Suzumiya Haruhi No Shoushitsu: A review

After watching the whole episodes of Haruhi Suzumiya No Yuutsu (2009) I was left unsatisfied and dejected. However, my feeling of disappointed is short-lived when I finally watched SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO SHOUSHITSU (a.k.a The Vanishment of Haruhi Suzumiya)! And it was liberating! I simply adore the movie and it's definitely a must-watch.

Plot-wise, I strongly believe that this movie justifies all the unexplained events, phenomena and activities that took place in the previous episodes. In fact there so many twists and surprises that left me breathless.

In this movie, I witnessed the side of Kyon that has never been shown before in the series. He is more emotional and intense than before. Probably because he has to endure the changes immediately and he needs to adapt with the situation almost instantly. In this movie, Kyon is definitely my favorite. And much to my surprise, Suzumiya Haruhi is not really the main focus focus in this movie as it is stated in the title she disappears or does she? It's really difficult to explain without revealing the spoiler and I am not going to do the spoiler. This is so twisted it really leaves me dumbfounded. Another interesting aspect in this movie, is the resurrection of Asakura Ryoko. What is her agenda this time? Why is her character brought back? In addition, Shoushitsu reminds me of The Matrix. So, it's up to Kyon whether to choose blue pill or the red pill....

Asakura Ryoko!!! WTF!

And the most interesting part in this movie is the portrayal of Yuki Nagato. She is still stoic and emotionless however, in this movie, her involvement and characterization are escalated two-fold. She is more 'involved', human and emotional and the unseen side of her is finally shown for the first time, ever. What's more, in this movie Nagato is not being her true self (literally)! Frankly speaking, I am rather ambivalent. There's a part of me likes this whole new Nagato and another part of me yearns the true Nagato Yuki.

Another aspect that I love this movie is the main theme song, Gymnopedie no. 1. It's sombre and melancholic. The song certainly complements the mood, the cold winter, the loneliness and the disappearance. When listening to this song, it's hard not to feel sad or depressed. It resonates Kyon's emotion. As if I could not help but to empathize what Kyon is going through at that moment.

Gosh! I really adore this movie and I can't wait to buy the DVD! Meanwhile, enjoy the trailer and the theme. You will get my drift...

Faded and jaded

Recently, I have feeling rather fatigue. Well, nothing serious actually. I am infected by a Hallyu bug and it spreads to my entire system at an alarming rate, I might say! But,I would not be fretting over this situation because it will not disrupt my perennial interest on anime and that's for sure.

Anyway, recently I have a chance to watch Bleach 3rd movie entitled FADE TO BLACK: I CALL YOUR NAME. Like the title of this movie, it is certainly fading from my memory bit by bit. Somehow, this installment of Bleach movie has failed to satisfy me. Even though, this movie is directed by Noriyuki Abe, the director of another 2 earlier Bleach movies, this movie is not really the movie that I am going to watch again... Sigh.

The first flaw that I would like to point out is the plot and storyline. In my humble opinion it is rather mediocre and loose. but, I have to admit it that the exposition is very intriguing but towards the end it gradually heads south.

Since the character in focus is Kuchiki Rukya, I believe the movie should manipulate the involvement of Kuchiki Byakuya-sama in totality. However, Byakuya's involvement is so minuscule that the history and relationship between the two is not quite highlighted. I acknowledge the significance of Kurosaki Ichigo in this serialization nevertheless, Byakuya should bre the one to deliver the final blow. Ichigo has stolen his thunder....

Other than that, I believe the animation is not as crisp and fluid as the second movie The DiamondDust Rebellion. The fighting sequence as well as the action-packed scenes reeks of mediocrity.

However, not everything is unappealing. The best feature of this movie is definitely the appearance of my favorite seiyuu Aya Hirano. I believe her portrayal of Homura is simply amazing as she epitomizes talent and skill of voice acting.

