Ghiblog HQ

So, the Internet was screwy the past 11 days, but now I'm back! I know this started yesterday while I wasn't here, but we have some very good entries so far! And anyone who would like to join, post your thoughts, criticisms, what have you on you blog/website and e-mail me a link at iheartziyi@yahoo.com, but make sure the subject is "Ghiblog-a-Thon". I hate spam. And I must note to those who do not know and those who do not know, the blog is entitled "Joe's Movie Corner", and I've finally realized that having the cute/crazy titles is a bad idea, and especially to those who have this with the "Electric Bugaloo" thing, can you change it? Oi. And link to this post, which is cool.

UPDATE, 11:40 PM, Sunday: Just cuz, I'm "unofficially" :WINK: letting this go all week, letting the maximum amount of entries. That means you...

So, here are all of the entires so far that I have received:

- Aaron of Electronic Cerebrectomy has a vastly detailed and informative entry, a complete and fascinating history of Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Studio Ghibli:
"Hayao Miyazaki has come to be known as the “Japanese Walt Disney.” The description is both apt and inapt. While he has been financially successful, he has not built a commercial empire for himself. But he has been an innovator, an experimenter, and a great storyteller, as Walt Disney was during the best of times. Still, the appellation is a little diminutive; he is not the Japanese Disney. He is Miyazaki."

- Aaron also has his traditional Friday Five of all Miyazaki scores by the master Joe Hisaishi:
"When speaking of Miyazaki, one must be aware that part of the effect of his films is the beautiful, haunting music of Joe Hisaishi. His lush scores add to the emotional depth of a Miyazaki film, somehow finding the perfect notes to accompany the spectacle, the contemplation, and the sophisticated character for each movie."

- Aaron now has a great collection of trailers for the Ghibli films for their American releases:
"I can't believe Roger Ebert said he was moved "almost to tears." This movie [Grave of the Fireflies] destroyed me emotionally.."

- Becca of No Smoking In The Skull Cave has an encyclopedic guide to the creatures of the Ghibli world (example):
"Ohmu- (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) Giant armored caterpillar-like insects that inhabit the fungal filled forest commonly referred to as The Sea of Decay. The Ohmu has 14 eyes which change color depending on its mood. In adulthood this creature can weigh several tons and is said to be the smartest animal in The Sea of Decay."

- Emma of All About My Movies expresses her feelings in Haiku:
"::GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES::
Quiet dignity,
Shatters my heart into a
Million Pieces."

- Joe of This Distracted Globe has his thoughts on one of the only Ghibli films not directed by Miyazaki or Takahata, Whisper of the Heart:
"Atop the Tama Hills of West Tokyo, 14-year-old Shizuku Tsukishima lives with her mother – who is finishing her degree – and father, a librarian at the middle school she attends. Shizuku spends the summer in her room reading books, or writing song lyrics, adapting 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' to 'Concrete Roads' to better suit her neighborhood."

- Noel Vera of Critic After Dark on Takahata's "2nd masterpiece" Only Yesterday:
"Omohide poro poro (Only Yesterday, 1991) is (compared to [Grave of the Fireflies]) considerably more lighthearted and (compared to Pom Poko) far smaller in scale, but you find here the same subtle handling of character nuance, with perhaps a more complex appreciation of time, memory and nostalgia. Arguably, this is Takahata's time-travel film, and I would argue a major work--not only by Takahata, but by Studio Ghibli."

- Oggs Cruz of Ogg's Movie Thoughts on the yet-released Stateside Tales from Earthsea, the debut film of Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki:
"Tales From Earthsea isn't the great addition to Ghibli Studio's illustrious filmography. What it is is an interesting start for Goro Miyazaki, who I presume will forever be haunted by his father's grand career. While I think that his decision to make his debut film with an adaptation of a popular novel is unwise, Goro Miyazaki has still provided us with an intriguing film, apparently flawed yet undisputably beautiful."

- Oggs also talks about Takahata's 1982 film Goshu the Cellist:
"The first few scenes that director Isao Takahata allows us to see in Goshu the Cellist are beautiful portraits of nature and pastoral Japan. Takahata's patient eye can be appreciated as Ozu-like, allowing his audience to partake of the beauty of his animated compositions. Against the music of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphony, the scenes suddenly take a more familiar form, similar to those vignettes in Disney's Fantasia and the much more recent reincarnation Fantasia 2000."

- Oggs (very busy) on Takahata's 1968 inspiration The Little Norse Prince:
"After three years of development, the film was released and it was a financial flop. However, little did the bigwigs in Toei or even Takahata (or probably even Hayao Miyazaki who also worked in this film as "chief animator and concept artist") that The Little Norse Prince would spawn an entire culture of Japanese anime and animated films that have in them a natural literary quality as compared to the comedy-oriented ones that are being created in the West."

Don't forget! You can still join at any time, just e-mail me or tell me in the comments with your post URL and I'll put it here for all to see! And thank you to all the people who have joined!