I revisited Hiroshi Ishikawa’s TOKYO.SORA, and while I still like SU-KI-DA more, and I think STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES is a better film in that genre/of that ilk, I actually enjoyed it ... I think because I had a better sense of how to look at it. It’s interesting to me how a “point of entry” influences ones view of a director’s work, as well as listening to the ‘good things’ that others point out.

There are a handful of (at the moment) other Japanese directors I’m interested in ‘discovering’. If any of the good folks here have suggestions for ‘entry points’, I would be grateful for any guidance, knowing our general film loving tastes may differ but ... what the heck. I think you could say I tend towards films with strong or interesting female characters.

Akihiko Shiota (have only seen HARMFUL INSECT)
Hideaki Anno (virgin ... the poster for RITUAL (Shiki-Jitsu) in this thread got me interested)
Hiroyuki Tanaka (SABU) (virgin)
Katsuhito Ishii (virgin)
Shunji Iwai (Tried LILY CHOU-CHOU and didn’t complete)

And to a lesser extent:

Hirokazu Koreeda
Tetsuo Shinohara (was lukewarm to DESIRE but like directors who explore it, so ... also:
Naomi Kawase (watched NANAYO and loved the parts where Kyoko Hasegawa was obviously winging it but thought she/it was awful whenever she was obviously supposed to “act” in a scene)

Just for reference here’s a number of asian films I have loved recently, not all Japanese, but seeming all of a part for me:

JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?
GREEN TEA
LOST INDULGENCE
SUMMER PALACE
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
THE EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH
ADRIFT IN TOKYO
EVEN SO, I DIDN’T DO IT
HANGING GARDEN
HEAVENLY FOREST
A STRANGER OF MINE
MORE THAN BLUE
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
RIDE AWAY
THIS CHARMING GIRL
ONE FINE SPRING DAY (only one of four I LOVED by Jin-ho Hur, Liked HAPPINESS, didn’t like CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST or APRIL SNOW much)

I couldn’t locate an English-subbed version of Cause, either…

sitenoise - July 20, 2009, 10:34pm

I revisited Hiroshi Ishikawa’s TOKYO.SORA, and while I still like SU-KI-DA more, and I think STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES is a better film in that genre/of that ilk, I actually enjoyed it ... I think because I had a better sense of how to look at it. It’s interesting to me how a “point of entry” influences ones view of a director’s work, as well as listening to the ‘good things’ that others point out.

There are a handful of (at the moment) other Japanese directors I’m interested in ‘discovering’. If any of the good folks here have suggestions for ‘entry points’, I would be grateful for any guidance, knowing our general film loving tastes may differ but ... what the heck. I think you could say I tend towards films with strong or interesting female characters.

Akihiko Shiota (have only seen HARMFUL INSECT)
Hideaki Anno (virgin ... the poster for RITUAL (Shiki-Jitsu) in this thread got me interested)
Hiroyuki Tanaka (SABU) (virgin)
Katsuhito Ishii (virgin)
Shunji Iwai (Tried LILY CHOU-CHOU and didn’t complete)

And to a lesser extent:

Hirokazu Koreeda
Tetsuo Shinohara (was lukewarm to DESIRE but like directors who explore it, so ... also:
Naomi Kawase (watched NANAYO and loved the parts where Kyoko Hasegawa was obviously winging it but thought she/it was awful whenever she was obviously supposed to “act” in a scene)

Just for reference here’s a number of asian films I have loved recently, not all Japanese, but seeming all of a part for me:

JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?
GREEN TEA
LOST INDULGENCE
SUMMER PALACE
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
THE EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH
ADRIFT IN TOKYO
EVEN SO, I DIDN’T DO IT
HANGING GARDEN
HEAVENLY FOREST
A STRANGER OF MINE
MORE THAN BLUE
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
RIDE AWAY
THIS CHARMING GIRL
ONE FINE SPRING DAY (only one of four I LOVED by Jin-ho Hur, Liked HAPPINESS, didn’t like CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST or APRIL SNOW much)

Even though our tastes our wide apart (I didn’t care for Su-ki-da or Strawberry Shortcakes, and This Charming Girl was just so-so), I still think you would find something to like about Female, and I recommend it to everyone here (the Korean version, of course—Japanese DVDs are ridiculously expensive). Judging from your list, I think I could also safely recommend The Professor and his Beloved Equation, if you haven’t already seen it (again, the Korean edition).

sitenoise - July 20, 2009, 12:21am

Ard, Is there a Miyazaki film you’d recommend as a follow up? I’ve only seen “Spirited Away.”