Aya Hirano-san

[Click to enlarge]

The movie opens when a mysterious reiatsu (spiritual particle) explosion occurs in the center of Seireitei in Soul Society, causing it to be destroyed. At the exact same time, a major change overwhelms Kuchiki Rukya. Apparently, this has left her feeling 'empty' as is she has lost something important inside. Meanwhile in the real world, Urahara Kisuke sends Kurosaki Ichigo accompanied by Kon to Soul Society to investigate the disturbance. Upon reaching Seireitei, Ichigo is suddenly attacked by a group of shinigamis which once were his allies. It seems they do not recognize him as if he is never existed before. After a while Ichigo realises that the shinigamis have no memory of him and Rukya. Now alone and on the run, Ichigo must find the missing Rukia and uncover the cause of the mysterious incident before it's too late....

I won't provide the complete synopsis as the plot is too long. However, to read the synopsis, you can check it HERE.

Overall, in my opinion, this installment of Bleach movie is somewhat lack lustre. Nevertheless, I would like to recommend this movie to fans and non-fans alike. Despite the rough comment that I just gave I still believe there are many fans of this movie out there. I could be bias since my favorite character is Toushiro Hitsugaya taichou ....

Forbidden lust...

Call me old fashion, but Boku Wa Imouto Ni Koi Wo Suru reeks of idea so putrid that I watched it with a barf bag half full beside me. When it comes to anime of romatic theme, I strongly believe that this OVA is the ultimate cesspool!

The portrayal of the characters are very flimsy especially the supporting characters. Let me start with the protagonist. Yuki Yori he's the incestuous male protagonist , hence the title of the OVA, who has been developing crushes then lust for his twin sister since young and yet brushed off by the clueless parents thinking that that’s only a childhood fantasy.

Then, enters the airhead, over-sentimental, whiny and pathetic twin sister Yuki Iku. The one that Yori really likes to f**k eversince they were kids. How on earth he managed to develop the lust, it’s totally beyond me!

Another character that seems to catch me off-guard is, Yano Haruka . He is one of the Yori's classmates. In my humble opinion, I think he is the culprit in this whole debauchery. He realizes the decadence and yet does nothing about it. Or probably he's a liberal-minded person who care less about this whole brother-and-sister incest issue.

Then, the portrayal of Kusunoki Tomoka , another one of the Yori's classmates, is no help either. Though Yori isn't interested in her, she's been pursuing him romantically for quite some time. In addition, she is so easy to be manipulated since she is so obtuse, and also because her love is blind. Yori uses her as his sexual surrogate in order to conceal his unbriddle lust for Iku.


Yuki Shunpei and Saki – the ever oblivious and dense parents. They are too clueless to realize the problem even though the twins are living under the same roof with them. To top it off, they are too ignorant to realize that the twins are growing up and they nedd to have their own personal bedroom!


My Two Cents

Throughout years, there are some movies and books that attempt the similar theme. For example, Sophocles’ classic play, Oedipus Rex. But, the play did condemn the abomination of incest. By and large, where incest is concerned, there are acceptable strategy to handle this dodgy subject.

First, is to deny incest. Then, when that is achieved, make it crystal clear that the story condemns incest. Finally, movie maker or writer needs to portray incest as a kind of accidental disaster that inadvertantly takes the characters involved by surprise. This is to ensure that they are actually the victims rather than the culprits of it. Like in Oedipus Rex, Oedipus and Jocasta didn't know that they were son and mother and they accidentally married to each other. They only discovered the truth until it was too late to escape their grave consequences.

Nevertheless, this OVA invokes that incest is o.k (with big, fat capital O) and it is acceptable in the Japanese society (I never heard Japanese being caught for incest). It almost seems to be going out of its track in condemning the whole blasphemous idea. Apparently, there's no attempt to even pretend that Yori and Iku aren't committing incest; brother-and-sister couplings.

You two are sick!

What sickens me the most is the fact that they had the audacity to declare their so-called sacred love in a church, in front of god... Since I do not advocate the whole subject matter, thus I will not recommend this OVA to anyone who has a sound mind and logic.

