The Studio Ghibli films have been loved and celebrated for decades now, though it was only recently that I immersed into the world of Ghibli myself. Ever since, I have been hooked. So today I come to you with Thoughts! Lots and lots of thoughts.

Have I been teasing doing a Ghibli films review post since, erm, August 2021? Maaaybe. But hey, I’m here now! And what better time than right at the beginnings of spring? Because is it just me or does the windy, lively days of spring encompass the very heart of a Ghibli film? As I type this I’m sitting on my front porch, butterflies and birds fluttering around, a gentle breeze threading through my hair, coffee at hand, and Ghibli music playing in the background, and I’ve never felt more like a Ghibli heroine.

So let’s dive in!

As mentioned, I’m a rather new member of the Studio Ghibli bandwagon. I had seen My Neighbor Totoro, The Secret World of Arrietty, and Howl’s Moving Castle a few years back. But until last year, that was the extent of my Ghibli viewings, despite desperately wanting to see the others. But then I got access to almost* all of them, and promptly devoured them in an exultant spree. I am officially fully moved into that bandwagon with zero intentions of ever leaving. There is something about these movies that captures you and sticks with you. Honestly, I’ve never, in all my years of consuming stories, experienced anything like them. There is a reason they are loved all across the world.

*I say almost because I’ve yet to see Grave of the Fireflies, which I can’t find anywhere, but maybe it’s for the best because I’ve heard it’s the saddest movie ever. Perhaps it’s a mercy I don’t have access to it. *nervous laughter* So I’ll be reviewing all the “main” films save that one.

Since I’ll be reviewing 22 films, I decided to split this thing up into two parts. 11 films today and the other 11 on Monday, April 18th. I’ll also be reviewing them in order of when they released, to keep things tidy.

Before we get to the actual reviews, a few things about the Ghibli films:

• I personally feel like the more you watch Ghibli, the more accustomed to the style you get and grow a deeper appreciation for it. Though I enjoyed the first few I saw, the further I immersed myself in these films, the more I became utterly addicted to them. They’re different. Really, really different, and it took me a bit to adjust to them, but once I did I was here for all its weirdness and immersion. So I definitely recommend watching a few before making a full decision on your thoughts of these films.
• Despite being animated movies, most of them are, in fact, not for children. They often explore adult themes and can get pretty intense. It’s a bit hit or miss. Some movies are fluff and charm, others are hardships and the darker parts of life.
• With that said, these movies somehow capture life better than any films or TV shows I have ever seen. You wouldn’t think animated films can immerse you so deeply and make you feel all parts of life as such an intense level but, man, do these do it. Which I think is the biggest reason they are so widely loved.
• Studio Ghibli music is life. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got to say. Even if you don’t watch the movies, do yourself a favor and give some of the music a listen on YouTube or somewhere. It’s so good. So good.

Alrighty! Onto the reviews!

Studio Ghibli in Review
(Part 1)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a poisonous forest inhabited by enormous insect creatures surrounds most of the world. Nausicaä, a young princess of a small village known as the Valley of the Wind, does not see this jungle and its creatures as a threat, but hopes to find a way to co-exist with them. Unfortunately, a military antagonistic force has other ideas about what to do with these monstrously sized insects…

Though this film was actually released before Studio Ghibli existed, it was a starting point for Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Ghibli himself, and is considered an honorary Ghibli film. With good reason.

Though perhaps a little slow with not the most complex or original plot, Nausicaä is still a film worth watching for any Ghibli fan. It pulls you in with Ghibli’s signature immersive animation, deep questions, and lovable characters. Nausicaä herself was my favorite aspect. Some may consider her a Mary Sue, but I personally found her optimistic attitude and pure heart a breath of fresh air as she risked so much to do what she knew was right. And, as many Ghibli films often do, this story asked questions about who the real monster is, showing the viewers to go beyond appearance and look at the heart.

I wouldn’t put it on my list of favorite Ghibli films, but Nausicaä was one I thoroughly enjoyed and absolutely plan on rewatching.

Castle in the Sky

Set in a late 19th century style fictional world, Castle in the Sky tells the story of a girl and boy’s quest to find the legendary floating castle: Laputa. But chaos ensues as a group of sky pirates, an army, and secret agents get caught in the mix.

This is one I would 100% put in my group of favorite Ghibli films. What a rollicking good time this movie was, all wrapped in a touch of sweetness.

