The Peanut has not quite gotten to the age where we can watch Princess Mononoke with her — the battle between the spirits of the forest and the humans who want to take their lives is too visually brutal. But I love this film. The visuals, as always in a Miyazaki anime, are magical and stunning — and as close to a masterpiece in every frame as you can imagine. Truly. But, for my money, even better than the artwork in this particular film is the story and the accompanying musical score. Amazing stuff. (For a longer look at the film, try this. Just gorgeous — well worth the rental if you have not seen it.)
As with a lot of Miyazaki's work, the environment and questions of abusing it versus caring for it with a level of reverence become a central theme. This is also true for one of my favorites, Spirited Away, and Nausicaa, and Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro, among many others.
Since it is Sunday, I thought everyone could use a bit of a break and some fun. I love all these films, and wanted to share a glimpse of them with everyone else. Next gloomy day, you'll have something to look for at the video rental store. And the best part is that they are intelligently written and are an opening for some excellent discussion with your kids, your family and friends. Lots of questions, and no easy answers — which is just the sort of critical thinking that we need more of these days.
Enjoy. And if you have a favorite anime or other film that you'd like to share with the rest of us, please do share in the comments below.
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oh hell . . .
F I T Z !!!
Earth Day!
CHS,
in philosophy, the answers are not nearly as important than the question, and in fact, seeking the unanswerable questions seem to be the goal.
Great stuff. Also, I may be in your area Monday evening.
One the peanut might be ready for is Ferngully.
Christy; I saw a movie the other day that I liked very much and made me think of you because I recall you were a Merchant Ivory fan too. I had never run across this one before, called the Mystic Masseur -but I bought it because it was M.-I. and based on a story by VS Naipaul. Here is a synopsis:
http://www.merchantivory.com/mystic-synopsis.html
CHS ~ PEACE
I agree – these films are marvelous. Just awesome animation – the contrast between the artistry of Miyazaki’s animation and that seen in most American cartoons is ridiculous.
if you’re looking for a good animated feature film to watch with the Peanut, i suggest you rent Babar The Movie.
my kids loved i when they were younger.
what is that says the SO (a pagan and goddessworshipper) while the trailer is playing.
I tell her.
“Well, put it on our [netflix] list.”
Our peanuts are 21 and 24–but will love it too.
At what age is “Yellow Submarine” appropriate? I have nieces who need to be made aware of Blue Meanies.
Also an amusing little film – Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Angela Lansbury.
We like Howl’s Moving Castle in our house — my 4 1/2 yo son asks for it regularly.
The Secret of NIHM.
must animation viewing…about the rats that escape from the National Inst of Health and fight a battle for good on a farm.
Not anime, but one of my favorites is Being There, with Peter Sellers and Shirley MacLain. There is a compelling sweet innocence, wrapped around serious topics. You can recognize and laugh at the foibles of humankind, and appreciate our complexity and diversity at the same time.
‘The Point’, w/music by Harry Nilsson 1971. Off into the pointless forest. In ‘Robin Hood’ the Sheriff of N. would chase the Merry Band up to and only the edge of the forest. The forest was dark and dangerous. “The Point’ takes you inside that forest and gives a glimpse of the magic world. Certainly better than most cities of concrete origin.
Christy! Miyazaki is such a genius and Mononoke is must viewing (though definitely for older folks than Peanut) Did you know that Kurosawa himself identified Miyazaki as one of the greatest filmakers?
Perfect choice for Earth Day!
I never developed a taste for anime, but for animation in general, and for plain old visual-aural connection, there’s still one gold standard for me:
Fantasia
A year ago or so, Robots was regularly on our DVD player — one of the best things about animated movies is that they are so rich in detail. Even if my son asks for it every day for a week, I can still manage to find something new!
Wallace and Grommit are also big favorites. I particularly love it when Grommit reads books with titles like “engineering for dogs”…
*ilbo @ 15
And here I thought I was the only person who remembered it!
So funny — we have every single animated movie you guys are talking about with the exception of Ferngully. I had completely forgotten about that from when I was a kid — wonder if they have it on DVD?
And Dru at 5 — I haven’t seen that one. Will definitely look for it, though. LOVE Merchant-Ivory stuff. Thanks so much for the heads up!
The Pope has a mitre that is ribbed for your pleasure!
Hey, I found the new Lanny Davis doll on-line.
-GSD
And when is Studio Ghibli finally going to bring out Tales from Earth-Sea for the US market?
I realize there’s family politics involved, but…
Christy,
You are such a good mom. Peanut is so lucky to have you. I know other firepups feel this way about you too. You are our blogmommy. Thanks for all the things that you do to bring us these nuggets of wonder. We love you Christy!
lolo
OfT: but funny as hell. A question to Dana “cappacino” Perino at todays press gaggle:
had the pleasure of watching Network with my now young adult children – had to go on line to prove to them it was made 30 years ago !
lolo at 24 — You have no idea how much I needed that today. Thanks much. :)
GSD @
22
*Links to Russian news agency Pravda.
lolo @ 24
And having seen CHS interact with Peanut firsthand, she is a GREAT Mom. Hope to see you, Peanut and Mr. Smith Monday evening.
OFG at 29 — I think we can do something Monday. You still have my number? Call when you get through town and we’ll figure something out on dinner. :) You staying in the area overnight or just driving through?
Christy -
Please forgive this interruption: one of my friends called this story (on Raw Story) to my attention:
Paper: Blair set to end ten year reign as British PM on May 9th
(Pls pardon OT… multiply EPU’d)
Feeling adventuresome? Interested in who else is in the FDL community, and where they are? Maybe get in touch with them via anonymous message?
Hope to see you on our unofficial FirePup Fan map. Pls don’t forget to pick the right pin for yourself, and to add a fun “shoutout” and maybe a pic. At this writing, there’re 304 of us with pins! :)
(… and now we return you to your normally-scheduled thread, in progress …)
Christy Hardin Smith @ 27
(((((Christy)))))))
Big hugs you are our sanity in this crazy world. You give us a calm when crisis is everywhere. You let us remember what it is like to have a safe place when everything around us is turning to crap we come to you to make it all better. Thank you for everything.
lolo
I saw “My Friend Totoro” last year in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo…of all places. I was thinking, “oh no, another one of those Japanese Saturday morning cartoons” when the tourists in the Guest House put it on.
But I was immediately struck by the beauty of the animation and the positive message of family, pro-elderly, the fears that children (and all of have) when a family member is ill, sibling rivalry, fantasy…it’s all there!
