wMar 21, 2010


PSA

Now that Ponyo has been released on DVD here in the US, Disney has re-released My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky, all on 2-disc special edition DVDs. The latter three have been out of print for a couple of years, I think.

They should be available most places; I scored My Neighbor Totoro last night at Target, and it was very difficult not to grab Kiki's Delivery Service and Ponyo all at once.

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scribbled mystickeeper at 3:44 PM
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wAug 17, 2009


Ponyo

"Ponyo" is not my favorite film made by Studio Ghibli, but saying that is like saying, "It's not my favorite of this group of BEST MOVIES EVAR."

Sosuke is a boy who is sometimes more mature than his mother. He doesn't cry when his father stays out working for a few days, and at the age of five, he already knows how to signal complete sentences on a beacon light to passing ships.

Ponyo is a goldfish who wants to be a human. Her presence in each scene gives the audience representations of pure joy, pure love, and pure confidence. I wish I could be like Ponyo!

The movie is basically a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."


I really liked Sosuke's mom. Her being voiced by Tina Fey probably helped a lot. But I also like how confident she is, how she is totally capable of functioning like a single mom when she has to, how she doesn't hesitate to tell her husband that she's mad at him, how she takes charge when the power goes out - knowing exactly how to turn on the power generator, set up an antenna, and being able to go help the elderly while putting trust in her capable son.

Also....I feel like this is a pretty pro-feminist movie? Miyazaki always have strong female characters, but in this movie especially, Ponyo's dad is a big jerk, literally keeping her inside a bubble!

And what was up with humans never being held accountable for their polluting the waters?? It's brought up, but never dealt with in a way that resolves things.
I'd like to know more about the past lives of Ponyo's parents.

I think one of the things I like the most about the films of Studio Ghibli is watching how other people live and function in the world. Such a complete picture of their lives is created, and characters always seem to know exactly how to do things when confronted with a crisis. I'm impressed that characters always know how the things that they own operate - their houses, their cars, their appliances, whatever. It inspires me to know more about how to take care of my belongings (especially my car, which I know nothing about, :[ ) so that I don't have to freak out every time something breaks.

Also, I REALLY would like to own a lamp that plugs into the wall like that! So awesome!

I think that my favorite part was at the end, when Sosuke said, "I love all of the Ponyos." I was like, "OMF, my boyfriend loves all of the Jackies! Even the crabby ones!"

I guess my main critique of the movie is that the plot moves a bit slowly, but I happen to like watching scenes in Ghibli films that simply show the characters functioning in their houses, or quietly sharing a meal.

In conclusion....go support quality anime movies being played in American theaters! Ponyo made a good showing this weekend, but you can help it! I think that this is the most widely-released anime film in the U.S. in terms of how many theaters it's playing in.

And if any of you are looking for good entry points for anime, I highly recommend beginning with films made by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Whisper of the Heart, Porco Rosso, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc.)

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scribbled mystickeeper at 9:11 AM
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wNov 16, 2008


Epic Post of Anime Recs for Beginners

I know some of you don't like YouTube clips, but I really think it's the best way to showcase animation style, music, and quality, which I feel are essential with any series I spend my time with.

It's happened at least twice in the past few months, so I figure it's worthy of its own post. People are interested in anime, but don't really know where to start. "I've seen Spirited Away/Princess Mononoke/all of the Ghibli movies, but I don't know what else to watch." So, here's a list of what I consider to be good places to start. For the most part, these are movies and series that have been around for a while, and are loved by just about everyone who's seen them. For the sake of ease, I chose only things that are available on DVD in the US.

While most of the items listed do a pretty good job with humor, but overall this is a list of dramas. I did this because a fair amount of anime humor is based on tropes commonly found in anime storytelling, or is "weird" in that one has to be a bit more comfortable with the medium to fully "get it." Evangelion and Utena probably have some of the more stereotypical humor found in anime out of everything on this list, but I think it's manageable to a newcomer.

