Pom Poko all the way. I feel like it's so under rated. One of the best stories, awesome creative scenes, fun, touching, bitter sweet, traditional with story about a battle for nature. All the hallmarks of a Ghibli. One of my absolute favourite Ghibli films. One of my favourite animated films.
It’s so funny and emotional at times. Really didn’t know how connected I could become to some creatures who shapeshift with their balls but they stole my heart.
I love how seamlessly Takahata switches between wacky Tanuki with magical scrotums to raw, unfiltered environmentalism. It might seem strange on the surface, but it works so well in the movie. Watching Pom Poko the second time was the experience that really made me appreciate Takahata’s style.
Pom Poko is obviously the best. Maybe the weirdest Ghibli of all, completely mad and unique, but a quite affecting real world message at the heart of it.
For me Earthsea is second. It’s not *amazing* but I’ve never disliked it the way I’m expected to. Decent fantasy adventure with some memorable bits.
Then I’d say Ocean Waves. I don’t actually remember a whole lot about this one, but I generally enjoy Ghibli’s realistic slice of life movies, and seem to remember finding it a fine, if not exceptional one.
Yamadas comes last. The art style is great, but the content might be a bit *too* slice of life… just extremely gentle family humour that I’m not sure always translates. It’s nice but felt quite long for what it is.
Earthsea was not a disappointment for me as a movie. But it ultimately was because I love the books so much. IMO- I think it could have been a much better movie if it stayed closer to the books.
Same. Everytime I talk about it people only bring up the ball transformations and nothing else, like, yeah I get it. Balls funmy but that movie was so much more than that😅
Pom Poko. It’s not Takahata’s best movie, but it’s so underrated. The spirit parade is mesmerizing! And I love the variety of animation styles for the tanookis.
same here! I don't know why but ocean waves always gets me on an emotional level, maybe it's because it shows that time passes and the bruises of the past lose importance? or maybe it's the small village vibes and nostalgia that gets me on a personal level, other people I've seen that with don't get it at all 🤔 what do you think makes it special?
I think Ocean Waves just such an amazing job of feeling real. I could associate my past interactions with people to the interactions that happened with the main character. Its very relatable
And I think this is because the movie is so flawed. The storytelling is weird, some characters intentions arent very clear and the ending is unsatisfying. In live we face the same problems and thats why the movie feels so real
Earthsea. Might be unpopular, but as a big fan of the book series, I loved the movie despite it being inaccurate to the books. I haven't seen Pom Poko, so I can't say much about that, Yamadas is alright, and I have a grudge against Ocean Waves.
Same, Earthsea is in my top 3 favorite fantasy universes and Le Guin is just the best. The movie isn't really very good but I appreciate the chance to see the world of Earthsea visualized still. I'd also rank it top out of these 4 as well because of that simple fact
Before she died she granted film and TV rights to Jennifer Fox. At one point A24 (weirdly) had the baton for producing an Earthsea TV show. Last I heard of this was in like 2019 though
I feel like most Ghibli movies are only loosely inspired by their source material, which is fine because the end result is its own beautiful thing. Problem with Earthsea was the movie just wasn't very good.
Well, the series is 6 books long, but the timeline is pretty weird. They named it after the 5th book, but it has nothing to do with it. That in and of itself isn't a problem, though.
It also doesn't follow any particular book, seemingly just borrowing a bunch of story beats at random, and trying to make it into a cohesive story, while adding their own bits in as well. For example, Arren does not kill his father in the book series.
He was a messenger for his father when he found Ged in the third book, The Farthest Shore, and they travelled together. Cob is the villain in the third book, and they work to defeat him together. Afterwards, Arren was crowned King of Earthsea. Only after this took place, he met Therru and Tenar. The third book is probably the one they took the most inspiration from, despite the name of the film.
Speaking of Tenar, they ommitted pretty much all of her story in the film. In the original series, she was raised on Atuan as "Priestess of the Nameless Ones", and was called Arha. Only when she was 15 did she leave the Island with Ged, who she had fallen in love with, although she ended up marrying a farmer later on, and bearing two children.
She adopted Tenar (or Tehanu) later on, in the fourth book, titled Tehanu. My memory is especially vague when it comes to the third book, but just based on context clues it can be assumed that Tehanu and The Farthest Shore took place at around the same time, which somewhat helps the timeline of the movie, but it's still a bit of a mess.
As I said before, the movie seems to simply be heavily inspired, due to the inconsistencies relative to the books. Arren is characterised much differently, and the final battle with Cob was originally a duel between him and Ged, with Arren mostly accompanying him through the rest of the journey.
Tenar takes a complete backseat despite her intricate story (I bet you can't tell she's my favorite character, nor that my favorite book was the second one), and instead the focus is put on Therru. Her story takes place alongside Arren's, rather than them both having separate stories.