Great film for kids…though there are “spooky” moments it really helps that the spooky creatures and events often are not what they seem…thus helping kids deal with fear. And they, and the adults do this without violence, which is also very cool!
And I also loved “The Point” and “The Yellow Submarine” when I was a kid, though I don’t know how well they would hold up to an adults eye today. But kids often ignore primitive graphics surprisingly…and get into the action and story lines, even when an adult would find these inconsistent or incomprehensible or predictable.
Yess, I still have your number. I’m in Blairsville, PA right now, scheduled to unload in the morning. There is some question of loading something and bringing it back to OKC. If that happens, my options of stopping by are limited. I’ll probably just stop for a greet-and-eat, depending on how long they take to unload me. If I’m tired, I’ll stay the night, if not, I won’t.
I’ll call tomorrow when I know more.
mrsmarks @ 19
John Lennon’s favorite U.S. artist. Produced an album by Harry during a brief separation from Yoko.
Is “Speed Racer” considered anime?
From the Think Progress Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..-gonzales/
Gonzo Tote-board at TPM:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002964.php
National Review Online says Gonzo should go:
http://article.nationalreview……A0OTYyMzU=
Even Newt is saying Gonzo should go:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..eds-to-go/
I’m trying to remember what my kids watched when they were young. I remember ‘Robin Hood’ with that catchy tune (which will now be stuck in my head all day). Other than that I’m drawing a blank. Of course ‘Sesame Street’ was a staple.
Being single, not too much I can contribute here. But I do have a copy of Alladin available for the younger crow. And of course, Rocky and Bullwinkle for the eight and up.
Someone above mentioned Fantasia and although I’m a fan, it probably isn’t going to be a fave of the very young. Or at least, it wasn’t one of mine when I first saw it when I was in single digits…
Can we add books to this? Those I remember.
carolyn urban-OT
Thanks for your terrific work on the LiveBlog on Thursday. Invaluable!
solai at 41 — Absolutely. At our house, books are always a welcome addition. :)
*ilbo
i was gettng ready to say that!!!!! narrated by ringo starr…..absolutely EVERYONE should see this one……..
and christy-my best friend’s daughter always loved rock-a-doodle….really funny, the lead character, a rooster, sings ala elvis…..is totally silly fun!
her other favorite-besides the point mentioned above, was the muppets take manhattan.
Joe Klein’s conscience @ 37
I don’t believe Speed Racer is even animated. A picture with one character’s mouth opening and closing doesn’t qualify, in my humble opinion.
I’m sure the Peanut has the Disney classics. My daughters’ favorites were Lady and the Tramp, Bambi, and Alice in Wonderland, but they are all great. Dumbo, however is very racist.
Amazing what the artists of those days did!
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/04/15/illusions/
This is one of my favorites. It reminds me of our lake.
solai @ 41
Rain Makes Applesauce
Man, first “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” and now spirit. I mentioned it yesterday but these two thread titles can’t help but bring up more thoughts about losing our wonderful little cocker, the real “Raven”, yesterday. He battled cancer for over two years. . .talk about spirit!
Stephen Parrish, CPA @
31
That’ll leave Ratty Howard as the only big name Bush war supporter left.
Getting lonely at the top eh Chimpster?
-GSD
James and the Giant Peach == fond childhood memories of being read to by my mother :)
raven at 49 — Oh, I’m so very sorry to hear that — so sorry for your loss.
(((((((((raven and Raven)))))))))
That was teh awesome — thanks so much for turning me on to that.
raven, so sorry. How old was Raven?
Cindy loo hoo almost choked to death on chicken jerky yesterday.
Mike Scheuer on CNN was throwing water on the claims by top US generals that the Iranians were arming the Taliban.
He said it sounds like they are building a causus belli for war with Iran. Said it is known that the Saudis and the Gulf Arab states are the ones still bankrolling the Taliban.
Our buddies!
-GSD
I first heard that story about the astronauts years ago from a woman ranger in Tuolumne Meadows part of Yosemite.
She would do a sunset talk on Lembert Dome and play her flute.
She had these plastic covered pages with the quotes from Lovell and many others; and she would pass them around and ask the audiens to read them aloud.
((((raven))))
so very sorry dear
GSD @ 56
Follow that logic back about 6 years.
raven @
49
my love and good wishes to you on losing your family member and friend.
On the audio tip, check out
They Might Be Giants’ NO!
Everything I dislike about TNBG in general makes them perfect creators for some enjoyable children’s music.
raven @ 49
(((((Raven))))))
and
((((raven))))))
cinnamonape @ 34
“Yellow Submarine” holds up great, imo. I have it on DVD and watch it at least once a year. It’s visually very inventive. Check out the rotoscope section accompanying “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. It can work on several levels; as a kid’s movie, as an allegory which is still applicable today (greedy, mean bastards who screw things up hopefully get their comeuppance)or as some great animations to go with great songs. I never get tired of it.
Mack at 61 — They do the theme song to a show on the Disney Channel called “Higglytown Heroes.” The Peanut had it on the other morning and I was listening to the opening song and thinking “Whoa! I know that band!” Sure enough…
My fave for very little ones
Are You My Mother?by PD Eastman?
There’s a Monster at the End of This Book
Thigamajig Christmas because kids love naugtiness(which my daughter told me is now ‘Thingamajig Holiday’)
Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein(My daughter is now a teacher. She brought her 20yr old copy to her classroom for her students to enjoy. Promptly stolen. Just bought her a new copy for Christmas)
Loo Hoo @
48
Wind In the Willows, The Just So Stories, and Riki-Tiki-Tavi.
egregious @ 59
Same as it ever was. The goal is still regime change in Iran. The trick is what will be the trigger to set the plan in motion.
-GSD
I second the Miyazaki recommendations.
I would advise avoiding Whisper of the Heart untill you have exhausted all the others.
Oh, and Grave of the Fireflies is sad.
Very sad.
Our little muneca is now old enough for some more mature material.
We watched House of Flying Daggers last night, which may have pushed the envelope a bit.
But simply gorgeous.
and…….
there’s always jungle book
look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities……lalalalala
GSD—I was talking about regime change in a country a little closer to home.
o/t
raw story
‘genius’, my ass
The most recent really good movie I saw in theaters was The Namesake; loving, poignant, and life-affirming. Also, a very good but not well-known film I watched on Netflix recently was Her Majesty, set in New Zealand with New Zealand actors, but made by Americans for a school age target audience. Set in the 1950s, it shows the young heroine’s eyes being opened to the blunt reality of racist history and thuggery in a seemingly idyllic small town. Because it’s made for kids, the good guys win and it has a happy ending. It’s quite charming.
dmac @ 69
We were raised to be Kipling fans in my family. A few years ago, I was dating a woman who had NEVER heard of the Just So Stories so I wound up reading them to her over the phone. It was kinda fun making the different voices.
