Hi Reddit! I was originally going to make this a massive text post, but it wouldn’t fit, and it kept getting caught in the spam filter. Oh well, more karma for me. To /r/Anime, I’m sorry I can’t tag spoilers properly on Tumblr. I did my best. Please don’t ban me.

[Ghibli films](/s “Test spoiler please ignore”)



I started watching Studio Ghibli films about 5 months ago, beginning with Grave of the Fireflies. I didn’t think I would watch all of them, but I loved almost all of them, and here I am today! Here I rank and review each one, from least favorite to most favorite (not necessarily worst to best).



22. Ocean Waves: “Never let go of your high school crushes on insecure and unstable people.” This is the only Studio Ghibli film I hate. It’s a mundane crockpot of bad lessons on love, bloated with petty melodrama and second-hand embarrassment. Don’t watch it.

21. Pom Poko: “Human advancement and industrialization is at the cost of other wonderful natural life.” With too many boring characters, too much narration, and simple theme, this movie feels more like a fictional documentary than a moving story.

20. Ponyo: “Being human comes with great responsibility.” With this film, Miyazaki seemed to aim to make a children’s movie in the likes of My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. However, I feel that his growing pessimism turned Ponyo into a strange and unmoving film. Maybe I just don’t understand it.

19. Kiki’s Delivery Service: “People are great and are there to help you succeed.” I admit that this is a wonderful, well-crafted movie with an optimistic message. However, I personally don’t like it, because I felt it was unrealistically optimistic. As Miyazaki said later, discussing Princess Mononoke:

We couldn’t go back and make some film like Kiki’s Delivery Service. It felt like children were being born to this world without being blessed. How could we pretend to them that we’re happy? (Source.)

18. From Up on Poppy Hill: “Support your community and good things will follow.” While this movie is a pleasing and satisfying film, it does not offer anything particularly special to make it stand out from other Ghibli films.

17. Porco Rosso: “Don’t lose hope and stand up for what you care about.” This film is clever and entertaining, and it has its great moments. However, the ending is extremely drawn-out, and <SPOILER>Fio’s affection to Porco is a little weird</SPOILER>.

16. Howl’s Moving Castle: “True beauty is the ability to see the good in others that others don’t see.” This movie is aurally, visually, thematically, and creatively gorgeous. However, it’s confusing and directionless, with heavy-handed symbolism, shoehorned themes, and a really confusing ending. As much as I would like to love this film, I can’t.

15. Tales from Earthsea: “See the value in life, but don’t pine for eternal life.” This movie is Studio Ghibli’s most poorly-crafted movie. I rank it this high for its main characters Arren and Therru, and for daring to discuss issues of depression and abuse, which other Ghibli films seem to avoid.

14.5. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro: “Be a cool good guy and save the world.” This isn’t considered a Studio Ghibli film (hence, the 14.5). This is a fun, entertaining, and satisfying film with Miyazaki’s signature touch of healthy relationships and romance (in contrast to some of the rest of the Lupin III series…).

14. Whisper of the Heart: “Follow your dreams, and do not be discouraged when you find that polishing a craft is difficult and tireless work.” Although the first part of this film is mostly awkward romantic melodrama, Whisper of the Heart is quite charming and heartwarming. The characters are lovable, and the themes are inspiring. My complaints are the melodrama (particularly the love quadrilateral at the beginning) (I suffer badly from second-hand embarrassment), and the <SPOILER>marriage proposal at the end</SPOILER>.



13. My Neighbors the Yamadas: “Que sera sera, what will be will be.” Though this movie is too slow-paced to be interesting for some, My Neighbors the Yamadas is a relaxing, charming, and poetic film about the life and quarrels of family.

12. The Secret World of Arrietty: “Be strong and hopeful when it comes time to venture out into life’s great unknowns.” Yonebayashi’s first film with Studio Ghibli is the studio’s prettiest film. The painted scenery throughout is gorgeous. The soundtrack, done entirely by French Celtic harpist Cécile Corbel, is gorgeous. The theme is unexpectedly soulful. Arrietty is the Ghibli film everyone likes, but no one favorites.

