I liked it, but the entire movie I was expecting a big payoff that I never really got. For example, [MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING] Mary has a lot of hints as having some connection with witches, such as her connections to cats, red hair being a common color with powerful witches, and then you find out her grandmother is a witch. So when the end of the movie rolls around and she doesn't have any magic-flower-power left, I was expecting her to unlock her own magic and truly become a witch. That doesn't happen, but the entire movie has moments like this with build up leading to small or no payoffs. It was a good movie, but I think I would watch Kiki over Mary.
it seemed to me that the main point of the story is that you don't have to change yourself. She didn't have to change into a witch to be happy, just accept herself and her hair color
there is a fan theory about this. You see the beginning and most of the film, where Mary is struggling to control the broomstick? That's because she's brute-forcing it. However, near the end of the film, she's finding it easier to control. That may be a hint that she does, in fact, have power as a witch.
@@fawn119 this! this is also my view about this movie and because of this that I came to love it. Mary said "we don't need magic!" which really speak to me because there's a lot of stories out there that teaches about self-acceptance but at the end of the story they always ended up acquiring some magical powers, to me it feels like at the end of the day they needed that kind of magic to stay happy. Mary doesn't need to be a witch to be happy. she just needs to accept herself as she is.
I loved this film. Honestly I was really satisfied. It’s not like Ghibli’s best, but I was so happy to see that Ghibli Charm captures by those who loved and worked at the company.
I will now be spending the rest of my day listening to the soundtrack. Thank you for the information! We saw it in theaters and my wife bought the movie when it came out. Definitely promising of things to come and I personally think a good start for Studio Ponoc
Ghibli films are over-rated and in general not that entertaining, have you seen Warriors of the Wind? Now that is what all Ghibli films should be more like, the edits in that were point on and greatly improved the movie.
The story felt rushed and ameteurish to me. Had a lot of moments that would be awkward in real life that were placed in there to stamp a milestone on the plot. Mary: Oh dear, I can't do anything!*finds flower that lets her do anything* Broom keeper: Here is a convenient sign placed by the door to the school. I will read it to you! Don't trespass or you will be transformed. *moment of silence as the audience asks whether he was since he's a fox man* Well, bye! Magic teachers: Oh wow! You can do ANYTHING!*they take her around the school and she accidentally solves an ancient wizard secret by guessing*Magic teachers: and this is our evil lair! Maybe it's just British children's literature, but it felt SUUUUUPER rushed and clunky.
Plus.. that black cat.. is like what? Deus ex machina? lol.. its fun to watch for the animation, visual and sound.. but cant really blame the plot or story line since i dont know the original source.. but yeah.. it just all over the place and not properly written
The only reason I watch anime today (and your channel) is thanks to Ghibli. Only after exhausting their movies, seeking for more I ventured into the wold of anime. It is sad to see the end of it, but I do have hope for the new studio! I will be eagerly watching where they go in the future. Good luck Studio Ponco!
Haven’t seen the vid yet but I will say, after watching all three films from this director, When Marnie was There was my favorite. You should do a review/spotlight on that film if you haven’t done one yet.
Considering ghibli movies typically are very high quality, you should've given a new studio some slack. They're new, don't expect them to do ghibli level movie in it's first try
Hey Thank you for this video, i really really love your content ( im one of those who watch your 2013 videos just to have a good time ) and really have a nice day.
My mom and I went to see it at an event screening at local theater in my hometown. We had tons of fun pointing out all the referances and homages to past Ghibli works, it was a blast. I really enjoyed the movie over all.
Just like to shout out the incredible English dub - very clear and crisp with a British accent surprisingly not overdone! Really helped immerse you into the setting which felt a lot like my childhood growing up in the English countryside.I was impressed with the soundtrack and animation on top, but can't say I'm a fan of the plot of the film. Like someone said below it's just like Tales of Earthsea: beautiful with potential but sadly underdeveloped. Not a bad start though: here's hoping they improve from here!
While the animation the sound and music is good you've probably failed when it comes to the story if I don't care about the main character and in fact am more rooting for the so-called 'villains' even though I don't know what their motivation is.
@Glass Reflection I would have appreciated if you had talked about the characters in more detail, though, especially how Mary differs from past "Ghibli-female protagonists" in her behaviour and personality. I found that Mary was much more realistic in her mischievousness and i enjoyed the development that she went though, however rushed. Also about the directing of Yonebayashi and how, from my perspective, he stumbled a little bit during the first part of the film, as he was looking for his own style when working independently from Ghibli for the first time. The video was more an essay about the philosophy behind the production of Mary and the Witch's Flower than an actual review. But please, don't take this comment the wrong way. Been a fan of your videos for a long time, and I enjoy them even if I don't always agree with you. In any case, cheers.
Man I really like your videos. I mean, I can't possibly agree with EVERYTHING you say but you present your arguments well and just give a pleasant presentation of anime stuff. Thanks!
Safe is a bang on word to use tbh. Which I think was the smart thing to do.. Especially while trying to show yourself to the world and what you can do.
Here in the UK we usually get a few anime films in the cinema throughout the year, usually with one or two screenings for each. Mary and the Witch's Flower however has been having a few screenings daily (both subbed and dubbed) for the past 2 weeks now at my local Cineworld (one of biggest cinema chains in the UK) so for a new studio's first film they must have some pretty good contacts- looking at the seat reservations it seems to be doing really, really well.
