Studio Ghibli Film Reviews Part 1
- Caitlin Connolly
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
I have been wanting to do this for a while. I have been a longtime fan of Studio Ghibli movies. I know that I have not watched every single one of them. So, I thought I would challenge myself in 2025. I want to watch every Studio Ghibli Movie in chronological order from when it was released. Once I have watched 5 or so movies, I am going to write up some mini reviews. At the very end of all of this, I will do a full ranking of all of the movies and say why. I have finished the first 5 movies so, here are my mini reviews. I was actually surprised that I did not like all of these movies. I figured since it was Studio Ghibli, I would rate all of them pretty high - even some 10 out of 10 ratings. That was not the case. With all of the 5 Studio Ghibli Movies in this first blogpost, I had not seen any of them so, these reviews are all off of my first viewing of these movies.
MY FIRST 5 STUDIO GHIBLI FILMS, MINI REVIEWS AND MY RANKINGS
ONLY YESTERDAY (1991)
Synopsis: Taeko Okajima is a 27-year-old, independent woman who spent her entire life in Tokyo. Looking to unwind from the rush of the big city, she decides to visit her family in the country to help out during the harvest. On the train there, Taeko vividly recalls her memories as a schoolgirl in the initial stages of puberty, as if she is on a trip with her childhood self. A young farmer named Toshio picks her up at the station, and they quickly develop a friendship. During her stay, Taeko forms strong bonds with family and friends, learning the contrasts between urban and rural life, as well as the struggles and joys of farming. Nostalgic and bittersweet, Omoide Poroporo takes on Taeko's journey as an adult woman coming to terms with her childhood dreams compared to the person she is today. (From MyAnimelist.net)
My Mini Review: This movie was a mixed bag for me. It maybe wasn't made for me either. This movie is clearly a Slice of Life story and slice of life stories just aren't my thing. I grow bored of them pretty easily because not enough goes on in slice of life stories (for the most part) for me to stay interested. The story moved too slowly for me to enjoy it. That being said, I still found some nice things about this movie that I liked. This movie is about a woman who is reminiscing about her childhood as she goes to the countryside to visit family/friends. There is a lot of nostalgia in this movie which causes the audience to have nostalgia about their own childhoods. As always, the animation stood out in this film. The film animated scenes differently depending on if it was a memory from her childhood or the present day where she was visiting the countryside. The scenes when she was a child were lighter and almost seemed unfinished. Maybe portraying a girl who was still trying to figure life and wasn't 100% sure about her future. The animation while she was an adult was crisper and more defined. The seamless transitions between the child and adult scenes were well done - acting like a triggered memory. An interesting topic that was brought up in the movie was organic farming. It stood out to me because this is a movie from 1992. Watching this movie now in 2025 about a topic that was up and coming in the 90s was a bit of a time warp and 2025 really gives you a different perspective on this movie. The last thing I will point out that stood out to me was the music. At one point in the movie, the main woman is picked up by a man when she gets to the countryside. While in the car, she points out the music and the man states that it is a Hungarian band. The film proceeded to use the music as well as other music such as music from Bulgaria. I thought it was interesting and unique to have this eastern European music playing while in contrast to watching the characters farm in the countryside, speaking Japanese to each other. That is why the music stood out to me so much. The music did fit the farming aesthetic.