My complaints: the characters are all a little flat, and the low level of detail in the animation doesn’t match the level of detail in the scenery.

Also, don’t watch the Disney dub for Arrietty. Disney did some pretty unforgivable stuff with this one.

11. Grave of the Fireflies: “Do not forget the ghosts of the tragic past.” In this second-highest ranked Studio Ghibli film on IMDb, Isao Takahata demonstrates that his cinematic style can be more effective and emotionally powerful than any Miyazaki film.

Generally, Miyazaki’s style of creating a story is to combine all of his themes and ideas into a consistently fast-paced film. The best parts of his films are the middles, because he often uses his endings to complete his themes, and they may or may not fit well with the rest of the story. When it comes out right, you get My Neighbor Totoro. When it doesn’t, you get Howl’s Moving Castle.

Takahata’s style, on the other hand, is focused entirely on the ending. He focuses on the little, seemingly insignificant details of his characters’ lives, and this lulls the audience into a certain level of comfort and closeness. Then, Takahata unleashes his ending. Grave of the Fireflies is the perfect example of this. He goes over all of the little tiny details of Seita and Setsuko’s lives, before showing you the ending. Even though you know the final outcome of the movie, you somehow find yourself emotionally completely unprepared to deal with the sweeping feelings of sadness. This is a good film.

10. Castle in the Sky: “All good pirates listen to their mom.” “Even with all the science in the world, you still need love.” Castle in the Sky is fun and adventurous. It’s very well-paced, with exciting action sequences and moments of heartfelt understanding. The characters are adorable. The soundtrack is one of Studio Ghibli’s best. My only major complaint is that the villain is extremely flat and obvious.

9. My Neighbor Totoro: “Cherish and encourage the imaginations of children.” My Neighbor Totoro is the most thoughtfully-done children’s film I have seen. Miyazaki understands children, and he demonstrates that by characterizing Satsuki and Mei exactly how children are in real life. Mei is always trying to copy her older sister. When the sisters open the door to the kitchen, they scream to ward off fear. Miyazaki doesn’t patronize children like all of our society and media does today. Instead, he shows that children live up to responsibilities quite well (when Satsuki looks after Mei), and they still remain children. When you try to shield the harshness of the world from them <SPOILER>“Your mother has just a cold, so she’s going to the hospital”</SPOILER>, it will only hurt them more in the future.

And yet, it assures its young audience that not everything is as bad as it seems. In this movie, the giant monsters that fill children’s nightmares are transformed into sleepy, adorable, puffy cat-like creatures. With lovable characters and good pacing, Totoro is full of wonderful and poetic little moments, from growing a massive tree with the power of the mind, to riding a cat-bus (there’s no other way to describe it) that no one else can see across the countryside. Also, this is one of Studio Ghibli’s best soundtracks.

8. The Cat Returns: “Always believe in yourself. Do this, and wherever you are, you will have nothing to fear.” This shorter movie, spun off of Whisper of the Heart, is the closest thing Studio Ghibli has to a sequel. I sincerely have no idea why it has such a low IMDb rating. It’s intentionally goofy, memorable, and absurd, without being cheesy. The anthropomorphic characters are well-defined and unique, and they feel real. I think everyone, at some point in their life, has wished to vanish from this world and start again in a different world as a different person. This film addresses that feeling well, by demonstrating the strength and joy of self-confidence. I have no complaints about this movie. I loved it.

7. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: “Strive for peace and restore mankind’s connection to the Earth.” The English dub for Nausicaä was called Warriors of the Wind. The plotline and dialogue was heavily edited, with 20 minutes of footage cut out. Judging by the rage-inducing poster , themes of pacifism and feminism were gutted. The dub was so bad that Miyazaki adopted a “no-edits” clause for future dubs. Princess Mononoke was almost edited, but Toshio Suzuki (presumably) mailed them a katana with a note saying “No cuts.” The good thing is, because of this, Nausicaä was dubbed again in 2005, featuring many suitable famous actors. I find it particularly fitting to hear Edward James Olmos cry out after victoriously shooting down an enemy ship. (Source.)

