Studio Ghibli’s most mysterious movie has hit theaters in Japan. WIth Hayao Miyazaki’s final film taking the surreal approach of releasing no promotional material outside of one poster, anime fans have been wondering just what lies in the movie’s runtime. Luckily, thanks to the internet, reviews from Japan are making their way to countless Ghibli fans that not only praise the film but give fans a better idea of what is in store for one of Ghibli’s most anticipated movies.
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The original novel didn’t contain much in the way of the supernatural, though it seems that the Ghibli production, from the reviews, is injecting some magic and mysticism into the proceedings. The decision to not promote the film with any trailers of any kind, and only share one image for the film, was a drastic one. Hayao Miyazaki even recently stated that he was unsure if it was ultimately the right decision, though this hasn’t stopped anime fans from making Ghibli’s latest one of the most anticipated anime movie of 2023.
The movie itself is based on a popular Japanese novel printed in the 1930s with the same name. However, while Miyazaki’s last film takes inspiration from the story, many have reported that the film is far different from its source material. If you want to get a better idea of the original source material, here’s an official description of the story:
“How Do You Live? begins with fifteen-year-old Copper, who has recently suffered the loss of his father, gazing out over his hometown of Tokyo, watching the thousands of people below, and beginning to ponder life’s big questions. How many people are in the world? What do their lives look like? Are humans really made of molecules? The book moves between Copper’s story and his uncle’s journal entries, in which he gives advice and helps Copper learn pivotal truths about the way the world works.”
Unfortunately, How Do You Live has yet to reveal if it will come to North America, though considering Ghibli’s track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it arrives in some form this year.
