"The wind is rising... we must try to live."Hayao Miyazaki's movie is honestly a work of art. You can tell right away how much love, time, and detail went into making it. The animation looks incredible, the sound design is super cool (they actually used human voices for the airplane engine sounds), and the core story is really meaningful.
I totally get why this movie has such amazing reviews and why so many people love it. Following Jiro Horikoshi’s life as he chases his dream of building airplanes while facing the harsh reality of what those planes are used for before World War II is a really interesting and deep concept.
That being said, it just wasn't really my cup of tea.
For me personally, the movie felt way too long and honestly, kind of boring. Not a lot of exciting things actually happen. If you are expecting a classic Ghibli movie with magic, fantasy, or fast-paced adventures, this definitely isn't it. It is a very slow, quiet drama that needs a lot of patience.
I watched it with a friend, which definitely helped. If I had watched this movie completely on my own, I honestly don't think I would have finished it.
The Verdict:
Objectively, it's a great and beautiful film with an important message. If you love slow character stories and quiet biographies, you will probably love it. For me, though, it was just too slow-paced to keep me hooked.
Worum geht’s?
Jiro Horikoshi sehnt sich schon als kleiner Junge nach luftigen Höhen. Der sensible Träumer möchte am liebsten in selbst entworfenen Flugzeugen durch den Himmel gleiten, wie sein großes Vorbild, der italienische Ingenieur Caproni. Seine Kurzsichtigkeit hindert Jiro aber an einer Karriere als Pilot. Stattdessen steigt er 1927 bei einem großen japanischen Ingenieursbüro ein und revolutioniert mit seinen innovativen Ideen und Designs den Flugzeugbau weltweit. Während einer Zugfahrt begegnet er der hübschen Nahoko, mit der er sich Jahre später nach einem zufälligen Wiedersehen verlobt. Während Jiro über die Jahre als Chefentwickler für mehrere Unternehmen Kriegsflugzeuge baut, hat Nahoko mit gesundheitlichen Problemen zu kämpfen…
Mit Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert, Mansai Nomura, Jun Kunimura, Mirai Shida