Behind The Nihon Review

There are two ways to look at Ponyo, Miyazaki Hayao‘s latest movie, one as a film and the other a story. In my opinion, as a film it’s great, as the overwhelming majority of his films are, but as a story, it’s good-OK. It’s a very simple story, possibly the simplest from Miyazaki that I can think of, even compared with the likes of My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service, but that doesn’t exclude it from having a certain (if mild) amount of thematic depth. The themes of Ponyo have been written about fairly extensively. I realize I’m about six months too late for this to be a relevant topic, but Ghibli works are the rare occasions where I prefer the DVD experience to the cinema experience (especially now that I have a half decent LCD TV to enjoy them on).

Love is obviously the most important theme in Ponyo, and the love portrayed between Ponyo and Sousuke is very innocent and uncomplicated. Essentially this love triumphs in the end, but what it triumphs over is one of two sources of conflict in the movie: separation… the other conflict being the magical forces that can’t simultaneously maintain Ponyo’s powers and human form, which I thought was the less interesting conflict. There are four notable examples of separation between people that love each other during various stages of the movie: Ponyo and Sousuke during the second act, Sousuke and Lisa during the final act, Koichi and his family for most of the film and finally Fujimoto and Granmamare. And in each case, whether via circumstances or through the sheer will, determination and love of the characters, these characters are reunited before the end of the movie.

The Aldis lamp scene is one of the most memorable scenes of the movie, and it is here, in a relatively short exchange, that we learn so much about Sousuke’s family. It’s clear that the bonds of love are extremely strong between all three of the family members, firstly with Koichi proudly declaring that his son is a genius to whichever of his crewmates happened to be within earshot to hear it, then with Sousuke wishing his father “good luck” on getting back on Lisa’s good side, and finally with Sousuke and Lisa trying to cheer each other up. Lisa’s relationship with Koichi is the most interesting here, though, as the separation between them necessitated by Koichi’s job has lead to a tangible amount of frustration… the type which is typical in any relationship where distance is involved. Later on we see that Koichi’s job occasionally puts him in danger, which suggests that Lisa’s frustration in this scene isn’t simply selfish in nature, and that it’s borne out of genuine concern and worry for her husband’s safety… the type that we all feel at some stage when a loved one still isn’t home much later than we expected. The variety of strong and heartfelt emotions on show in this scene made it so sweet and charming, but also so relatable.

There are two examples of Sousuke and Ponyo’s love triumphing over distance in a fairytale-esque manner, and certainly the most exciting of these scenes was the first one, with Ponyo running across the fish waves. Ponyo may have had a relatively simple plot, but this was a thrilling scene, again showing Miyazaki‘s versatility and mastery as an anime-maker. Sousuke’s search for his mother propels the last part of the movie, but it’s here where the story unfortunately becomes a bit weaker, as the whole conflict involving the balance of the world felt like it was added on ad hoc, especially in the sub (which I watched first). While it was explained more clearly in the dub, it took me a little while to put two and two together and rationalize it while watching the sub. Fortunately the wonderfully vibrant sea world is just as delightful to watch here as it is during the entire film.

No article about Ponyo is complete without mentioning the art, animation and music. The opening in particular is simply wonderful, as Miyazaki shows us a world teeming with light and life. It’s six and a half minutes before a single line is spoken, but in that time we’re treating to an audiovisual spectacular, with Miyazaki displaying an artstyle more reminiscent of Princess Mononoke than the movies he made in the ’00s, while Hisaishi Joe supplies music which transforms from quaint to sweet and finally to grand and matches the on-screen happenings impeccably. I think it says so much about Miyazaki‘s confidence as an anime-maker that he can open his film with a scene like this. There’s no need to explicitly explain the scene… that can be done later. As a tone-setter for the rest of the movie, there’s not much better he could have done.