Whitly's Wall
5/5/13 10:43am
So I've finished my retrospective series...now what?
5/6/13 1:04pm
The Guardian: Something awesome?
5/4/13 9:46pm
Romances and clubhouses and flags, OH MY! + My closing thoughts...
Whitly: I'm flattered. In truth, I only discovered the studio recently (2010, to be exact,) so I had to make up for lost time. But still, I'm glad you liked it...
Dum Dum Dugan: I couldn't help but smile while reading your retrospective. I would come to a new entry, hit play on the first song, and begin to smile before I even began reading. It's been about a year since I last watched a Ghibli film. (When I got to see The Secret World of Arrietty in theater.) Your retrospective reminded me that I need to re-watch their movies and that there are a few movies I still need to watch for the first time. I also learned a lot about the studio. Unfortunately, I don't devote enough time to learning about the artists who create the games and films I love.
Whitly: You mean in a year or two? Hard to say. I might do a "By Popular Demand" if I really feel like there's something worth saying about the newer films, but that's a while's off from now.
In other words, I'm not sure yet...
In other words, I'm not sure yet...
Molmoran: This has been a great retrospective, there's a number of the films that I didn't know if I should watch and it's good to see what you made of some of the ones like Grave of the Fireflies.
I agree with the Disney part, it makes me a little upset I didn't get to watch Ghibli stuff when I was young.
Nice post, I look forward to seeing the new films when they're out.
Will you be updating your retrospective then?
I agree with the Disney part, it makes me a little upset I didn't get to watch Ghibli stuff when I was young.
Nice post, I look forward to seeing the new films when they're out.
Will you be updating your retrospective then?
5/3/13 9:28am
Would Mary Norton be proud?
Whitly: Only movies, no games. And yes, there's one more entry left. They release new features every 1-2 years, you know... >_>
The Guardian: Wow, I didn't know there were Ghibli movies since Ponyo. And there is another movie? Also, are you going to look at Ni Nu Kuni since that is also by Ghibli, even though it is a game?
Molmoran: Yeah, I love older Ghibli stuff the most as I also like older animé most too.
What I love about Ghibli is that it's remained true to their roots and they aren't afraid of trying to be "cool" or cater for older people.
They make great films that children and adults can enjoy, every film feels like a piece of someone's childhood, even if not your own.
What I love about Ghibli is that it's remained true to their roots and they aren't afraid of trying to be "cool" or cater for older people.
They make great films that children and adults can enjoy, every film feels like a piece of someone's childhood, even if not your own.
Whitly: I do too, but you gotta take what you can get. And it's still pretty good, all things considered...
Molmoran: I like Borrowers and this movie, but I wish it felt more like an adventure like other Ghibli films.
Another great post.
Another great post.
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5/2/13 3:30pm
"Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo fishy in the sea..."
Whitly: I'm not sure I understand the question. What do you mean by-
Oh...yeah, it's just my tagline...
Oh...yeah, it's just my tagline...
Alpha Unit: Nice review. This was the last Ghibli film I saw and the one I watched the most (I saw the movie three times.) Also, what do you rescue?
darkhyrulelord: I saw pictures of this movie but never seen it... Interesting how many people were very harsh on this movie. You did seem to give good reasons on arguing against them as well. Good stuff Whitly.
Whitly: You and critics alike, amigo. One negative review even compared it to that movie. So you're not alone...
The Guardian: I remember seeing a preview for this in a movie I was watching, I think it might have been either Wall-E or Up. I remember thinking it looked a lot like a Disney movie from what I saw, with just little hints of Japanese animation. Maybe I just had Finding Nemo on the brain.
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4/30/13 9:44am
Whitly: Not the latter, but yeah...it's pretty bad. But I've seen worse, so it's not like I'd put it on any lists of ultimately bad movies to avoid. And, to be honest, it's not like you should, just don't expect anything remotely good from it...
The Guardian: I'm getting the vibe that this movie is... bad? I feel like that's what you're trying to convey here. Maybe with hints of "run, run far away".
4/28/13 1:15pm
The emperor has no clothes...
