This was probably the most expected anime I've ever anticipated so far. After becoming addicted to Japanese animation and Ghibli production, "Kokuriko-zaka Kara" was a logical next choice. And so, after a whole year of waiting it arrived on to my doorstep. Impressions? Very positive.
I haven't read the original Manga on which the story was based, and thus I had no idea what to expect. This was actually a good thing since the surprise would eventually be that much bigger. My first impression was the classic, almost idealistic portrayal of past times which is often present in some Ghibli's movies. Though a bit exaggerated at times, it is very pleasant to see and feel. I personally like better the elder days, when people weren't obsessed with money, technology, when time and life had a different meaning. The same could be said for love - During the last three decades or so, cinematic expression of love has been equaled with pornography, with relationships becoming more and more rough sexual. It seems modern directors value big boos, tight booties and French kisses better than the very essence of love - that plain old emotion. This applies to all film genres including animation. Well, that emotion is what really matters when love between two people gets around. It's true, the Japanese have come up with the very concept of modern sexual bizarreness, but none the less, they know very well how to distinguish that from the idea of romance.
"Kokuriko-zaka Kara" tells a romantic story of two young people whose faiths become suddenly and unexpectedly intertwined. Umi, a kind girl from a small coastal Japanese town carries a constant memory of her departed father. She knows he is gone for good, but deep within her soul she hopes that one day he will send her a sing. The war has ended some 20 years a go, Japan is still trying to change and adapt to a new way of life while Tokyo prepares for it's first Olympics. Young people, the generation born after the war, are in the midst of all this turbulence and it looks as they might hold the key. Umi meets a pleasant and yet mysterious boy named Shun. Their lives and feelings become closer as the two start spending more time with each other. Soon they will both discover a strange connection between faiths.
You could call "From Up on Poppy Hill" a simple story. No big flashes and spectacles in this anime, and that's exactly what makes it so pleasant to experience. It's a slice of life poured into 90 minutes of enchanting Ghibli animation. Very refreshing both for the eyes and soul. Many say that "Kokuriko-zaka Kara" isn't a classic Hayao Miyazaki tale. Indeed it isn't, but I don't think that changes a thing. Old man Miyazaki has proved his talents so many times by now. This is Goro's second major accomplishment, and as it seems, he's gradually forming an artistic expression of his own. And yes, it feels that something is missing, a bit of that magic sparkle maybe, but excellence as we know doesn't come over night. There is still a long road in front of Miyazaki junior, and if "From Up on Poppy Hill" shows where such road might go, I'm more than confident that many great animated flicks are yet to arrive, bearing a Ghibli signature.
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