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[KaelGotDwarves]

My Neighbor Totoro made my childhood. It was double featured with Grave of the Fireflies which took my childhood away.

But that's not for the happy thread.

Seriously, if you like Mononoke, read the Nausicaa manga. Some people say Mononoke has the themes of Nausicaa nicely wrapped up, but Miyazaki revisited the movie that made Studio Ghibli and fleshed out all the ideas he wanted to do with it from 1982 to 1994. It's pretty much the most epic thing ever.

EDIT: I mean Steampunk post-apocalyptic humanity on the verge of being overrun by gigantic insects? With airships and knights on giant birds that were directly stolen for use in/inspired the Final Fantasy series? Yes please.

[Il Palazzo]

rant

Ditto. Man, I haven't seen Ponyo, but the abruptness of *sudden-happy-cookie-cutter-ending* of Howl's Moving Castle irked me terribly.
He must've gone soft with age.

I also second reading Nausicaa manga - the film doesn't do justice to the epicness of the story.

[Stone Wera]

Starting as a knight in NetHack. In my first attempt at mounting my pony, I slipped and fell. In my second attempt, I slipped, fell, and died. Dead in two turns, that's a new personal record!

[SalmonGod]

My Neighbor Totoro made my childhood. It was double featured with Grave of the Fireflies which took my childhood away.

Haha... The friend who introduced me to Grave of the Fireflies loaned it to me with the warning, 'This movie is so depressing, I had to watch My Neighbor Totoro four times afterwards in one sitting to relieve the despair.'

Totoro is my 2nd favorite, btw.  Surprisingly mature movie, I think, despite its playfulness.  When the girls break down crying, I very nearly do so with them.

And yes, Naasica is at the top of my list of things I'm missing out on.

[ein]

I once tricked Jonah into watching Grave of the Fireflies.
I felt like a horrible person. :b

[breadbocks]

Spirited Away, man. That movie made my childhood.

Princess Mononoke is my favorite.  Ashitaka is my alter ego.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spirited Away was my first Miyazaki film, and I love it as well... but I've been disappointed with the way he does endings beginning with that one.  All his earlier films have some bittersweet element to the ending where some problem is actually at least somewhat resolved through actual plot.  Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo have all gone the Disney power of love route where things just randomly end when the main character opens up their heart, giving them magical powers of everything's-happy-suddenly.  Ponyo was especially bad.  I absolutely loved it up until the end where I... I really just couldn't believe that was the end of the film.  Super Spoiler Warning:  I mean they spend the whole film building up this relationship between this boy and a freaking demi-god and everybody is stressing out over what a big deal this is, how it isn't going to be easy for the boy, how he's going to be tested, how he's going to have to prove his love to the ocean goddess.  In the end of the movie, he finally meets the ocean goddess and the final scene is LITERALLY thus:  Ocean Goddess:  "Do you love her?"  Main Character:  "Yes"  Everyone:  "Hooray!"  The End.  I don't get it.  Anyway, that's my rant.  It only bothers me so much, because I love Miyazaki to death and have been disappointed that all of a sudden he's started doing this.

I honestly haven't seen any other Miyazaki films.

As for the ends, for sure. It wasn't as sudden as it sounds like Ponyo was, and it made sense. But hey, at least I was already planning on avoiding Ponyo.

[Angel Of Death]

I once tricked Jonah into watching Grave of the Fireflies.
I felt like a horrible person. :b

I've always wondered what Grave of the Fireflies is like.

[SalmonGod]

But hey, at least I was already planning on avoiding Ponyo.

Don't.  It is a wonderful movie up until the last two minutes.  I STILL love Miyazaki to death.  It's only the endings I have a problem with.

[breadbocks]

Completely unrelated to the current sub-discussion(s):
I'm staring at the rubiks cube sitting on my desk, solved, and am glad I took the time to learn it. It is an amazing stress reliever.

But hey, at least I was already planning on avoiding Ponyo.

Don't.  It is a wonderful movie up until the last two minutes.  I STILL love Miyazaki to death.  It's only the endings I have a problem with.

I'll see if I can get past the "you can do anything with the power of love" speedbump, then.... :shrug:

[KaelGotDwarves]

I've always wondered what Grave of the Fireflies is like.

Well, it's not really a spoiler, because the first thing that happens is the main character tells you the date he died, and then he goes on to tell you his and his little sister's story about the US firebombing of Tokyo during WWII and ensuing hellhole aftermath.

Worst part? It's based on a true story of one of the guys involved with the movie. But he survived and his sister died.

[SalmonGod]

I've always wondered what Grave of the Fireflies is like.

Well, it's not really a spoiler, because the first thing that happens is the main character tells you the date he died, and then he goes on to tell you their story about the US firebombing of Tokyo during WWII and ensuing hellhole aftermath.

Umm... yeah... basically... it gets a lot more personal than that... and I couldn't bring myself to blight the happy thread with a more serious answer.

[KaelGotDwarves]

Well yes, but I didn't want to spoil anything. I figured that tidbit isn't a spoiler because it's the first line of the movie.

[SalmonGod]

Worst part? It's based on a true story of one of the guys involved with the movie. But he survived and his sister died.

Shit I didn't know that.  That's incredibly depressing.

[JoshuaFH]

I will agree on the ending of Ponyo, having seen it recently. However, I have this irking feeling that that wasn't Miyazaki's intention. It was as though he was writing the story, making the film, working his magic, and then one of his superiors yelled over at him "HEY! Miyazaki! What do you think you're doing? You want this movie to be four hours long?! Wrap it up already!", and then he hastily gives it the kind of non sequitur happy ending that it has today.

[Tellemurius]

Well Disney was overseeing it.