Another Earth Day selection (in expanding testicle vision no less) would be Pom Poko, also from studio Ghibli.
The film is about an insurgent action waged by Tanuki, raccoon like animals that are able to change shape to fool humans. Their woods are being taken over by human development so they try to take on humans in a doomed battle to save their lands.
egregious @ 59
looks like it’s worse than you think….
Mack @ 61
MrsCO happened to play their “Flood” album last weekend. As soon as “Racist Friend” came on, we both said “IMUS!”
dakine01 @ 65
Haha! yeah! Wow, I forgot about those!
dmac @ 69
Which is the first movie I remember seeing at the cinema.
Loo Hoo — there is a lovely animated version of Wind in the Willows that the BBC did some years ago that we have. The Peanut loves it. It is narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. There is a follow-up winter story as well — magical stuff. We read her the books now, and she relates to the movies that she has already seen. :) She is her momma’s girl and loves animals of all sorts.
Adult animated movies I recommend are Allegro non troppo and Fantastic Planet (La Plante sauvage) (trailer on YouTube). Allegro non troppo is a parody of Fantasia, but amazing and some would say better. Fantastic Planet is seen as a metaphor for the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia.
These movies are definitely not for little kids.
gotta go back outside and enjoy the day….
but i just wanted to point out pach’s late nite post, “Just Say Hell No?“… he’s looking for feedback on the iraq war/occupation supplemental funding… so go give leave him a note if you haven’t already.
thank you!
Sprout and I love Spirited Away and also Kiki’s Delivery Service. We have some kind of anti-Nausicaa thing going on – the last two we tried to watch – Porco Rosso and Howl’s Moving Mountain – we have been unable to get through because of scratches to the DVDs. We’ve rented each one twice, returned each one to exchange for another twice and still only get about 1/4 through. So we have that to look forward to…
Sprout loves Yellow Submarine and Curious George as well as Nacho Libre, which, while I love Jack Black, does nothing for me.
((((raven)))
dmac @ 69
Classic music in that one.
Cspan Whitehouse vs. Gonzales (hearing)
Cspan 2 Teresa Heinz Kerry Book TV
You are all refreshing my memory. I loved reading to my kids. No grandchildren yet in my family. But I’m ready. Think I’ll rebuild the library in anticipation.
And I must add these for parents of older children-because they’re that good.
There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom
An Indian in the Cupboard
The Christmas Pageant
I can’t remember authors, but they were favorites in this house.
OT: French Election: Sarkozy 30% Royal 25.2% Bayrou 18.3% Le Pen 11%
dakine
what fun!
chs-a little old for the peanut, more adolescent, but where the lilies bloom, the book and the movie are two of my favorites……set in appalachia. rent that one for yourself.
smapdi @ 86
Many thanks! My husband was just enquiring about the results. Where’d you find it?
mrsmarks- bbc world service
Another good thing about Miyazaki’s films is the wonderful spritual feeling, which is entirely non-christian.
Actually, dakine recommended Wind in the Willows, Christy, and I heartily agree.
itwasntme at 90 — That is patently unfair, I have to say, having grown up in a Christian family and trying to live my life in a very spiritual way. Do not confuse political use of religion for personal power aggrandizement for the actual practice of religion. Ever. Religion is something that you do. People who mouth the words and do otherwise are hypocrites — and the people who try to live up to the tenents of their faith should not be tarred with the same tainted brush. Thanks.
lolo @ 84
Thanks, lolo. You SHOULD have mail!
Loo Hoo @
83
Speaking of classic, for my 10th b’day, my “mean” great aunt gave me a book, Palgrave’s The Golden Treasury including the unabridged Fitzgerald translation of The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam. I had no appreciation of it at 10, but as an adult, I do thank her for it. It sits on my bedside table and I can open it pretty much at random and read some beautiful poetry, which I do every so often.
A magical classic for young Peanuts is the 1970’s animated musical version of Charlotte’s Web…..features the voices of Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte, Agnes Moorehead as the goose, and Paul Lynde as Templeton the rat.
Also recommend the original Disney Winnie the Pooh movie.
Watched both many times when my two were peanuts and never got tired of them.
Very sorry about your doggie, raven. We’ve been through that at my house three times in the last 5 years….it is so terribly hard.
smapdi @ 86
Sarkozy is the neocon right?
lolo, yes perhaps we can expect future french troops in Le Surge II
raven@49
Sadness for you, but Raven’s soul has flown on good strong wings into the next adventure that awaits all sentient beings.
solai- Are You My Mother?–great book!
A favorite I used to read to friend’s daughter, was her favorite for a long time—Come to the Meadow—about a little girl who wants to go to the meadow, and everyone is busy doing something, she tells each one what they can do and see in the meadow as the book goes along……great book. with subtle messages in it.
My mother taught elementary reading and her favorite book she would bring to class on favorite book day was Where the Wild Things Are–Maurice Sendak
Christy Hardin Smith @
79
Christy, I always push books for my friends’ children and the children of my cousins. It’s a little early yet for the Peanut, but keep The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley in mind. As well as the movie of the same name.
Loo Hoo @ 93
not yet it is probably stuck in the server. I’ll keep checking.
itwasntme @ 90
Ya know, some of us are out there trying to love our enemy, work for peace, turn the other cheek etc and that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and carried out by fallible humans at some cost to the management.
Many things done in the name of religious belief can actually work for the Good. I hope people don’t give up on religion just because it is hijacked by truly evil people for their own ends.
I work in the former Soviet Union and believe me I see plenty of evil still at work there. It is dark.
Mack @
68
Grave of the Fireflies was apparently on a double bill with Torturo when they were released in Japan, with Torturo as a kind of featurette. I like Grave, but Torturo is an incredible film and my kids love it. Same with Kiki and Spirited Away. There’s really no film as good. Although Wizard of Oz is amazing. And Mary Poppins is pretty great. And Secret Garden. I’ve probably watched each of those 50 times with my daughter and they hold up each time.
smapdi @ 97
I was hoping that Royal would win. HA! Did they use electronic voting?
itwasntme @ 98
We’re counting on it.
lolo – bbc reported yesterday that some constituencies bought dutch voting machines.