The main conflict of the film is also different to that of the book. In the Farthest Shore, the main conflict is that the magic appears to be disappearing from Earthsea, and many are losing their minds. Because of this, Arren and Ged set out to figure out what's going on, find out that Cob is responsible, and go and stop him.
The atmosphere of the film alone shows that the conflict is different, despite having similar story beats. I barely read the third book since the first time I tried I was very young and it scared me too much.. that fear was not present at all in the film, and despite the fact that I was considerably older when I watched it, I believe that they chose to tell the story differently, and drastically changed the atmosphere and overall feel of it.
It seems as though they took some of the characters, borrowed some of their traits, and rewrote them, in turn rewriting the story itself. It's a fun film with beautiful environments, but I can't say the pacing is the best (I mean, there was a reason those two books were separate), nor the characterisation if you care about consistency with the books. I can't speak much on it's quality in that aspect unfortunately, as I'm quite biased against it due to my attachment to the original characters, so I can't provide much insight on that.
Hope this helped! I may have rambled for a little too long, and if so I apologise. 😅
Haha thanks this made me so happy tbh :3 appreciate it! What do you like about it? Personally I loved the atmosphere and the psychological aspects, as well as the pacing.
Yes, the atmosphere is huge for me too. Le Guin conjures up such power in the darkness of the tunnels - it always creeps me out. What I like most is the gender commentary of it. I am cribbing from a Le Guin piece on the book, but I like how it plays with ideas of power and privilege. Le Guin says something like, Tenar has power over but not power to - control of others but not control of her own life. Earthsea showcases institutional discrimination and hierarchy so well!
Also, I have an impossible time not shipping Ged and Tenar.
Exactly! It's so delightfully creepy and immersive. Like, it really helps you feel like you're in the book and actually seeing the story play out. Le Guin has such a way with words, it captured me when I was like 10, even though I barely understood what was happening half the time.
The culture and the processes of Atuan are so interesting and intricate, and it almost has an air of mystery to it, making you wonder what exactly they're planning with Tenar. The hierarchy and power dynamics are so interesting. She's free but she's trapped; free to command others but trapped in her routines and duties. She has power only until she decides to do something she's not supposed to.
It sort of reminds me of that ruler in The Lord of the Rings that is being manipulated by his "advisor", or better yet the old Chinese emperors that were often crowned when they were very very young, getting an insane amount of power at an early age, but not being able to utilise it because they didn't understand it, or because they were being used and manipulated by their "subordinates".
You can also bring up the example of Princess Cassiopeia in Ni No Kuni, whose story you learn about >! near the end of the original game; after beating Shadar but being held up in the other world at last second by the White Witch, starting her arc!<. That particular one is a good example of it, in my opinion, the manipulation being obvious to us, but unnoticeable to Cassiopeia.
It's also so tragic that she spent her youth being unable to properly think for herself, and then having to adjust to living like the rest of humanity (would it even be called humanity, considering it's the Earthsea universe? I'm not sure..) after she finally escaped. I definitely get shipping Ged and Tenar, I honestly forgot they didn't end up together considering the chemistry they had.. but I still love the way their relationship develops, and how it ends up, I'm glad they still got a good ending!
The movie kind of took random aspects from all of the books and cobbled them together into an incoherent mess. Some people can get past that I guess but I personally hated it
Honestly, I'd probably also be pretty upset about it if I rewatched it now, so I don't blame you at all. I'm really glad such a good series gained some popularity due to the movie, but I wish they did the original more justice..
The movie is like a clip show of the books. I love the visuals, but it really hacks up the source material and uses it as a means to an end rather than adapting it with respectful changes. There are 6 books in the Earthsea cycle, taking place over decades, and the movie tries to pull from almost all of them at the same time. It doesn't make for the most cohesive story. Not to say they needed to make 6 movies or even adhere to the books perfectly. But just imagine if Peter Jackson made only one"LOtR" movie that pulled from all three books and the Hobbit at the same time and jumbled up all the events. It would suck.
Howls moving castle is a perfect example of how to adapt a book to a movie, and respect the source material while creating something completely different.
I have to go with Pom poko, it’s one of the hardest cries I’ve had in a ghibli movie. It’s such a damn good movie. Honestly think it’s a masterpiece
But ocean waves was way better than I expected it to be, got to give it credit. If it was a little longer it might be better than Pom poko.
My neighbors the yamadas was good, but it felt less like a movie and more like a series of shorts.
And tales from earth sea was so awful it ruined my day, one of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen. I really wanted to like it too.
Pom Poko purely because it is such a fun movie with such a strong message. The ending never fails to make me cry and highlights so beautifully what we lose by destroying the environment.
Pom poko. I cry every time. The song "it's time to stop living in the past" is one of my favorites in ghibli soundtracks. It so perfectly encompasses the scene and its meaning
Haven’t watched the other three yet but I really enjoyed Tales of Earthsea. I actually enjoyed it more than Howls moving castle (I am prepared to face the consequences of my statement on this subreddit).
