At MTV Geek, an exclusive English clip from the upcoming Studio Ghibli film From Up On Poppy Hill has been uploaded on the site under the title “Let the Schoolboy Revolution Begin”.
This recent film, directed by Goro Miyazaki and written by his father, the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, depicts a nostalgic period of Yokohama in 1963, when Japan continues to re-industrialize itself after the effects from World War II. The film also takes place one year prior to the Japanese Summer Olympics.
You can watch the video at this site
PLEASE AVERT FROM READING ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID POTENTIAL SPOILERS.
The mentioned footage involves a lunch scene between female protagonist Umi and her schoolmates talking about their lunches, followed by flocks of male students occupying the school building, releasing signs to save their school from demolition. Suddenly, the male protagonist Shun, under what appears to be a coordinated plan to get someone’s attention, jumps off the rooftop and lands into the school pond, where a shocked Umi would run up to him.
Shun would reach his hand out to her from the pond, resulting with the students cheering wildly and journalists taking pictures of him holding her hand. Umi, unimpressed by his scandalous attempt, turns away from him, causing Shun to fall back into the water.
So far so good, the movie looks very impressive, both visually and thematically. The character and set designs by Studio Ghibli never grows tiring, as the animations always take themselves to new levels, and always explore different worlds. The cinematographic set-ups are cleverly framed where every object is intentionally utilized to bring the diegetic world to life, and help progress the story at a textual and emotional level.
The English dubbing also shows promise, as it depicts a mundane and every day, slice-of-life setting, under the colloquial facets for the English speaking audience. It goes without saying that English-speaking mannerisms will not always sit well for viewers who prefer viewership in Japanese; but difference in inflection is inevitable upon localization, and one must try to accept that dubbing of all languages are performative interpretations that tell the same story. And localizations for Studio Ghibli films are regularly high quality ever since Princess Mononoke‘s American theatrical release.
If that still doesn’t sit well, then there’s always getting the DVD and selecting the preferred audio format.
From Up On Poppy Hill will be available in select US theaters beginning at March 15, with currently 12 venues selected for the screenings. You can read more about From Up On Poppy Hill‘s release schedule HERE.