Conqueror of Shambala: A Review

CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALA is produced in 2005. It is an extension of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 1^st release. In my honest opinion, this is an excellent and brilliant movie, based on the hostility of post WWI Germany. The plot is exceptionally well written as it exhibits the history, utilising aspects of the Nazi society. To the extent that I had to google up some facts (or fictions) demonstrated in the film. Well, evidently, I discovered that most of them were real and justified. The setting takes place in the real world (Earth) in which Edward Elric was trapped. In this world he came across numerous characters that existed in his world

I will not say much regarding the synopsis. Instead, I have enclosed the screenshots. Frankly speaking I know they don’t help that much but they can trigger your interest in watching the movie.

[Click for a larger view]

The animation and the graphic in this movie is utterly a sight to behold. The fighting and action sequences are all smooth and fluid. In addition, they are choreographed to perfection. Other than the action-packed scenes, the backgrounds and environments featured are verdant and meticulously drawn. They simply ooze with exquisiteness and splendour.

In the final analysis, I would love to recommend this movie to all FMA fans and non-fans alike. It’s a must watch

Of rebellion and justice...

To all HITSUGAYA TOUSHIRO fans out there, let's rejoice! The time has finally come. This time around our adored Hitsugaya-taichou will have his glorious moment in 2nd BLEACH movie entitled THE DIAMONDDUST REBELLION (a.k.a The Other Hyourin maru) .In this installment of Bleach movie Hitsugaya will be given so much airtime that will leave his fan inebriated with contentment. In fact, this installment of Bleach movie gives you everything you’ve come to anticipate from one of the best Shonnen Jump mangas in the world.

Nonetheless, I’m not exactly sure the exact time-line of this movie. I am a tad confused whether this movie takes place in between the Arrancar Arc or Amagai-taichou Arc. This is left for you to make your own assumption. Then again, that is not really significant since it doesn't affect the whole plot of the movie. In fact, I am 101% sure that the fans are constantly at edge of their seats watching this awe-inspiring movie!

To the fans of visual art, you will be mesmerized by the dazzling display of colors. This movie consolidates detailed emotional actions with comprehensive characteristics that are sometimes ignored in full length features. In my honest opinion, the animation and the graphics of this movie are absolutely breathtaking. The sound effects and the musical element are crystal clear. Noriyuki Abe really put his effort at great length in demonstrating the extremity of emotion and feeling of battle and honor which are the integral part of Bleach serialization. What's more, I become more emotionally invested as the plot progresses. Michiko Yokote and Masahiro Ōkubo wrote an in-depth and detailed plot line that is not cut up and flows very well. Bleach fans and non-fans alike will enjoy the nifty and splendid themes.

[Click to enlarge]

Synopsis

The scene opens as Hitsugaya-Taichou and his vice captain, Matsumoto Rangiku, are escorting an over-the-top procession (that is similar to Jidai Matsuri) of an important and sacred artifact called the “King’s Seal” across the real world when suddenly they are waylaid and attacked by a masked shinigami and two visoreds (or arrancars). Apparently, these two visoreds / arrancars are merely henchmen of a masked shinigami. Hitsugaya meets head-on the masked shinigami. However he is critically wounded by the shinigami’s zanpaku-tou. At that moment, Hitsugaya believes that he is a deceased friend from his early days named Kusaka Soujiro. Kusaka, however, manages to escape and without much ado, Hitsugaya chases after him in order to retrieve King’s Seal from Kusaka.

Because of his sudden action, he is thought to be in-cahoots with Kusaka in the whole debauchery. As a result, the entire 10th division is placed under arrest and Hitsugaya action is declared treason by Yamamoto Genryusai Shegekuni, the so-taichou. It is Ichigo who finds him and seeks answers to the strange behavior that Hitsugaya is showing.

Meanwhile, the entire Soul Society is in ultimate upheaval. Kusaka is revealed to be the scheming and devious shinigami who has stolen the King’s Seal and has plotted a dangerous scheme to not only Hitsugaya but the entire Soul Society in general. Why did Kusaka steal the King's Seal in the first place? Will he be able to execute his evil scheme? Will Hitsugaya manage to explain his action in time? And most importantly, who is actually Kusaka Soujiro?


