Review of The Wind Rises

Since I’m currently watching all Studio Ghibli movies, I finally decided to give this one a try as well since I’ve planned to do so for ages. And despite my worries and concerns, I was positively surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it. Story 8/10 The story follows Jiro Horikoshi who dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer and as the story progresses, we actually see his dream come true but not in the way he might had expected (or hoped). Since it’s a story based on a real life person and events, I’m not sure how accurate some of the details are and I’mbeing honest that I’m not putting much research into writing this review, but there were some interesting aspects to it and I’d guess that at lest historically it’s accurate. I don’t particularly enjoy movies or books that are set during or around World War I or World War II but I do find some of the information very interesting and educational. And I do find it interesting to see how people lived around that time and how they were affected by it – not just directly but also indirectly and on the long run (prior or even the aftermath in their daily lives).

It’s true that in this movie nothing out of the ordinary is happening but to say it’s entirely missing a purpose or focus would also be wrong. It’s a movie that’s more focused on the characters themselves rather than the story. I will get to the characters later but they are a vital reason for why the story worked out well the way it did. Personally I do feel like there were some parts that were a little bit stretched and scenes that made me wonder if it’s really necessary to include them but overall they also added to the atmosphere which is so typical and beloved for Ghibli movies. I also didn’t mind the dream sequences and I feel like they leave room for interpretations as well. I’m glad this movie didn’t get too political but it hinted at some of the impacts the War had and would have later on. So I feel like it was rather more real and realistic for doing that without enforcing information bombs onto you.

As for the romance, I enjoyed it very much. Personally I feel like they could have rather dedicated some more scenes to it to make the effect even stronger… But the scenes and parts that were telling the love story between Jiro and Naoko were done really well in my opinion (it really made me long for more!). I didn’t mind it took them long to meet again. On the contrary… Since this is a spoiler-free review I’m not going to say much about the ending… I’m just gonna say that I didn’t mind the ending itself and I understood why they choose to write it like this (fittingly) but I do feel like it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. Aside from these minor flaws, it was an enjoyable realistic story that didn’t need much fairytale feels for it to still make it feel like another world. And that’s the reason why I think Studio Ghibli movies are just an entirely different category of mostly beautiful movies, telling stories that should be told for one reason or another.

Characters 8.5/10
I didn’t mind that Jiro wasn’t special or extraordinary. Still I don’t get the statement that he is ordinary and boring. Personally I liked his character very much. More than MCs from other movies who are mainly copy and paste from others, possessing all the same traits. He is a talented, devoted and ambitious character but he also has his own flaws. And while his character development might be not clearly shown, I feel like it’s visible (especially when it comes to the romance aspect). I do say, that I feel like this movie does this development rather backwards. Not that he becomes an unlikable character or his motivations change entirely but you do get to see a shift in what his dream used to be and what it has become. But that’s kind of the reason why I like the characters. Because it’s a realistic portrayal of how someone’s life could turn out. In the beginning you clearly could see the sparks of joy he had just by imagining what types of aircraft he could build and for what purposes (very innocent childlike). And in the end that simply wasn’t reality. But then the question is: can you really blame people for doing that? I feel like as long as you don’t live in someone else’s mind you can’t. Is it a good thing to contribute to preogressing aircraft that’s used for War purposes? (I’ll leave that question open). But I could still relate to him in one way or another… Because as humans we all have our personal dreams and goals, motivated by what we believe in. And maybe that doesn’t even change. But circumstances can and maybe our dreams don’t turn out the way we thought they would. Maybe if we keep trying it still won’t have the wanted results. We still are responsible for our actions of course. But the way his character was portrayed for still trying to do his best and hoping to one day maybe do something good with it ,just made me empathize with his character so much. The same goes for his relationship with Naoko… And while I read some statements about him lacking emotions, I don’t think that’s the case at all. There are examples I could state but I won’t for the sake of keeping it spoiler-free. To me it’s the opposite. He seemed full of emotions but lacking the ability to express them properly (which is not very uncommon, especially in the Japanese culture). Not just that... You could clearly tell by his actions he was battling them. There was one specific scene I could relate to this so much because I once basically did the same (that just goes to show how realistic these characters are written!). And sometimes its the people that seem to lack emotions or that seem unfazed by events who suffer the most (totally not speaking from experience here!).

Naoko is another character I really liked and appreciated. For being real yet likable. She was strong in her own way and this doesn’t necessarily require physical strength. It’s rare to see that in modern movies… and even for 2013 it wasn’t that common. I was happy for every scene I could see her together with Jiro… I wish there would have been more, because I really liked her character and hoped they would do a little more with her, especially toward the end. But I do get why she is written that way. In my opinion there should be more female characters like her.

Animation/Music 10/10
Do I need to say more? The animation is stunning… as to be expected from Ghibli movies. It fit the atmosphere perfectly, same with the music. They just can’t mess this part up. Even if they wouldn’t try hard enough.

Overall 9/10
Why I didn’t get bored while watching this movie, there clearly were scenes that I enjoyed more than others. But overall I did not expect to like this movie so much with the little I knew going into it. It’s interesting, it’s real, it’s educational and it can also stir some emotions and make you think about hopes and dreams people might have. And that’s something Studio Ghibli is very good at. Like outstandingly good. I would now count it among my favorite Studio Ghibli movies (at least in my Top 10 or even Top 5). Just for the fact that it made me feel about the characters like no other movie has in a while. I would definitely recommend watching it, even (or specifically) if you go into it without any expectations. Especially if you have room for interpretations (of certain scenes).