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If The Wind Rises truly is famed animator Hayao Miyazaki’s swan song, he might be leaving on the highest note of his storied career. The face of Japan’s largest and most popular animation studio, Studio Ghibli, has repeatedly stated his plans to retire from filmmaking following The Wind Rises, wishing to focus on behind the scenes duties for the studio.
With a filmography that includes Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and more, it’s very telling when I say that The Wind Rises might be his best film yet. The film is based on the manga of the same name following the life of real-life aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi who built Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Early reviews praised the film, but had mixed reactions over the film’s focus on a man who essentially built war machines designed to kill. Nevertheless, Ghibli films always carry a sense of fantasy and joy, so The Wind Rises shouldn’t be any different. Remember, Porco Rosso (my favorite film) followed similar themes about an ex-WW1 plane fighter who was transformed into a pig following the war. It was a thematically different from other Ghibli films, but quickly became one of my favorites.
The Wind Rises had a minor, week-long theatrical run in LA and New York last week to be eligible for the Oscars, but won’t have a proper theatrical release until February 21st.