The Verdict

In the final analysis, I would love to recommend this movie to all and especially if you are Hitsugaya Toushiro fans. It is filled with action-packed scene from the start till the end. In fact this is far much better than the first Bleach movie, Memory of Nobody ... The DiamondDust Rebellion rocks, bigtime!

World of wind...

When NAUSICAA OF THE VALEY OF THE WIND was first aired, it was 1984. And I was around or 8 at that time. However, this anime movie is dubbed by IMDb as one of the 50 most excellent sci-fi movies. Miyazaki, once again, has succeeded bringing his fan to a world that is so complex and believable at the same time. Lucas, eat your heart out! What's more he succeeds in creating characters that are so strong and memorable at the same time.

The Setting
This movie takes place in a future 1000 years after a so-called apocalypse. The upheaval, obviously, has forced humans to live around the borders of a great woodland of huge poison fungi known as the Sea of Decay. However, the main setting was in The Valley Of The Wind (see picture). This is place is safe from the forest's potent spores by an unceasing sea breeze that is channelled and amplified by the valley's high walls. Initially, the beautiful place was very serene and peaceful until a war errupted...

The Characters
Obviously, as suggested by the title, the main character is a princess named Princess Nausicaa. She is the nucleus of the whole plot as expected by Miyazaki. She is very strong and gifted. In fact she has a strong and almost magical empathy with the environment around her. She believes that co-existing is the only means to survive in this world. Her persistence that mankind must try to co-exist with nature rather than try to defeat it is the predominant aspect of her personality. To illustrate, instead of killing, she single-handedly tames and calms an ohmu (see picture) that was trying to attack a wondering traveler.

The Theme
The central theme of this movie is the importance of co-existing in preserving the environment. Environmentalists all over the world will proudly give a standing ovation for this movie sentiment and intention.

The Verdict
I have nothing to say except these 3 words : IT'S A MUST-WATCH!







[Note]
The way Nausicaa tries to calm the ohmu reminds me the way Ashitaka tries to calm the boar god in the earlier plot of Miyazaki's Mononoke Hime...

Bleach's Flop

MEMORY OF NOBODY is one of Bleach movies produced in 2006. It is directed by Noriyuki Abe and written by Masashi Sogo. I don't know what to say. Even though I am a Bleach fan this movie is certainly a flop in anime history. There! I've said it!

Descriptions:
In Karakura Town, there has been a sudden outbreak of unidentifiable spirits called “blanks” (vacant souls). In Soul Society, the sky is reflecting the real world. Out of the blue a mysterious female shinigami called Senna has appeared before Ichigo and Rukia along with a man named Ganryu, leading a group called the “Dark Ones”

Synopsis:
In an ancient time, there was a rebel group called Dark Ones. Apparently they have returned and wanted to take revenge on the Soul Society for banishing them. The girl, Senna, holds the key to the destruction. As usual Ichigo got himself into the mess and wanted to protect this damsel in distress. Finallly, Ichigo has triumphed with the help of the Gotei 13. End of story!

But I do love the ending theme!



Song : Sen No Yoru O Koete
Artiste : Aqua Timez

Cry me a river...

I watched this movie with my guard down. I didn't have the slightest idea what this movie is all about. Hence, I'm sill sobbing hysterically while typing this entry. This is the saddest anime movie ever. And I'm not planning to watch it again, EVER!!!!


Grave of Fireflies (a.k.a Tombstone of Fireflies) or Hotaru no Haka is one movie that permanently engraves itself into your memory. In my humble opinion this is one of the most difficult movies of any genre to watch, nonetheless, it is also one of the best written. It is because this movie is actually based on the director's own life-story during WWII.

This movie does not glorify war, in fact, it intensifies the grotesque pictures of war. Somehow, this movie reminds me of my favorite poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Owen by Wilfred Owen. This movie is emotionally draining and it is the ultimate tear-jerker to date.

It's about a harsh struggle of two orphan siblings, Seita and Setsuko, during WWII. They have to endure the suffering and pain regardless their tender ages (Seita was only 13 and Setsuko was 4). Even though Setsuko was practically a toddler she as considerably 'mature' in swallowing the whole bitter experiences. Even though she was young and dependent, she did not pose as a burden to her brother.