The possible exception to this is Revolutionary Girl Utena. Its use of recycled animation and rampant presence of implied incest will come off as a bit WTF, especially to newcomers. But since most readers of my blog/LiveJournal are feminists, I think it'll be very easy to find other things to appreciate. Additionally, you guys are probably more willing to deconstruct and ask, "Why is this happening in the story?" as opposed to just freaking out. Utena could be analyzed endlessly, so if you start it and are dubious, I promise that the pay-offs make everything worth it. Of course, I might just be pre-preemptively apologetic and pushy because it's my favorite, :D


All of the Studio Ghibli movies
Lots of people have seen Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, but Studio Ghibli has a treasure chest full of achingly beautiful and poignant films. I've seen all but one, and adored all but two (Laputa and Pom Poko). Watch them all! I know that Netflix has all of these except Only Yesterday, and most video stores let you rent "kids' movies" for free.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Grave of the Fireflies
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Only Yesterday [I LOVED this. Does anyone know how to obtain a copy?]
Porco Rosso
Pom Poko
Whisper of the Heart [This is my absolute favorite Ghibli movie]
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
The Cat Returns [I actually haven't seen this one, :( ]
Howl's Moving Castle


Cowboy Bebop

This clip shows the opening sequence as well as a bit of episode footage beforehand. The episode footage is all silent, and does a lot to show you the style points that Bebop is known for. The simple music is clearly nostalgic, as is the black and white noir-style flashbacks. And of course, then there is the opening, with big band jazz music, action, and stylish use of animation. I have yet to meet a person who watched Cowboy Bebop and didn't love it (except for my boyfriend, who is an anomaly I conveniently choose to ignore for the purposes of this post!).



The music used in the clip is representative of the fantastic soundtrack used throughout the series; 26 episodes and movie counterpart.


Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena is the story about a girl who was saved by a prince when she was still a child. In the present, she resolves to become a prince herself. She finds a mission to follow when she discovers classmate Anthy Himemiya is ensnared in a creepy Student Council tradition of being a "Rose Bride," a partnership earned through sword fights that makes her subject to the whims of whoever happens to win her. Utena finds this custom "stupid" and weird, and resolves to simply win Anthy for herself, and allow her to do whatever she'd like. The series begins seemingly simplistic, with clear-cut villains and friends, but as it progresses, it's clear that everything the viewer and Utena believe to be true is in fact a lie. Fairy tale tropes are rampant, down to two girls who use shadow puppetry to act as a Greek chorus for the storyline of each episode.

The rotating roses are iconic symbols for the series. You can also see Utena's adoption of the boys' school uniform and the classic animation style. The opening sequence makes it seem as though Utena and Anthy's relationship is a lesbian one, but I find that debatable in the series as a whole (although definitely not in the movie!). There is a definite subtext, though, and there are other characters who are clearly homosexual. This is one of the few anime series that represents people of color and gay relationships with serious thought.

This is my favorite anime series, if you can't tell, :)




Samurai Champloo
This series was made by the creator of Cowboy Bebop. They are similar in that they blend a music style with a seemingly incompatible plot genre (Bebop blends jazz with space opera noir; Champloo blends hip-hop with samurai action of the Japanese Edo period). Samurais Mugen and Jin are polar opposites: one has standing-on-end hair who seems to breakdance as he fights, while the other is a reserved dojo-trained master of specific moves. They join forces with 15-year-old Fuu, an outspoken girl searching for a samurai who smells like sunflowers. The anime is a story about the people they meet and fight with along the way.

The opening sequence of Samurai Champloo is quite solid, but I decided to post an AMV instead. The use of some Beastie Boys music fits in with the music regularly used on the show. You can watch Samurai Champloo because it's hilarious, because each episode is ridiculously tightly plotted, or because of the way it riffs on historical events. But you can also watch it solely because its action sequences are totally bad-ass, and they alone give you reason enough to watch it.




Neon Genesis Evangelion
Like Cowboy Bebop, this is a classic that most anime fans have seen. Like Utena, it starts out with a seemingly standard premise until it becomes apparent that everyone is lying and a basket case in some form. Shinji Ikari is a teenage boy with no ambition, but he has to go to his father's organization NERV to pilot a giant robot to save the world from attackers. This is a pretty standard premise for anime (mostly from anime that came afterward, but also from series like Macross which came before), but Evangelion subverts tropes and expectations. It's highly recommended, and make sure you check out the movie The End of Evangelion once you make it through the episodes. Some people loathe the ending as seen through the TV series, and the movie certainly does give more closure, even if in a disturbing way (I am a fan of both endings, and they're not mutually exclusive: one is internal, and the other shows you what's going on with everyone else).