Nausicaä is Miyazaki’s most important and signature film. It’s a great introduction to Miyazaki, and his recurring themes of feminism, pacifism, and environmentalism. Forget Disney princesses; Nausicaä is the heroine you want your children, boys or girls, to look up to. Nausicaä is Miyazaki’s only science fiction film, taking place in a post apocalyptic world that is steadily being consumed by poisonous jungle. It is exciting, inspiring, thought-provoking, and thematically wonderful.

Also: if you like the film, the manga of the same name, on which it is based, also by Miyazaki, is excellent.

6. Only Yesterday: “To those who fret over the future, wondering where they went wrong in the past: relax. You’ll find your way.” In my opinion, Only Yesterday is the most underrated Studio Ghibli film. It doesn’t even have an English dub. It tells the story of Taeko, with scenes going back and forth between her single, 27-year-old self on a ten-day vacation, and her flashbacks to when she was in fifth grade. Here, Takahata simmers the little tiny life-like details of Taeko’s life, like when she insisted on eating a slice of pineapple she didn’t enjoy or have to eat, or when she couldn’t decide whether or not to refuse to go outside without a cute purse. As the story progresses through a series of thoughtful moments, you wonder where it’s all going. And then, the Takahata ending hits you, and just like that, life really isn’t so bad any more.

Also, unlike Miyazaki, who spends ridiculous amounts of time perfecting the animation of his movies, Takahata doesn’t draw or animate, at all. Instead, he directs and works on sound design. Although I can’t say Only Yesterday has a beautiful soundtrack, Takahata chose his unique songs very well, and the unusual soundtrack compliments the nature of the film perfectly.

5. Spirited Away: “With the power of courage, selflessness, and love, you will succeed in even the most frightening worlds.” We all know Spirited Away. It’s basically considered the best animated film of all time, for very good reasons. It may be the most creative movie ever created, that takes place entirely in an entire world constructed by Miyazaki’s imagination. The film is a wild ride of emotions you never even thought could be captured in a film, from the terror of suddenly finding yourself in a world where nothing makes sense, to the empowering catharsis you feel when things finally get under your control, to when you overcome your fear and find peace in doing good for others. Few other films have convincingly captured such a huge transformation of their main character. The animation is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is among Studio Ghibli’s best.

My only complaints are that the ending was a little strange (<SPOILER>“So Haku was a river… okay, I guess I’ll buy it.”</SPOILER>) and that everything happens so quickly that it’s easy to get lost. This is why I don’t recommend it to anyone as the first Studio Ghibli film they should see. Also, unless you know your Japanese well, watch the dub; there is too much to take in.

4. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya: “Don’t let society tell you what makes you feel alive.” Grave of the Fireflies is considered Takahata’s masterpiece, simply because of its power in making you feel sad. However, I think The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is Takahata’s masterpiece, because it took much more skill for him to accomplish the goal he set for this film. It is based off of the well-known 10th century Japanese folktale of a bamboo cutter who discovers a baby inside a bamboo stalk and raises her as his own.

It is one of the most flawless films I have seen. The art style, based on traditional Japanese brush art, is gorgeous. The soundtrack, a departure from Joe Hisaishi’s usual style, is gorgeous. The narrative is full-bodied and deep. The foreshadowing and symbolism is beautiful. The Takahata-style ending was amazing, but it took me two hours of thinking about the film to come to that conclusion. You can read more of my reaction after watching the film.

3. When Marnie Was There: “You care about people, and people care about you.” I’d like to first point out that this film is not as perfect or high-quality as the other films at the top of my ranking. I rank this film highly because it carries a message that is particularly personal for me, as it is for many who favorite this movie.

When Marnie Was There is the story of a depressed 14-year-old girl who stays with her relatives in the countryside to ease her asthma. There, she befriends a ghostly girl named Marnie who lives in a mansion. Like Arrietty, the only other Studio Ghibli film by this director, Yonebayashi made it a priority to make this film visually beautiful. I now really wish Studio Ghibli had the courage and care to deal with harsher themes like depression and abuse, because this movie captures them very well. Marnie is the kind of friend nearly every depressed person wishes they had, and the story beautifully turns into a lesson of hardship, friendship, and forgiveness.

