More outstanding work from Miyazaki

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2016)

I have to say that in the likes of Inside Out and Zootopia, I enjoyed this movie so much despite how flawed it seems compared to other films from Studio Ghibli. The animation is just what we expect from Ghibli, matching the character designs with the backgrounds and scenes very well, in a way that seemingly only anime-style can pull off. The characters are fascinating to hear and watch, and have very interesting stories, all rounding up in a way that each of them make the film balanced in its list of characters. The story flops in some spots, but it holds up very strong in plenty of places, and most of the time I barely noticed potential flaws since I was still recovering from what had occurred beforehand. Studio Ghibli has proved once again that animation is for all to cherish for lifetimes, and compared to plenty of other 2004 animated films (besides The Incredibles and maybe Shrek 2), this is top tier stuff that you don't want to miss. Anyone who tells you to skip this film (besides Miyazaki fans who have seen a majority if not all of these films) clearly is only jealous of how much Miyazaki has implanted himself into critics' minds and has made "animation" not synonymous with "cartoon".