Movies by Satoshi Kon
Kon is like Miyazaki in that everything he touches is golden. He is unlike Miyazaki in that the themes he touches upon are much more adult in nature (especially "Perfect Blue". The theatrical trailers are pretty good, so I'm going to be lazy and just go with those.







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scribbled mystickeeper at 11:29 AM
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wJan 14, 2008


Son of a mother.

I am so damn tired. What the hell. Lest I expound for paragraphs about my day, I will use a bulleted list.

What I Did Today
--Went to work. Less co-workers today. Actually had to work. WTF.
--Left work early (didn't take a lunch) to go to bookstores for textbooks.
--All of the bookstores were useless. One didn't allow me to copy down what books where on the shelf for one of my classes because they were unpacking things from boxes, and "working." I'M PRETTY SURE WHEN I'M WORKING, I'M NOT A JACKASS ABOUT IT AND FORGOT ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE, KTHX. I have no idea where one of my English professors is having his books sent, because they were not at any of the bookstores. Some of us like to hunt down good deals at used bookstores! Bastards.
--Went to the post office. Spent lots of money. Gave them packages that aren't supposed to go to our address.
--Dropped off prescription at Walgreen's. Was stupid, and forgot health insurance card, and will have to return tomorrow.
--Made and ate dinner while watching Angel. OMG, Angel and Buffy are so good (seasons 2 and 5, respectively). I love Buffy season 5 much more than 4, so far. I think Angel also does much better when there is an over-arching plot.
--Went to Qdoba so I could see Antoine (who was eating dinner), and his new book, and show him how I got the complete Princess Tutu series in the mail today (OMG SO GOOD).

Blahhhh. I'm supposed to be doing things, like job-searching, or possibly caring enough to figure out what the eff I'm doing after I graduate. I suck. Maybe I'll just go to bed at like, 9pm. Fucking a, it already is 9pm. No wonder I'm tired!

Anyway. I need to close windows, and there are lots of things I'm too lazy to write up my own thoughts about, so links are what you get!

Last night, I watched Jane Austen's Persuasion on PBS, and am wondering if the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show is worth watching. I mean, Summer Glau being in it is almost reason enough in itself, as is the fact that Battlestar Galactica's composer Bear McCreary is doing the music, but comments are welcome!

An essay on recent book-to-movie adaptations, namely Beowulf and The Golden Compass. The writer thinks both films were brilliant, while I'm inclined to disagree. I've already written at length about Beowulf. I saw The Golden Compass last week, and overall, I enjoyed myself immensely, although I still feel the book is vastly superior. I also think that it was a hugely stupid decision to chop off the book's ending. Many think they're saving it for a second movie, but....I think the film may have been more successful with the big-bang ending that's in the book.

Speaking of book-to-movie adaptations. My friend Angela and I watched the BBC's recent remake of Jane Austen's Persuasion on PBS last night, and it was decent. I was not a fan of jiggly camera work, the rushed ending, or Anne Elliot's intense camera-gazing that occurred every 10 minutes, but it was okay. Also, Anthony Stewart Head (Giles, from Buffy) was a hilarious baronet, and made anything sucky worth it.
A gratuitous picspam of the entire movie, with commentary.
A scathing review!

An interesting article about young evangelicals embracing Mike Huckabee as their presidential candidate.

Promo material for the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica has surfaced, namely with a Last Supper-esque picture of various characters. You can see it here, although be warned that the commentary by Ron Moore in the magazine scans are very spoilery for seasons 1-3! The empty cup and opened/closed books intrigue me. Rampant speculation by fans can be read here and here.

This reminds me that I've still never blogged about what I thought about Battlestar Galactica: Razor. For now, you can read 's thoughts here, mostly pertaining to the way the show addresses queerness (Major spoilers for Razor and season 2).

On Saturday, I watched the Whisper of the Heart movie (Studio Ghibli) with Antoine and his roommate, and I remember how much I loved it. It might be my favorite Ghibli movie, but I'm not sure. I identify very strongly with the main character. It is so sweet, and amazing! Everyone should watch it!

Sometimes, lists help. Let's see if they do!