The story starts with Sheeta, a young girl, captured in an airship. When a group of pirates attack, Sheeta makes a brave escape and lands in a little mining town where she meets the adventurous and goodhearted orphan boy Pazu. From there, the adventure begins.

First of all AIRSHIPS. And not just airships but PIRATES IN AIRSHIPS. As if that’s not delightful enough, these characters, guys. The characters. Within, like, 1.7 seconds of them meeting, Sheeta and Pazu became my second favorite Ghibli couple of ever (Howl and Sophie being #1, naturally.) I adore the mutual cinnamon roll type pairings, and that’s exactly what we get from these two. They are so soft and kind, but with a good dose of bravery and spirit to push them forward. THEY WERE THE CUTEST, GUYS. I CAN’T. But they weren’t the only delightful characters to grace the screen. Dola and her pirate family were a riot. And basically the entire mining town, who rose up to help Sheet and Pazu out of trouble, had me rolling with laughter from their antics.

What’s more, there is a flying castle! And I may or may not have a total obsession with flying buildings. (Spoiler: I do. Like a lot.) Laputa itself was absolutely gorgeous, and there is something about Ghibli films that makes you truly feel like you’re there with the characters. The immersive animation captures you heart and soul and— Ah. *clutches heart* It was beautiful.

This little film had everything: adventure, so much humor, the most delightful and sweetest characters, danger, utterly breathtaking settings, and, yet again, questions of who is really the bad guy here.

I honestly don’t see many people praising this film as much as a lot of the others, but I personally think it’s one of the best. It’s also a lot tamer and more family-friendly than some of the others.

My Neighbor Totoro

This is a sweet tale of a professor’s two young daughters, Satsuki and Mei, as they adjust to their new life in a dusty old house in rural Japan and befriend the wood spirits that live there.

This was my first ever Ghibli film to watch, and it’s honestly the perfect one to begin with. There is a reason this is one of the most acclaimed films of the collection and Totoro himself is the studio’s mascot.

What’s funny about this one is that there really isn’t a plot. But, see, that’s the joy of a Ghibli film. These stories are often about life. Despite often having fantastical and sometimes downright bizarre elements, the heart of any Ghibli film is painting a beautiful tapestry of the many emotions and joys of the simple things of every day life. In a Ghibli film, what we think of as mundane tasks becomes something so much more. It takes the every day life and shows it as magical. As beautiful and wondrous. And Totoro is one of the best showcases of that.

This simple little film about two young girls living their new life in a rural area captures everything it is to be a child. The big emotions we can’t always understand at such a tender age, the fear and wonder of the unknown, the enchantment of the outside world and endless adventures to be found within our own imagination. Having a younger sister myself and often spending my childhood tumbling around in the woods, this film touches me in such a deep way.

Plus Totoro himself is just adorable.

Maybe there are wood spirits and an equal parts creepy and epic living cat bus, but at its core this is a film about childhood and family. If you want a quiet, atmospheric film with a depth of heart, I highly recommend this one. It’s also a great starting place if you’ve yet to dive into the world of Ghibli.

This is one of the most kid-friendly of the films, though there is a touch of spiritualism involving shrines to honor nature and the supposed spirits that live there.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a story about a young witch who seeks a new home in a seaside town to earn a living. But this optimistic girl soon discovers using one’s talents and creating a life for oneself involves a lot of hard work and heartache along the way.

Ah, this film. After Howl’s Moving Castle, this is my favorite Ghibli movie out there, to the point that it became one of my top comfort films after seeing it just once (which I talk about in this post.)

This is another one of those movies that really has no plot. There are no huge stakes are grand adventures or monsters lurking in the shadows. Instead, it’s about life and growing up and the struggles of being a creative. And it’s beautiful.

Despite Kiki technically being a witch, it’s a very down to earth story. There’s little in the way of magic save for flying on a broom, which is Kiki’s talent. As part of a witch’s initiation, she flies off to create a life for herself in a new town. Though, of course, that’s easier said than done. At first, things go fairly well when Kiki takes on a job as a delivery girl and sets up shop in a quant little bakery. This feels like the dream. That is until flying stops becoming fun as she has to use it for a job. When she witnesses how cruel people can be, she falls into a state of depression and, to her horror, finds she can’t fly anymore.

This seemingly simple story about a cute little witch was at its heart a love letter to creatives, and it touched the deepest parts of me.