How could I have forgotten Charlotte’s Web?
It’s a classic so maybe it didn’t need mentioning, but soooo beautiful.
Of course, they must read it before seeing the dvd.
dakine01 @
40
Oddly enough, it really was in my household. Both of my boys, now 10 and 13, loved it from a young age. Of course it was Fantasia with Flowers, because Fantasia, in their brains, actually meant “The Neverending Story.
The boys are huge Miyazaki fans, with the two biggest environmental polemics – Mononoke and Nausicaa – topping the their lists. Any of the movies will make the kids grin and watch attentatively, though.
The rest of Studio Ghibli films are hit and miss with them, though Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns are high up there.
lolo @
104
The down side of a Royal win would be another sexual harrassment incident by the Chimpenfuhrer. :})
dakine01 @ 109
Oh, please, I haven’t been following this. Please tell me a neocon wasn’t elected.
One thing I’ve noticed about Miyazaki films is that people either love them or hate them. Twice I’ve tried to share Spirited Away with friends only to find them either perplexed or appalled by the strangeness of the plot.
Personally, I love them and find them incomparable to any other works of animation. They contain moments of pure magic and thrall that I rarely experience in cinema of any sort, animation or not.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 92
I totally agree — but I think one of the unfortunate consequences that those hypocrites have wrought in our time is that the word “Christian” itself has come to have a negative association to some people. The most truly Christian and spiritual person I’ve ever known in my life, a friend who is an Adventist minister, said she “wished there was some other word.”
For myself, I’ve sort of lamely attempted to respect the word by referring to Bush/Falwell/Robertson/Dobson and their ilk as “so called Christians.”
dakine01 – gross. You think shrub would do something about burma so he could rub some hot asian shoulders. gross.
dakine01 @ 100
My childhood favorite was Miss Twiggley’s Tree, a story about an eccentric lady who lives in a tree with her dog and invites bears over to visit — which elicits much tut-tutting from the townsfolk. When a flood hits, everybody ends up in her tree.
It’s a wonderful celebration of indepedence, tolerance and found community. Not that any of that registered at the time. It was just a cool book about a party in a tree!
It was reissued a few years ago and won a 2002 Parents Choice Award.
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Twi…..amp;sr=8-1
egregious, what do you do in Russia? I have heard this mentioned b4 but I don’t know the specifics and I am interested.
solai – there will be a run off in may between Royal and Sarkozy, but this doesnt look good.
smapdi @
113
Naw, the Asian women look too much like “furriners” to him. :})
oddmommy @ 112
The alternatives aren’t good religion vs. bad religion. Don’t need religion at all. Ditch OT, NT, Koran, Book of Mormon & whatever texts other religions use, and stick with the Golden Rule.
dakine 94
yeah, my favorite uncle gave me many things i had to grow into….arabian nights was one……bronte sisters, etc. they were just trying to guide us to a good place. for when the time came. my favorite thing he did was call me into his room-where his library was, to listen to big ben toll on the shortwave radio, that was sooooo cool to me…….
and he had a kazillion atlases, showed me what countries used to be and what they are now…….when he moved, i got a few of them….one is a historical atlas, really interesting.
lolo @
104
According to the BBC, the runoff will take place on May 6: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6582007.stm
oddmommy @ 112 says:
The term “Pharisees” comes to mind as appropriate.
oddmommy @ 115
Hi and thanks for asking. When I was little our enemy was the Soviet Union who was going to start WWIII and end life on earth. I learned in Sunday School to “love your enemy” and so I grew up trying to find a way to do that.
I trained in demography, public health, and management [AB/MPH/MBA] and after 14 years home raising my lovely children, I set out to help save lives in the former Soviet Union. I am the founder of a charity that supports congenital heart surgery in NW Russia including St. Petersburg.
We have saved 3,000 lives and trained a large number of surgeons to go back to their own cities and save even more. I am mentally ill so this has not been so easy yet it is imperative by my religious beliefs.
If you have an opportunity to do good, YOU MUST. That’s all I know.
smapdi @ 116
Oh, so there is a chance that she (Royal) could still win. I feel better now.
{{{{{{{{{ CHS, Peanut, and Mr.Smith!! }}}}}}}}
lolo @ 96
Don’t know if he is a neo-con…but he has subsumed the anti-Immigration, pro-nationalist, and hard-core law enforcement (rather than social adjustment) stance of Le Pen…and added in the pro-business component.
I don’t know if he would be like Berlusconi. I think it would be hard for any French leader to send troops into Iraq. But there are many former French colonies around where intervention might occur. Even in the last four years the number of interventions by the Foreign Legion in Africa (where they still have many permanent bases) has been quite substantial. And there is covert support for the regimes in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco via training and other logistical support.
oddmommy @ 112
How about “Christians in Name Only”, or CINO’s?
That’s ironic, given what they’ve done to “Liberal”.
More news from overseas -
ThinkProgress posted this very recently: Germany expects Wolfowitz to resign
egregious…wow, that’s quite impressive. I can’t believe the caliber of people I am able to speak with on this site. I’m one of the little people and being part of this family is an honor
I recommend Watership Down.
-GSD
One more reason the ChimpParty mocks the French (tsf bold):
OT from Crooks&Liars Save Our Chocolate
solai @ 128
Actually, the take home lesson here is that I am one of the little people. Together we can accomplish miracles.
Here’s how I distinguish between the followers of Jesus’ word and those who’ve highjacked His institutions for gain by harnessing authoritarian followers to the GOP:
Christians vs. Xtianists
lolo @ 104
Well, with four “candidates majeure” one could expect a substantial split. Interestingly, Bayrou is seen as more supportive of socialism and less nationalistic than Royal, so many may have actually seen him as the better option. My colleague, who is very attuned to French politics (she does fieldwork annually on French sustainable farming) said many unionists, immigrant and minority activists, and pro-EEU supporters much preferred Bayrou.
Hopefully they will rally around Royal if these initial tallys hold up. The Le Pen folks will almost certainly gravitate to Sarkozy in the run-off. That could be politically bad for Sarkozy for some who supported him in the Preliminary round, as they don’t want to be associated with that mob.
Polls closed in France nearly an hour ago.
egregious @ 122
Wow. That is amazing and wonderful. Thank you for sharing, and bless you for your TRUE Christian spirit.
Sort of OT, what are your feelings about Putin? That may sound like a dumb question, but my husband is very interested in Russian politics and it has sort of started to rub off on me.
dakine01 @ 131
Hi dakine!
