As a lifelong anime enthusiast who has followed Hayao Miyazaki‘s work since my college days, I can confidently say that The Boy and the Heron is a masterful addition to the Studio Ghibli library. Having grown up with Porco Rosso as one of my favorites, I was immediately drawn to the similar themes of aviation and the supernatural in this film.
Originally posted on September 8, 2023, “The Boy and the Heron” can now be viewed for rental or purchase across various digital platforms.
People generally have a preferred Hayao Miyazaki film, and for me, it’s “Porco Rosso” from 1992, a tale about a former World War I flying ace turned bounty hunter who looks like a pig – a change that symbolizes his disillusionment with humanity. Towards the end of the movie, Porco narrates the story of his best friend’s death in an air combat. Unable to save him, Porco ascends into the clouds and reemerges into a tranquil space above them, where he witnesses the planes of all those who were shot down in the battle slowly drifting upwards, joining a thick band of aircraft high in the sky – their earthly ties insignificant in this heavenly procession of the deceased that Porco, who remains alive, is unable to partake. This scene, for me, is the most impressive work ever created by Studio Ghibli, combining the elegance of flight with the devastation it inflicts on people, all depicted in imagery that’s fanciful and indescribably sad.
In the remarkable film “The Boy and the Heron,” which marks Miyazaki’s return after a decade, a 12-year-old named Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki) discovers a mystical kingdom filled with peculiar seas and islands adorned with decaying shipwrecks. At a distance, there appear to be numerous sails, but upon closer inspection, these vessels are discovered to be illusory, manned by shadowy figures who constantly seem to be in search of food. This concept isn’t new for Miyazaki, as it echoes the journey of Chihiro in “Spirited Away.” However, the world of “The Boy and the Heron” is unique. It’s revealed that this realm was created by a scholarly great-grand-uncle (Shôhei Hino) who vanished before Mahito was born. The narrative suggests that this world is predominantly inhabited by spirits. It seems as though Mahito, unlike Porco, escapes the suffering of life by entering a domain that belongs to the dead – an alluring yet unsettling realm that appears to resist the living beings who find themselves there.
The movie titled “The Boy and the Heron” is a production from Miyazaki, now 82 years old, which was also how his previous film “The Wind Rises” in 2013 was presented – as potentially being his last. However, as long as Miyazaki continues to feel he has something to express, we’re fortunate to have more of his work. This latest piece seems particularly personal for him, and like “The Wind Rises“, it is set in the aftermath of World War II. The protagonist, Mahito, experiences a similar evacuation from Tokyo to the countryside, but not before losing his mother during an air raid. This tragic event haunts Mahito, manifesting as a recurring panic attack, with the boy in his gray uniform forcefully pushing through a crowd of distressed city residents who are blurred into a sea of anguished forms. The pain of Mahito’s personal loss is mirrored by a broader sense of despair. The rural community Mahito finds himself in a year later is primarily inhabited by the elderly, the sick, and children, bound together through weary volunteer efforts. He arrives just in time to see off two locals who are being conscripted into service, walking up the street with their families.
In a different phrasing: Mahito dislikes his new stepmother, Natsuko, who is actually his mother’s younger sister. He maintains an overly formal politeness towards her. Mahito also finds his new school unappealing due to the hostility from the students and local workers. When he feigns a head injury to avoid returning, he ends up recuperating under the watch of a group of elderly maids living on Natsuko’s vast family estate, now his home as well. His only other companion is an annoyingly persistent gray heron that seems to possess speech abilities and disturbing teeth. This bird persistently entices Mahito towards a dilapidated tower in the woods. After Natsuko mysteriously disappears one day, Mahito follows the bird’s lead to a library within the tower, then enters another world where he encounters a dashing sailor (Kô Shibasaki), packs of ravenous pelicans, and a girl with pyrokinetic powers (Aimyon).
The Boy and the Heron
Read More
- CKB PREDICTION. CKB cryptocurrency
- EUR INR PREDICTION
- PBX PREDICTION. PBX cryptocurrency
- IMX PREDICTION. IMX cryptocurrency
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
- USD DKK PREDICTION
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- GEAR PREDICTION. GEAR cryptocurrency
- O3 PREDICTION. O3 cryptocurrency
- TANK PREDICTION. TANK cryptocurrency
2024-09-06 22:55