A little Ponyo rant
Saw Ponyo the other day. Was underwhelmed. I love Miyazaki but this just seemed really…different for some reason.
spoilers:
- There was no major conflict, no threat, no bad guy. Ponyo’s father (an interesting character with NO backstory) seemed responsible enough - he didn’t seem like a true antagonist.
- With the environmental aspect introduced early in the movie, I thought it was going to be Princess Mononoke underwater. Then they suddenly forgot about that whole point about a third of the way into the story. No more bad humans, no more pollution. Just ignored.
- Let me get this straight: the entire UNIVERSE is thrown out of balance because Ponyo, a magic fish, willed herself into turning into a human? That’s what made the moon move close to the earth? That’s what’s fucking nature up?
- Ponyo had more open questions than the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion series. What’s the deal with Ponyo’s father? Why is he collecting that fluid? How? What IS the fluid? What’s the deal with Ponyo’s mother? Why didn’t the old folks question anything that was going on? They’re in a fricking huge bubble with the Queen of the Sea and her gay husband - they seem like they’re totally sedated or something. Is Sosuke’s mom REALLY okay with like, raising a second child?
- The trial Sosuke had to complete was…no, not choosing between his father and Ponyo. No, not saving Ponyo from a scary giant sea-creature…no. He just had to kiss a fucking bubble. Are you shitting me? And he didn’t even really kiss the bubble when it came down to it, it just landed on his face.
Let me just back all of this bitching up: I’m aware Miyazaki’s target audience is young Japanese kids. They don’t need answers to everything, this is first and foremost entertainment. Sure. But all of his movies have had so much more coherence and plot in them. I mean, I guess Totoro didn’t have much of a plot. But still.
Miyazaki didn’t push the environmental message. He didn’t develop the whole family dynamic (with the father out at sea all the time). He didn’t explain SHIT about the underwater world of Ponyo’s family. All of the humans were totally complacent with all of this batshit craziness that was going on around them (seriously, the guys on the rescue boats were like “Ahoy! Just another normal day on our island!”) I almost feel trolled by this movie. Like he had a few neat ideas and character designs, and just wanted to mash em up in a new location.
That reminds me! Character designs!
Ponyo = Mei (Totoro)
Sosuke = Kanta (Totoro) (http://www.onlineghibli.com/totoro/newimages/Kanta.jpg)
Kumiko (Sosuke’s nursey/school classmate) = Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
One of the old ladies = nice Witch of the Wastes (the end of Howl’s Moving Castle, yeah?)
One of the guys on the rescue boat = Jiro (Princess Mononoke)
It seemed like this was just one big nonsensical Ghibli mashup of themes and character designs.
As far as the big Ghibli movies go, for me, I think it’s looking like this:
Mononoke > Spirited Away > Totoro > Howl »» Ponyo
Sorry.i agree
Why the hell are you following greyson?
2 years ago
