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it’s been since
from Hayao Miyazaki , arguably the most famous animation director of all time, made a feature film . exist291, Miyazaki himself would happily retire and make this the last film he would make. This raises a natural question, why How do you live? exist? What drives now Six-year-old man back in the director’s chair? 100 According to the filmmakers, Toshio Suzuki , appeared on the Japanese TV show “Nichiyobi Bijitsukan” , the film is for Hayao Miyazaki’s grandson – which means “Grandpa is going to another world, but he will take This movie leaves it behind.” In fact, that’s what the movie is about — living through the death of a loved one and accepting it. Not just “What’s your life?” but “How do you live when someone you love is gone forever?” Our hero Maestro is a good boy – obedient and polite. Although he respects his aunt and the many elderly people she cares for, he is self-destructive inside. What he wants is his old life in Tokyo with his parents, not a life in a new place where he doesn’t know anyone, and his father has started a new family with his aunt. 100 2017 At first, he violently attacked himself – getting into a fight after school and then causing himself a head injury so he wouldn’t have to go back. He then went on to lash out at what couldn’t fight back – a blue heron that lived in a nearby pond. The message here is clear. These are clear outward signs of a problem child, both then and now. Pain and grief are universal things, and only by recognizing the signs can we help those in need. 100 200280 For all its fantastical trappings, the film tells the story of real man accepting what he still has and trying to make sure nothing is taken from him anymore take away. It’s a narrative with a strong theme, and uses far more visual storytelling than dialogue to convey its message. However, despite such strong themes, the fact remains that the film tends to be extremely predictable. From the very beginning, the thematic shape of the film is obvious – how the real storyline will unfold. The twists and turns of the main plot are equally evident — especially the true identities of the characters in the live-action adventure. 100 Everything else is unpredictable. The world experienced by real people is different from what has been seen before – even in other similar films of Hayao Miyazaki. From an ocean full of giant fish to a city full of man-eating parrots – you’re never quite sure where the movie will go next, or who Mahito will meet there. To be sure, Makoto has a goal, and he doesn’t want to go home until it’s accomplished. 100 Of course, half the reason the fantasy element is so strong is the animation. It’s amazing. Each frame of the film feels like a separate work of art–it’s only made more grand when put together as part of a larger whole. This is one movie you can watch a hundred times and still discover something new in the background of any given scene. It can’t be underestimated how little visual details like these can take a film from the real to the surreal—like a heron grinning toothy, or a wooden doll that seems to vibrate in sympathetic laughter. This is an animation masterpiece unlike the past decade. As for the music, it fits perfectly with the visuals. 206 Jo Hisaishi again brings his best performance to another 2013Studio Ghibli A soundtrack of thought and tension. 100 all in all, How do you live? successfully achieves its goal – a roadmap for dealing with loss expressed in a fantasy story. Its purpose is to tell those who suffer from such feelings that they are not alone, while also showing them how to find significance in the vastly changed world they find themselves in. While predictable at times, it’s all the visual masterpiece one would expect. Hayao Miyazaki’s films will undoubtedly become classics for decades to come. In the end, while it may not be the absolute pinnacle of Miyazaki cinema, it’s still a great film, and certainly not a bad one for Miyazaki. 2017
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