My Rating: 7/10
PORCO ROSSO (1992)
Synopsis: After a curse turned him into a pig, World War I ace Marco Pagot becomes Porco Rosso, a mysterious bounty hunter who takes down sky pirates in the Adriatic Sea. He whiles away his days on a secluded island, rarely leaving other than to collect bounties or to visit the beautiful Gina, a songstress and owner of the Hotel Adriano. One day, while traveling to fix his faulty engine, Porco Rosso is gunned down by a young American hotshot named Donald Curtis. Thrilled at the possibility of fame, Donald boldly declares that the flying pig is dead. Not wanting to disappoint Gina, Porco Rosso flees to the famous Piccolo S.P.A. airplane company and takes out a massive loan in order to repair and improve his fighter plane. There, he is surprised to find that the chief engineer of Piccolo S.P.A. is the 17-year-old Fio Piccolo, who hungers for a chance to prove herself. With Fio's improvements, Porco Rosso prepares to challenge Donald officially and regain his honor. (From MyAnimelist.net)
My Mini Review: I did not think I would love this film as much as I did. I definitely liked this one better than Only Yesterday. I think I liked it more because it addressed heavier topics such as death, war and survivor's guilt. Fun fact, the pig main character reminded me of the Belgian detective Poirot a bit. I am not entirely sure why. I thought this film stood out in animation style and tone compared to some of the other Studio Ghibli films I have seen. A lot of the Studio Ghibli films I have already seen have some whimsy to them. This one had comedy in it but had a more serious undertone to it. The comedy reminded me a bit of those older cartoons such as popeye - maybe it was because there was a character that reminded me of the villain in popeye. It definitely was interesting watching this film while living in the USA in 2025. This film is criticizing fascism in Italy after World War I. I loved the female empowerment in this film. All of the female characters were fantastic! There were some great quotable lines from this movie such as "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist". I am still unsure 100% why the main character was portrayed as a pig, but my theory is because of survivor's guilt. I also felt like the movie could have had a stronger ending. I wanted more of the love story between Porco and Gina to be shown. For some reason, this film also reminded me of Casablanca. I was impressed by this film and enjoyed it a lot more than I assumed I would.
My Rating: 9/10
OCEAN WAVES (1993)
Synopsis: In the city of Kouchi, high school student Taku Morisaki is going about his work when his friend Yutaka Matsuno calls and asks him to get to their school as soon as possible. Taku arrives, and Matsuno introduces him to Rikako Muto, a beautiful girl from Tokyo who recently transferred to their school. Although Rikako is academically and athletically gifted, her generally unpleasant attitude leaves her with virtually no friends outside of Matsuno and another girl from her class. After a chance encounter during their class trip, Taku suddenly finds himself more involved in Rikako's personal life, much to Matsuno's dismay. Struggling to balance his friendship with Matsuno and his own budding infatuation for Rikako, Taku must come to terms with his feelings and understand how a girl with a troubled past is having such a massive effect on his life. (From MyAnimelist.net)
My Mini Review: This will probably be a shorter review because I DID NOT LIKE THIS MOVIE! I did not like this movie for one main reason. I did not like the female lead in this movie AT ALL! I thought she took advantage of the male lead the entire film. I thought she tried to manipulate all of the other characters as well. It was revealed she had a rough life, but I honestly could not feel sorry for her. She had no progression in the story or very little progression. The slaps and punches in this movie made no sense but it was satisfying seeing our female lead get slapped but just because I did not like her character. There was no communication in this film. I wanted to actually see the romance play out in this film or at least I wanted to see the romance I was expecting play out. I feel like if there was more communication and the female lead told the truth, the romance would have happened. Because the female lead was manipulative, when at the end of the film when the feelings were confessed, it made no sense because there was no build up to that. I, at least did not see that. I expected a cute romance in this shorter film, a romance mixed in with slice of life and it did not deliver. Since the female lead was so horrible, I cannot understand why the male lead was still looking for her in the end and still had feelings for her at the end of the movie. Also, as I said, slice of life is not my things and even though this film was the shortest of all these films, I felt it dragged due to the slice of life and the fact that I did not like the female lead in this. The animation was old school, but I thought it fit the story and feel of the film. This film was another film of the main character remembering past memories so, the animation style fit this perfectly.