Whitly: That's unexpected. I was waiting for someone to insult me for criticizing this movie. But I guess your feedback will do.
Also, don't be embarrassed, it's not weird at all. It's nice to see someone other than a male agreeing with me on this one, and I welcome any comments...
Also, don't be embarrassed, it's not weird at all. It's nice to see someone other than a male agreeing with me on this one, and I welcome any comments...
Molmoran: I enjoy most of Miyazaki's films and while this isn't the worst Ghibli, it certainly isn't the best. I love the themes and the ideas. I love the visual style. What I didn't like much is the offbeat execution which makes a lot of the characters feel less streamlined and almost... random sometimes.
Great review, I've been enjoying your Ghibli pieces! (That sounded weirder than I wanted it to.)
Great review, I've been enjoying your Ghibli pieces! (That sounded weirder than I wanted it to.)
Molmoran: I agree, I just recently found this book and am looking forward to reading it!
Whitly: I guess I should read the book then, but I'm afraid I might hate this movie if I do. Like you said, it's well-made and high quality, just incredibly-flawed. I don't mind adaptive license, but there's a limit before it just goes crazy.
By the way, you're the second person who posted a long-winded comment complaining about a Miyazaki movie. The first was with <em>The Castle of Cagliostro</em>...
By the way, you're the second person who posted a long-winded comment complaining about a Miyazaki movie. The first was with <em>The Castle of Cagliostro</em>...
Gaarathedancingpanda: I suppose you still haven't read the book, as I suggested you do. Shame. It truly is a masterpiece.
I'll say this, I like Howl's Moving Castle. No, love Howl's Moving Castle. I'll admit that, artistically, it's not the best of Miyazaki's movies. The animation has been better in his other movies (many people can't stand Ponyo, but I found the fluidity of the animation in that movie to be amazing).
But here is what I will say about it. The style, not the actual quality of the animation, but just stylistically, visually, it's breath taking. There was never a moment in that movie where my eyes weren't glued to the colors and the faces and the character designs. If you just took stills from the movie, it could probably be non-ironic art gallery material.
The characters were absolutely great. Calcifer being one of my absolute favorite designs (being transformed from a flaming demonic face as appearing on the books cover, to a more personable flame droplet). Howl looked incredibly dashing while acting rather arrogant (but still well meaning), Sophie far too nice and demure, Old Sophie as a mix of an "I don't care what you think about me, I'm old" kind of woman with a kind old lady. They all have amazing chemistry together.
The main problem with this movie is that Hayao Miyazaki tried to fix what wasn't broken. Mr. Miyazaki likes to take other's stories and put his own spin on them (Ponyo as well being an abstract take on The Little Mermaid). The problem is that Miyazaki broke it. Suliman Changed completely (gender, background, reason in the story), An unnecessary war was added to the film (no, it was not really a part of the novel), the Witch of the Waste's character was left completely half-assed (yeah), Wales doesn't exist (just, like, read the fuckin' book please!), Markl (AKA Michael in the book) is changed in age and purpose, and a whole (incredibly important) subplot involving Sophie's sisters (yes, in the book, she has two of them) is completely removed.
When Howl made this movie, he didn't make changes, or even do his own interpretation of the story, he made a whole different movie with someone else's characters and world. The film is rather a very well directed and high budgeted FAN-FICTION than it is an ADAPTION.
Don't get me wrong, I truly adore this film, but I adore the book so much more. And the movie is simply not the same story I fell in love with. It's a disconnected, slightly warped version of a similar series of events with dramatic, unnecessary changes.
TO ANYBODY WHO SEES THIS! I highly recommend reading the book "Howl's Moving Castle" by Dianna Wynne Jones. The plot is far better constructed and very different. (Very much better, if I might say).
I'll say this, I like Howl's Moving Castle. No, love Howl's Moving Castle. I'll admit that, artistically, it's not the best of Miyazaki's movies. The animation has been better in his other movies (many people can't stand Ponyo, but I found the fluidity of the animation in that movie to be amazing).