Should be emailed to all our friends, too!
oddmommy—
What if, in the United States a few years from now, the patriotic remnants of the FBI and CIA were able to gain control at last over the traitors.
eCAHNomics @ 118
The alternatives aren’t good religion vs. bad religion. Don’t need religion at all. Ditch OT, NT, Koran, Book of Mormon & whatever texts other religions use, and stick with the Golden Rule.
After watching “Jesus Camp” yesterday, MrsCO, who is Jewish, commented that “My religion doesn’t pull crap like that”. My reply was that all the major religions have extremist factions, and as an atheist, I find it telling that moderate Jews, Muslims, and Christians don’t often call out their extremist co-religionists. Why is that?
TeddySanFran @ 133
I REALLY like that…especially b/c it sort of plays off on the “war on Xmas” type of bullshit.
THe Sword In The Stone.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057546/
Expecting EPU, but there it is.
In addition to the Studio Ghibli movies mentioned, I have also introduced my nieces to Kamichu ( a young girl wakes up one day to find that she is a god ) and Strawberry Marshmallow (4 friends and an older sister, over the top cuteness). While I have not heard the verdict on Strawberry Marshmallow, they really like Kamichu, dancing to the closing theme song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp0Jx0n-ie4 ).
OT -
The citizen’s response page for petitioning the US FDA about chocolate (and more information) is at http://dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/
Update: I see now it has been mentioned.
egregious @ 138
That would be nice.
linnen @ 142
Great minds work in similar patterns and all that. See my comment at 131 on same thing, albeit routed through C&L.
egregious @ 138
I don’t remember where, but a couple of years ago I heard somebody refer to “Weimar Russia”. It stuck with me, because it was so chilling.
Lou Costello @
6
Great inflation study you posted the other day.
Much obliged.
PeteCO @ 139
After watching “Jesus Camp” yesterday, MrsCO, who is Jewish, commented that “My religion doesn’t pull crap like that”. My reply was that all the major religions have extremist factions, and as an atheist, I find it telling that moderate Jews, Muslims, and Christians don’t often call out their extremist co-religionists. Why is that?
One thing that distinguishes Judaism, though, is that there is no proselytizing.
dakine01 @ 131
Is chocolate EVER OfT?
Wow, this is another amazing industry attempt to change the definition of food itself to the detriment of consumers. I urge everyone to click through on the C&L links to the FDA website. Let your chocolate-loving voice be heard!
Regarding Putin. I trust him at least as much as I trust our guy (Bush).
egregious @ 132
No, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. I’ve donated to candidates, volunteered to work for my Congressmen’s campaign, do everything I can to alert my friends and family to the danger of BushCo., and give of my time and money to charity. But, sometimes, I feel very helpless and hopeless. Sites like this have kept me sane because I spent so many years raging without an outlet or a community that also was raging.
You, otoh, are truly making a difference. And I envy you.
FYI, Watertiger is upstairs
Mod note: http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..y-edition/
Oklahoma kiddo @ 149
Nowadays, that whole Bush “I looked into his soul” statement about Putin rings a little differently, doesn’t it?
dakine01 @ 117
It was his stay in China in the late ’70’s when his Dad was ambassador that George said that he was going over to look for “dates”. He claimed that the Chinese women wouldn’t even speak to him, though…a fact that I find incredible…given that the Chinese used the traditional Eastern European system of infiltrating foreign embassies by offering up attractive young things to subvert the staff and families.
And Bush claimed he was “looking”. But maybe he actually didn’t find any “LADIES” (snicker).
Oh, and BTW, the lures would draw they prey to a hotel rigged with surveillance cameras behind mirrors and miked up. Nice use for future extortion.
Now notice how that old right-wing bugaboo, Red China…is now our ally in the war against terror and our partner vs. North Korea. This despite their forcing down of that US spy plane early in Bush’s tenure. He backed away from threatening gestures in THAT incident, even allowing the spy planes technology to be taken. Contrast this to his bellicose statements with Iran after the BRITISH sailors were captured.
Burma is essentially under the protective umbrella of the PRC…so if Bush is indeed a “Manchuran President” afraid of sex-tapes that the Chinese have…then his behavior vs. China (despite their human rights and political record) is perfectly comprehensible. It’s the one situation where he plays against form. Oh, that and his pal Pootie-Poot (ex-KGB who may have ears about such material).
What would the world be like without chocolate? I have few obsessions. But chocolate is one of them. Chocolate without cocoa butter? I don’t think so.
When I was a kid, I loved the AAMilne stories, not just winnie the pooh but also When We Were Very Young and Now we Are Six, the poetry collection (James James Morrison Morrison, anyone?) and The House at Pooh Corner.
That was before Disneyfication, of course. I can still hear my Dad’s voice saying “James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George DuPree”.
egregious @ 138
intriguing, but mysterious….do you mean that Putin is the Russian equivalent of such a patriotic remnant?
PeteCO @ 139
My kid, who’s in first grade, was taught that people who believe in Islam use the word of God as an excuse to kill people. Yikes. This is in NY.
cinnamonape @ 153
Holy Crow!
and ps Whitehouse v Gonzales on C-SPAN last round of questions
Eureka Springs @ 151
Error page…
Mod note: http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..y-edition/
is this an error page?
it’s the one I have open to watertiger
Loo Hoo @
55
He was 13 just about to the day. He was diagnosed with cancer two years ago in December. We took him to Auburn for treatment, chemo, radiation and surgery. We are grateful to all the folks who worked with us and helped him in his fight. The little guy had the heart of a lion.
I posted some pics on our flckr page
Raven
raven @ 161
raven @ 161
Clicked the wrong button before, meant to add
Thanks! for sharing your photos of Raven.
Raven looks like a real buddy. Awwgain, so sorry for you and yours and his whole family that knew and loved him.
Anime recommendation: 12 Kingdoms.
This is an amazing series that appears to be a typical fantasy story at first blush. Gradually one realizes that there is a much more powerful message being developed about personal responsibility, and especially the responsibilities of those who wield power.
The series was abruptly terminated because of typical TV producer crap. The original story was a series of novels and the main character of the early novels isn’t the main character later on, so the producers canceled it in the second season. Fortunately the first 40 or so episodes tell a couple of amazing stories.
This one has it all, folks. Beautiful artwork, wonderful score, interesting (at times infuriating) characters, and a great story.