My Rating: 3/10
POM POKO (1994)
Synopsis: With the increasing need for Tokyo to expand as one of Japan's major cities, inevitable sacrifices must be made so that changes can take place. One of these sacrifices is that the room for nature and wildlife to flourish will decrease significantly over time. As this decline continues, many animal communities experience the brunt of urbanization. One such community known as the "Tanuki," a type of magical shape-shifting mammal, is caught up in a struggle to defend their beloved forest from being absorbed by the looming threat of an expanding Tokyo. As more and more Tanuki find themselves with nowhere to hide and territorial fights become increasingly regular amongst the different factions of the community, the elder Tanuki Oroku decides that something must be done. For the sake of their home as well as the safety of their future generations, the Tanuki unite as one with the hope that together they may be able to repel mankind's construction projects and scare them away from the forests using their shapeshifting abilities. But as they begin their first attempts at sabotage, the Tanuki soon realize the operation will be no easy task. Will they reclaim their forest as a united community, or will they be torn apart by a war against humanity, blinded by anger and pain after witnessing nature's destruction? (From MyAnimelist.net)
My Mini Review: Another movie where I was expecting a cute movie, but it ended up having a much deeper message and had a lot more emotion to it. It had a much darker message than I assumed it would. When you have a movie with cute animals in it, you immediately think that it will be a lighter topic and movie. The message of this movie was an environmental one. It criticized humans destroying land and forests to build cities and kicking animals out of these territories. Apparently, this movie is based up an actual Tokyo suburb being built. I assumed the animals in this film just racoons but upon further research, they are actually "Tanuki," a type of magical shape-shifting mammal. Tanuki is a real animal in Japan but also had some folklore and mythology behind them. The mythical beings could shapeshift into other things and people. One part of this film I did not like, and I did not think it was needed, there were a couple of times in the film where the tanuki transformed their genitalia and only their genitalia. They referenced it and talked about it. Upon further looking into Tanuki, my research says the tanuki are sometimes associated with fertility and good luck. There statues in Japan are portrayed with large genitalia sometimes. So, it makes sense given this new information, but I still found it strange while I watched it. I don't really think those parts were needed. I thought the animation style was classic Studio Ghibli and suited the film quite well. I did love the more somber tone of the film.
My Rating: 9/10
WHISPERS OF THE HEART (1995)
Synopsis: Shizuku Tsukishima is an energetic 14-year-old girl who enjoys reading and writing poetry in her free time. Glancing at the checkout cards of her books one evening, she notices that her library books are frequently checked out by a boy named Seiji Amasawa. Curiosity strikes Shizuku, and she decides to search for the boy who shares her love for literature. Meeting a peculiar cat on the train, Shizuku follows the animal and is eventually led to a quaint antique shop, where she learns about a cat statuette known as "The Baron." Taking an interest in the shop, she surprisingly finds Seiji, and the two quickly befriend one another. Shizuku learns while acquainting herself with Seiji that he has a dream that he would like to fulfill, causing her dismay as she remains uncertain of her future and has yet to recognize her talents. However, as her relationship with Seiji grows, Shizuku becomes determined to work toward a goal. Guided by the whispers of her heart and inspiration from The Baron, she resolves to carve out her own potential and dreams. (From MyAnimelist.net)
My Mini Review: A coming-of-age story that was more for me and I enjoyed a lot more. I loved that this film had more whimsy to it. It was a story of young love, and it was portrayed like that. It seems like this film had touches of magic with its story but it wasn't a full-blown fantasy story. It was about a girl who was dealing with her first crush and also navigating some serious decisions (at least to her). I loved her imagination. It gave this movie some whimsy and color. Her imagination was magical and wild. I loved the animation style of this and all of the colors. The views of Tokyo from the male lead's house were gorgeous to look at. I thought the lead couple had great chemistry. I loved that they admired each other. I loved that they supported each other in their decisions. They pushed each other to strive for me. It was inspiring. I loved the themes of this film: creativity, growth, self-discovery and independence. The music was an interesting choice. The opening song was "Take Me Home, Country Roads," performed by Olivia Newton-John. It was VERY unexpected. I don't know if I liked this musical choice. The ending also seemed a little rushed to me. I wanted more than just a confession (which sort of made no sense to me - the leads are in middle school).
My Rating: 9/10
Since it is already April, I can already say that I will probably not get to watching all of these movies in 2025, but I will work to watch all of them and keep doing mini reviews until I have watched all of them. Of course, ranking the movies when it is all over. I think this little project will be fun! 😁
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