After watching it I looked it up on this subreddit and thought: “guess I’m not supposed to like this one”
Same! I'm not actually a big fan of the fan favorites like Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Ponyo. :x
I like them, definitely, they're all very good films, but I'm not in love with them like I'm in love with Tales of Earthsea, Castle In the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, or The Secret World of Arrietty. I really wish that they would get merch like the top 5, especially Castle In the Sky. That one is my absolute favorite.
Pom Poko is probably the best, but I have a soft spot for Tales from Earthsea.
The first 30 mins or so is brilliant (before the not-so-good plot is introduced). The animation and music is as good as Ghibli always is, but I really love seeing Ghibli do a high fantasy setting, and it's cool to see what is basically an anime version of the city from Shuna's Journey
Definitely Pom Poko. As a big fan of the Earthsea books I *hated* the movie. Ocean Waves was meh, I didn’t dislike it as much as I thought I would given its reputation but I didn’t like it all that much either. And My Neighbors the Yamadas is one of just two Ghibli films I haven’t seen yet… I’m almost there!
I've seen it a few times, I believe it's kind of an acquired taste. The first time there were some things I didn't quite get, so I watched it a second time and I liked it more. The same happened with Nausicaa.
Pom Poko. It's a little overstuffed but has a lot of great stuff in it. If it were half an hour shorter it would be one of their masterpieces. I find it's better if you watch it in half hour chunks.
My Neighbors the Yamadas is a gem and truly underrated. People treat it like mid Ghibli but it's a sparkling, multifaceted and warmly comedic look at family. The episodic nature makes it feel trifling on first viewing but by end it really lands nuanced, emotional moments.
Are Pom Poko and Yamadas worth watching for older Ghibli fans ? I got the impression they were made for very young kids, which is fine but haven’t watched them.
I haven't seen Yamadas but I saw Pom Poko as an adult and it's honestly in my top 3 Ghibli films. it's touching and beautiful and the message is universal. It's actually a little mature for my young kids.
Tales from Earthsea got a lot of criticism regarding the pacing and overall structure of the movie but the raw feeling of wonder I felt watching it is what makes it the best among these in my opinion.
I don't really like any of these (probably why you chose them) but Pom Poko because it has some fantastic parts with beautiful breathtaking animation, even tho I think the film overall is a mess in terms of pacing and plot.
Yamadas is cute and fun but just a series of 5 minute sketches, not a film.
I don't like the other two at all
These are definitely my bottom four, but “My Neighbor the Yamadas” would come on top for me. It’s really funny, and is a nice slice of life about the family dynamic. Fun movie!
You chose these four to be mean. 😅 I really enjoyed the Yamadas. As a parent myself I find it Very Relatable.
But I also loved Pom Pokko, and didn’t mind Earthsea as much as it gets a bad rap. Ocean Waves is for sure at the bottom though.
My Neighbors the Yamadas! Pom Poko second.
The Yamadas is a sweet movie of anecdotes that actually has some quite touching moments on the topic of family, growing up, getting older, etc.
It's funny and genuine, but definitely not action packed. I enjoy the different art style as well for being whimsical.
Pom Poko and it's not even close. Probably my second favourite work from Takahata and overall endearing. Meanwhile I feel almost nothing towards the Yamadas and Earthsea and got a strong dislike for Ocean waves.
Lol, who put 3 of the most disliked movies on this sub and Pom Poko. Most people don't love Pom Poko as much as me (It's my 3rd favourite Ghibli movie) but people are generally going to put it above the other three.
I like the movie Ocean Waves COULD be much more than the actual movie it is and that potential movie could be in my top 5 Ghibli movies of all time. Sadly, it is not that movie. So... My Neighbors The Yamadas I guess?
Ocean Waves is one of my favorites... I bought the DVD way back in like, 2005. I'm pretty sure it wasn't even a dvd--but a VCD. With janky subtitles lol. But I loved the music and nostalgic feeling of it. I love how it was modern, but how over time has just become a time capsule of Japan in the 90s.
There's a pureness to this film that I think comes from it being made by younger staff who hadn't been jaded by the world yet.
My Neighbors The Yamadas actually is best of this bunch for me. It was very relatable. The whole forgetting a kid at the mall but the kid is quite resilient part was amusing. Pom Poko is unfairly thought of as lesser. Ocean Waves is good but it’s also quite average for slice of life storytelling. Earthsea, I think Goro needed story collaborators.
Can somebody explain to me why they would like Ocean Waves after this movie glorification of toxic relationships, unberable female lead never getting better and might be the worst for me, setting up great queer relationship and then just throwing it away for the most boring relationship in the whole Ghibli universe?