12 Kingdoms is sometimes known by the original title, Juuni Kokki.
Yesterday my husband and I went to see a terrific Danish film, “After the Wedding.” We hadn’t read the reviews except that it was an Oscar nominee for best foreign film so we didn’t know what it was about, which turned out to be a really good thing. It was a family drama and the whole thing was the human emotions as each character reacted to the story as it unfolded. The acting was outstanding. And it met my husband’s primary criterion for a good movie, which is to be unpredictable.
So I would recommend going to see it but don’t read the reviews first!
Nausicaa of the valley of the wind is my favorite Miyazaki. It also has a very strong ecological tone to it in the classic Miyazaki philosophy that civilization and nature cannot coexist. Easily one of my 5 all-time favorite movies And as good as the movie is, it actually pales in comparison to the written manga version.
Elliott @
163
thx
This Saturday NPR’s Liane Hansen made a feeble attempt to shine the light on the massive amount of death and destruction that has taken place in Iraq and Somalia. When Hansen compared those deaths to the deaths on the VT campus, she said “the situations are not comparable”. She can sure say that again.
But then she went onto to try to compare them and infer that the pain is the same. She went onto say that Blacksburg “is a sip from a bitter cup, no less bitter because of the numbers”
http://www.npr.org/templates/s…..Id=9750940
What a complete bunch of horseshit Liane. That would be like saying that the tragedy of Blacksburg was no less bitter than the WWII genocide. Liane are you able to see the difference between the pain and suffering of those who died under Hitlers brutal regime and Blacksburg. If you are able to see that difference in the numbers of people who suffered and died in WWII then why would that understanding not apply to the difference of the numbers in Iraq to Blacksburg.
Numbers do matter in a tragedy.
Just when will Liane and NPR devote a whole Saturday program to the hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq. When will you folks at NPR put a face on the Iraqi people who have died and been injured in this war of choice that every American is responsible for. Of course there are people far far more responsible for the death and destruction that has taken place in Iraq.
These people are drowning in the Iraqi peoples blood (Bush, Cheney, Judy Miller, the New York Times, Wolfowitz, Rice, William Kristol, Rove David Frum, Douglas Feith etc.)
NPR’s senior news analyst Daniel Schorr’s comment this Sunday in regard to the medias responsiblity to the public (VT) was insightful. I am always interested in what Mr. Schorr has to say.
http://www.npr.org/templates/s…..Id=9759181
Mr. Schorr if the media has a responsibility to the public to tell us the truth about the suffering and pain that is taking place in Blacksburg. Then why does the MSM (including NPR) refuse to expose the American public to the monumental and ongoing tragedy in Iraq that every American is responsible for. When will Mr. Schorr and NPR put names faces and stories on the hundreds of thousands of people dead, injured and displaced in Iraq?
I believe it is the inability of many Americans to apply the same compassion and empathy that we apply to Americans who die to the Iraqi people that worries many other people around the world. They are aware of this pervasive disconnect that permeates most Americans thinking. Our inability or refusal to acknowledge that we are responsible for the death and destruction in Iraq due to the illegal invasion is of deep concern to many around the world. People around the world know that the U.s. invasion of Iraq created the enviroment for this genocide to take place.
NPR PUT A NAME AND FACE ON THESE IRAQI PEOPLE. DO A COMPLETE SHOW ON THIS ISSUE
Brian Williams called the actions and video of Cho the shooter in Blacksburg as “profane, downright gross, and incomprehensible” I would say that Williams description applies to the majority of American people and many in the MSM who do not put faces or names on the hundreds of thousands of dead,injured and displaced Iraqi people. It is “profane, downright gross, and incomprehensible”
Is it any wonder why so many people around the world fear us? We selectively apply compassion and empathy.
Raven @166
Valley of the Wind, one of the greats perfect for earth day, has some violence just watched it last week with my 12yo daughter, it was her first time seeing it, I changed out my original subtitled vhs tape for a dual language DVD. She got it right off .
Christy; she also loves Princess Monoke, and My Neighbor Totoro, I’m a big fan of Anime and of some of the morals the movies can teach.
Extremely late to this party- was in Santa Barbara for the Earth Day Celebration downtown w/friends. There was a classic car/truck show literally butt up against the Earth Day exhibits. Love to look @ old cars, but as my sig other said,” It’s like Earth Day vs. Use the Maximum Fossil Fuel Day…
“Princess Mononoke” makes me think of the best animation messages sent since the form was invented. I’m w/you, CHS, Mononoke makes me cry because of the prescience of Miyazaki’s message & the gentle beauty of the execution. Haunting, stays w/you, & timeless in the way we all wish we could tell a story…
Miyazaki’s films are among the masterpieces of film, not just anime.
another japanese anime i would highly rec. is “Grave of the Fireflies” about the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing… a bit too advanced for the peanut, but you ahould find it worth the time.
on the home front, if you can track it down, there is an amazing little short from the Hubley Studios that is just too cute and funny for words.
It’s about two young sisters playing.
They took the kids into the studio and recorded them just being childern, then edited that down and animated the conversations.
It’s a brilliant piece of work… “Kakaboty” is it’s name.
oddmommy @ 147
One thing that distinguishes Judaism, though, is that there is no proselytizing.
As I attended a conference in Columbus Ohio on Ohio State Universities campus, I was exposed to radical zionist.
As people approaced the building that the conference was being held a large group of religious Jews stood out front hassling every person (and I mean every person) that went in. A Rabbi SCREEAMED at every person going in with a megaphone calling people “MURDERERS, MURDERERS”. I went over and invited the Rabbi in to discuss the issues. He refused as we invited him in again and again. He then picked up the megaphone and screamed “murderer, murderer”.
I have friends with the Christian Peace Maker who have been to Israel 15 times. Living in Palestinian homes that are near some of the illegal Israeli settlements. These friends walk Palestinian children to school and live with the Palestinians whose houses are being targeted by the Israeli government for destruction. These friends have witnessed these children spit on , cursed at, rocks thrown at them and these childrens lives threatened by Israeli settlers.
Please do not tell me that there are not radical and violent Jews.
I have been witness to other examples of this radical and violent Jewish behaviour.
I’m sorry, but as a big fag, who exists outside the “desire for reproductive vortex”, that shit is really lame. You need to take the cute-lense off and move on. They kill a God? or Gods? and replace them with….? Wretch… perpetuates the same old archetypes, excpet that of the useless woman, which I guess is some progress, but old myths were filled with lots of vital females and where did that get us?
