MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO [1988] review
March 10, 2007 · Print This Article
Because he knows this, the spirits in MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, are all the more magical. Totoro seems to understand Japanese just fine, but he/she/it only ever replies with a series of deep bellows and wide grins. When Totoro is wake, his/her/its eyes are in a constant state of wide-openness so that he/she/it always looks surprised. … And Totoro’s reaction of first fright to a raindrop hitting he/she/its umbrella then gradually turning to delight is quite the magical movie scene. I loved the way his/her/its fur all frizzed out in reaction.
…As always Miyazaki paints a landscape that anyone would yearn to live in. The whole movie I was questioning why the hell do I live in the city? … The worst part about the movie was that it ended without giving me another scene in its enchanted forest.
At first I was surprised to see a male lead character in a Miyazaki film, as I thought he always uses girls. When another boy reacted with great embarrassment upon first seeing the male lead, I thought that was strange. … But once the male lead stepped out into the open I saw he was wearing a skirt, and then there was no doubt it was a girl after the numerous trademark Miyazaki bloopers exposing shots.
…The two girls moved into a deserted country home with their father while their mother finishes recovering from a never named illness. … Right away we learn that the house was not actually deserted but filled with tiny dust ball creatures. Soon thereafter we are introduced to Totoro, who apparently is quite a deep sleeper not easily roused.
The score by Joe Hisaishi (he does all of Miyazaki’s films) was especially good with a great theme for whenever Totoro comes on screen or something magical happens.
The story is incredibly simple, and the plot and climax of the movie involve quite simple things, which made me eager for more, more, more Totoro. I plan on buying a Totoro stuffed toy for my room as soon as I can.
UPDATE #1 — I did buy a stuffed Totoro who resides on my bed in the day time.
UPDATE #2 — my second viewing of Totoro on Saturday 25, 2008
There was only one movie I could watch after my final skimboarding session in Japan, and that was MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. It’s the only movie pure enough to accompany and complement the purity of skimboarding and the Sea. I also got to watch it with Aya too, our first Miyazaki movie together.
I found the character of Mai to be kind of annoying this time, and thought she was misbehaving too much and being unreasonable. Other than that, the scene where Totoro waits for the bus in the rain along with the two heroine girls of the story remains one of my all-time favorite movie scenes.
I liked the Cat Bus much more this time, maybe because Aya likes it so much.
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