Maybe the reason it looks like a Ghibli film because maybe one of the storyboard artists from Ghibli was working within this movie. This Ghibli-esque style was also presented in the film The Children who Chase Lost Voices (a film that I highly recommend to look into) which was done by director Makoto Shinkai which is another film director that I also had come to love in recent months (that includes Mamoru Hosada). Shinkai’s work does cell drawings which is the same process that is done in Ghibli films
the children who chase lost voices is a blatant miyazaki rip-off. it has great production values, but i was disgusted while watching it due to the fact shinkai had no shame in copying bits and pieces from many of miyazaki's films. the movie had very few elements to call its own. shainkai should be ashamed. that said, i do like shinkai's other works such as 5cm per second and garden of words. your name less so, but it is clear he has a lot of talent...
mogwai_for_sale like while i was watching it the movies that popped up in my mind was Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Tales from Earth Sea; kinda forgot what other movies were influenced from Ghibli (if there was) but these were the ones that were prominent that couldn’t have been more obvious
Blue Onyx: yea i agree. i actually wrote a long rant about this on a forum many years ago. i'll post it below just for fun. that is just my opinion on it, so nothing personal :D RANT BEGINS: I must say I am very conflicted with this film. I am a fan of Makoto Shinkai's previous work. He is a very talented director and his technical ability for animation and background art is astonishing. This film is no different from that regard. Yes, it is beautiful to look at and has a fairly good story and memorable scenes... My problem with this film is that a huge portion of it has been inspired or rather "stolen" from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I don't say this lightly. It is one thing for a film to borrow a few elements from another source and treat it as a homage. This is a way to show respect to the source material of which a film has been inspired by. I'm fine with that. This film, however, has taken so many elements from Miyazaki's previous films that I am still in disbelief as to why more people have not spoken out about this. Quite simpley, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo stole the IDENTITY of many of Miyazaki's films. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS The main protagonist in Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo has a character design similar to Satsuki from My Neighbor Totoro. She bares a crystal that is similar (particularly how it glows and resonates) to that of Sheeta's crystal in Castle in the Sky. One character looks like Howl from How's Moving Castle while another looks like the young version of Sheeta, again from Castle in the Sky. Many environmental designs and landscapes (especially inside the temples) look as though they were borrowed from Castle in the sky. Creatures designs were highly influenced by those found in Nausicaa (God Warriors) as well as Princess Mononoke (the forest spirit and infected wild boars). The cat-like animal in this film was inspired from Nausicaa (Teto). One of the creatures eats in a similar fashion to the monster in Spirited Away (no face). Hell, there is even a scene where one of the characters cuts off the top-knot of his hair before leaving his village and riding away on horseback (which is a very similar sequence to that of Ashitaka's in Princess Mononoke). Did I mention that even the composition and framing of certain scenes look identical to other Ghibli works? The list goes on... it is quite embarrassing really. As I sat there and watched this film, I was constantly shaking my head in disgust. Does Makoto Shinkai really have no shame in doing something like this? END OF SPOILERS Shinkai has spoken out at interviews and said that he has been influenced by Miyazaki with his latest work: "Yes, that is true. I admit, and especially with [Hoshi o Ou Kodomo] it might be a bit more obvious. But generally speaking, Hayao Miyazaki is one of the biggest names in the Japanese animation industry, so regardless of what you do in that industry, it's nearly impossible to be far away from the effects of his influence" So essentially he has excused himself of all the copying in this film due to the fact Miyazaki has been so successful in the industry and there is no way to be original anymore? Inspiration and copying are two different things and Shinkai is closer to the latter with this film. I find that this film simply has too many SIGNIFICANT similarities to the work of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli that it lacks it's own identity. It feels as though many ideas were simply copied without hesitation and it is difficult for me to give much credit to Shinkai's vision for this very reason. The best aspects of this film are not his own creations but rather the ideas of a far greater director and it feels like a complete rip-off as a result. If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli as I am, watch this film at your own risk. It may frustrate and upset you as much as it did me.
I was blown away when I saw that Muramatsu did the score for this music. For years he was always that one guy that composed the masterpiece that is "Land" for solo marimba and then disappointingly never published another piece of percussion literature again. Glad to enjoy his talents again!
Very happy with Ponoc's first movie. As a new studio they have a lot to learn and grow upon! But it was enjoyable. Regardless of its many needed improvements and some obvious plot holes, if this is their first movie I can't wait to see what's in store for them. I will definitely be following this studios progress
they spent all their ability points on music and animation and got 2s in story, character and lore. let's hope they work on giving their next work depth so that there's a nice present under the pretty wrapping paper
Watching this movie for me was like watching Pale Cocoon after seeing Time of Eve. There are some neat ideas here, and the movie itself looks great, but the staff doesn't seem to have had enough experience (yet) to figure out how to pull off a truly resonant film. But I am optimistic that they'll continue to improve with time, and I look forward to watching them grow. :)
The film was gorgeous, and I'm exceptionally glad that you mentioned the soundtrack (because it was amazing). But that's unfortunately all the film was good for, and it ultimately wasn't enjoyable. The story was convoluted, told so poorly, and with an ending that felt unsatisfying that for the first time in recent memory I wished I hadn't spent money at the theater to see it as I walked out the doors. I've thought that many films were "just okay," but I was fine having bought that entertainment; Mary didn't even reach that level. I came to a similar conclusion as Arkada that perhaps this comes with the territory of adapting a more fleshed out book into animation, but I still feel like many things could have been done better in spite of that. I feel like many story telling basics were left ignored for some reason.