Georgesimian @ 103:
Wow! I didn’t think anyone else on this board would be aware that Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro were released as a double feature originally! My personal theory always was that the beautiful, mystical, and innocent Totoro was to be the balm to prevent people from committing suicide after watching Grave. But don’t be scared off, especially once Peanut is older – Grave is the most powerful and yet touching indictment of the cruelties of was ever committed to celluloid, and absolutely worth watching. But indeed be warned, I have personally seen this film turn grown men in blubbering puddles of goo.
I must disagree vehemently with Mack’s suggestion to avoid Whisper of the Heart, though. I love that film! It was directed by Miyazaki’s heir-apparent Yoshifumi Kondo, who died tragically far too young. This is a lovely story-within-a-story film and has a theme that I NEVER see in American films (animated or otherwise): The concept of a young person needing to find a mission, a purpose in life, in order to become worthy of their fellows who have a life plan. This seems a very Asian concept. The girl heroine, Shizuku, decides to try her hand at writing and commits herself body and soul to creating a fantasy story (which becomes the story of the magical cat Baron seen in the promo art, who later features in The Cat Returns). I think this is a great film for young (junior-high age) people, and it has the side benefit of the coolest rendition of John Denver’s “Country Road” ever used in film!
As to other animation recommendations: Although it’s not Japanese, for kids I highly recommend THE IRON GIANT. Directed by Brad Bird, who went on to make THE INCREDIBLES. No film, even from Japan, has as splendidly captured the unbridled joy of “I have my own giant robot!!1!one!“
Miazaki for younger folk = Kiki’s Delivery Service
Nothing on the environment, just a young girl (who happens to be a witch) trying to get along. No blood, no violence, no bad language.
Hmm. Mononoke Hime is one of my absolute favorites of all time along with Spirited Away. I agree with the comment above that The Iron Giant is classic and utterly perfect. ^^ Something that i can’t forget.
Another one? But it’s more a christmas themed movie? Tokyo Godfathers, directed by Kon Satoshi is actually fairly low key. He’s more well known for psychological thrillers like Perfect Blue. But Tokyo Godfathers is about three Tokyo hobos that find a infant on christmas eve and try to find her parents. It has the surreality that Satoshi-san is known for, but a sweet touch instead of fear and suspense. Heartwarming and intelligent. It’s gone to the top of my favorite Christmas movies of all time.
seconded — we’ve owned it ever since
our middle son was old enough to
“get it” — over five years, now. . .
exquisite.
that is all. . .
ps: i see the iron giant mentioned
almost immediately above mine –
“coffee-zilla” is my favorite line
in that whole fun movie. . .
“there, now. . . commander, sport,
admiral, skipper, captain, scout,
boss, honcho. . .”
Arc Parser @
111
My Father-in-law, god rest him, was thoroughly confused by anime. The adult topics, the unashamed crotch shots and shower scenes (’fanservice’) and even the matter-of-fact assholes on the animals were more than he could take. To him, animation was cartoons and therefore for children. He freaked when Mr HotFlash and I (then merely engaged) watched Golgol 13. And he loved/hated Kekko Kamen, “The thing that is more splendid than panties.” Some of my old favourites are Plastic Little, Vampire Hunter D, Ghost in the Shell (movies and series), Bubblegum Crisis, Sol Bianca, Battle Angel, Gall Force, Demon Hunter Yoko and Appleseed. I also love all the Go Nagai stuff. Pat Labour and Dominion Tank Police. Riding Bean. More recently Last Exile, Jubei-chan, Coyote Ragtime, Bakamatsu and Master Keane.
Good stuff, all of it. Not much of it for kids, though.
I’ve been watching Miyazaki with my daughter (now 14) for years. Princess Mononoke is our fave.
In other anime news: Lately we’ve been watching Neon Genesis Evangelion together. We just finished the 3rd DVD of ~9.
official evangelion site
evangelion on wikipedia
I have been something of an anime junkie for well over a quarter century now. My interest in it goes back even farther though to my childhood when I was introduced to Star Blazers, which not only showed a level of visual detail I was not seeing in NA animation but a storyline far more complex. So like I did everything that caught my interest when I was growing up I did research it at the Library first and then through various sources in the local science fiction community. I have seen literally thousands to tens of thousands of hours of original anime material since then. The only person’s whose work I can say I have never seen a bad film from, not even just an average one for that matter is Miyazaki. His work is always so rich in so many dimensions from pure visual to thematic/plotting to character development. So I would heartily endorse any of his work, just make sure if you are showing it to younger children to check the storylines first to make sure you are comfortable with it. For example, Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most powerful animes of any type I have ever seen, and it does do an excellent job of displaying the costs of war in a true to life manner, and I would hesitate showing that to anyone under puberty.
As for some other anime works I find worth watching, and I should note these range from very serious multilevel writings to those aimed at more juvenile audiences as well as older ones. Naruto would be a good example of that. My wife and I just watched a 24 part series called Chrono Crusade which just blew both of us away, set in 1928 USA dealing with a 16 yr old Sister bound to a devil in an order fighting devils and looking for her younger brother taken by a devil wanting to bring the apocalypse. It was amazingly accurate in its use of proper idiom and in representing the period and environment, and the storyline was excellent, spiritually rich without being heavy-handed on the religious aspect inherent in the storyline. It was incredibly well done in our views, and is one we plan on owning. This is also one I think would not be hard for younger viewers as well as older, but that is ultimately the choice of each set of parents for themselves.
Then there are shows like Gundam Seed, a 50 part series of the more classic transformable humanoid battle armors with a conflict being gengineered humans living in space known as coordinators and the humans of earth, alas being driven by an extremist group called Blue Cosmos whose rallying cry is “For the preservation of our blue and perfect world” who believe that gengineered humans are an abomination to be wiped out totally. There is a follow-up series that was recently released called Gundam Seed Destiny, but I have only seen the first 7 eps so far, but it certainly appears to be on a similar par with the first.
Some of the more classic animes would be Dirty Pair, Appleseed, Patlabor, Project A-Ko, Black Magic M-66, Record of Lodoss War (this is really old, but it was also one of the more interesting ones of its time and kind IMHO) Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (was the source material used to create G Force and Battle of the Planets, but totally different and thankfully no 7 zark 7), Ninja Scroll, The Castle of Cagliostro. There are many more but these are some of the better ones IMHO that come to mind off the top of my head.
More recent series would be like Bleach (a 16 yr old boy gets drafted as a “Soul Reaper” fighting hollows and helping dead spirits cross over), Full Metal Alchemist, Eureka 7, Inuyasha, Ghost in the Shell and GITS: Stand Alone Complex, Serial Experiments Lain (this is an odd one).
