From Up On Poppy Hill
Despite some promising scenic moments, this anime fails to draw us into the period.
SCREENINGS:
Thursday, September 8, 9:30 p.m.
TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 (350 King Street West)
Friday, September 9, 2:30 p.m.
AMC 2 (10 Dundas Street East)
Saturday, September 17, 3:15 p.m.
Scotiabank Theatre 1 (259 Richmond Street West)
We can’t imagine the pressure to be Hayao Miyazaki’s son. Our dad isn’t the most renowned and respected animator/director in the country, he just makes teddy bears, and even we feel the shadow’s weight. Goro Miyazaki’s career didn’t get off to a great start with 2006’s Tales from Earthsea, which at best was kind of pretty and at worst won Japan’s version of a Raspberry Award. I don’t know the politics that led to it, but Hayao has joined his son (as a writer) to help with Goro’s sophomore, From up on Poppy Hill. Alas, this too doesn’t quite reach the Studio Ghibli status quo.
Leading up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japan all over is experiencing a wave of modernization and optimism. Great for some, but not for students at a Yokohama high school, who find their beloved mansion club house, Quartier Latin, under the threat of demolition. Amidst this, busybody teenager Umi is falling for club leader and orphan Shun, though their budding relationship is stopped uncomfortably cold when evidence suggests they may be related.
There are some very scenic period glances, but it all feels very insider, the attitude that surrounds the tale may only be caught by people who actually lived during that time. Ghibli films are typically mystical and captivating, while Poppy Hill is soapy and dry. There’s an overbearing focus on the less whimsical, relationship drama, which seems to solve itself. There are moments where fun shines through, but the majority makes you wonder why this story demanded to be in the wondrous world of animation.