I give Ponoc's first film a 10 out of 10 because... That's where we are with technology right now. The film did the very freaking best it could with what resources it had. Not to prop them up with a crutch and call it the best thing ever created, but many of the best things ever created aren't half as good as Ponoc's first film. Okay I'm getting philosophical here. Basically the film is great because all the individual pieces are in place and play together nicely. For a niche audience, it's honestly the perfect film. For an advanced adult, it's a bit on the simple side. The visuals aren't absolutely intricate in every scene, but a lot of the scenes are actually super intricate if you look for them. I doubt the film will be super-high framerate or 4k, but who freaking cares, because it's obviously a childrens film. It's not an adult film, but adults will enjoy it. I LOVED it but I'm not going to say everyone will. There could be a lot more comedy, funny comedy at that, and witty lines, but screw it, just watch the dang thing so more films will be made.
I love GKIDS, they're doing fantastic work for fans of foreign animation here in North America. Not only that, they've proven to have more clout in the established film industry than most other anime licensors, as basically every anime nominated for Best Animated Feature in the Oscars the past few years was licenced by GKIDS.
I own all the Ghibli movies and wolf children on DVD. The first Ghibli movie I watched ever was Howl's moving castle. thanks for the review I'm gonna try to get this one to add to my collection.
if i didn't saw your video about violet evergarden ( and some others ) i would probably missed that masterpiece, so thank you for your good videos and context in it !
When I started watching it, I thought that they also used Ghibli's story style, I know it is based on a book, but that they have chosen that particular story is interesting, like for example: the main character is a girl which is accompanied by a secondary character that is a male: Kiki, Chihiro, Sheeta (The castle in the sky), Taeko (Memories of yesterday), Shizuku (Whispers of the heart), Haru, Arrietty, anyway. In addition, also having an aunt grandmother type like in Arrietty, where the boy's grandmother was also involved with the secret that the child kept in the film. In "From Up on Poppy Hill" is also presented with an aunt grandmother. And of course, the staging of the story in which the bored girl leaves in search of adventures in the forest as in Totoro, Chihiro, Haru, Arrietty and Marnie. Also, having many similarities in fantastic characters and the shape of certain things (fire, smoke, gadgets), with Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo. I really like the movie, having seen all the movies of Studio Ghibli, it felt like it was made to me as a gift for the heart of the ones that love Ghibli. Thank you for the video.
I think I will give this one a try and keep watch of this newer studio that was made of former Ghibli members. Perhaps we can get something even more special in the future and love to support this film in the DVD release.
Yes we definitely need ways for anime movies to get here faster. I don't like when things get adapted into movies instead of anime series because I know it's going to take a long time to be able to finally see them. It'd be cool if they started showing up more on legal streaming services.
I want a GR of Children Who Chase Lost Voices, this is a pretty divisive movie as there are people I've seen who love it and people who hate it with a passion. I don't love it, but I think it is very good.
The only thing like Ghibli about this was visuals but what Miyazaki did was convey magic both through visuals and story , how characters interacted and music , everything that Miyazaki did was breathtaking that could be watched both by children and adults this however was nothing more than a children’s book adaptation
Okay, now I'm curious. I know Top 10 lists aren't really your style, but should a fey mood ever take you and you can find the necessary cockle shells, might this humble fan put forward requests for: 1. Your favorite anime films 2. The top anime films that everyone else seems to like but you think are overrated
This comment is decorated with with obscure references and menaces with spikes of win. On the comment is a reference to Anime. On the comment is a reference to Dwarf Fortress. On the comment is an engraving of a cockle shell.
:D It's not a *real* comment unless it has an engraving of cheese on it though... !!! I Messed up...! Your Icon...! It should have been an engraving of a Serpent Man! OTL I feel dumb.
You know who liked Summer Wars? Old Arkada. He gave it a mostly positive review. Joking aside, this film looks great, and the fact that Miyazaki didn't work too much on cat's return gives me a lot of home, because that movie was great too.
I really did love this movie. It had its problems, sure, and there were things I was hoping would happen that didn't...but I still went back and watched it a second time, and I just bought the DVD. I think it's a movie that's better the more you watch it because of all the things you didn't take notice of the first time around. And yes, I agree with the soundtrack, I could listen to it forever. Particularly Night Flight, which honestly gives me goosebumps when I hear it.
Akira: while anime films some times takes months or even years to get released. Me: - glances at A Silent Voice which still hasn't been officially released onto home video in the US -
I got to see this in theatres. The music and soundtrack is amazing! Animation is good... the story and characters were cute, but not much real depth- like other animated films I've seen.
You know, SG did start out safe too with Nausica (sp?) and the Valley of the Wind for their first film and they grew from there. So hopefully this new studio will expand too. FYI, I am not a huge fan of Spirited Away either even though I do think the animation was top notch and I did like the last 1/3rd of the movie. My fav SG film (and movie period) is Howl's Moving Castle.
G-kids have released a few of Ghibi films and as well as the movie From up on Poppy hill as well as a couple French and English animated movies. Side not I always thought of Kiki's Delivery Service like Our Neighbor Totoro as a true pure fill good movie. It's like a warm blanket, one can not help fill happy.
I feel the same way, but to be honest I was going with such high expectations that it's a miracle I like it at all. Hiromasa Yonebayashi is the one who made WMWT so I was expecting something with the same impact, but that was my problem. So yeah, the movie's pretty good and I even bought The Little Broomstick because of it so I guess it catched my interest.
This movie was such a waste. The animation was really good, and the concept of a rare flower that gives magical powers was good too. But the execution sucked. It was boring, and there were points during it me and my friend thought we missed something because of how bad the story was. They should of just made the movie about the mom when she was younger, and it would probably give them more characters and things to work with, and make the flower more...relevant.
This reminds me of Tales of Earthsea, which I loved - and Children Who Chase Lost Voices, which I hated. Both are Ghibli-esque, and both fail. One is still enjoyable, the other is ruined by it. And I'm very unsure which result Mary and the Witch's Flower ended up being.