The movie exhibits the theme of personal growth, independence and most importantly brotherly love. Nonetheless, I simply detest the ending. The ending is not a stereotypical resolution which is common in most anime movies produced by Studio Ghibli. Until now, I can't shove away the scene of Seita cremating Setsuko's lifeless and frail body. Why must it end like this!!!!!

Grave of Fireflies is a movie that you don't want to watch when you're in the mood for anything carefree or light. Because it will definitely spoil your mood for the whole day. In fact, this is a movie that you would want to show if you want to clear the room with everyone in tears streaming down their cheeks.

I think I better stop here. I am ambivalent right now. I don't know whether to recommend it or not. Can't really decide with all tears still blurring my vision...






[Note]
Perhaps every decade, there will be a movie so memorable, so moving and so compelling that it permanently embeds images into your memory. This movie is definitely the one.

Fly Me to the Moon...

Flying, European setting, young female protagonist. These all too familiar elements. That's Miyazaki-sensei!

Kiki's Delivery Services (Majo No Takyoubin) is another masterpiece created by the celebrated storyteller in 1989. This movie is the first Disney/Studio Ghibli deal. The movie was dubbed in 1997 and it was premiered in the United State in year 1998.

The story is about Kiki a witch-in-training. She lives in a small rural village where her mother is the resident herbalist. Traditionally, Kiki has to leave her home to spend a year alone in a new town to establish herself as a bonafide witch. Kiki therefore flies on her mother's broom with her closest companion, Jiji, an eloquent black cat. Seconds after she leaves, Kiki and Jiji are caught in a thunderstorm, from which they take overnight refuge in a freight train. On the next morning, Kiki and Jiji wake up to discover that they have fallen asleep in a cow herd's feed-bag. They leave the trin and continue their search for a place to live.

Kiki settles in the beautiful seaside city, Koriko. Initially, she finds it hard to adjust to the new surrounding and the city's pace. However, due to an accidental incident she starts a delivery service that takes advantage of her ability to fly. In addition, in the story she experiences several difficulties such as slow business, misplaced merchandise, rude customers, and illness. She also must contend with her loneliness, worries, and homesickness.

In the new city, Kiki managed to make some new friends and she has met a boy named Tombo Kopori. At the beginning, she rebuffs Tombo who is the same age with her and is interested in aviation. However, she gradually befriends him.

Another problem she encounters is insecurity. Because of thet, Kiki's powers begins to diminish. Kiki learns about overcoming such obstacles with the help of a newfound friend, a young artist named Ursula, who gives advice regarding inspiration that Kiki needs in order to regain her magic.

In this movie, Tombo is accidentally lifted into the air in a blimp accident. When she is his only hope of rescue, Kiki finds the inspiration to regain her flying ability. Improvising with a street-sweeper's deck brush, Kiki manages to rescue Tombo with some difficulty.

After the incident, she has become the local hero and celebrity. Later, she is on the street of her town and notices a little girl walking past, because the little girl has her hair and clothing styled like Kiki's and is even carrying a small deck broom like the one Kiki flew to save Tombo.

If you had chance to watch Disney's version, you will notice one apparent difference: the background music. The background music is embellished and the opening and ending theme are also replaced.

The movie exudes the theme of coming of age and self-discovery. The protagonist has to be independent and discovers her own strength and drive. This can be seen when she embarks on the journey on her own without any adult companionship. She also works as a 'messenger' for a living. This definitely summarizes the whole sentiment of the movie.

Young Love At Its Best...

Whisper of the Heart or Mimi Wo Sumabesa (If You Listen Closely) is a captivating, charming and poignant tale about a school girl Shizuku Tsukishima. In this movie she is working on the translation of John Denver's "Country Road" song. The whole plot begins when Shizuku discovered a name -Seiji Amasawa- written on several library cards. She became curious. One day she met an unnamed boy at the school. She seemed to be irritated by the boy's aloofness towards her. Then one day while sitting on the train to go to the library, Shizuku comes across a cat sitting on the train by itself. The cat gets off at her stop, and Shizuku decides to follow the cat. Upon following the cat, Shizuku is lead to an antique shop. Gradually, she learned that the unnamed boy is actually Seiji Amasawa ! And thus begins the wonderful, heartwarming journey, about one's girl journey about growth and self-discovery.

