Ghibli FIlms You Must Watch // Part 1

Hi! I know I mostly post book reviews but my lord and savior Hayao Miyazaki just announced that he’ll be opening up a theme park based on his Studio Ghibli films! (news link here!) I am fangirling way too hard because I absolutely adore this studio’s work; their movies are freaking beautiful I tell you.

For this post I’ll be using gifs from a tumblr blog I love called ghibli-mania, y’all should give ’em a follow!  ~ヾ(＾∇＾)

Let’s start with my number one favorite!

Spirited Away

Links to watch: (sub // dub)

I think I’ve seen this film more than 30 times. No joke.  It’s probably the most well known, aside from Ponyo, but it still holds the biggest place in my heart.  I always see it in English, one day I’ll watch it in Japanese.  I just really love Haku’s voice in English (o˘◡˘o)

The story revolves around a 10 year old girl named Chihiro who is on her way to moving to her new home with her two parents.  Alon the way, they get lost and stumble into this seemingly abandoned theme part.  The parents are eager to explore thanks to the far off aroma of good food but Chihiro is reluctant and scared.

And that’s when things get strange.  Spirits starts to emerge, her parents turn into pigs and now she’s trapped in this in between world that divides the spirit world from the human one.  A strange boy named Haku claims to know her and tells that to survive, no one must find out she’s human and in turn, she must get hired at the infamous bathhouse to secure her protection.

The first time I saw this film, I was really young but I remember it leaving this huge impact in me.  I didn’t see it again for a long time until they put it back on TV and when I saw it again, I cried.  The biggest wave of nostalgia hit me and I just had to buy the DVD to see it over and over again.  This story is about growth and change and love and how you must work to achieve it.  There’s magic, dragons, giant babies and the weirdest spirits you’ll ever meet.

♡♡♡♡

The characters in this movie are fantastic, I loved Haku, I loved Chihiro and how much she grows due to this experience, I love the villains and I lovelovelove No Face.  Seriously, you’ll love him with your life!

I mean, LOOK AT HIM.  TOO MUCH CUTENESS.

Studio Ghibli has the best animation I’ve seen in my time.  It’s so alive and beautiful and vivid; you have to see the movies numerous times to be able to take everything in. Each time you see it, I promise you’ll find something you didn’t see the first time around.  I also promise you won’t regret giving this film a try, whether you’re an adult, a teen or a child!

♡♡♡

Death Parade Review

Anime: Death Parade / デス・パレード

Genre: Psychological / Drama

Creator: Yuzuru Tachikawa

Producer: Madhouse

Rating: 9/10

Where to watch: Sub / Dub

I’m a huge fan of Madhouse productions ( Hunter x Hunter? Death Note? No Game No Life? Flawless.) and when I saw that Death Parade was coming out, I had to jump on that bandwagon.  The story revolves around a very peculiar character called Decim and his role as a bartender in a mysterious bar called Quindecim.

  We also have Chiyuki, a woman who has no memory of her life or how she even got to the bar where Decim is.  Throughout each episode  we unveil a piece of the mystery that befalls this shady setting.

From the very start, I was hooked. The opening is lively and fun and it makes you want to dance.  I never skipped through the opening just because it was so great.

 

Good OP = Happy Camila.

However, the sparkle and glamour is misleading. This anime is dark with a deeply rooted psychological plot.  It treats serious themes such as death, grief and the truth about human emotions.  I personally learned a lot from watching all the situations they present you with.  But they do well at making it intriguing for the person watching by adding games. You heard me, games.

From darts, to billiards; from bowling, to Old Maid. It has a bit of everything.

(some examples of the title screens!)

In each episode, we’re introduced to a brand new pair of people who like Chiyuki can’t recall anything from their daily lives or how they got to the bar.  There they meet Decim, who serves them a drink and lets them know that until they play a game and someone is declared a winner, no one is allowed to leave Quindecim.

The character design is very unique, with a wide variety of eye and hair colors.  And their personalities are just as colorful as they are.  THough it’s subtle, you slowly get to know the quirks of each character shown on screen. The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 was because I sincerely believe that there is more to be shown of this world. But I was satisfied by what we did see.

One thing I loved about the entire anime was the color palette.  There’s this harmony going on with every scene, the colors just play along really well, combining super bright hues with darker ones.  It goes without saying that the animation is freaking flawless. The attention to detail is ridiculous and I was just mesmerized through and through.

Beware of the feels for they are strong in this one! I cried so hard at the end, I was so overwhelmed by my love for these characters and their stories that I just straight up sobbed for half an hour when I was done.  I sincerely hope you all love it as much as I did and do.

Safe journey and welcome to Quindecim!