But here is what I will say about it. The style, not the actual quality of the animation, but just stylistically, visually, it's breath taking. There was never a moment in that movie where my eyes weren't glued to the colors and the faces and the character designs. If you just took stills from the movie, it could probably be non-ironic art gallery material.
The characters were absolutely great. Calcifer being one of my absolute favorite designs (being transformed from a flaming demonic face as appearing on the books cover, to a more personable flame droplet). Howl looked incredibly dashing while acting rather arrogant (but still well meaning), Sophie far too nice and demure, Old Sophie as a mix of an "I don't care what you think about me, I'm old" kind of woman with a kind old lady. They all have amazing chemistry together.
The main problem with this movie is that Hayao Miyazaki tried to fix what wasn't broken. Mr. Miyazaki likes to take other's stories and put his own spin on them (Ponyo as well being an abstract take on The Little Mermaid). The problem is that Miyazaki broke it. Suliman Changed completely (gender, background, reason in the story), An unnecessary war was added to the film (no, it was not really a part of the novel), the Witch of the Waste's character was left completely half-assed (yeah), Wales doesn't exist (just, like, read the fuckin' book please!), Markl (AKA Michael in the book) is changed in age and purpose, and a whole (incredibly important) subplot involving Sophie's sisters (yes, in the book, she has two of them) is completely removed.
When Howl made this movie, he didn't make changes, or even do his own interpretation of the story, he made a whole different movie with someone else's characters and world. The film is rather a very well directed and high budgeted FAN-FICTION than it is an ADAPTION.
Don't get me wrong, I truly adore this film, but I adore the book so much more. And the movie is simply not the same story I fell in love with. It's a disconnected, slightly warped version of a similar series of events with dramatic, unnecessary changes.
TO ANYBODY WHO SEES THIS! I highly recommend reading the book "Howl's Moving Castle" by Dianna Wynne Jones. The plot is far better constructed and very different. (Very much better, if I might say).
4/27/13 9:07pm
How can he return if he never really left to begin with?
Whitly: It seems as though my more obscure entries go by unnoticed, so I'll add another side-thought here:
This movie reminds me a lot of <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> on a basic level. The only things stopping me from despising it is that, unlike that movie, this one has structure to its plot. It's not trippy just for the sake of it, everything in it actually makes sense for once. So there's that much in its favour too...
This movie reminds me a lot of <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> on a basic level. The only things stopping me from despising it is that, unlike that movie, this one has structure to its plot. It's not trippy just for the sake of it, everything in it actually makes sense for once. So there's that much in its favour too...
4/26/13 3:30pm
The biggest acid trip ever made, and bless it for that!
Whitly: This.
ScrewAttack will feature anything they think is worthwhile. You can debate quality, but I see no reason to not diversify occasionally...
ScrewAttack will feature anything they think is worthwhile. You can debate quality, but I see no reason to not diversify occasionally...
SierraFoxtrot: This community has been giving it's opinions on games, movies, comic books, television shows, and much more for over 6 years. This site was and still is renowned for it's community content. I am a very happy member of this community because of the diverse amount of opinions featured on this site. If you want news coverage and the like, it's probably best to go elsewhere because you won't find it here. Also, you'll find that you are very alone with your opinion of "ScrewAttack should focus on news only and promote stories over opinions." But continue to complain about how this shouldn't be front-paged: it ain't going to work. Opinions are still going to be shared and seen by community members and if you can't deal with that, maybe you need to find someplace else to go.
Whitly: I've been here since 2008, been active since June of 2009 and seen g1s come and go. And many features in V3, V4 and V5 weren't gaming related, mine included.
I'm actually offended that you'd insinuate that opinions not related to gaming would be ruining the site. For one thing, IGN is a site ruined by its own users, not "non-gaming-related material." And secondly, the reason ScrewAttack is "failing" is because of mass expansion at a time when they lack the resources needed to do. You know why the notifications are broken? Why the site is slow, why blogging is difficult? None of them have to do with opinions, they're a result of over-reaching.