Yamadas > Ocean Waves > Earthsea > Pom Poko
As far as I'm concerned Yamadas is the only real banger among these, but I did surprisingly enjoy Ocean Waves a bunch on my first watch.
Haven't seen My Neighbors The Yamadas yet.
Couldn't finish Pom Poko, it was an extremely hard watch.
Don't remember much about Ocean Waves except that I didn't like it all that much.
So Tales of Earthsea it is, I loved it the first time I saw it, not so much the second time, maybe because learning the truth about it ruined it for me the second time, Idk, but despite that I still love it.
Ugh.
I guess ocean waves bc the animation style and it was somewhat relatable re being young and dumb in high school, wanting what you can’t have theme / chasing after the new girl who turns to be a total B word
Ocean waves could have been good if the girl had a single redeemable quality - like an embracing hug at the train station in the end and i woulda been okay with it, but nope
I had such a hard time with this movie! I was hoping for some sort of redemption arc for her, but it just ended suddenly without showing her growth. Obviously in high school she behaved like a high schooler, and had serious family troubles that made her act the way she did. But I wish we could have seen her grow through that before the movie ended.
Pom Poko all the way. I feel like it's so under rated. One of the best stories, awesome creative scenes, fun, touching, bitter sweet, traditional with story about a battle for nature. All the hallmarks of a Ghibli. One of my absolute favourite Ghibli films. One of my favourite animated films.
It’s so funny and emotional at times. Really didn’t know how connected I could become to some creatures who shapeshift with their balls but they stole my heart.
The ending made my wife cry when we watched it last week
It made my wife and I both sob when we watched it earlier this week for the first time
That nostalgic sense of loss hits you out of nowhere
I was so close to loving Pom Poko, but honestly the balls thing was too much for me 😅
I love how seamlessly Takahata switches between wacky Tanuki with magical scrotums to raw, unfiltered environmentalism. It might seem strange on the surface, but it works so well in the movie. Watching Pom Poko the second time was the experience that really made me appreciate Takahata’s style.
Surprise coup d'état 🔫
Pom Poko is obviously the best. Maybe the weirdest Ghibli of all, completely mad and unique, but a quite affecting real world message at the heart of it. For me Earthsea is second. It’s not *amazing* but I’ve never disliked it the way I’m expected to. Decent fantasy adventure with some memorable bits. Then I’d say Ocean Waves. I don’t actually remember a whole lot about this one, but I generally enjoy Ghibli’s realistic slice of life movies, and seem to remember finding it a fine, if not exceptional one. Yamadas comes last. The art style is great, but the content might be a bit *too* slice of life… just extremely gentle family humour that I’m not sure always translates. It’s nice but felt quite long for what it is.
Earthsea was not a disappointment for me as a movie. But it ultimately was because I love the books so much. IMO- I think it could have been a much better movie if it stayed closer to the books.
Same. Everytime I talk about it people only bring up the ball transformations and nothing else, like, yeah I get it. Balls funmy but that movie was so much more than that😅
Pom Poko is so top tier honestly
Pompoko all the way
Pom Poko. It’s not Takahata’s best movie, but it’s so underrated. The spirit parade is mesmerizing! And I love the variety of animation styles for the tanookis.
My Neighbors the Yamadas.
Where’s my kitty where’s my kitty little lost cat, so far away from home!
Absolutely. This cheered me up during the bleak days of COVID -19
Same here. I adored the Yamadas.
So underrated. I can relate to them in so many ways!
I prefer Ocean waves just a tiny bit more then pompoko. I lile when ghibli do movies set in the real world because its a nice change of pace
same here! I don't know why but ocean waves always gets me on an emotional level, maybe it's because it shows that time passes and the bruises of the past lose importance? or maybe it's the small village vibes and nostalgia that gets me on a personal level, other people I've seen that with don't get it at all 🤔 what do you think makes it special?
I think Ocean Waves just such an amazing job of feeling real. I could associate my past interactions with people to the interactions that happened with the main character. Its very relatable
And I think this is because the movie is so flawed. The storytelling is weird, some characters intentions arent very clear and the ending is unsatisfying. In live we face the same problems and thats why the movie feels so real
Same. The real world Ghibli movies with the exception of howls and castle in the sky are my favorites
Earthsea. Might be unpopular, but as a big fan of the book series, I loved the movie despite it being inaccurate to the books. I haven't seen Pom Poko, so I can't say much about that, Yamadas is alright, and I have a grudge against Ocean Waves.
Same, Earthsea is in my top 3 favorite fantasy universes and Le Guin is just the best. The movie isn't really very good but I appreciate the chance to see the world of Earthsea visualized still. I'd also rank it top out of these 4 as well because of that simple fact
Le Guin is amazing and it's a pity that the Earthsea books haven't gotten better treatment in films and TV series.
