The Wind Rises
This is one of the greatest movies I've seen.
I've been meaning to watch it for awhile, but the plot seemed boring to me because it is about a boy who achieves his dream of becoming an aviation engineer/airplane designer. This movie, however, is SO much more than that. Yeah of course, it includes tragic love story which left me crying even after the movie, but the boy's journey in achieving his dream is a lot more complex and intriguing than just "oh i have a dream and i am gonna achieve it like disney style." Also, through this movie, Miyazaki shows his perspectives on war (WWII) and life itself, and he portrays everything in this animation movie SO realistically that it is unrealistic how realistic it is. I cannot stress enough how well he captured the beauty of everyday simple life, the boy's passionate dream, and love between the young couple.
"The wind is rising, we must try to live."
I am incredibly disappointed that this movie was not as popular as My Neighbor Totoro. Maybe it wasn't because it is not a children's movie, but it was far more meaningful and amazing than Totoro. The plot and the soundtrack was not as dramatic as Howl's Moving Castle, but the storyline was much easier to follow, and it was so realistic that it touched my heart. I am still tearing up from thinking about the plot and everything. The movie is so well made and flawless. I wish the soundtrack was a bit more dynamic, but the neutrality of it fits the theme of the movie. So I'm not complaining.
It is rated 8/10 but 9235872395/10 in my heart and it is a million times better than Frozen so please watch it if you have a heart that this movie can touch.
The boy is named Jiro Horikoshi, who is known as the man who built Zero Fighter that bombed Pearl Harbor. The movie is a fictionalized life story of him, but he had always wanted to build a beautiful airplane (not necessarily a war craft), and I believe Miyazaki portrayed Jiro's passion and dedication for his dream very well.
Miyazaki: “My wife and staff would ask me, ‘Why make a story about a man who made weapons of war?’ And I thought they were right. But one day, I heard that Horikoshi had once murmured, ‘All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful.’ And then I knew I’d found my subject… Horikoshi was the most gifted man of his time in Japan. He wasn’t thinking about weapons… Really, all he desired was to make exquisite planes.”