 
The one I’d mention the quickest in this regard would be “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.
It has that same wholesome vibe that Totoro has.
 
What struck me when I saw “Totoro” was how very different it was to Miyazaki’s previous two films, “Nausicaä” and “Laputa”. Both of those featured declined civilizations in a science-fiction setting, huge apocalyptic warfare (nuclear explosions and all) and staggering bodycounts. The last thing I suspected after all of that sturm-und-drang was this little happy drama. And waht shocked me most was how good and effective it was. For me, “Totoro” signalled that for Miyazaki the Science Fiction, war and destruction were just tools to get a point across. He doesn’t NEED them, or rather he isn’t dependant on them (unlike, say,  Katsuhiro Otomo who seems lost unless he can blow everything and everyone to pieces…).
Not that Miyazaki is afraid to bring out the cannons if he feels like it: “Princess Mononoke” features beheadings, limbs being cut off, punctured eyeballs, graphic shootings, burnings (and burns), parasitic worms and things like a hospital full of difficult-to-move patients who all die because they cannot avoid a monster in time.
 
 
So, ranging the Studio Ghibli Miyazaki titles from “nice” to “brutal”:
 
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Spirited Away
Porco Rosso
Howl’s Moving Castle
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind
Princess Mononoke
 
 
As for which one to choose next: notice these titles are nowhere near in chronological order. Miyazaki goes where his moods take him apparently, so I advice you to do the same!

 
 
Note that Studio Ghibli isn’t just Miyazaki though: there is this other guy called Isao Takahata. “Totoro” is Miyazaki’s most realism-based film. It contains the least amount of “fantasy”, and those sequences might be explained away as dreams (sleep is almost always involved in some way…). As such, “Totoro” comes quite close to Takahata’s films which always take place in the real world. So if you’re looking for reality-based Ghibli quality, do try out “Only Yesterday”.
 
For something like Totoro seen through extremely dark glasses try out Takahata’s “Grave of the Fireflies”. It’s hard to believe, but both films played as a double bill. If you got to see them as such, I hope you saw “Grave” first. I desperately needed to see a “Totoro” after watching “Grave of the Fireflies”. The reverse order seems heinous to my mind…

Heh, I guess Pom Poko does technically take place in the real world, but Christ, you could be setting the guy up for a hell of a shock there, Ard.

And again, I shall defiantly hold up My Neighbours The Yamadas as the best thing Studio Ghibli’s ever done.

“My Neighbours The Yamadas” is very funny indeed, with flashes of utter brilliance.
And “Pom Poko” has balls!

Oh, I know in some ways knocking any Ghibli movies - best versus worst - is a tad counterproductive (though I watched Nausicaa after I’d read the manga and I still think it suffers very badly in comparison). But I honestly think Yamadas is horribly, horribly under-rated and I could make a good argument for it being the high point of their body of work.

Miyazaki’s undoubtedly a staggeringly talented individual but there are things his output rarely if ever touches on, and motifs or pet themes I think hurt his work more than people are sometimes willing to admit, which is why much as I love the guy I no longer consider him quite the god among men I used to.

(For what it’s worth, my top three would probably be My Neighbours the Yamadas, then Whisper of the Heart, then Spirited Away.)

Please note that my list is not one of preference either. My (current) favorite Totoro being on top is purely coïncidental, as Mononoke would be closely following it if this was about preference.
 
As for the Miyazaki manga of Nausicaä: that shakes the earth with a mighty fist. It wasn’t finished yet when Miyazaki did the film (hence the vast differences in scope and story between manga and film) and apparently he himself loves both, but also considers them to be still flawed.
 
The manga blew my mind though.
Literally, almost: I read the last two Viz omnibi in a row (600+ pages on a very long and rainy day…) and needed a liedown afterwards, as my thoughts seemed to scatter everywhere and I couldn’t manage to form a complete sentence anymore. One of the daftest things that ever happened to me. So beware the power of a Miyazaki manga! The last books especially are horrific, adrenaline-pumping and heartwrenching at the same time.