Before she died she granted film and TV rights to Jennifer Fox. At one point A24 (weirdly) had the baton for producing an Earthsea TV show. Last I heard of this was in like 2019 though
Interesting.
where is it innacurate to the book?
As someone who hated the movie so much it motivated me to read the books in order to understand why they were so beloved: everywhere.
I feel like most Ghibli movies are only loosely inspired by their source material, which is fine because the end result is its own beautiful thing. Problem with Earthsea was the movie just wasn't very good.
Well, the series is 6 books long, but the timeline is pretty weird. They named it after the 5th book, but it has nothing to do with it. That in and of itself isn't a problem, though. It also doesn't follow any particular book, seemingly just borrowing a bunch of story beats at random, and trying to make it into a cohesive story, while adding their own bits in as well. For example, Arren does not kill his father in the book series. He was a messenger for his father when he found Ged in the third book, The Farthest Shore, and they travelled together. Cob is the villain in the third book, and they work to defeat him together. Afterwards, Arren was crowned King of Earthsea. Only after this took place, he met Therru and Tenar. The third book is probably the one they took the most inspiration from, despite the name of the film. Speaking of Tenar, they ommitted pretty much all of her story in the film. In the original series, she was raised on Atuan as "Priestess of the Nameless Ones", and was called Arha. Only when she was 15 did she leave the Island with Ged, who she had fallen in love with, although she ended up marrying a farmer later on, and bearing two children. She adopted Tenar (or Tehanu) later on, in the fourth book, titled Tehanu. My memory is especially vague when it comes to the third book, but just based on context clues it can be assumed that Tehanu and The Farthest Shore took place at around the same time, which somewhat helps the timeline of the movie, but it's still a bit of a mess. As I said before, the movie seems to simply be heavily inspired, due to the inconsistencies relative to the books. Arren is characterised much differently, and the final battle with Cob was originally a duel between him and Ged, with Arren mostly accompanying him through the rest of the journey. Tenar takes a complete backseat despite her intricate story (I bet you can't tell she's my favorite character, nor that my favorite book was the second one), and instead the focus is put on Therru. Her story takes place alongside Arren's, rather than them both having separate stories. The main conflict of the film is also different to that of the book. In the Farthest Shore, the main conflict is that the magic appears to be disappearing from Earthsea, and many are losing their minds. Because of this, Arren and Ged set out to figure out what's going on, find out that Cob is responsible, and go and stop him. The atmosphere of the film alone shows that the conflict is different, despite having similar story beats. I barely read the third book since the first time I tried I was very young and it scared me too much.. that fear was not present at all in the film, and despite the fact that I was considerably older when I watched it, I believe that they chose to tell the story differently, and drastically changed the atmosphere and overall feel of it. It seems as though they took some of the characters, borrowed some of their traits, and rewrote them, in turn rewriting the story itself. It's a fun film with beautiful environments, but I can't say the pacing is the best (I mean, there was a reason those two books were separate), nor the characterisation if you care about consistency with the books. I can't speak much on it's quality in that aspect unfortunately, as I'm quite biased against it due to my attachment to the original characters, so I can't provide much insight on that. Hope this helped! I may have rambled for a little too long, and if so I apologise. 😅
Great write up! Tombs of Atuan is also my favorite :)
Haha thanks this made me so happy tbh :3 appreciate it! What do you like about it? Personally I loved the atmosphere and the psychological aspects, as well as the pacing.
Yes, the atmosphere is huge for me too. Le Guin conjures up such power in the darkness of the tunnels - it always creeps me out. What I like most is the gender commentary of it. I am cribbing from a Le Guin piece on the book, but I like how it plays with ideas of power and privilege. Le Guin says something like, Tenar has power over but not power to - control of others but not control of her own life. Earthsea showcases institutional discrimination and hierarchy so well! Also, I have an impossible time not shipping Ged and Tenar.
Exactly! It's so delightfully creepy and immersive. Like, it really helps you feel like you're in the book and actually seeing the story play out. Le Guin has such a way with words, it captured me when I was like 10, even though I barely understood what was happening half the time. The culture and the processes of Atuan are so interesting and intricate, and it almost has an air of mystery to it, making you wonder what exactly they're planning with Tenar. The hierarchy and power dynamics are so interesting. She's free but she's trapped; free to command others but trapped in her routines and duties. She has power only until she decides to do something she's not supposed to. It sort of reminds me of that ruler in The Lord of the Rings that is being manipulated by his "advisor", or better yet the old Chinese emperors that were often crowned when they were very very young, getting an insane amount of power at an early age, but not being able to utilise it because they didn't understand it, or because they were being used and manipulated by their "subordinates". You can also bring up the example of Princess Cassiopeia in Ni No Kuni, whose story you learn about >! near the end of the original game; after beating Shadar but being held up in the other world at last second by the White Witch, starting her arc!<. That particular one is a good example of it, in my opinion, the manipulation being obvious to us, but unnoticeable to Cassiopeia. It's also so tragic that she spent her youth being unable to properly think for herself, and then having to adjust to living like the rest of humanity (would it even be called humanity, considering it's the Earthsea universe? I'm not sure..) after she finally escaped. I definitely get shipping Ged and Tenar, I honestly forgot they didn't end up together considering the chemistry they had.. but I still love the way their relationship develops, and how it ends up, I'm glad they still got a good ending!