Those are just a few of some of the ones I have enjoyed. Anime is a wonderful thing and one of the things I enjoy most in this world. The blending of excellent writing and visuals really works for me, be it hard core action SF to old fashioned feudal era Japan work to deeply mystical to just silly, I find I enjoy work in all these anime genres. I hope I have provided a few useful suggestions to the many excellent works others have already posted in this thread. I am just sorry I came to this site so late today…:(
We watched PM on Friday night for movie night. I got my kids some kodama dolls for their Easter baskets. My DH got a beautiful Ohmu statuette and a key chain with the little bird and the fat mouse frmo Spirited Away. I love love love Miyazaki films!
I like AniMatrix.
The Japanese have been interested in the environment for a long time. Remember Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster? Even their haiku poetry always has an element of the season embedded in it.
It seems the Edwards campaign is getting a bit more attention now. They’re path the “First they ignore you.” stage and on to the “Then they laugh at you.” stage. Next up, “Then they fight you.” stage and finally the, “Then you win.” stage.
Whitehouse did great, and had Leahy’s approval, in the fantastically surreal questioning of our Attorney General who can’t recall anything of importance. I’d guess the citizens of RI are pleased with their choice.
The Edwards haircut story also indicates an interest in California-based voters and their reaction to celebrities who spend a lot on haircuts and makeup. I’d say they’re definately taking him serious for the California primary. Look next for some stories saying he doesn’t have the money or notoriety, or something else silly, needed to win CA. Maybe he should be seen with some prominent CA politicians named Brown: Kathleen, Jerry or Willie. Hey, even a meeting with the Gropinator could be interesting political theater. I wonder how much Ahnold spends for a haircut?
They are apparently testing a trial balloon about Gore jumping in the race. I’m guessing he’ll make a decision about running and if it’s ‘yes’, then he’ll make a decision about when to go public. All-in-all we might find out by July 4th (a nice day for an announcement).
Bush is still preznit. Dang!
McCain’s bombastic ‘bomb bomb bomb’ comment has certainly bombed. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of his withdrawal from the race before long. Is his jaw still growing?
Really! Why *do* they put Newt Gingrich on t.v.?
What’s Hillary’s next move? Any predictions? I can’t see it. Once she committed to the Iraq war it seemed to me she left herself no maneuvering room. Hey, she shoulda ‘left all the options on the table’.
Speaking of anime…shouldn’t there be one of the Bush administration? I mean, it’s all so bizarrely surreal and cartoonish.
Miyazaki gives me some mixed feelings. While Spirited Away is perhaps my favorite film, I would feel a bit better about Grave of the Fireflies if it were about anything other than Hiroshima — as it stands, it smells faintly of the eternal Japanese “poor us, we don’t know why that happened to poor us,” the sort of crap that has had a lot of my Chinese and Korean friends and acquaintances snarl back, “Served you f*king well right!” When it comes to showing what the “cost of war” was to the people you’ve invaded and committed aggression against, the Japanese have been just as deficient as the Americans.
And Princess Mononoke, while pretty, was a content disaster. I saw it in Tokyo when it first came out, and I remember that many people from northern Japan were deeply disappointed that Miyazaki, rather than presenting real Northern or Ainu myth, had elected to simply make everything up from whole cloth. Those cute tree spirits, the wormy boar, the white wolf…. all on the level of cigar store Indians. Of course, it would have been tricky to do real Ainu myth, for instance, since there isn’t any complete agreement on details even among the native people. But that’s no excuse for launching into a free-form craptacular fantasy that loots the mythologies of a dozen countries in search of cool and cute.
And was anyone else bothered by the fact that the important characters all got saved and forgiven, while the common soldiers killed in the battles just, well, stayed dead?
Dang it, an anime thread, and I missed it!
I’m totally–TOTALLY–addicted to Nana right now. Before that, it was Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango). Some other favorites are Paradise Kiss, Twelve Kingdoms and Ouran High School Host Club. I liked His & Her Circumstances (Kare Kano), up until disc 5 or so, when the quality started falling apart. If anyone wants plotlines, I can give ‘em, but I doubt anyone will ready this.
Waaaah!
sagesource –
Well it would help if you got your facts right. GotF is NOT about Hiroshima at all. Go back and take a look at it again. See all those little firey black cylinder things falling all over? Those aren’t hundreds of little atom bombs. This movie is not about the atom bombing of Hiroshima, but about the firebombing of Tokyo (which, similar to the firebombing of Dresden, caused all kinds of hell, made worse because so much of the regular houses in Japan were all wood).
I have heard this kind of comment before. I heard Dr. Susan Napier talk at University of Texas Austin and she recounted an earlier lecture she’d given on anime to older adults (basically “How to understand what your grandkids are watching”). One of the attendees came up to her and asked “Now, the kids do understand that THEY attacked US right?”
Now I know a pretty decent amount of military history and am well acquainted with Japanese war crimes, including their horrific medical experiments in China that rival Mengele. I personally find it slightly grating when I see anime and manga that refer to Nazi atrocities and discrimination while glossing over their own. (At least the master, Osamu Tezuka, in his ADOLF series, talked about harassment of Koreans in Japan and violent repression of internal dissidents).
But I don’t fault GotF for this. I look at it as an indictment of war in general. After all, what did these kids (the protagonists) have to do with all that? Though it’s amusing to note the messages people get from it – the director, Isao Takahata, intended it to also be a criticism of the elder brother, who Takahata took as emblematic of what he felt were lazy Japanese youth, not willing to work hard enough. (Of course, from my view, what kind of job could a teen boy get in the war-ravaged country that would support his sick sister?)
Wow, the first time I’ve come to a blog and seen a thread about Miyazaki. My 14 year old daughter is a complete Totoro freak, and wants anything associated with it. For me, “Spirited Away” is by far my favorite, with “Totoro” second, in large part because of the Shinto themes that run through both. I “Totoro” to be the ultimate kids movie. Also love “Kiki’s”, “Porco Rosso” and “Howl’s”. I like the theme of “Mononoke”, and will have to sit and watch it with the Japanese audio. I can not stand the English audio on it, it just drives me nuts.
One other Ghibli film, with a strong environmental theme, that I haven’t noticed mentioned here is “Pom Poko”, relating the story of a large pack of raccoons whose homes are threatened by a huge housing development in Tokyo and what they do to try and stop it. It has some absolutely hilarious sections, along with some sad ones. Some of the youngest peanuts might have a problem, but the older ones will love it.
My favorite for more adult anime is “Witch Hunter Robin”. I bought the complete series not too long ago, but haven’t had time to watch them all.