Oh, and by the way: the ideal follow-up to watching “Totoro” is watching “Totoro” AGAIN!
Seriously, the movie seems to be one of the most rewatchable there is.
 
Infinitely rewarding and hasn’t become boring for me yet…

I did actually stick Yamadas in after posting that and Jesus, it’s hard to believe it’s ten years old. No other Ghibli movie just… blew me away quite like that, made me laugh so hard, got quite such a lump in my throat. I still find the visuals absolutely astonishing, which is quite the compliment for a film based around a newspaper gag strip. The entire opening sequence written around the wedding vows is just a joy to watch over, and over, and over again.

Ard Vijn - July 22, 2009, 8:17am

Oh, and by the way: the ideal follow-up to watching “Totoro” is watching “Totoro” AGAIN!
Seriously, the movie seems to be one of the most rewatchable there is.
 
Infinitely rewarding and hasn’t become boring for me yet…

My kids have seen Totoro probably 25 times (or more).  Scary.  Easily their most watched film.  Followed (probably by the 1956 english hack of Godzilla…yea, weird…)

Been trying to get through Love/Death. After the third try I still haven’t gotten through the first hour. And I’m a huge Kitamura fan. I hope it get’s better, I’ll keep trying.

Beyond that Chocolate recently blew me away. More than most people it seems.

Ard Vijn - July 22, 2009, 8:17am

Oh, and by the way: the ideal follow-up to watching “Totoro” is watching “Totoro” AGAIN!
Seriously, the movie seems to be one of the most rewatchable there is.
 
Infinitely rewarding and hasn’t become boring for me yet…

So I did that. Mostly because it seems like the most ‘sharable’ film I’ve encountered in a long time.

After a splendid Totoro viewing, I showed one of my friends your post re: follow-ups and they suggested (after commenting on how wonderful it was that you offered such guidance) that we work from the ends towards the middle. I like that idea a lot. So Princess Mononoke then Kiki, here we come.

Thanks for your commentary.

Jon Pais - July 21, 2009, 2:52am

Even though our tastes our wide apart (I didn’t care for Su-ki-da or Strawberry Shortcakes, and This Charming Girl was just so-so), I still think you would find something to like about Female, and I recommend it to everyone here (the Korean version, of course—Japanese DVDs are ridiculously expensive). Judging from your list, I think I could also safely recommend The Professor and his Beloved Equation, if you haven’t already seen it (again, the Korean edition).

Jon, I’m more comfortable looking into what you recommend than avoiding what you don’t. I’ve also been eyeing The Professor and his Beloved Equation. Seems like something I would like.

Thanks for the tips.

Maybe around six months ago, they started having a sale (40%-70% off!) on Korean editions of many of the Japanese independent films I’d read so much about but never got around to watching because of the high price—films like Ping Pong and Su-ki-da, as well as great movies I’d already seen, like the Rampo Noir collection (Korean subs only) and The Taste of Tea. After watching something like ten of these films, it occurred to me that either all Japanese independent films resemble one another or that distributors like Sponge just happen to select titles with a similar kind of feeling. My favorite of the bunch, though not a great film by any means, was Scrap Heaven, and that mostly for the film’s style than anything else. The Professor and his Beloved Equation was also one of the few that I ended up keeping (I gave the rest away to friends here who are interested in Japanese cinema). It was at that point that I came to realize just how much stronger the Korean independent scene is (just check my list in “Favorite Korean Films that Bombed at the B.O.” if you want to see which films those are). On the other hand, the experience prompted me to check out more Japanese exploitation films, since I knew that many of them have extraordinary camerawork and interesting stories unlike those found in mainstream or independent filmmaking. My all-time favorite is the Angel Guts series, which I started watching before I moved here. One of the first roman porno films I watched since coming here was Watcher in the Attic, which was OK, but it wasn’t edgy enough for me—my idea of edgy is something like Sato’s Caterpillar, that appeared in the Rampo Noir set. Another recent purchase I mentioned earlier was Norifumi Suzuki’s Star of David. I think a lot of people might be turned off by it, but I think what I’m looking for are films that don’t necessarily try so hard to please, that aren’t afraid to push the limits of what is considered acceptable. Norifumi Suzuki’s film definitely accomplishes that, and he does so with consummate artistry.