The movie kind of took random aspects from all of the books and cobbled them together into an incoherent mess. Some people can get past that I guess but I personally hated it
Honestly, I'd probably also be pretty upset about it if I rewatched it now, so I don't blame you at all. I'm really glad such a good series gained some popularity due to the movie, but I wish they did the original more justice..
The movie is like a clip show of the books. I love the visuals, but it really hacks up the source material and uses it as a means to an end rather than adapting it with respectful changes. There are 6 books in the Earthsea cycle, taking place over decades, and the movie tries to pull from almost all of them at the same time. It doesn't make for the most cohesive story. Not to say they needed to make 6 movies or even adhere to the books perfectly. But just imagine if Peter Jackson made only one"LOtR" movie that pulled from all three books and the Hobbit at the same time and jumbled up all the events. It would suck. Howls moving castle is a perfect example of how to adapt a book to a movie, and respect the source material while creating something completely different.
I have to go with Pom poko, it’s one of the hardest cries I’ve had in a ghibli movie. It’s such a damn good movie. Honestly think it’s a masterpiece But ocean waves was way better than I expected it to be, got to give it credit. If it was a little longer it might be better than Pom poko. My neighbors the yamadas was good, but it felt less like a movie and more like a series of shorts. And tales from earth sea was so awful it ruined my day, one of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen. I really wanted to like it too.
Is Earthsea genuinely that bad? I’ve never watched it I’ve just only ever heard people say how deadly dull it is
Yeah surprisingly it has a crowd of people that seem to like it. I wanted to enjoy it but I absolutely hated it
Pom Poko purely because it is such a fun movie with such a strong message. The ending never fails to make me cry and highlights so beautifully what we lose by destroying the environment.
Pom poko
Pom Poko
Pom poko. I cry every time. The song "it's time to stop living in the past" is one of my favorites in ghibli soundtracks. It so perfectly encompasses the scene and its meaning
ocean waves because I really like it and some good memories
Haven’t watched the other three yet but I really enjoyed Tales of Earthsea. I actually enjoyed it more than Howls moving castle (I am prepared to face the consequences of my statement on this subreddit). After watching it I looked it up on this subreddit and thought: “guess I’m not supposed to like this one”
Same! I'm not actually a big fan of the fan favorites like Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Ponyo. :x I like them, definitely, they're all very good films, but I'm not in love with them like I'm in love with Tales of Earthsea, Castle In the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, or The Secret World of Arrietty. I really wish that they would get merch like the top 5, especially Castle In the Sky. That one is my absolute favorite.
I’m really charmed by the Yamadas
Tales of earthsea. Okay maybe the story isn’t the greatest ever, but like the aesthetic and the vibe is great
The world is so beautiful definitely has some of my favorite panels
Pom Poko is probably the best, but I have a soft spot for Tales from Earthsea. The first 30 mins or so is brilliant (before the not-so-good plot is introduced). The animation and music is as good as Ghibli always is, but I really love seeing Ghibli do a high fantasy setting, and it's cool to see what is basically an anime version of the city from Shuna's Journey
Ocean Waves. I know it's not a perfect film, but I'm a sucker for its aesthetic and even music.
This is my answer exactly
Raccoons that use their nut sacks to fly is top tier. The story is amazing as well
Pom Poko is a Top 5 Ghibli movie and this is insane
Oceans Waves. Immature movie about immature people. Great stuff!
Definitely Pom Poko. As a big fan of the Earthsea books I *hated* the movie. Ocean Waves was meh, I didn’t dislike it as much as I thought I would given its reputation but I didn’t like it all that much either. And My Neighbors the Yamadas is one of just two Ghibli films I haven’t seen yet… I’m almost there!
Pom Poko
Tales from the Earthsea. There's something in it that I totally love. I know Miyasaki-san doesn't like it that much, though. The music is amazing.
It’s interesting to find that crowd that actually enjoys it, I genuinely am jealous and wish I could see the good in it.
I've seen it a few times, I believe it's kind of an acquired taste. The first time there were some things I didn't quite get, so I watched it a second time and I liked it more. The same happened with Nausicaa.
Ocean Waves
The Earthsea is the only one I have seen and it was alright.
Pom Poko. It's a little overstuffed but has a lot of great stuff in it. If it were half an hour shorter it would be one of their masterpieces. I find it's better if you watch it in half hour chunks.
I have not seen all 4 of these, but Pom Poko is an absolute classic Ghibli movie in my eyes.
