly, I have no idea how they got the rights to the BD version.  Shouldn't that go to Studio Ghibli?  The DVD version was an early release on the Ghibli ga Ippai label (and featuring dubtitles, sadly).

In any event, this movie needs to be properly remastered to high-def.  It should look absolutely smashing on a big-screen tv set.  This version looks really good, but it deserves to be so much better.

Riffs - People of the Desert, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro

When I was quickly reading through the new fan translation of Hayao Miyazaki's 1969 manga, People of the Desert, this panel quickly jumped out at me.  I recognized the very same shot from the climax to Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro.

Upon reflection, a very interesting connection between these two.  People of the Desert was Miyazaki's first published original work as a comics writer, his childhood ambition.  Castle of Cagliostro, as we all know, was his first directorial feature film.  Perhaps this is why he reached back to recreate this shot.  He felt a connection of firsts.

I often wonder about all these riffs in the Miyazaki (and Takahata) canon.  Just what is the motivation?  Why do they always sneak in quick, blink-and-you'll-miss-it shots that refer to earlier work?  Is it a Japanese thing, a trait of that generation of animators?  Is it conscious?  Does the inspiration suddenly strike?  Is there a scrapbook of favorite poses and shots to whom the directors refer?  I really don't know the answers.  I feel like I'm the first person to ever really discover these things.

Heck, I still feel like I'm the only American who's actually seen everything in the Miyazaki/Takahata canon.  When most people say they've seen "everything Miyazaki has done," you know they're referring only to the Ghibli films.  Ask them about their favorite episode of Heidi or Future Boy Conan, and you'll get blank stares and puzzled faces.  Very strange.  We really need to work on that.

Hayao Miyazaki's People of the Desert - Fan Translation Now Available

Hayao Miyazaki's 1969-70 manga People of the Desert (Sabaku no Tami) is now blessed with an all-new fan translation.  The translation was made available this Valentine's Day...nice touch.

I've highlighted this comic a couple times in the past, thanks to some scanned photos from a website that has long since died.  It's such a joy to be able to read this epic saga in English, even though the Japanese text was so critical to the original compositions.  I think the translator did a very fine job, so thank you and congratulations.

People of the Desert is serious, dark, and violent, but still firmly presented in the cliffhanger serial mold.  It certainly was an anomaly in Miyazaki's work in 1969, but today we immediately recognize the manga as a missing link between Horus, Prince of the Sun and Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.  It's striking, really, how similar this world is to Nausicaa's apocalyptic world.

This is also a striking example of the astonishing drive by the young Miyazaki.  This epic manga, thematically and visually complex, was penned not only during the 1969 Toei Doga classic Puss in Boots (btw, buy the DVD!), but the Puss in Boots comic strip.  Animal Treasure Island and Ali Baba would follow in 1971, before Miyazaki and Takahata jumped ship to A-Pro to join Yasuo Otsuka on the Lupin III series...all while crafting their ill-fated Pippi Longstockings project.  Oh, and somewhere along the way, second son Keisuke was born.  Busy, busy, busy.

You can find the link to People of the Desert at the Downloads section.  Thanks again to the translator and the folks who made it available to the world in 2010.  Domo arigatou!

Yasuo Otsuka's Joy In Motion - Fansub Download Now Available

Studio Ghibli's excellent 2003 DVD documentary, Yasuo Otsuka's Joy in Motion, is now available as a fansub download.  I've added the link to the Downloads section.  This is an essential movie for all animation students and fans everywhere.  Disney should release it in North America (alongside Isao Takahata's Yanagawa documentary) and donate it to every public school in the country.  No other movie has ever captured the spirit and, yes, the joy of creating in animation.

If Pixar wants to inspire the next generation of animators, Joy in Motion is the perfect tool.  C'mon, Lasseter, do the right thing and bring this movie to the States.  Until then, the rest of you start downloading and sharing.

(Photo: Hayao Miyazaki and Yasuo Otsuka during the production of Future Boy Conan, 1978.)

The World of Ghibli Featurette

Disney's bonus material for the new Studio Ghibli DVDs revolve around the moniker, "The World of Ghibli."  This consists of three segments: complete storyboards (e-konte), "Behind the Studio," and "Enter the Lands."  Let's take a look at what's on the second Laputa: Castle in the Sky disc.

"Behind the Studio" is a remarkable surprise.  It's a collection of interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Joe Hisaishi.  The interviews are cut into five short segments - The World of Laputa; Creating Castle in the Sky; Character Sketches; Producer's Perspective: Meeting Miyazaki; and Scoring Miyazaki.

These interviews were filmed in 2009 in Japan, and I'm curious to know how many were filmed.  Everything depends on when the next wave of reissued DVDs and Blu-Ray discs arrive.

