And so I've done it! Finally watched every film by the lauded Studio Ghibli, except for How do you Live? (The Boy and the Heron), which I'm saving for December.

Ghibli ranking here: letterboxd.com/mgald245/list/studio-ghibli-ranked/detail/

Miyazaki ranking here: letterboxd.com/mgald245/list/hayao-miyazaki-ranked/detail/

Anyways, while I don't have a ton to say about the Cat Returns, let the record show I had a mighty wholesome time with it. The simple but sweet animation, the cats, the great english dub, the whimsy, its concise runtime, Ghibli…

OK, in complete fairness, I didn't hate it, but even without comparing it to the rest of this studio's filmography, it comes across as a mildly amusing nothing-burger.

I think the animation is (mostly) better than what people may give it credit for. At best, I do like some of the creativity surrounding the house and spells. But at worst, it comes across as a kids movie you find in the $5 DVD bin at Walmart or something. It's unassumingly…

Treads on being boring ngl. Most of it takes place in flashbacks, so you have to sit through a lot of dull, anime school trite. The transfer student who's also a love interest, the best friend, childhood friends, melodrama, slapping, etc. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was wishing I was rewatching Toradora! instead. I enjoyed it a little more once we got to the present again, but the movie really tries hammering in how Taku was oh…

On the one hand, I do love the visuals (it's Ghibli, so of course). Surprised to see a lot of the production design feel surprisingly biblical-if I flipped through channels and saw this playing, I'd be hard pressed to think it was an adaptation of an Old Testament story for kids or something. I love how the water is animated, the dragons look stunning, and on a smaller note, I do love me a wholesome herd of sheep.

But on…

As of the time (and timezone) I'm typing this, tomorrow will mark the 10th anniversary of this movie. And with The Boy and the Heron (How do you Live?) finally out, I figured now would be a neat time to revisit Hayao's penultimate feature film. The only reason I watched it a day early before its anniversary was because of the simple fact that I love Wednesdays and hate Thursdays lol. This was also my first time watching it subbed…

Truthfully it's a 9/10, but I got stuck with a stuffy nose throughout most of it, so unfortunately, I just feel like giving it an 8. Again, this IS a 9, but the overall experience would've been better if my nasal curse wasn't in the way.

Anyways, this is probably one of the "least" Ghibli-esque films Ghibli has made. Directed by Takahata, I kinda found the animation to be similar to Princess Kaguya oddly enough. There's a satisfying quality to…

The hits keep on coming from Ghibli. Castle in the Sky gives you everything you need, from the trademark flying scenes, the swelling music of Joe Hisaishi, and one of Ghibli's tightest plot structures to date. There's really not much else to say other than it's a damn fine, well-crafted movie. Probably textbook Miyazaki (the love of nature, strong young female leads, a love for flight, quaint and wholesome, but also fierce and thrilling, etc.). This is the movie you…

Today's mother's day, so I decided to watch something that would be right up her alley.

While I only got into anime last year, I do have nice memories of my mom sitting me down in front of the computer to watch spanish dubs of Candy Candy and Heidi she grew up watching. The latter being an adaptation Miyazaki & Takahata actually worked on. And you can really feel that wholesome, childlike vibe throughout so many of their works.

There's always…