hhnd_2002 Review of From Up on Poppy Hill

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

Excellent progress for Miyazaki Goro and enjoyable, but still missing the knot

[7/10 · 2 October 2011]

Compared to Miyazaki Goro's debut film, Tales of Earthsea (2006), Kokuriko-zaka kara is a film much better made, perhaps because the script is written for the film itself by Miyazaki Hayao (whereas Tales of Earthsea was adopted from a novel). The story revolves around adolescent romance between a strong, independent girl named Umi who takes care of her family's lodging business while her mother is away and her father having passed away from the war, and Umi's upperclassman. Umi falls in love with Shun, a boy admired by all the girls in school because of his audacity, but just as Shun and Umi's feelings are about to blossom into something more, Shun finds out a secret that prevents him from having any romantic feeling for Umi. As the "secret" seemed like it would turn the movie into a big melodramatic mess taken straight out of a Korean drama, I was slightly disappointed half way through the film. However, being Studio Ghibli, of course it wouldn't end on a tragic note, but also for that reason the ending felt rush and that something was "missing." I find the movie still enjoyable, though, despite its cheesy twist, because of all the period humor and the nostalgia it brings. The middle segment where everyone was involved in rebuilding the clubhouse was very enjoyable with a lot of humor and inspiration. Graphically, it was beautiful, and the soundtrack couldn't have been more appropriate. This is not one of Ghibli's best, but given time, Miyazaki Goro hopefully can continue in his father's footstep and bring us more great films to come.