What an Adventure!

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2014)

This was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw. I'll never forget the day my father brought it home from Blockbuster and was like "Hey, I found this really high-rated animated film all the way from Japan"! The first time I watched it, I got sick to my stomach however, and there was a flu bug going around our house so it didn't sit well with me at first. The more times I watched it over the years however, the more it began to grow on me. It opened my eyes to another culture I'd never seen. The myths, the higher violence threshold Japanese people must have (this movie was written for young girls!) and the values were all very different to me. Miyazaki himself said that this film wasn't about growth as much as it is about finding what is already inherently in you. There are many symbols, some obvious ones about nature's importance, but also some more discrete ones about friendship and understanding others. This movie is very complex and something you could contemplate on and relive in your memory. I haven't even gotten to the voice actors and soundtrack, but needless to say, they're done very well! On the English dub, just to name a few, the main character is voiced by the same voice actor who voices Lilo (from Disney's Lilo and Stitch) and another character is voiced by the same actor who voices Mai (from Yu-Gi-Oh). Deep, emotional piano sweeps like ocean waves throughout the film, highlighting some of the characters' most deepest emotions. Miyazaki has created a very real dimension here. You're missing out if you never plan on watching it.