Things I'm Stressing About
--Anime Club needs fliers to post around campus. I have no skillz and no time. But it's looking life if I don't do it, nobody will. :/
--I need to change my bedsheets. Okay, I guess that's pretty easy.
--The senate is in session tomorrow. Not sure how lunch-eating works into all that, :/
--This career/job stuff is freaking me out like none other.
--Last semester, I took a shower at night instead of in the morning (morning being when I did it for the other 20 years of my life), but since Saturday, I've been doing it in the mornings and having better hair days. THIS IS A TOUGH DECISION.
--I have no idea what to wear tomorrow. Matching an outfit to our ugly blue blazers that are mandatory on session days is pretty tough.

I think blogging works better when I make smaller posts more frequently.

tl;dr my ass


Current Music: Country Road - Susumu Hirasawa (Whisper of the Heart OST)

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scribbled mystickeeper at 9:29 PM
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wApr 4, 2007


Of Updates and Awkwardness

Spring Break has been pretty awesome so far. Antoine started his job this week, so while I've hung out with him for dinner/evenings, my days are spent working or slowly but surely cleaning my room (for serious! I'm almost done!).

Last night, we watched the Studio Ghibli movie "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," and it was pretty good. It has the same vibe as "Princess Mononoke" in that the setting was fantasy-esque yet not too different from our own world. All in all, it was pretty good, although I like other Studio Ghibli movies much more. I am eager to read the manga, though. Apparently, the movie only covers the first 1/4 of the manga, which becomes much more complex.

There's been a 30-degree temperature drop in the last 24 hours, and I'm less than eager to leave the house for work. I had intended to leave early enough to make it to two libraries (one of fun, one for this paper I should start working on), but instead I laid in bed all morning and read books. It's interesting to analyze my Booklog. During vacations, the author list is taken over by Japanese names, due to my rabid manga-reading, while this semester, it's taken over by English and Scandinavian names.

This is why I don't play Dungeons & Dragons. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Perhaps 'Saiyuki' wasn't the best manga to bring to work.....
So! I finally got around to getting a library card for the Madison public library system. My purpose in doing so was to acquire some audio books for my solitary drive from Madison to my parents' house. HOWEVER, they had such an expansive manga section that I filled my backpack with manga and had to leave without even making it to the audio book section.

In regards to my story, though, one of the series I've checked out is Saiyuki, by Kazuya Minekura. At the moment, I'm in the middle of the fourth volume. The series isn't the greatest I've ever read in terms of compelling storylines, but it is fun in terms of crack. The protagonists are four bishounen ("pretty boys"), some of whom are part "youkai" (in this case, demon), and the story follows them as they journey West! To defeat Evil Things and fight back against Likeable Assassins Who Try to Kill Them!

Still, the writer/artist is totally aware of how ridiculous her pretty-boy characters are, and will often write words like "This is my angry face" on their foreheads. Also, for no apparent reason, some of her characters are hermaphrodites who for some reason need to run around shirtless.

I'm sure you can see where this is going, but I'll continue my story anyway. So yesterday, I bring the third volume of Saiyuki to work with me so that I can alternate it with reading the last 9 chapters of Great Expectations (holy crap, do I hate Charles Dickens!). One of my co-workers/bosses picks up the volume and leafs through it. "Have you ever looked at Japanese comics?" I ask, nervously. "Nope."
"Okay. Welllll....some of it's kinda weird. And I haven't read all of that one yet. So...Don't think I'm too weird," I finish somewhat lamely. He has stopped rifling through pages and I wait to discover what horrific image he has stumbled across. He holds it up for me, just smiling and allowing the page to speak for itself.

Between chapters in manga volumes, manga artists take the opportunity to draw their characters in fun poses/costumes that wouldn't otherwise occur in the story. Sometimes school girls will be dressed in dark suits and sunglasses and will say something like, "Don't mess with us." But this page? Had the character Hakkai, the Silent Type with Angsty Past, standing with his chest bare beneath and unbuttoned shirt. His hands and neck were bound in thorny vines, and there was blood on one of his sleeves. And what does the text say? 'Cause, you know, this needs to be much worse. The text read, "God, please violate me."