When Kiki is wracked with self doubt and fears she’ll never be able to use her talent again, a friend, who is a creative herself, tells her she is simply suffering from artist’s block, and that she needs to stop trying so hard and instead go for walks, look at the scenery, doze off at noon. Before she knows it, she’ll be flying again.

It’s a story about growing up, about how our worth does not come from the things we do, but who we are. It’s about not focusing on the hard and ugly but letting the simplistic beauty of life refresh our souls.

It is such a meaningful tale, and one I’d heartily recommend to any and every creative out there.

Aside from that, it is just a precious movie. It may be my favorite Ghibli film as far as setting and aesthetics. The little seaside town, the bakery shop, the cabin in the woods—it is everything aesthetically cozy and pleasing wrapped into a single film. Entirely family-friendly as well, as far as I remember. This is another one that would be a great starting point to dip your toes into the world of Ghibli.

Also Jiji the cat. Jiji is the best.

Only Yesterday

27-year-old Taeko leaves from her bustling life in Tokyo to take a trip to the countryside to help with harvest at her siblings’ home. While there, she grows nostalgic during her schoolgirl days in the 1960s, and as memories surface, she relives those forgotten days and begins to wonder if she’s stayed true to her young self’s dreams.

Now we come to, alas, one of my least favorites of the films. I wouldn’t say this was an awful movie by any means. In fact, it had a lot of meaningful parts, and the way it seamlessly went back and forth from present day to Taeko’s childhood was engaging and retrospective. It was told very well, but I just didn’t fall in love with these characters like with most Ghibli protagonists. Truth be told, the heroine’s family drove me crazy.

This one is grounded in reality. There are no fantastical elements, as it’s very much telling the story of ever day life. Though I felt like it didn’t have the charm of the mundane like a lot of the other films. Really, some of it just felt downright dark and depressing.

This is very much a film meant for adults, especially women. There was like a whole 20 minutes dedicated to monthly female cycles so that was…interesting. Some parts were cute and reflective, but overall I was kind of bored with the whole thing. This was also like the only Ghibli film where I didn’t even like the love interest.

My biggest complaint, as mentioned, was the protagonist’s family. She had two older sisters who were moody grumps, a mom who didn’t stand up for her nearly enough, and don’t get my started on her dad. This dream-killer, emotionally distant man brought so much trouble to the family. And I would have been okay with it if he had been called out and there was growth from it. But in the end it more felt like the heroine decided that his actions were good and she had to grow up to see that. Really?? He practically tore his family apart because of his controlling coldness, instead of being a loving leader. I was not pleased.

The film is supposed to be about Taeko discovering who she is and what she wants to do with her life, but to me it more felt all of her decisions came from the manipulative pushing of the people around her.

I don’t know. It just didn’t ring with me. But it’s actually a highly critically acclaimed film, so I think this is more an “it’s me, not you” situation. It definitely shows the true nature of life and growing up and all the hardships and questions that come with it. But the less-than-pleasant characters and lack of charm bumped it down to one of my least favorites of the films.

Porco Rosso

Once a World War 1 fighter ace, now a renowned bounty hunter who takes down air pirates, Porco Rosso is a bit of an…odd fellow, as a curse has left him as an anthropomorphic pig. But that doesn’t stop this tough-as-nails pilot from getting the job done.

Now we are back to the fun stuff!

Oh man, this movie. What a riot! I’m giggling just thinking about it. You really can’t get much more silly and fun than a story about an Italian pig-man pilot chasing air pirates and accidentally gaining a plucky teenage girl companion along the way.

This is just a fun movie. It certainly has a touch of that signature Ghibli heart, but for the most part it’s crazy antics, hilarious mishaps, dynamic characters, and maybe a hint of romance. My favorite was the relationship between gruff, stoic Porco and optimistic, fun-loving, teenage Fio. They were too great.

I literally had a sore throat by the end of this movie because I was laughing so hard. If you need a madcap, humorous, slapstick adventure, this is it!

It was mostly tame, though Porco himself admitted to being a bit of a playboy to Fio and that it wasn’t wise for her to be tagging along with him, teenage girl that she is. But we don’t really witness anything inappropriate going on. Porco also smokes a lot and, if I recall, some really young children jumped into the ocean with no clothes on.

Ocean Waves

When Rikako, a transfer student, enters the life of highschooler Taku, his life is flipped upside down as his infatuation for this girl finds him in a fair bit of trouble. Worse still, his best friend, Yutaka, also has an interest in Rikako, throwing their friendship into peril.

