The Wind Rises Review

The Wind Rises
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Written by: Hayao Miyazaki
Runtime: 126 minutes

When I first was introduced to Studio Ghibli and the work of Hayao Miyazaki, it seemed like Ghibli was the Japanese version of Disney Animated Studios, with Miyazaki the Japanese version of Walt Disney (except for the fact that Miyazaki has drawn thousands of frames of his films whereas Walt was more an entrepreneur and innovator).

I find this comparison quite fitting, with Studio Ghibli, in my opinion, boasting a greater success rate in terms of the quality of its films. I have yet to see one that I did not like; there are not really any Home on the Ranges (aka duds) for the studio. But just like what happened with Walt, all good things must end. Disney passed away in the early 60s, making his final contributions to The Jungle Book and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. While Miyazaki (fortunately) is still living, he recently released his final film, The Wind Rises, a biographical film about Jirô Horikoshi (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a plane engineer in World War II-era Japan.

Jirô with his plane-designing idol, Caproni

Jirô dreams of flying as a young boy but redirects his passion for flying into a passion to craft beautiful airplanes. He interacts with his idol, Italian designer Caproni (Stanley Tucci), in various dreams throughout his life, receiving inspiration and direction from the esteemed plane designer. It is the only fantastical element present in the film, with the film otherwise sticking to grounded realism, a la Whisper of the Heart and From Up on Poppy Hill. Jirô befriends and works with Honjô (John Krasinski) while working for the Mitsubishi engine company under the comical leadership and scrutiny of Kurokawa (Martin Short). Later on, he is reunited with the love of his life, Nahoko Satomi (Emily Blunt), whom he had helped rescue during the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake (from 1923) years prior. Through his travels and the many people he meets, Jirô is constantly working on and revising his design for what ultimately becomes the Zero fighter plane.

Jirô is constantly at work on perfecting his plane design

This is honestly one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films – and that is quite impressive. I’m an unabashed Studio Ghibli fan and defender, and have seen many of its films (though not all). My favorites include Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (though I have yet to see a film from the studio that I did not like). The Wind Rises is right up there for me. It is such a beautiful film aesthetically – the artwork, the vibrant colors, and the soothing and colorful score from Joe Hisaichi all make for a pleasing viewing experience. And that’s not even including the story – one that, admittedly sounding boring on paper, is filled with fun personalities, and a leading man in Jirô who is extremely admirable and likable. His motivations for designing planes (art, beauty) are well-met byhis premonitions and reservations for how they will be ultimately used.

Jirô designs planes because of their beauty and elegance

That is something about the film I particularly liked – that it didn’t try to sidestep the destruction and devastation that fighter planes and bombers caused various countries in the war. In showing the audience the elegance and beauty of designing planes, in addition to Jirô’s (and, to a lesser extent, Caproni’s) passion for them, it begs the question of why mankind has used them for such horrific purposes. That sort of question runs the risk of coming across heavy-handedly – not so here. By focusing on beauty, it naturally and gently presents the question to the audience.

Jirô and Nahoko’s relationship is wonderful yet bittersweet

The Wind Rises, fittingly, is a bittersweet film. Just like Jirô’s love of the elegant yet dangerous airplane, or his tubercular romance with Nahoko, or, if he stays true to his word, Miyazaki’s final bow as a filmmaker. I’m hoping he still is involved moving forward, but if not, it makes watching The Wind Rises all the more bittersweet. In a film industry that continues to churn out violence, vulgarity, and sexuality with regularity (not saying that films containing them are bad by any means), it is always refreshing to me to watch a new Studio Ghibli release. The deliberate pace, artistic and melodic beauty, and the innocent and likable, yet real characters are all so different, but in a wonderful way. In the film Caproni mentions that artists and engineers have about 10 good years of creativity in them. Hayao Miyazaki turned his 10 years into decades, and he, like Jirô, can look back with pride over the beauty he was able to create.

9/10

+ Beautiful artwork
+ Likable characters
+ Amazing music
+ Made by Hayao Miyazaki
+ Focus on beauty and elegance of planes, and creating

– Slow, deliberate pace
– Probably Miyazaki’s last film