It's been awhile since I've seen Earthsea but I don't remember enjoying it all that much. Perhaps it's aged better then I would guess. Then again I'm a fan of the original books so I might be biased against it XD
That's entirely fair. I enjoyed it tons because I hadn't read the books. From discussing it with a dear friend of mine who grew up with the books Tales of Earthsea is based off, I appreciate how incomplete it is as an adaptation ^^; The reason I also mentioned Children Who Chase Lost Voices is, that both while both movies felt Ghibli-esque, CWCLV failed massively to do anything sincere or interesting. It really is the blemish on Makoto Shinkai's portfolio :( At least Tales of Earthsea captured a spark and went its own way with compelling characters and a story that still made sense.
I loved the Earthsea books (except the last two or so...), but never watched the movie. I heard it was pretty bad and even Le Guin herself said she was disappointed in it, so... meh
Nah I get ya Ark. I'm not really that big of a fan of Princess Mononoke and I can never understand why anyone likes it, but hey people like it, what can I do? But I do love Kiki so hmmm, might need to see what this film is like.
I liked Mary and the Witches flower. Not my favorite, but still good. As for a kiki reference I felt that the old lady and maid that Mary are living with remind me of the old laid and maid from kiki. Summer wars was good as well. And Spirited away is great. Fyi
Thank you I have taken allot of intrest in this movie. I know its not gibli but I have been looking for a studio that can create the magic i once felt in gibli films
to make something now a days that is completly original and isn't ripping of hundreds to thousands of other material in both minor and major ways you would have to be totally out there and possibly a little crazy. In one way or another everything has mostly been done and almost every fictional worker now could be sued by another if you look hard enough. ofc it will most likely fail but that point still stands
The movie was ok in my opinion. I was more hyped up watching the english trailer than I was with the movie. I wished they explored more of the witchcraft/ sorcery in the source material and the movie.
I was shocked that Arkada doesn't like Spirited Away - I am really looking forward to that review now, which will hopefully come soon. More shocking, to me at least, however, is that FINALLY someone agrees that Summer Wars sucks ass. Thank God, I thought I was the only one.
Gonna say, this review is criminally underwatched. I didn't want to watch because spoilers, but it's as good as always, and I'm much more excited to see the film as a result.
Having seen the movie it reminded me too much of Spirited Away. The scene where Mary find herself at her Great-Aunt Charlotte's old home I honestly expected the twin of Yubaba, I mean Madam Mumblechook. Then there is the stair scene towards the start of the movie that is very obvious.
I liked it, but the entire movie I was expecting a big payoff that I never really got. For example, [MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING] Mary has a lot of hints as having some connection with witches, such as her connections to cats, red hair being a common color with powerful witches, and then you find out her grandmother is a witch. So when the end of the movie rolls around and she doesn't have any magic-flower-power left, I was expecting her to unlock her own magic and truly become a witch. That doesn't happen, but the entire movie has moments like this with build up leading to small or no payoffs. It was a good movie, but I think I would watch Kiki over Mary.
it seemed to me that the main point of the story is that you don't have to change yourself. She didn't have to change into a witch to be happy, just accept herself and her hair color
there is a fan theory about this. You see the beginning and most of the film, where Mary is struggling to control the broomstick? That's because she's brute-forcing it. However, near the end of the film, she's finding it easier to control. That may be a hint that she does, in fact, have power as a witch.
Thank you, I felt the same way. It just seemed like the movie ended too quickly to me as well
@@fawn119 this! this is also my view about this movie and because of this that I came to love it. Mary said "we don't need magic!" which really speak to me because there's a lot of stories out there that teaches about self-acceptance but at the end of the story they always ended up acquiring some magical powers, to me it feels like at the end of the day they needed that kind of magic to stay happy. Mary doesn't need to be a witch to be happy. she just needs to accept herself as she is.
I loved this film. Honestly I was really satisfied. It’s not like Ghibli’s best, but I was so happy to see that Ghibli Charm captures by those who loved and worked at the company.
So......
You don't like Spirited Away
It's open season for you then. *grabs popcorn*
MrEriklenn i agree with him its just a moving painting all fluff no meat
I like spirited away but I like how's moving castle a lot more
MrEriklenn
Oh my, thats heresy.
Spirited Away is my least favourite Ghibli film.
it's not their greatest film (I personally prefer the cat returns and castle in the sky), but that's not really saying much.
Isn't a fan of Spirited Away or Summer Wars?
*Phillip J Fry eyes gif*
How... Why!!!? I'm new to this channel - why doesn't he like Spirited Away? It's so beautiful...
@@grubbybum3614 I dunno. I hope he makes a video on it
I will now be spending the rest of my day listening to the soundtrack. Thank you for the information! We saw it in theaters and my wife bought the movie when it came out. Definitely promising of things to come and I personally think a good start for Studio Ponoc
“...because I’m not the biggest fan of that particular...”
GET OUT
“Heck, I’d rather rewatch this than Summer W...”
GET OUT TWICE
Yup, pure heresy.
8:08 Spirited Away
9:41 Summer Wars
Ghibli films are over-rated and in general not that entertaining, have you seen Warriors of the Wind? Now that is what all Ghibli films should be more like, the edits in that were point on and greatly improved the movie.
@@Holcombi shut your face, edgy boy
The story felt rushed and ameteurish to me. Had a lot of moments that would be awkward in real life that were placed in there to stamp a milestone on the plot.
Mary: Oh dear, I can't do anything!*finds flower that lets her do anything* Broom keeper: Here is a convenient sign placed by the door to the school. I will read it to you! Don't trespass or you will be transformed. *moment of silence as the audience asks whether he was since he's a fox man* Well, bye! Magic teachers: Oh wow! You can do ANYTHING!*they take her around the school and she accidentally solves an ancient wizard secret by guessing*Magic teachers: and this is our evil lair!