WHYYYYY? It makes no sense! It is because Kazuya Minekura thought it would be funny! So now I'm going to the Creepy Girl Who Reads Weird Things, even though today I'll only bring Return of the King and The Mill on the Floss. Japan, why are you so messed up, and why do you insist on messing me up, too?!
It could have been something cute like Cardcaptor Sakura or Sailor Moon, or even something well-written like Eden or Evangelion, but no. It was Saiyuki. Shits.

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scribbled mystickeeper at 10:39 AM
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wMar 19, 2007


Link Spam

Part of what sucks about not blogging as often as I'd like is never posting all of the links I come across in a day of Internet-browsing that I think are interesting enough to put into a blog entry. So, today you will actually get to see them!

This evening, I went to a History lecture given by Chad's Roman History professor on "the real 300." I haven't seen the film based on the Frank Miller comic yet, but I plan to. Here's a Newsweek review, where you can also watch a preview. Speaking of Frank Miller....I'm almost done with the first volume of the Sin City comic, rented from the campus library. I really feel like his stuff works better as movies than as graphic novels. The bridge between comics and movies/TV series is weird like that. Some art styles and stories simply work better as comics, and some work better as anime series. Weird.

The next Studio Ghibli films have been announced. They both appear to be original series. Does anybody know when the Ghibli version of 'Tales of Earthsea' is going to be released in the U.S.?

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson is throwing his hat into the 2008 presidential race. The only thing I can think of when I think of Tommy Thompson is every time I ever rode past the Wisconsin state Capitol in the car with my dad because he would say, "You see that building? The governor works there. I know the governor! He used to come into my uncle's drugstore when I worked there. He knew my name."
So. If nothing else, my dad will be pleased.

And lastly, this is very random, but today's Wikipedia featured article is....Final Fantasy VII. :D


Current Music: Shackled - Vertical Horizon (my favorite song of all time....ever)

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scribbled mystickeeper at 10:35 PM
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wJan 2, 2007


Updation

First off: In my boredom, I've found a new TV show to watch! NBC has all 11 episodes of "Heroes" available streaming on their website. I guess we know what my new obsession will be! Last year it was Battlestar, and the year before that, Grey's. Now, Heroes! It looks pretty cool. The website also has supplementary comics to go with the show!

New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve was a good time! Jennifer finally returned from her Tennessee/Michigan travels, and we gathered at Kristy's house for the Packer game and The Office. OMF, watching Brett Favre was the saddest thing EVER. I don't really care about professional sports very much....I used to be really into football when I was 8, until I was about 11 or so, but now I don't really care about it too much unless I'm at a game (be it Packers or Badgers). Still, though, my parents have always lived in Green Bay, and until college, so did I. It's kind of scary how fanatical people get about the Packers here.....but I guess it's better than a sadistic religious cult or something.
Anyway! New Year's Eve was full of good food, good friends, hilarious episodes from The Office season 2, and me periodically blowing my noise-maker to wake up Kristy, who kept falling asleep on the couch. I was pretty giggly, and I didn't even have any alcohol! I think I was just really happy because I got to talk to Antoine for a while, :)

Do I have anything else to talk about except for anime and manga? Of course not! Okay, so here we go!

Kiki's Delivery Service
I found this at the library, and rented it to watch with my sister's children. Unfortunately, they had to go home after we ate dinner (we were at my parent's house), so I still need to go over there some time this week and watch the last 40 minutes. I finished it by myself because I couldn't wait, bwahaha!

I don't know why, but I was expecting this movie to focus a lot on magic and fantasy storylines. I guess that makes sense, as the main character happens to be a witch. I should know better by now, that with movies made by Studio Ghibli, these will never be the focus of the films. The plot centers on Kiki, a 13-year-old witch setting out for her mandatory 1-year term of making it on her own in a city she's never been to before. It is a coming of age story, with themes of friendship and adolescent romance thrown in as well. I watched the English dub partly so that I could watch it with Olivia, Dylan, and Amelia, but also because I really prefer watching anime dubbed when the English dub is good - unfortunately, it rarely is. Kirsten Dunst starred as Kiki, and Debbie Reynolds, Phil Hartman, Matthew Lawrence, and Janeane Garofalo also contributed their voice talents to the cast.

