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The weekend paper is the traditional place of the comics. Kids and adults alike riffle through many pages of news and finance to find that little smile that awaits them to help them start out on a positive day. In that light and understanding, "My Neighbors the Yamadas" has always been a respected and loved comic, of a light-hearted look at a middle classed, typical Japanese family thats anything but normal. They deal with the world and the problems the family faces with down-to-earth, believable, yet incredibly humorous ways, as no matter what the crisis, the love inherited in the family group always shines through. Having been a huge fan of "My Neighbors The Yamadas" which had been serialized in the Asahi newspaper , Studio Ghibli producer, Toshio Suzuki, sought to bring the simple and fun ideals of the Yamada family to the big screen. The idea was given little consideration at first but soon gained momentum as director Takahata thought that the movie would agree to the times and style of Japanese culture. He believes present Japanese think an awful lot too much. He wished to adopt the idea that we should live more readily and the Yamada’s was a family who embodied the concept. So after a history of creating meaningful, sad, and drama-ridden movies for Studio Ghibli, Takahata departed not only from his traditional style of directing but also created the first Studio Ghibli movie to completely differ from its famous style of high-definition and detail in its animation and backgrounds. No longer are the sweeping landscapes present like that of ‘Princess Mononoke’, but instead are oil markings, water color and lines to define the boundaries of rooms and sets. In much the same style of the original comic series, the movie of 110 minutes comprises of many small short-stories concerning the mis-adventures of the Yamadas. While many may think this style of set-up, containing a procession of laughs would grow tiresome after a short while, you will be suprised with the enjoyable and constantly entertaining nature of the film. The lovable characters are constantly evolving, drawing you into the lifestyle that the Yamadas live out everyday. Mr. Takahata has succeeded immensely well in bringing his vision of free-hearted fun to the screen, creating the environment he originally intended, free from his usually deeper meanings so that average Japan can sit down and escape from reality for a time, free from excessive thought and enjoy an excellent film with many well-crafted laughs. Staring an incredibly well crafted score, and featuring a theme song by the beautiful voice of Akiko Yano, the music tops of this highly watchable and enjoyable movie of many laughs. Gaining much praise at its Australian premiere during the Olympic Japanime Film Festival, be sure to check-out this, the funniest of Studio Ghibli’s movies.
LINKS Nausicaa.net - The Best Miyazaki and Studio
Ghibli resource on the net
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