Though this movie wasn't directed by Miyazaki, I would have to say this movie is very similar to Miyazaki's movie Kiki's Delivery Service. These two movies tell a tale about coming of age and self-discovery. Again with this being a Studio Ghibli film, the animation of the movie is very detailed and colourful. Even though the movie doesn't use orchestrated music the music of the movie was simply noteworthy. The background music was mainly of soft violin,flute and string guitar themes. I really adore the scene where Shizuku sings along Seiji's violin's performance. In the final analysis, this is another brilliant masterpiece by Studio Ghibli, that is suitable for the whole family. Most importantly, the ending leaves a nice feeling in the stomach, so it comes highly recommended. Never thought puppy love could ever be this profound...

Building Castle in The Sky : Laputa

The anime movie entitled Laputa: Castle in The Sky has captured my heart in totality! Kudos to the extraordinary master storyteller Hayao Miyazaki.

When watching this anime movie, my heart soars in freedom along with the characters Pazu and Sheeta. The adventure and the characterizations are mesmerizing. Some might say that the characterizations are very simple compared to other Miyazaki's previous work, nevertheless, they have elements of the human personality to which we can all relate. Similarily, his story echoes the same sentiments: flying adventures.

In this instalment, Miyazaki has shown the audience the real utopia. World governed by non-humans, robots to be exact. Somehow, I feel a tad uncomfortable with this sentiment. As if, in my humble opinion, he tries to exude atheist-ism view in this anime (somewhat Asimov's way of thinking). In this installment also, he conveys that anything, be it tools, technology or knowledge, can be used for both good and evil. And just as in real life, good and evil are not always immediately recognisable by mere appearances.

In the final analysis, this anime is for all to watch but for young viewers, this anime needs to be watched with an appropriate guidance. My two-cent!

Of Cloud and Heart...

Final Fantasy? Not really my cuppa' tea. I believe it is a over-the-top anime and 3D is not really favorite type of anime. Another reason why I don't really heart FF is because the lack of knowledge about it. Plot-wise, it is too complex to understand. Therefore, I never had the urge to watch Advent Children before.

Nevertheless, on one fateful night somehow, I finally watched FINAL FANTASY: Advent Children. Again, I am not a fan of Final Fantasy. I was a bit blurred with the whole plot. And the characters are too many to remember. Maybe because I never watched its previous installments or even play the game. But, all that put aside because I simple adore the graphic and animation! I didn't really care about the whole plot and characters but my eyes were glued to my tv screen!

The graphic and animation are the best I have ever seen! It's so detailed it left you gasping in awe all the time. The realism is beyond my imagination. I really love when Tifa Lockheart toyed with her smooth and silky hair and Cloud Strife's surreal hair blown by the wind when he was riding his awesome, state-of-the-art bike. It seemed so amazing! If fact, you can even see individual strands of his hair. I felt like running my fingers through his hair...

Like I said earlier, I didn't really fathom the whole story's plot but, who cares! The fighting sequence and the action-packed scenes were utterly amazing and fluid! It is so fast and confusing at the beginning, however as you get used to it, everything looks normal.

I simply love it when Tifa Lockheart fought a baddy named Loz (correct me if I am wrong) and when Cloud Strife had a one-on-one battle with a character named Sephiroth. The intensity is really awesome and it's almost tangible. An amazing anime, indeed!

My two cents:

If you are watching this movie for the sake of plot, I advise you to get to know Final Fantasy first before any attempt to watch it. But if you are watching it for the sake of admiring the brilliant graphics, the excellent visual effects and the awesome fighting sequence, (which make up 60% of this movie) this movie is definity for you!