Maybe it's just British children's literature, but it felt SUUUUUPER rushed and clunky.
I agree with you with it feeling a bit awkward and rushed, and it is slightly cheesy as well to me but I enjoyed it
Plus.. that black cat.. is like what? Deus ex machina? lol.. its fun to watch for the animation, visual and sound.. but cant really blame the plot or story line since i dont know the original source.. but yeah.. it just all over the place and not properly written
The only reason I watch anime today (and your channel) is thanks to Ghibli. Only after exhausting their movies, seeking for more I ventured into the wold of anime. It is sad to see the end of it, but I do have hope for the new studio! I will be eagerly watching where they go in the future. Good luck Studio Ponco!
Haven’t seen the vid yet but I will say, after watching all three films from this director, When Marnie was There was my favorite. You should do a review/spotlight on that film if you haven’t done one yet.
+Piano Man- Piano Covers I totally agree! It was one of my favorite movies.
Same!
All I know about this film was a flurry of advertisements for like a week and then nothing. I didn't even remember the movie name.
I see u everywhere, do u have a life?
Pls
Vu Nguyen Duc Thai I see his comments on internet historian and anime channels. He just comments a lot.
I wonder if i will find your comments on pornhub
I saw you on vox, great big stories, NatGeo, Gigguk, Mother Basement, and many more
Saw it in theaters and was very disappointed in the final product. The movie looks the part...but has none of the heart and soul of Studio Ghibli
Artydomi i thought the movie was meh
THANK YOU.
To be honest it wasn’t that bad though .You just needed to have less expectations.I mean we’re you a masterpiece film
Exactly.
Considering ghibli movies typically are very high quality, you should've given a new studio some slack. They're new, don't expect them to do ghibli level movie in it's first try
Yeah! I loved this film, it may borrow a lot form other movies but I think it's combination of tropes coincidentally creates something unique and fun.
Hey Thank you for this video, i really really love your content ( im one of those who watch your 2013 videos just to have a good time ) and really have a nice day.
Just noticed Planetes on the shelf behind you. Nice to see someone else knows that amazing thing exists.
My mom and I went to see it at an event screening at local theater in my hometown. We had tons of fun pointing out all the referances and homages to past Ghibli works, it was a blast. I really enjoyed the movie over all.
As Mike Toole put it on Anime World Order, Miyazaki won’t quit until he’s made ”No, MY name!”
I saw the movie and I thought it was pretty great.
Asta Staria yeah me too
Just like to shout out the incredible English dub - very clear and crisp with a British accent surprisingly not overdone! Really helped immerse you into the setting which felt a lot like my childhood growing up in the English countryside.I was impressed with the soundtrack and animation on top, but can't say I'm a fan of the plot of the film. Like someone said below it's just like Tales of Earthsea: beautiful with potential but sadly underdeveloped.
Not a bad start though: here's hoping they improve from here!
While the animation the sound and music is good you've probably failed when it comes to the story if I don't care about the main character and in fact am more rooting for the so-called 'villains' even though I don't know what their motivation is.
their motivation... its the greatest magic that is a creation magic..
@Glass Reflection
I would have appreciated if you had talked about the characters in more detail, though, especially how Mary differs from past "Ghibli-female protagonists" in her behaviour and personality. I found that Mary was much more realistic in her mischievousness and i enjoyed the development that she went though, however rushed. Also about the directing of Yonebayashi and how, from my perspective, he stumbled a little bit during the first part of the film, as he was looking for his own style when working independently from Ghibli for the first time.
The video was more an essay about the philosophy behind the production of Mary and the Witch's Flower than an actual review.
But please, don't take this comment the wrong way. Been a fan of your videos for a long time, and I enjoy them even if I don't always agree with you. In any case, cheers.
I saw this in theatre's and loved it ❤ it was adorable
boy be throwing shade on two of my favorite movies, you trying to toss hands?
Animation: A, Soundtrack: A-, Story: D+, Overall: C+.
Man I really like your videos. I mean, I can't possibly agree with EVERYTHING you say but you present your arguments well and just give a pleasant presentation of anime stuff. Thanks!
Safe is a bang on word to use tbh.
Which I think was the smart thing to do.. Especially while trying to show yourself to the world and what you can do.
Here in the UK we usually get a few anime films in the cinema throughout the year, usually with one or two screenings for each.
Mary and the Witch's Flower however has been having a few screenings daily (both subbed and dubbed) for the past 2 weeks now at my local Cineworld (one of biggest cinema chains in the UK) so for a new studio's first film they must have some pretty good contacts- looking at the seat reservations it seems to be doing really, really well.
6:58 This makes me want a GR of Lu Over the Wall. I thought it was pretty good, would recommend it while it’s still in limited filming.
Gkids has also done Ghibli films. The did the english dub for "From up on Poppy Hill".
Maybe the reason it looks like a Ghibli film because maybe one of the storyboard artists from Ghibli was working within this movie.
