風立ちぬ

I finally got to see the final movie by Miyazaki Hayao, 風立ちぬ or The Wind Rises.
It's an animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and is animated by Studio Ghibli. It was the final one by Miyazaki before his retirement in September 2013.
Although the story was appealing and of course as always great work.
I cannot feel to say it was a "wow" movie. I prefer となりのトトロ (My Neighbor Totoro), ハウルの動く城 (Howl's Moving Castle), 崖の上のポニョ (Ponyo), and 魔女の宅急便 (Kiki's Delivery Service).
Oh well, it was still a great final movie on a great era. I wonder how Ghibli will be from now on!!

★★★★

Title: 風立ちぬ (Kaze Tachinu)
English Title: The Wind Rises
Release date: July 20, 2013
Distributed by: Toho (Japan)
Running time: 126 minutes


Plot
In Japan 1918, Jiro Horikoshi, a young boy living in a provincial town, dreams of being a fighter pilot, but his poor eyesight forbids it. After he reads an aviation magazine, Jiro dreams he meets the famous Italian aircraft designer Caproni, who tells him that building planes is better than flying them.

Five years later, Jiro is traveling to Tokyo by train to study engineering. He meets a young girl named Naoko traveling with her maid; when the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 hits, Naoko's maid breaks her leg, and Jiro carries her to Naoko's family. He leaves without giving his name.

Jiro begins work at aircraft manufacturer Mitsubishi, assigned to a fighter design team. He is sent to Germany to carry out technical research and obtain a production license for a Junkers aircraft. He argues with German soldiers and witnesses a night raid by German secret police. He dreams again of Caproni, who asks him: "Do you prefer a world with pyramids, or with no pyramids?" Even if humankind might put planes to ugly purposes, Caproni believes that the world is better for their beauty.

In 1932, Jiro is promoted to chief designer for a fighter plane competition sponsored by the Navy, which ends in failure. Disappointed, Jiro visits a summer resort where he meets Naoko again. They are engaged soon after. However, Naoko has tuberculosis, and refuses to marry until she recovers....



Cast
Hideaki Anno as Jiro Horikoshi
Miori Takimoto as Naoko Satomi
Hidetoshi Nishijima as Honjo
Masahiko Nishimura as Kurokawa
Stephen Alpert as Castorp
Morio Kazama as Satomi
Keiko Takeshita as Jiro's mother
Mirai Shida as Kayo Horikoshi
Jun Kunimura as Hattori
Shinobu Otake as Mrs. Kurokawa
Nomura Mansai as Giovanni Battista Caproni