Beautiful, nuanced, layered, complex, and unencumbered. The Wind Rises is a story of the mortality of romance, whether that romance be a marriage, the inspired forward thinking of engineers, or a nation's quest for prosperity. It is a piece of literature for people who treasure beauty. Every shot is gorgeous and touching. Not a moment is wasted. The choice of which details to focus on, in terms of both animation and narrative, seems always to be guided by an Eastern view of beauty: nothing is overwrought or superfluous.