2. Princess Mononoke: “Let us eat the man creature.” “Learn to live peacefully and harmoniously with nature.” This film is fantastic. I love it so much. I’ve watched it 6 times. It’s like Lord of the Rings, but with moral complexity and female characters. Miyazaki’s imaginative world of gods, demons, and spirits is lush and exhilarating. The soundtrack is among Studio Ghibli’s best. The story is well-paced, exciting, and intense. I dislike not a single character in the entire film, even though everyone is fighting everyone else. The closest thing to a villain in this story is Lady Eboshi, who is an admirable hero of her people, who cares for lepers and buys the freedom of slaves.

San and Eboshi are the kinds of female characters you would want your children to look up to. (I’ve wondered, in a fight between San, Eboshi, Nausicaä, and Kushana, who would win?). Princess Mononoke is full of pithy and meaningful moments, from Jigo or the old leper commenting on the nature of the world, to the <SPOILER>tears Ashitaka sheds when he realizes he is still cursed</SPOILER>, to Ashitaka’s conversation with Moro. The themes in Princess Mononoke are deep and in multitude, with commentary on peace and war, the human condition, the nature of life and death, and our place and responsibility as humans.

I like this film so much partly because it legitimately changed my worldview. You see, anyone can write a story with a good man vs nature conflict. But Miyazaki knows there is much more to it than that. Princess Mononoke is more like “main character vs men vs men vs men vs animals vs animals vs animals vs the god of life and death.” It shows that conflicts are never simply two-sided. Even in what appears to be a two-sided conflict, each side is heavily divided amongst themselves, because every side is made up of individuals. Because Miyazaki sought to show the complex dynamics of the animals of the natural world, I think I have gained a new understanding of “nature” and our relationship with it.

Of course, all of this takes place in a fictional universe, where animals are more intelligent and can talk. But Miyazaki wrote the ending to specifically ask, <SPOILER>“If I suddenly turned this universe into our universe, would you really feel any different?” And of course, the answer is ‘no.’"</SPOILER> Thank you, Hayao Miyazaki. You got me.

Also: watch the dub. Even though everyone has a different accent, it’s well-written, and the sub simply doesn’t give you enough needed context if you don’t know Japanese.

1. The Wind Rises: “You must live.” After watching Princess Mononoke three times in one week, and looking at the ratings for other Studio Ghibli films, I did not expect anything would overtake it as #1. But I am so glad I saved The Wind Rises for last. I sincerely have no idea how this movie can have a relatively low rating, because it is beautiful. I cried on and off for three hours after I saw it. I think I’m ok now.

At this point in his career, Miyazaki’s pessimism seems to have grown to a certain level of indifference and acceptance. This allowed him to make, for his final film, what I think is Miyazaki’s realest, most mature, and most personal film. In The Wind Rises, he doesn’t bother to create a fictional world to prove a point. He simply demonstrates his understanding of the world with events and people of real life. The film shows how he interprets real life.

The story follows Jiro, a Japanese aeronautical engineer in the time between the two World Wars. As his idol once told him in a dream, “Engineers turn dreams into reality.” The film overall has a very dreamy quality to it. The colors are bright and vivid. The story regularly dips out of reality into dream sequences. Jiro’s relationship with Nahoko, his love interest, is like that in a dream. The film is beautifully written and flawlessly paced, full of perfect symbolism, foreshadowing, and chilling moments of surrealism.

The Wind Rises is a Miyazaki film, but it has Takahata’s sense of direction and realism. For once, Miyazaki wrote an entire film with an exact ending in mind. For me, it worked perfectly. “Bittersweet” does not even begin to describe it. Ultimately a narrative on the human condition and what we live for, The Wind Rises is a beautiful masterpiece. I cannot see Miyazaki un-retiring after this.

Thank you, Studio Ghibli, for everything.

Trying to decide what Ghibli film to watch next? Look no further (See more).

What do you think of my rankings/ratings? Do you have any recommendations (movies/shows, anime/not) for me?