This Ghibli-esque style was also presented in the film The Children who Chase Lost Voices (a film that I highly recommend to look into) which was done by director Makoto Shinkai which is another film director that I also had come to love in recent months (that includes Mamoru Hosada). Shinkai’s work does cell drawings which is the same process that is done in Ghibli films
the children who chase lost voices is a blatant miyazaki rip-off. it has great production values, but i was disgusted while watching it due to the fact shinkai had no shame in copying bits and pieces from many of miyazaki's films. the movie had very few elements to call its own. shainkai should be ashamed. that said, i do like shinkai's other works such as 5cm per second and garden of words. your name less so, but it is clear he has a lot of talent...
mogwai_for_sale yeah i also thought that too while watching it
mogwai_for_sale like while i was watching it the movies that popped up in my mind was Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Tales from Earth Sea; kinda forgot what other movies were influenced from Ghibli (if there was) but these were the ones that were prominent that couldn’t have been more obvious
Blue Onyx: yea i agree. i actually wrote a long rant about this on a forum many years ago. i'll post it below just for fun. that is just my opinion on it, so nothing personal :D
RANT BEGINS:
I must say I am very conflicted with this film. I am a fan of Makoto Shinkai's previous work. He is a very talented director and his technical ability for animation and background art is astonishing. This film is no different from that regard. Yes, it is beautiful to look at and has a fairly good story and memorable scenes...
My problem with this film is that a huge portion of it has been inspired or rather "stolen" from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I don't say this lightly. It is one thing for a film to borrow a few elements from another source and treat it as a homage. This is a way to show respect to the source material of which a film has been inspired by. I'm fine with that. This film, however, has taken so many elements from Miyazaki's previous films that I am still in disbelief as to why more people have not spoken out about this. Quite simpley, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo stole the IDENTITY of many of Miyazaki's films.
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
The main protagonist in Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo has a character design similar to Satsuki from My Neighbor Totoro. She bares a crystal that is similar (particularly how it glows and resonates) to that of Sheeta's crystal in Castle in the Sky. One character looks like Howl from How's Moving Castle while another looks like the young version of Sheeta, again from Castle in the Sky. Many environmental designs and landscapes (especially inside the temples) look as though they were borrowed from Castle in the sky. Creatures designs were highly influenced by those found in Nausicaa (God Warriors) as well as Princess Mononoke (the forest spirit and infected wild boars). The cat-like animal in this film was inspired from Nausicaa (Teto). One of the creatures eats in a similar fashion to the monster in Spirited Away (no face). Hell, there is even a scene where one of the characters cuts off the top-knot of his hair before leaving his village and riding away on horseback (which is a very similar sequence to that of Ashitaka's in Princess Mononoke). Did I mention that even the composition and framing of certain scenes look identical to other Ghibli works? The list goes on... it is quite embarrassing really. As I sat there and watched this film, I was constantly shaking my head in disgust. Does Makoto Shinkai really have no shame in doing something like this?
END OF SPOILERS
Shinkai has spoken out at interviews and said that he has been influenced by Miyazaki with his latest work:
"Yes, that is true. I admit, and especially with [Hoshi o Ou Kodomo] it might be a bit more obvious. But generally speaking, Hayao Miyazaki is one of the biggest names in the Japanese animation industry, so regardless of what you do in that industry, it's nearly impossible to be far away from the effects of his influence"
So essentially he has excused himself of all the copying in this film due to the fact Miyazaki has been so successful in the industry and there is no way to be original anymore? Inspiration and copying are two different things and Shinkai is closer to the latter with this film.
I find that this film simply has too many SIGNIFICANT similarities to the work of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli that it lacks it's own identity. It feels as though many ideas were simply copied without hesitation and it is difficult for me to give much credit to Shinkai's vision for this very reason. The best aspects of this film are not his own creations but rather the ideas of a far greater director and it feels like a complete rip-off as a result. If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli as I am, watch this film at your own risk. It may frustrate and upset you as much as it did me.
mogwai_for_sale aha! Thank u again:)
I was blown away when I saw that Muramatsu did the score for this music. For years he was always that one guy that composed the masterpiece that is "Land" for solo marimba and then disappointingly never published another piece of percussion literature again. Glad to enjoy his talents again!
You know I saw this in theaters and thought it was a great start for studio Ponoc and I cannot wait to see what other films they produced.
Very happy with Ponoc's first movie. As a new studio they have a lot to learn and grow upon! But it was enjoyable. Regardless of its many needed improvements and some obvious plot holes, if this is their first movie I can't wait to see what's in store for them. I will definitely be following this studios progress
a Mary Sue character who's name is Mary and created by an author named Mary, woah.
I would love for you to make a video showing off your Anime Blu-Ray and DVD collection
5:21 I can't be the only one that saw Mary's grandmother and servant and immediately thought of the old Lady and her servant in Kiki.
This film is also available now on Redbox here in the states for anyone that wants to see it.
they spent all their ability points on music and animation and got 2s in story, character and lore. let's hope they work on giving their next work depth so that there's a nice present under the pretty wrapping paper
Great video! I heard about this film a while back and have been waiting for its release. Good to hear more about it...
The minute you mentioned the music, I wanted to hit the Like button all over again.
Watching this movie for me was like watching Pale Cocoon after seeing Time of Eve. There are some neat ideas here, and the movie itself looks great, but the staff doesn't seem to have had enough experience (yet) to figure out how to pull off a truly resonant film. But I am optimistic that they'll continue to improve with time, and I look forward to watching them grow. :)
The film was gorgeous, and I'm exceptionally glad that you mentioned the soundtrack (because it was amazing). But that's unfortunately all the film was good for, and it ultimately wasn't enjoyable. The story was convoluted, told so poorly, and with an ending that felt unsatisfying that for the first time in recent memory I wished I hadn't spent money at the theater to see it as I walked out the doors. I've thought that many films were "just okay," but I was fine having bought that entertainment; Mary didn't even reach that level. I came to a similar conclusion as Arkada that perhaps this comes with the territory of adapting a more fleshed out book into animation, but I still feel like many things could have been done better in spite of that. I feel like many story telling basics were left ignored for some reason.
New intro...arkafa finally has a new intro!!!