Japanese movie trailers are included once again, and this is a welcome sight.  I always enjoy seeing the previews, especially Castle in the Sky, Studio Ghibli's inaugural movie.  "Following the famed Nausicaa, Director Hayao Miyazaki's latest creation," goes the tagline.  The name of the studio is never mentioned; in 1986, there are no expectations or plans beyond this one film, that Ghibli would become famous throughout the world (it's easy to forget sometimes that these are purely Japanese movies, with no expectation of being seen elsewhere).

Disney's old "Behind the Microphone" feature appears once again.  James Van Der Beek is just as embarassing as ever, Cloris Leachman and Mark Hamill are still chewing the scenery.  Cartoon dubs really can be cheesy sometimes.  But Disney has improved vastly since John Lasseter took over the Ghibli dubs, and we're all the more grateful for it.  I really don't like this dub...but, eh, shrug.  To each their own.

"Enter the Lands" is a rather interesting feature.  It's an interactive menu, presented as a large map containing (most) of the Studio Ghibli movies.  All of the films are present, except, of course, for Grave of the Fireflies, Omohide Poro, Umi ga Kikoeru, and Gedo Senki.  We're never going to see those films in America, sadly.  At least Grave of the Fireflies is available on DVD by another label.

One pleasant surprise - and I really never believed Disney would touch this movie again - is Mononoke.  San is right there on the upper right corner of the screen.  This does strongly suggest that Disney will reissue Mononoke on DVD/BD.  Frankly, I'll believe it when I see it.

I don't understand why Disney simply doesn't release the Ghibli catalog on its own label, without the Disney moniker.  If there were at least one degree of separation, perhaps that would calm the nerves of the executives who have nightmares about the Dumb Proles storming their walls because of cartoons with severed limbs and bath houses and menstruation.  Just sayin'.

Enter the Lands is more of an interactive toy for the kiddies; the rest of you will be bored quickly and move on.  You click on the menu items, watch brief clips, and learn about the movie characters.  The narrator is talking in a DisneySpeak dialect, sounding a bit like new parents.  Ooogly Googly, whoooze the happy babyyyy?  Awwww, smoochie smoochie smoochie!  Yeah, don't you laugh.  You'll have kids one day and it'll happen to you.  It's like catching the Chicken Pox; everybody has to suffer through it once.

Finally, I'd like to pay my compliments on the wonderful new menus.  The style is very restrained, easy on the eyes, and easy to navigate.  Thank goodness the days of heavily animated menu screens are behind us.  I just want to get to the movie, please.  Disney has done an outstanding job with the presentation.  You can see the care and dedication in their work, and it's really the first time I can say that honestly.  In previous years, the Ghibli catalog was treated with something bordering on contempt, like a Thanksgiving dinner with relatives you avoid the rest of the year.

If you're wondering if you should buy Castle in the Sky, or Totoro, or Kiki, even though you have the older releases, I'm giving you my endorsement.  These are excellent reissues and will make a fine addition to your movie library.  Excellent job, Disney!  You get a cookie.

Everything's Fine With Ponyo's Japanese Soundtrack

I've just been informed that the Japanese soundtrack to the new Ponyo DVD and Blu-Ray are perfectly fine, without the Disney remixed song at the end.  I appreciate the help in taking the time to look, which I was unable to do because my PC's DVD software is a hideous mess.

I've deleted the post I wrote late last night, since it's no longer needed.

Now can someone tell me why I can't play movies on my computer?  Is Power DVD a bug-ridden mess, or is this Windows XP's fault?  Goodness knows I'm not about to reinstall the operating system yet again.  No thanks.

Let's Have a Look at the New Ghibli Releases

Okay, everybody.  I pulled out the digital camera and snapped a few quick photos of the new Ghibli releases.  The packaging is just superb, much better than I expected.  It's very much like the design for Disney and Pixar DVDs, with glistening blue with gold trim.  The gold is especially nice, especially on the spines, and very reflective, too.

As you can see, this is an excellent design for the Ghibli DVDs and BD's.  They've never looked better.  I'll put this design against any Ghibli DVD around the world.  Including the movie posters is a brilliant move; I only hope Disney continues to do this for the rest of the Ghibli catalog.

And while we're at it, let's put Ghiblies Episode 2 with The Cat Returns, where it belongs.

Disney has done an exemplary job with the new Studio Ghibli DVDs.  They haven't always handled the Ghibli catalog wisely, and there are two or three films we'll likely never see in North America, sadly.  But Disney has also steadily improved with each wave of releases, and the influence of John Lasseter and Pixar can never be overstated.  Bravo, everybody.  Bravo.