Also, why are you bringing this sh*t up on my blog? I didn't ask for it, I didn't even ask to be featured; heck, given the nature of the front page, I figured it wouldn't feature at all because it's not gaming related. But I'm glad I got one anyway, and you complaining about this being "featured because it's an opinion" is ruining the mood.
TL;DR: Don't bring your sh*t on my blog, thank you very much...
I'm actually offended that you'd insinuate that opinions not related to gaming would be ruining the site. For one thing, IGN is a site ruined by its own users, not "non-gaming-related material." And secondly, the reason ScrewAttack is "failing" is because of mass expansion at a time when they lack the resources needed to do. You know why the notifications are broken? Why the site is slow, why blogging is difficult? None of them have to do with opinions, they're a result of over-reaching.
Also, why are you bringing this sh*t up on my blog? I didn't ask for it, I didn't even ask to be featured; heck, given the nature of the front page, I figured it wouldn't feature at all because it's not gaming related. But I'm glad I got one anyway, and you complaining about this being "featured because it's an opinion" is ruining the mood.
TL;DR: Don't bring your sh*t on my blog, thank you very much...
neodrakan: I'm going to be brief here
I've been on the internet for way too long and I've seen gaming sites come and go.I've seen them metamorphose into grotesque beings with horrid journalism,little to zero coverage on what they're mission statement is/was,and the decline of actual coverage regarding videogames.
Screwattack is still one of those sites that stay true to gaming and does what IGN don't.
I appreciate the community for what it is and they're passions for games,gaming,and the culture of videogames.But when I see opinions instead of news on the front page it's a friendly reminder of the other bastardized pages of html that exist under the "Gaming" pseudonyms.
I don't want Screwattack to turn into another Shitaku or IGN.two websites that I used to love frequenting,yet have become something that Screwattack vowed they would never become.
Stale
Unoriginal
And chock full of opinions instead of games,games,and more games.
And yes Ferret,I am totally aware that this isn't the first instance of this happening, or the last for that matter.
I've been on the internet for way too long and I've seen gaming sites come and go.I've seen them metamorphose into grotesque beings with horrid journalism,little to zero coverage on what they're mission statement is/was,and the decline of actual coverage regarding videogames.
Screwattack is still one of those sites that stay true to gaming and does what IGN don't.
I appreciate the community for what it is and they're passions for games,gaming,and the culture of videogames.But when I see opinions instead of news on the front page it's a friendly reminder of the other bastardized pages of html that exist under the "Gaming" pseudonyms.
I don't want Screwattack to turn into another Shitaku or IGN.two websites that I used to love frequenting,yet have become something that Screwattack vowed they would never become.
Stale
Unoriginal
And chock full of opinions instead of games,games,and more games.
And yes Ferret,I am totally aware that this isn't the first instance of this happening, or the last for that matter.
Whitly: Absolutely not. Not only have non-gaming related items been picked before, but that's incredibly closed-minded to say that. ScrewAttack isn't only a gaming site, or so I was informed in V3...
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4/24/13 9:38am
"Que ser-blah, ser-blah, whatever will meh, will meh..."
Whitly: One side-note, just because I think it might help clear up my end tidbit, the song "Que Sera Sera" is an important part of one of the segments. Sadly, it's also as wasted as this movie's potential...
4/22/13 11:40am
Environmentalism in MY anime?!
Whitly: So you've got royal blood? Cool.
Also, you should definitely watch more of the entries in the studio. Especially one that I'll be covering in two entries from now...
Also, you should definitely watch more of the entries in the studio. Especially one that I'll be covering in two entries from now...
The Guardian: This is the only Ghibli film I've seen. If it is any indication though, I should watch a bunch more because I loved it. Part of the reason I watched it though is because there is "Lord Asano". I'm part Japanese and I am part of the Asano family, so yeah... that had to be a thing.
Whitly: It's my third-favourite Studio Ghibli film. I prefer <em>Castle in the Sky</em> to it too...
metaking64x: As I've said, this is my favorite Ghibli film I've seen other than Spirited Away. Characters, story, and animation are just all so good.
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