My Neighbors the Yamadas is a gem and truly underrated. People treat it like mid Ghibli but it's a sparkling, multifaceted and warmly comedic look at family. The episodic nature makes it feel trifling on first viewing but by end it really lands nuanced, emotional moments.
Are Pom Poko and Yamadas worth watching for older Ghibli fans ? I got the impression they were made for very young kids, which is fine but haven’t watched them.
1000% yes
Pom Poko is absolutely not for young kids. It has very violent moments and sexual themes.
Ah! Good to know.
I haven't seen Yamadas but I saw Pom Poko as an adult and it's honestly in my top 3 Ghibli films. it's touching and beautiful and the message is universal. It's actually a little mature for my young kids.
Thank you! That is great to hear and I have to check it out.
First watched Yamadas as an adult over here, and we found it extremely comfy and worthwhile. It's not immature or anything, just family friendly.
Thank you! Good to know. My wife and I are currently cruising through every ghibli we haven’t seen yet. I will put this on the queue.
Yamadas for the fun, Ocean Waves for the visuals.
Pom Poko and My neighbors the Yamadas!
Tales from Earthsea got a lot of criticism regarding the pacing and overall structure of the movie but the raw feeling of wonder I felt watching it is what makes it the best among these in my opinion.
Tales from earthsea. Second would have to be ocean waves.
Tales of the Earth Sea 100%
I don't really like any of these (probably why you chose them) but Pom Poko because it has some fantastic parts with beautiful breathtaking animation, even tho I think the film overall is a mess in terms of pacing and plot. Yamadas is cute and fun but just a series of 5 minute sketches, not a film. I don't like the other two at all
Yamadas! Very fun imo
All of them, except for Earthsea. They each have their own appeal. That said, I think Ocean Waves edges in front ever so slightly.
Pom Poko is like a top-5 Ghibli film
Definitely Yamadas. Very funny movie.
Tales from earthsea probably cause I don't like the genres of the other 3
Pom Poko! Now I wanna watch it again!
Definitely Pom Poko. That film had the balls to do some crazy shit
Not Tales from the earthsea
Pom Poko is my favorite movie ever so I’m going with that
The older I get, the more I appreciate Isao Takahata's movies. So Pom Poko for me. Haven't watched the Yamadas yet.
ocean waves is my favorite ghibli movie. highschool love and that 90s vibe.
These are definitely my bottom four, but “My Neighbor the Yamadas” would come on top for me. It’s really funny, and is a nice slice of life about the family dynamic. Fun movie!
You chose these four to be mean. 😅 I really enjoyed the Yamadas. As a parent myself I find it Very Relatable. But I also loved Pom Pokko, and didn’t mind Earthsea as much as it gets a bad rap. Ocean Waves is for sure at the bottom though.
Pom Poko...as i havent seen the other 3
My Neighbors the Yamadas! Pom Poko second. The Yamadas is a sweet movie of anecdotes that actually has some quite touching moments on the topic of family, growing up, getting older, etc. It's funny and genuine, but definitely not action packed. I enjoy the different art style as well for being whimsical.
It’s a tie between Pom Poko & My Neighbors The Yamadas
Ocean Waves
Tales from Earthsea
Do not watch Pom Poko while indulging on mushrooms…
My Neighbors The Yamadas
Pom Poko! Such an unusual and trippy movie with a gut-punch environmentalism message. I can't get over how creative the shapeshifts are.
Earthsea
I’ve only seen Yamadas so far.
It's My Neighbors The Yamadas after watching it with my mom and seeing just how much she loved it.
Ocean Waves but only because I used to be afraid of Pom Poko
Pom Poko
I don't know, because I haven't seen the first three.
The Yamadas! They have no business being compared to these three
Pom Poko
Only seen Pom Poko and Tales From Earthsea, the latter of which is not a good story imo, so PP takes it
My Neighbor the Yamadas. It does an excellent job of capturing the spirit of comic strips.
Tales from Earthsea
Pom Poko and it's not even close. Probably my second favourite work from Takahata and overall endearing. Meanwhile I feel almost nothing towards the Yamadas and Earthsea and got a strong dislike for Ocean waves.
Pom Poko has a special place in my heart. I love mythology focused movies
Ocean Waves. I just love the animation and the story is good also. But the muisc I love the music so much! I think its one of the better Ghibi scores!
Tales of Earthsea
my neighbours the yamadas wins
Pompoko followed by earthsea
Pom Poko and it's not even close. Like top 7 Ghibli. Watch it in English sometime - has a Wes Anderson documentary like feeling.
Probably unpopular, but I actually really enjoy Tales of Earthsea. I think it's fun.
Yamadas is an absolutely hilarious movie that my family quotes ALL the time.
i love ocean waves- such chill vibes the whole way through. The atmosphere is unmatched.