I give Ponoc's first film a 10 out of 10 because... That's where we are with technology right now. The film did the very freaking best it could with what resources it had. Not to prop them up with a crutch and call it the best thing ever created, but many of the best things ever created aren't half as good as Ponoc's first film. Okay I'm getting philosophical here. Basically the film is great because all the individual pieces are in place and play together nicely. For a niche audience, it's honestly the perfect film. For an advanced adult, it's a bit on the simple side. The visuals aren't absolutely intricate in every scene, but a lot of the scenes are actually super intricate if you look for them. I doubt the film will be super-high framerate or 4k, but who freaking cares, because it's obviously a childrens film. It's not an adult film, but adults will enjoy it. I LOVED it but I'm not going to say everyone will. There could be a lot more comedy, funny comedy at that, and witty lines, but screw it, just watch the dang thing so more films will be made.
I love GKIDS, they're doing fantastic work for fans of foreign animation here in North America. Not only that, they've proven to have more clout in the established film industry than most other anime licensors, as basically every anime nominated for Best Animated Feature in the Oscars the past few years was licenced by GKIDS.
it's rare when I watch a non-subtitled show, this was the first in a long time, watched it twice once dubbed
I own all the Ghibli movies and wolf children on DVD. The first Ghibli movie I watched ever was Howl's moving castle. thanks for the review I'm gonna try to get this one to add to my collection.
Ok.... I need to know why you aren't a fan of spirited away. Tell me!
MrHeroes800 not to mention Summer Wars 🤔
Vanilla Milkshake ikr
MrHeroes800 I’m not that big of a fan of spirited away either. I think it’s a little overhyped and I personally enjoyed other Ghibli movies more.
It's funny, because in his review of Summer Wars, he likes it.
I liked Spirited Away, but it's not even in my top 5 Ghibli films. I'm a sucker for Whisper of the Heart and Poppy Hill though.
Hell man, we are on our 2nd kikki DVD.
if i didn't saw your video about violet evergarden ( and some others ) i would probably missed that masterpiece, so thank you for your good videos and context in it !
When I started watching it, I thought that they also used Ghibli's story style, I know it is based on a book, but that they have chosen that particular story is interesting, like for example: the main character is a girl which is accompanied by a secondary character that is a male: Kiki, Chihiro, Sheeta (The castle in the sky), Taeko (Memories of yesterday), Shizuku (Whispers of the heart), Haru, Arrietty, anyway. In addition, also having an aunt grandmother type like in Arrietty, where the boy's grandmother was also involved with the secret that the child kept in the film. In "From Up on Poppy Hill" is also presented with an aunt grandmother. And of course, the staging of the story in which the bored girl leaves in search of adventures in the forest as in Totoro, Chihiro, Haru, Arrietty and Marnie. Also, having many similarities in fantastic characters and the shape of certain things (fire, smoke, gadgets), with Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo. I really like the movie, having seen all the movies of Studio Ghibli, it felt like it was made to me as a gift for the heart of the ones that love Ghibli. Thank you for the video.
I saw advertisements for Mary at the studio Ghibli store in Kyoto
I think I will give this one a try and keep watch of this newer studio that was made of former Ghibli members.
Perhaps we can get something even more special in the future and love to support this film in the DVD release.
Yes we definitely need ways for anime movies to get here faster. I don't like when things get adapted into movies instead of anime series because I know it's going to take a long time to be able to finally see them. It'd be cool if they started showing up more on legal streaming services.
I want a GR of Children Who Chase Lost Voices, this is a pretty divisive movie as there are people I've seen who love it and people who hate it with a passion. I don't love it, but I think it is very good.
The only thing like Ghibli about this was visuals but what Miyazaki did was convey magic both through visuals and story , how characters interacted and music , everything that Miyazaki did was breathtaking that could be watched both by children and adults this however was nothing more than a children’s book adaptation
Okay, now I'm curious. I know Top 10 lists aren't really your style, but should a fey mood ever take you and you can find the necessary cockle shells, might this humble fan put forward requests for:
1. Your favorite anime films
2. The top anime films that everyone else seems to like but you think are overrated
This comment is decorated with with obscure references and menaces with spikes of win.
On the comment is a reference to Anime.
On the comment is a reference to Dwarf Fortress.
On the comment is an engraving of a cockle shell.
Bravo, sir. You just made my day.
:D It's not a *real* comment unless it has an engraving of cheese on it though...
!!!
I Messed up...! Your Icon...!
It should have been an engraving of a Serpent Man! OTL
I feel dumb.
At least it wasn't more elephants.
You know who liked Summer Wars? Old Arkada. He gave it a mostly positive review. Joking aside, this film looks great, and the fact that Miyazaki didn't work too much on cat's return gives me a lot of home, because that movie was great too.
The whole opening was almost exactly the same as Castle in the Sky lol
Surprised you didn't mention Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
I really did love this movie. It had its problems, sure, and there were things I was hoping would happen that didn't...but I still went back and watched it a second time, and I just bought the DVD. I think it's a movie that's better the more you watch it because of all the things you didn't take notice of the first time around.
And yes, I agree with the soundtrack, I could listen to it forever. Particularly Night Flight, which honestly gives me goosebumps when I hear it.
Wow this is the first time I think that I've watched all 3. Both the topic, and the recommendations.
Yo Arkada if you like Patlabor, you should check out Hisone to Masotan this season. It has a similar vibe to it and it's by BONES.
Akira: while anime films some times takes months or even years to get released.
Me: - glances at A Silent Voice which still hasn't been officially released onto home video in the US -
I got to see this in theatres. The music and soundtrack is amazing! Animation is good... the story and characters were cute, but not much real depth- like other animated films I've seen.
hmm, nice to know there are studios following the steps of the big one :'j
You know, SG did start out safe too with Nausica (sp?) and the Valley of the Wind for their first film and they grew from there. So hopefully this new studio will expand too.
