From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara)

From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara) 2011

I came quite late to Studio Ghibli – my first experience being Spirited Away, and only then on DVD a couple of years after the dub was released – and so when From Up on Poppy Hill was screened at a festival back in 2013, I jumped at the chance to see a Ghibli release in a cinema. (Previously, the only Ghibli film I’d only seen at a movie theatre was Ponyo, which remains my least favourite Miyazaki film.)

And so I remember being keen to enjoy From Up on Poppy Hill and maybe even a bit nervous, due to the mixed reception Goro Miyazaki’s last film received.

But for me, those fears proved to be unfounded because I definitely enjoyed the experience.

From Up on Poppy Hill is a coming of age story set in post war Japan (in the Port of Yokohama). The animation is top notch as to be expected, with the colouring beautiful as ever and as is fairly often the case with Ghibli releases, the film is an adaptation of an existing manga. It’s probably quite faithful, but I can’t tell of course – though if it’s of the quality that Howl’s Moving Castle was, then it’s probably a great adaptation.

In any event, I don’t think you’d need to have read the original to enjoy this if you like the genre. It features an almost typical romantic plot and a good deal of humour, along with what is perhaps its strongest feature: a keen sense of nostalgia (which is aesthetic for me of course).

Being a period piece, From Up on Poppy Hill has a focus on the cultural details and day to day living, revealed via the wonderful attention to detail that I love about Ghibli films.

Part of this is the use of pop songs from the era, one from 1963 (which I hadn’t realised was also a number single in the US at the time) is used to great effect in the movie. It’s by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto, and it’s known as ‘Sukiyaki’ – you can read about it here and hear it below:

For me, it’s hard to remove some of the production context – I think there was one part of me that enjoyed the film in part because it felt stronger than Goro’s Tales of Earthsea adaptation but also because Hayao’s involvement suggests that maybe the father and son relationship was in a better place back then? Maybe I just want it to be so, but I hope it was and still is.

Definitely recommended if you’ve never seen this Ghibli film or if you like the time period and the Romance genre.

4 Stars