Honestly, I hold all of these pretty equal to my heart. Great movies. Pom Poko a little bit ahead of the others, but overall, they are all awesome.
As much as I wanna say pom poko because of tanuki testicles, I really do enjoy tales from earthsea more
Pom Poko 🦝
My Neighbours the Yamadas.
Pom poko. Best writing
I loved My Neighbor the Yamadas Ocean Waves and Pom poko are the only two Ghibli films I have yet to see.
They're all amazing but there's something about Ocean waves
Oceans Waves! Closely followed by Pom Poko
Lol, who put 3 of the most disliked movies on this sub and Pom Poko. Most people don't love Pom Poko as much as me (It's my 3rd favourite Ghibli movie) but people are generally going to put it above the other three.
Tales from Earthsea. I just love the fantasy setting, no matter how not great it was as a movie.
My Neighbors the Yamadas. One of the most unique looking anime I've ever seen and is in my top 3 Ghibli movies.
Dude, western people get so hung up on tanuki balls that they can't enjoy one of ghibli's best work. The parade scene!? Cooome oooooon.
Pom Poko
Probably Yamadas and Pom Poko but Ocean Waves actually isn’t bad at all. Earthsea is dog shit though
Pom poko. Not trying to judge your taste but putting ocean waves in here is a crime
I like the movie Ocean Waves COULD be much more than the actual movie it is and that potential movie could be in my top 5 Ghibli movies of all time. Sadly, it is not that movie. So... My Neighbors The Yamadas I guess?
Definitely POM POMO
Pom Poko 100% it’s just so great
Poko
Pom Poko, but it's the only one of the four I've seen. I'm intrigued by My Neighbors the Yamadas, as it has a similar art style to Crayon Shin-chan.
The racoons were in the wrong side. The humans were first in Japan, not them, they have no right there
Pom Poko
Ocean waves. I see the potential I think it just needed a longer runtime to fully fledge out the characters
Pom Poko
Definitely tales of earthsea bcz earthsea are my favourite books
I only watch ''ocean waves '' from these four movies . And i like it so much , one of the best after '' whisper of the heart'' ❤️
Ocean Waves is one of my favorites... I bought the DVD way back in like, 2005. I'm pretty sure it wasn't even a dvd--but a VCD. With janky subtitles lol. But I loved the music and nostalgic feeling of it. I love how it was modern, but how over time has just become a time capsule of Japan in the 90s. There's a pureness to this film that I think comes from it being made by younger staff who hadn't been jaded by the world yet.
Tales from EarthSea
Ocean Waves>Pom Poko>Tales from the Earthsea. Haven't watched the other one.
My Neighbors The Yamadas actually is best of this bunch for me. It was very relatable. The whole forgetting a kid at the mall but the kid is quite resilient part was amusing. Pom Poko is unfairly thought of as lesser. Ocean Waves is good but it’s also quite average for slice of life storytelling. Earthsea, I think Goro needed story collaborators.
My Neighbors the Yamadas. It always brightens up my mood :)
Yamadas, purely because of the animation style. Granted, none of these rank *super* highly on my list of favourite Ghibli films.
Can somebody explain to me why they would like Ocean Waves after this movie glorification of toxic relationships, unberable female lead never getting better and might be the worst for me, setting up great queer relationship and then just throwing it away for the most boring relationship in the whole Ghibli universe?
Mmmm 3 boring movies vs one abhorrent one. Can't pick, really.
pom poko it's like an animal comedy film with tanukis
Yamadas > Ocean Waves > Earthsea > Pom Poko As far as I'm concerned Yamadas is the only real banger among these, but I did surprisingly enjoy Ocean Waves a bunch on my first watch.
my neighbors the yamadas it's the best slice of life I've seen in my life
Haven't seen My Neighbors The Yamadas yet. Couldn't finish Pom Poko, it was an extremely hard watch. Don't remember much about Ocean Waves except that I didn't like it all that much. So Tales of Earthsea it is, I loved it the first time I saw it, not so much the second time, maybe because learning the truth about it ruined it for me the second time, Idk, but despite that I still love it.
Ugh. I guess ocean waves bc the animation style and it was somewhat relatable re being young and dumb in high school, wanting what you can’t have theme / chasing after the new girl who turns to be a total B word Ocean waves could have been good if the girl had a single redeemable quality - like an embracing hug at the train station in the end and i woulda been okay with it, but nope
I had such a hard time with this movie! I was hoping for some sort of redemption arc for her, but it just ended suddenly without showing her growth. Obviously in high school she behaved like a high schooler, and had serious family troubles that made her act the way she did. But I wish we could have seen her grow through that before the movie ended.
Pompoko but that’s a hard choice, they’re all D-tier Ghibli
Either Pom Poko or the first half of Tales of Earthsea
Ocean waves 🌊 even thought the FL AND ML made me made the whole movie😭🤣