hige-1 Reviews

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

I love it! English voice acting is actually better than original Japanese.

[10/10 · 25 October 2013]

I really love the movie! "Whisper of the Heart" is a little bit better, but it's still worth watching over and over. Great attention on subtle details is great as trademark of Studio Ghibli. English voice acting is actually much better than original Japanese. They use better actors and better selection of wording to convey the emotion. Sarah Bolger did a great job and perfect voice for protagonist Umi Matsuzaki. I can tell that they made such a great effort for dubbing in English. Goro Miyazaki certainly made a significant step to be a great Director like his father, Hayao Miyazaki in the future. If you are a Studio Ghibli fan, you can't miss this movie. I look forward to seeing Goro's next work!

009 Re: Cyborg (2012)

Great Anime SF Classic is reborn! Best Anime Movie in 2012!

[7/10 · 4 November 2012]

"Cyborg 009" is a Japanese classic manga and anime back in 60'. 9 cyborgs are from different ethnic groups (Russian, American, French, German, Native American, Chinese, British, African and Japanese) and used to fight with villains under cold war world. It was way ahead of time because it contained many global profound human themes. I was just happy to see them back on the big screen under contemporary setting with a masterful direction by Kenji Kamiyama, well-known by "Ghost In The Shell SAC Solid State Society". This is a great quality movie and must see for all Sci-fi anime fans. It starts with some unknown attacks on high rise buildings in major cities in the world like Shanghai, New York, Tokyo and Dubai. At first they believed it was US conspiracy, but it wasn't. I enjoyed the movie very much!

Departures (2008)

Best Japanese film in 2008!

[10/10 · 20 September 2008]

Beautiful and touching movie about life and death. My favorite movies dealing with the same issue are Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru" and "Red Beard". Also, Juzo Itami's comedy "Funeral" is pretty good one. Same as these master's works, Director Takita successfully put good comedy elements in this serious film. The idea "Death is a gate for another world" may be based on Buddhism belief, but I am sure you can relate yourself to this story with your own experience of losing somebody important. Masahiro Motoki was at his best for the leading role. He once played similar role in "Sumo Do, Sumo Don't" by Director Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dansu?) in terms of being put in awkward situation, involved seriously and end up finding the virtue in it. Music score is by Joe Hisaishi. Great as always. He has done great jobs on films for Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki. I am sure this will be the best Japanese movie in 2008. 10/10