My nieces and nephew haven't watched the last 40 minutes yet, but from what they saw, they liked it. This was their 2nd film that was worked on by Hayao Miyazaki, though, and Mia especially had problems with the fact that although the drawings of the people looked similar to those of My Neighbor Totoro, they were, in fact, an entirely different cast. I will admit that Kiki looks a lot like Satsuki, from My Neighbor Totoro. Mia kept asking, "Where is her little sister?! Why is she not here?!" Eventually, though, I think she understood it was a totally different story.

I loved this movie, and I think it's up there as one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies. I think the only one I haven't really cared for so far was Castle in the Sky.

Pretear
I really don't care for this anime. At all. It looked cute and original, promising to be a "modern retelling of Snow White," but it's really a story that's full of anime cliches. I gave it a chance for 2 episodes. I watched 3-5 on fast-forward. The series got more interesting in the second DVD, but it is still not "good." It seemed cool at first, with the elements borrowed from Cinderella and Snow White, but it wasn't. It is a story that has been done many times: this girl suddenly discovers that she is "the Pretear," and has magical powers to fight against a random enemy. She is joined by 7 boys that we know nothing about! One of them is broody/angsty, and gets close-ups of his face when he says something mean to the protagonist! They fight against weird ugly monsters! One of her step-sisters has "amusing hijinks" and the other one is angsty and susceptible to being attacked!
Also, I find her transformation sequence and "joining" with her male friends to be pretty creepy.
I don't recommend this anime at all! Don't waste your time - seriously, Sailor Moon is better in all departments except for animation quality. Unfortunately, I still have 4 episodes to go. I watched this much, I might as well get some closure. I'm not doing much else these days, :)

Current Music: Kirari*Seeraa Doriimu - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon main theme

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scribbled mystickeeper at 11:07 AM
2 comments



wDec 23, 2006


Our Christmas tree is pretty.

I am home with my family! Today was an intense day involving travel, buying of some last few presents, wrapping of presents, take-out Chinese for dinner with my mom and my sister and her family, and (of course) a trip to the library!

First things first: the library has vastly expanded its collection of both anime and manga, and for that I am gleeful. I have begun by checking out the entire Haibane Renmei series. It sounds like something Ryan might like, too, so hopefully we'll have time to watch it in the next 7 days. Dave, or anyone else who's home - if you're interested, let me know! I don't work at all this coming week, except for Saturday! The series sounds interesting, and lots of people conjecture that it takes place in Purgatory, which I find intriguing.

Movie Review
The highlight of this evening was watching the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" for the first time, along with my sister and her children. The movie was made by Studio Ghibli, which has been compared by many people as the "Japan's answer to Disney." I would have to disagree - I think that the movies made by Ghibli are much better. For example, the female heroines are pragmatic, strong, and compassionate, unlike Disney heroines who tend to flail around and wait for someone to save them (almost every Disney heroine ever), or act for selfish reasons only (Ariel). Anyway. Studio Ghibli movies are relatively famous the world over. In the United States, it is one of the rare instances in which good English voice actors are hired to perform the dubbed voices. Notable actors from various films include Lauren Bacall, Edward James Olmos, Uma Thurman, Billy Crystal, Christian Bale, Minnie Driver, and Claire Danes. In the re-release of this movie, which is what I watched, Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle give voice to two sisters: Satsuki and Mei, who have just moved to the country with their father; their mother is in a nearby hospital, recovering from tuberculosis and unable to currently live with her family.

Unlike other Studio Ghibli films such as Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, or Princess Mononoke, both environmentalism and magic/gods are given more subtle roles in this film. Granted, Totoro is a large cat-like being who is integral to resolving the plot, but the focus of the film is on the two sisters. Their relationship is playful and infused with fierce loyalty. I don't know how they do it, but Studio Ghibli succeeds in presenting fully formed, incredibly realistic little girls in this movie. The things they say and the ways in which they react to situations are so true to life.

I can't recommend this movie enough. It is heartwarming, the backgrounds are gorgeous in typical Studio Ghibli style, and it told its story well, even if only judging by "how many times did Jackie almost cry?" (4!). Plus, the movie is rated G, so you can watch it with small children! Olivia and Amelia also enjoyed the movie (the kids had 2 friends over, and Dylan was otherwise occupied for most of the duration of the film with epic lightsaber battles in his bedroom.

Current Music: Cider House Rules on TV....we jumped in at the middle and I'm confused.

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scribbled mystickeeper at 11:38 PM
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