And here we come, I’m sad to say, to my least favorite film of them all. You can probably already see this is a very classic love triangle, highschool drama sort of story. Definitely not my favorite thing.

This film was apparently an attempt to allow the younger staff of Studio Ghibli try their hand at producing a movie rather cheaply, which explains why it doesn’t have the depth and heart of most of the others. It’s also not dubbed, and, unfortunately, I just can’t seem to enjoy things as much when I have to read subtitles.

Honestly, I didn’t understand the point of this film. The plot went seemingly nowhere with an ending that also…brought us nowhere. Worse was Rikako. She was a downright jerk and I could not understand what the two boys saw in her. Like, why would they let this random, cold girl destroy their beautiful friendship?? It was all ridiculous. Literally all the characters were rotten and so, so dumb. The decisions they made, my word.

I wish I had something good to say about this one but…eh. I got nothing from it except for just a few chuckles in a couple of parts. At least it’s a really short one, so I didn’t have to suffer through it long. XD

Pom Poko

In 1960s Japan, a forest is threatened to be decimated and replaced by a suburban area. A band of magical, shapeshifting tanuki (Japanese raccoon dogs), refuse to see their home destroyed and take it upon themselves to scare the humans away and put a stop to development. Thus a brutal war between humans and tanuki begins.

I have one thought about this movie: What did I just watch???

This is the weirdest Ghibli film to date, which is saying something. But but but…what was this??

This wasn’t a bad movie. It was just so out there it’s kind of hard to find any feelings toward it except confusion. So these raccoon creatures are shapeshifters and can turn into literally anything from a piece of furniture to, with a lot of effort and practice, a human. When their home is being threatened, they go to intense means to stop construction via their shapeshifting abilities. Some of their methods are humorous, some rather…dark, and some just downright bizarre.

One thing that I think hurt this film was the lack of one specific protagonist. It’s really about a whole group of tanuki, and we jump around heads so much I wasn’t able to grow particularly fond of any of them as there were just so many to keep up with. Sometimes it got really hard to follow who was who. And, gonna be real, half the time I was rooting for the humans, but we’re not gonna talk about that…

It’s so hard to sum up my feelings of this one because I honestly don’t know if I liked or hated it. I think some mix of both. It was just…weird. So, so weird. Definitely not one I’d recommend for children. But if you’re like me and want to see all the Ghibli films for the sake of completion, then sure, give it a watch. It had some pretty fun parts and even laugh-out-loud moments. Just…just be prepared for some weirdness.

Whisper of the Heart

Shizuku, a Jr. highschool student, is inspired by her classmate, Seiji, to take on a challenge: write a novel in two months. Thus she dreams up Whisper of the Heart, a fantasy novel featuring herself as the protagonist and the Baron, a talking cat looking for his lost love. As Shizuku navigates the hardships of creating a story, she also must learn the hard lessons of life and growing up and how to never let them crush one’s dreams.

Like Kiki’s Delivery Service, this film feels like a love letter to creatives. I mean, does that summary not just scream NaNoWriMo? *grins*

Though this one has very little in the way of fantasy elements, save for the brief scenes we get of Shizuku’s novel as she progresses through it, this was still an utterly charming movie. It has a very slow pace, as most of it is simply the ups and downs of Shizuku navigating life as a student and dealing with a sometimes strained family life, but glittering around the mundane are sparks of hopes and dreams and how we shouldn’t allow our doubts and struggles stifle them.

There is this one scene where Shizuku is scribbling away late into the night and, after a while, just drops her paper and collapses on the floor. I felt that so hard. But it doesn’t stop there. By the next day, she’s writing again. Because being a creative isn’t all glitz and glamor and aesthetic moments of sitting in charming cafes spewing thousands of words in a hour with ease. Sometimes it’s exhausted late nights dragging out each word like pulling teeth.

But it’s worth it. It’s always worth pushing past the mundane and finding the magic. And that’s what this movie was about.

Despite it’s very slow pace and a setting that isn’t quiet as charming as some others, it’s one that has stuck with me more than really most all of the Ghibli movies. Something about it stirred something deep within me, and I suspect it’s one I’ll be rewatching again and again.

Also, Shizuku and Seiji are absolutely adorable. That is all.

