Left Underwhelmed

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2015)

The animation style is what you would expect from Studio Ghibli, which I really enjoy. This movie is meant to be a sort of slice of life film, which I don't mind either. The main two characters have enjoyable personalities as well. This brings us to why the 5/10.
To be plain and simple, I found the movie extremely boring. Watching a movie such as Spirited Away or Kiki's Delivery Service, you will notice that they're rather relaxing and aren't paced that fast but you knew the movie was building to something. That is one of the major reasons why I like Ghibli films and what I was expecting again with My Neighbor Totoro. Unfortunately that was not the case and I was left wondering when the movie was going to climax or what adversity the characters are going to face.
I was left disappointed that the characters that i started to like during the beginning of the film never really changed or learned some sort of lesson. At the end of the day, I was left underwhelmed especially since I have heard nothing but good things about this movie from anyone who mentions it.