The Icon Next Door: My Neighbor Totoro

Greetings all!  This week I will be doing my last review for the Miyazaki May event, but this review will be on one of Miyazaki’s greatest films.  This Miyazaki film is considered an ultimate classic in anime films and has created some of the most memorable scenes and characters in anime today.  I’d even argue to say that it’s thanks to this film that Studio Ghibli has the famous logo that it has today.  So what film could I possibly be talking about?  I’m talking about one of Miyazaki’s earliest films, My Neighbor Totoro.  You know the drill, let’s get to the review!

In My Neighbor Totoro, the Kusakabe family moves in to a new home in a rural area where they can be closer to their sickly mother who is hospitalized.  However, it doesn’t take very long for the two young girls Satsuki and Mei to realize that there’s something different about their new home.  To add to the fact that the home is the residence of some harmless sprites, the youngest daughter Mei soon meets Totoro, a gaint forest spirit who resides in a temple next to the Kusakabe’s home.  Satsuki later meets Totoro while she and Mei are waiting at a bus stop for their father to return home.  After this initial meeting, Totoro becomes a frequent visitor on the Kusakabe grounds.  As this is going on, the Kusakabe’s wait for the return of their mother.  However, when the family learns that their mother’s return home will be delayed, the girls become upset.  This sparks an argument between the two, and soon Mei tries to go to the hospital to see her mother.  This worries Satsuki, who convinces her neighbors to start a search.  However, the search turns up with nothing, prompting Satsuki to summon Totoro to find Mei.  This desperate attempt works and Totoro calls a spirit that takes Satsuki to Mei’s location.  Soon after finding Mei, the two go to the hospital to see their mother.  Though it was never officially seen in the film, Satsuki and Mei’s mother returns home by the end of the film.

Now, for my rating.  I have to admit, this movie was not what I expected.  Because of my expectations, I was a little disappointed with what I saw.  Still, I give My Neighbor Totoro a four and a half out of a five star rating.  I’ll talk more about my disappointment with the film later.  For now, I’ll talk about what I was pleased with.  As always, animation was pretty impressive.  I think of all the Miyazaki films, as far as animation goes, this one was one of the best animated.  I also liked the music.  Being an eighties anime, there certainly is a twinge of eighties vibe to the music, which is odd because Joe Hisaishi wrote the music for the movie and this music is not what I’m use to hearing from him.  However, my favorite pieces of music came from the two songs featured at the beginning and the end of the film.  Both songs-entitled “Hey Let’s Go!” and “My Neighbor Totoro” respectively-were very catchy and upbeat, two things that not many Miyazaki film scores have.  Also, of all the Ghibli films, this is probably one of the most family-friendly.  It’s perfect for small children, though it may be a little boring for the older kids.   It’s a great anime film for kids of all ages, even the big 20-something year olds!-not to hint at my age or anything.  Still, there was one major disappointing flaw with the film that many people may find, and that many people have already found if they’ve seen the movie.

The biggest upset that I found with My Neighbor Totoro was the plot.  I found that the plot was really lacking.  There really wasn’t a whole lot that happened during the film.  Plus, I felt it took a good thirty minutes for the movie to get rolling.  By the end of the movie, I sat there and thought, “that’s it?”  There’s the rule that I have for eighties animes that says to ignore the animation and focus more on the plot, but My Neighbor Totoro doesn’t have a strong plot at all.  Still, being a Miyazaki film, the animation in the film does save it.  Whether or not it’s an exception to the eighties rule I couldn’t tell you.  But it’s definitely one of Miyazaki’s most memorable films and definitely worth seeing.

So overall, my take on one of Miyazaki’s greatest classics is as follows: though weak on plot, the animation and feel for the movie are charming and definitely legendary.  This film is available for purchase wherever anime is sold, but I don’t really recommend watching it online; I have yet to find a decent online upload of it.  Besides, I think Miyazaki films are definitely worth your money.  And with that, that’s all for this week!  Stay tuned because next week, I’ll be unveiling Character of the Month!

-Hanime on Anime

My Neighbor Totoro Trailer

P.S.:  Before I go, I want to give a shout to all of our military personnel in honor of Memorial Day.  To all our service men and women, thank you for all that you do!