Princess of Monsters : Mononoke-hime

I would like to recommend to all anime lovers to watch this award winning anime created by none other Hayao Miyazaki. These are the awards that the movie has claimed so far :

• Best Picture; The 21st Japanese Academy Awards
• Best Japanese Movie, Best Animation, and Japanese Movie Fans' Choice; The 52nd Mainichi Movie Competition
• Best Japanese Movie and Readers' Choice; Asahi Best Ten Film Festival
• Excellent Movie Award; The Agency for Cultural Affairs
• Grand Prize in Animation Division; 1st Japan Media Arts Festival (by the Agency for
• Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Education)
• Best Director; Takasaki Film Festival
• Best Japanese Movie; The Association of Movie Viewing Groups
• Movie Award; The 39th Mainichi Art Award
• Best Director; Tokyo Sports Movie Award
• Nihon Keizai Shinbun Award for Excellency; Nikkei Awards for Excellent Products/Service (details)
• Theater Division Award; Asahi Digital Entertainment Award
• MMCA Special Award; Multimedia Grand Prix 1997
• Best Director and Yujiro Ishihara Award; Nikkan Sports Movie Award
• Special Achievement Award; The Movie's Day
• Special Award; Houchi Movie Award
• Special Award; Blue Ribbon Award
• Special Award; Osaka Film Festival
• Special Award; Elandore Award
• Cultural Award; Fumiko Yamaji Award
• Grand Prize and Special Achievement Award; Golden Gross Award
• First Place, best films of the year; The 26th "Pia Ten"
• First Place; Japan Movie Pen Club, 1997 Best 5 Japanese Movies
• First Place; 1997 Kinema Junpo Japanese Movies Best 10 (Readers' Choice)
• Second Place; 1997 Kinema Junpo Japanese Movies Best 10 (Critics' Choice)
• Best Director; 1997 Kinema Junpo Japanese Movies (Readers' Choice)
• First Place; Best Comicker's Award
• First Place; CineFront Readers' Choice
• Nagaharu Yodogawa Award; RoadShow
• Best Composer and Best Album Production; 39th Japan Record Award
• Excellent Award; Yomiruri Award for Film/Theater Advertisement

The movie is set in Muromachi Period (1300s) and it portrays the beautiful and green scenery of mountains and forests. It centers on the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources, as seen by the outsider. This is common issue dealt by Miyazaki. It tells us that this anime offers more than just entertainment. It is an eye-opener to the real and current situation, even the setting is not the present. In addition, it gives us the insight on how environment is treated nowadays and how people can be profiteering. Furthermore, the portrayal of characters is really 3-dimensional and thorough. The life-stories of San and Ashitaka are exposed in detail. It's proven that Miyazaki is a master story-teller!

I simply adore this movie and it's definitely a must-watch!

My name is Chihiro : Spirited Away

This movie is produced by Studio Ghibli . It's written and directed by the famous and celebrated Hayao Miyazaki in year 2001. For those who don't really know who is Hayao Miyazaki, he is the famous writer and director ofnumerous well-known anime movies such as Mononoke-Hime, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour, Totoro,  Laputa and the list goes on. In addition, Spirited Away had claimed an international accolade by winning an OSCAR (yes... you heard me right!) in the same year. And then, the movie snagged another 35 wins and 18 nominations.

The original title of this movie is SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI. Literally it means, Sen and Chihiro Spiriting Away. But when it is translated into English the title is shorten into SPRITED AWAY. The tagline of this movie is The tunnel led Chihiro to a mysterious town (don't ever ask me the Japanese translation...).

It's undeniable that Miyazaki is the wizard of Japanese Anime. He, more often than not, creates works of such incredible beauty, stunning visual and sensory enchantmens. He is definitely the master of storytelling, that one can only be left speechless. Overwhelmed. Intoxicated with wonder. This is the magic of Spirited Away

The plot is simple yet very spellbinding. Filled with unique, lovable, quirky and spunky characters that will amuse and mesmerize the audience. Miyazaki reminds me of Charles Dickens. Both of them have the knack in creating such memorable characters with unique mannerisms. This anime will absolutely be enjoyed by everybody from all walks of life. Children and adults alike will be enthralled from start to end.

I simply love this movie since it radiates a magical, awe-inspiring, tearful, laughter-filled, heartfelt journey through a land of sweeping fantasy and dreams.