Hanime on Anime

Greetings, earthilings!  This year’s Miyazaki May has come to a close, and what better way to end it with the unveiling of Character of the Month?  This month’s pick was a little tough.  I came up with two characters who were huge contributions to the films they stared in and had some pretty awesome traits that made them stand out.  But in the end, I went with the one that most people would be the most familiar with, and rightfully so.  So enough talking and let’s get to talking about this year’s Character of Miyazaki May, Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ! Nausicaä is the princess of a small seaside village in dystopian Earth called the Valley of the Wind.  She is a bold and headstrong young woman known for frequently venturing into the Toxic Jungle, a vast and growing forest of poisonous plants and giant insects.  Life in her village is peaceful until the Toulmekians invade their land, throwing Nausicaä and the people of the Va...

Howdy, howdy, folks!  I’m back this week after a nice vacation to dish out the last review of Miyazaki May.  This week’s pick is among the latest in Studio Ghibli’s arsenal of movies.  However, it is one of the few Ghibli films that Miyazaki didn’t make.  As most otakus and Ghibli fans know, Miyazaki announced his retirement after the release of The Wind Rises .  Regardless, Miyazaki or not, this week’s film is one that should not be missed!  So enough of my blabbing and let’s get on with this week’s review of When Marnie Was There . Studio Ghibli’s latest film follows Anna as she stays with distant relatives for the summer as she recovers from an asthma attack.  It is also revealed later in the film that she is a foster child.  During her stay in the coastal town, Anna finds an abandoned mansion located near a marsh.  She immediately feels a connection with the house and soon after starts having dreams about a young girl who presumably li...

Greetings, one and all!  This Sunday not only brings us Mother’s Day, but also this week’s new review and continuation of Miyazaki May.  This week, I’ll be reviewing what is probably the most kid-friendly anime film that Studio Ghibli has to offer-next to My Neighbor Totoro .  That being said, I’ll skip to the synopsis on this week’s review of Ponyo . Inspired by the classic fairytale The Little Mermaid­ -and no, not the Disney version-, Ponyo follows a young boy named Sosuke after he rescues a gold fish he later names Ponyo.  It is not long after this rescue that Ponyo begins to show her magical abilities and gains the attention of her sorcerer father Fujimoto.  Ponyo is soon taken back by Fujimoto, but after tasting human blood from a cut Sosuke received trying to save her, she now desires to become human and stay with Sosuke.  Soon, she escapes and is able to transform into a human.  However, not known to Ponyo, this escape disturbs a magical we...

Howdy, howdy, folks!  May has officially begun-seriously, its May 1 st – and that not only means a new month of new reviews, but it also means the start of Miyazaki May!  Kicking off the event today will be one of Miyazaki’s greatest films as well as one of his firsts.  In fact, the film was based on the manga that Miyazaki wrote himself!  Yeah, by this point, I think you Miyazaki fans know what I’m talking about.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the first review of Miyazaki May on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ! A thousand years prior to the film’s events, a catastrophic global war called the Seven Days of Fire took place that nearly wiped out humanity and created a forest of poisonous plants and giant mutant insects.  In the film’s present setting, this toxic forest is now spreading rapidly and threatening the existence of the human race.  However, one small area called the Valley of the Wind has managed to stay clear of the spread of the “Tox...