Princess Mononoke

When the small village of Emishi is threatened by a demon, their prince, Ashitaka, rides out to defeat it. But, before its death, the creature curses Ashitaka. This curse provides him with superhuman strength, but it will eventually kill him. He sets off to find a cure and lands in Iron Town where the people there are cutting down forests in order to build weapons, which, in turn, is angering the Forest Spirit. Ashitaka soon finds himself caught in a conflict between multiple forces, and the one they call Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves, may be the only one who can help him.

As this was one of the most popular Studio Ghibli films, when I got access to them all it was one of the first I gave a watch. And it was with this one that I quickly learned Ghibli movies, despite being animated, are nooot geared toward children.

This movie is violent. Like people’s heads getting cut off, a creature’s blood coming alive and wriggling out of it like worms, a girl sucking poisoned blood out of a wolf kind of violent. Yeah. For all you anime watchers out there, you may be more accustomed to this sort of thing, as Ghibli movies are, of course, Japanese animation. Same principle here. But it was a bit of a shock for me being as how I had only ever seen a few of the more tamer Ghibli films up to this point.

This is another one I can’t really say if I enjoyed or hated it. I know it’s a favorite Ghibli film for many, but the sheer amount of violence and ickiness threw me off a bit. Plus it was just weird. Like…I can’t even begin to describe some of the stuff that went down in this movie.

But, for all its weirdness, its utter saving grace was Ashitaka himself. This brave young man, strong in character and kind in heart, made every single bit of it worth it. Ghibli knows how to make lovable protagonists, and Ashitaka is one of the best.

So is this worth a watch? I say yes. It’s intriguing, with engaging characters, some very interesting looks at morally gray areas, and, ya know, Ashitaka. Just know it’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re a bit squeamish, do be warned.

Also, totally random, but the plot felt so much like a Legend of Zelda game. If a Zelda game was rated M for violence buuut otherwise. My sister and I were watching it together and I mentioned how much of a Zelda vibe it had and she said she was thinking the same exact thing, and since then I’ve actually seen Mononoke/Zelda crossover fanart. So apparently we’re not the only ones to think this!

My Neighbors the Yamadas

Written in a series of vignettes, this slice-of-life comedy features a modern day family consisting of a mother, father, teenage son, young daughter, the grandmother, and their pet dog as they navigate every day life and the ups and downs of being a family.

OKAY THIS ONE THOUGH. This was the most adorable thing! I knew literally nothing about this film going in. I’ve never seen anyone talk about it and the ultra simplistic art style didn’t look all that appealing to me. So I put it off for a good while, making it one of the last I saw, only for it to utterly delight me.

Taking a very different tone from most of the other films, this one is all good fun and comedy, never once taking itself seriously. It feels more like a sitcom than a movie, since it’s told in little vignettes, each one feeling like an episode. The antics and relationships of this little family are purely hilarious. I was grinning and laughing through almost the whole thing. And I grew to actually love the art style. It’s animated to look like a child’s drawing, with very little detail and only a touch of soft colors, but somehow that makes it all that much more charming. It fits the light, humorous narrative so well; I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Honestly, the best way I can describe this one is a Japanese Charlie Brown. Seriously, from the art style to the light tone, it just felt like a Peanuts cartoon. And being a HUGE Peanuts fan, I was all for it.

It’s pretty much totally clean and fun for the whole family. Though there is one scene where the teenage boy is tempted to buy a dirty magazine. It’s a brief scene and *spoilers* he doesn’t *end spoilers*. But I was annoyed it was there since everything else was so very kiddy and lighthearted. There’s also one scene where the dad is facing off a motorcycle gang and the art style changes to give a much more intense vibe. Everything turns out fine, but it could be a bit scary for any super young ones.

All in all though, this is a hilarious romp of a comedy about family, and I don’t understand why no one ever talks about this one!

And thus we come to the end of my first part of Ghibli reviews! Which I know got ridiculously long (there’s a reason I’m splitting this into two parts). But do stay tuned because in two weeks part 2 will be here in which I get to feature some I’m super excited to talk to you guys about!

Until then…

Don’t ever stop finding the magic in the every day. <3

UPDATE: Part 2 is live! Check it out HERE.

Let’s discuss ALL the things! Are you a Ghibli fan? If you are, which ones are your favorite? Have you seen any of these? Do we share any opinions (or disagree? no judgements from me!) And if you haven’t seen them, I’d love to know which ones appeal to you the most!