FYI, I am not a huge fan of Spirited Away either even though I do think the animation was top notch and I did like the last 1/3rd of the movie. My fav SG film (and movie period) is Howl's Moving Castle.
I wish disney published the american version they always had great english dubs. can never have too much of Liam Neeson's voice.
100% agree that the soundtrack is really good! :D
Spirited Away is the best Ghibli film ever produced.
I absolutely adore this film ❤️🌟
G-kids have released a few of Ghibi films and as well as the movie From up on Poppy hill as well as a couple French and English animated movies. Side not I always thought of Kiki's Delivery Service like Our Neighbor Totoro as a true pure fill good movie. It's like a warm blanket, one can not help fill happy.
It was okay, nothing to rave about.
Basically my take as well. I liked it, I'm glad I saw it, but in comparison to other Ghibli films, I've seen better.
Same.... A little disappointed even...
Same... Like a 7/10
Completely disagree. The fact this movie exists at all is a miracle.
I feel the same way, but to be honest I was going with such high expectations that it's a miracle I like it at all. Hiromasa Yonebayashi is the one who made WMWT so I was expecting something with the same impact, but that was my problem.
So yeah, the movie's pretty good and I even bought The Little Broomstick because of it so I guess it catched my interest.
I’ve been waiting for a Ponyo 2 to come out for years 😭
Yeah I like Gkids they bring over a lot of good stuff from Japan and other places too.
This movie was such a waste. The animation was really good, and the concept of a rare flower that gives magical powers was good too. But the execution sucked. It was boring, and there were points during it me and my friend thought we missed something because of how bad the story was. They should of just made the movie about the mom when she was younger, and it would probably give them more characters and things to work with, and make the flower more...relevant.
I know it takes a lot of time for you to make good, quality videos, I hate that I haveing to wait for the next review.
Yeeh boi ive been waiting for this.
Wellll... Now I'm waiting for the day that Arkada reviews Spirited Away
I wasn’t overlooked from this film .It Came out in January
For me it was a piece of entertainment that was allright but it didn’t suck
This reminds me of Tales of Earthsea, which I loved - and Children Who Chase Lost Voices, which I hated.
Both are Ghibli-esque, and both fail. One is still enjoyable, the other is ruined by it.
And I'm very unsure which result Mary and the Witch's Flower ended up being.
It's been awhile since I've seen Earthsea but I don't remember enjoying it all that much. Perhaps it's aged better then I would guess. Then again I'm a fan of the original books so I might be biased against it XD
That's entirely fair. I enjoyed it tons because I hadn't read the books. From discussing it with a dear friend of mine who grew up with the books Tales of Earthsea is based off, I appreciate how incomplete it is as an adaptation ^^;
The reason I also mentioned Children Who Chase Lost Voices is, that both while both movies felt Ghibli-esque, CWCLV failed massively to do anything sincere or interesting. It really is the blemish on Makoto Shinkai's portfolio :(
At least Tales of Earthsea captured a spark and went its own way with compelling characters and a story that still made sense.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices was awesome IMO. Much better than this to me anyway.
I loved the Earthsea books (except the last two or so...), but never watched the movie. I heard it was pretty bad and even Le Guin herself said she was disappointed in it, so... meh
Nah I get ya Ark. I'm not really that big of a fan of Princess Mononoke and I can never understand why anyone likes it, but hey people like it, what can I do? But I do love Kiki so hmmm, might need to see what this film is like.
I liked the Ashitaka reference, when she rides the deer.
I liked Mary and the Witches flower. Not my favorite, but still good. As for a kiki reference I felt that the old lady and maid that Mary are living with remind me of the old laid and maid from kiki.
Summer wars was good as well. And Spirited away is great. Fyi
knows whats funny, I just watched this movie last night. Had great time with the movie and recommend it to a lot of people.
Not A Bad Movie But Not Upto The Hye Either. Yet, The Video Was Surely Helpful Arkada. Keep The Work Going
Thank you I have taken allot of intrest in this movie. I know its not gibli but I have been looking for a studio that can create the magic i once felt in gibli films
I still theorize that GKids is just or was just Disney’s Dubing version of Touchstone
This is a good video! I am really glad I’m subscribed to you!
to make something now a days that is completly original and isn't ripping of hundreds to thousands of other material in both minor and major ways you would have to be totally out there and possibly a little crazy. In one way or another everything has mostly been done and almost every fictional worker now could be sued by another if you look hard enough. ofc it will most likely fail but that point still stands
The movie was ok in my opinion. I was more hyped up watching the english trailer than I was with the movie. I wished they explored more of the witchcraft/ sorcery in the source material and the movie.
I was shocked that Arkada doesn't like Spirited Away - I am really looking forward to that review now, which will hopefully come soon. More shocking, to me at least, however, is that FINALLY someone agrees that Summer Wars sucks ass. Thank God, I thought I was the only one.
ah love your reviews GR. and i really did enjoy this movie :D
How dare you Summer Wars is great!
Yeah! Summer Wars was amazing!
Finally I have found someone who agrees with me on spirited away
...
you've suggested it, so I'll give it a shot.
its not dead they are making a new film right now
Gonna say, this review is criminally underwatched. I didn't want to watch because spoilers, but it's as good as always, and I'm much more excited to see the film as a result.
Finally a new review!
Having seen the movie it reminded me too much of Spirited Away. The scene where Mary find herself at her Great-Aunt Charlotte's old home I honestly expected the twin of Yubaba, I mean Madam Mumblechook. Then there is the stair scene towards the start of the movie that is very obvious.