I can't really watch Tale of Princess Kaguya, as beautiful as it is. I've seen it twice and both times left me sobbing for, no exaggeration, three hours afterward. Of course it's a super sad story but something about it in particular sends me into an extreme emotional reaction.

The humanity of the characters in Takahata's works is the stand-out, to me. Kaguya, Taeko and Seita are brilliantly, and at times agonizingly, sympathetic. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya makes my heart ache most of all

Takahata was the experimentalist of Ghibli and his contribution to animation is no less prominent than Miyazaki's.

Even the mention of the tale of princess Kaguya makes me cry. 😭🥹

Only Yesterday is my comfort Ghibli Movie. I always find myself watching it again and again bc somehow it feels relatable and very close to me. I always love how it feels so summery and nostalgic and quiet.

Takahata produced the deepest most emotionally engaging films ever made in the Anime Genre. "Grave of Fireflies" is unique in depth and sensitivity.

Miyazaki's words at Takahata's funeral brings tears.... I really need to watch these films. Thank you for bringing this up.

Pom Poko is one of my absolute favourite Ghibli movies, it makes me tear up every time. It's just a shame that so many only take it at face value as a "silly cartoon raccoon" movie with balls....

It's somewhat understandable seeing how his works are less accessible and much darker and more grounded than Miyazaki's films, but Takahata is such an underrated filmmaker. His films carry so much depth and meaning, and consistently provide a moving and thought-provoking experience. And the fact he was able to do this while experimenting with genres and animation styles is nothing short of spectacular.

"Only Yesterday" is my favorite out of the whole Ghibli lot. Very few films bring me to tears, but this one did.

YES IM SO GLAD MORE PEOPLE ARE LEARNING ABOUT ISAO TAKAHATA HES MY FAVORITE DIRECTOR EVER

TL;DR: Ghibli films are a huge inspiration to me and my work because my Native American ass feels validated by the themes of being disconnected from and constantly pitted against nature, when we have been and should always be working within and in tandem with it. They also seemingly show me a mirror reflection of the struggles my own ancestors and current-day kin face with westernization, modernization, and colonization, which is both troubling and comforting. Many people can only watch Grave of the Fireflies once. I go back to it on the regular due to it being the most intense reminder that children are the ones who suffer most in wartime. Kids over 12 have to become mini adults, while kids 12 and under have to watch their older siblings and parents stress, work themselves to extreme exhaustion, and sometimes die either despite or because of it. War doesn't exist in a vacuum. It doesn't only affect the soldiers who fight, but also their families and the civilians caught in the crossfire. Families that have ties to both sides of the conflict are scrutinized and demonized by both sides as sympathizers, when all they want is the war to end so they and their extended families can live in peace. Communities are broken and reshaped, and the intensity of it all can turn the nicest person into a monster of society's making. Ghibli has produced some of the deepest, most thought provoking, and honest films I've ever seen. A huge inspiration in my own creative journey as I start the writing process for my first serious work. A labor of love, to be sure, as I'm doing it entirely alone and unfunded and plan on releasing it publicly online at no cost. But I feel like Takahata (and Miyazaki by extension) would have preferred to do the same if he had been born a millennial. The project I'm chipping away at delves in part into how my views on society as a Native American are reflected in Japanese culture and its struggle with modernization. It's like I'm watching echoes of my own ancestors' struggles from 150-300 years ago happening in the modern day, in real time. Having it be set in late 70's Tokyo kind of amplifies that, and it's been interesting to explore and research the time period and locale for my writing. I often find myself going back to Takahata's and Miyazaki's works as a kind of mental framework for how to write realistic characters going through narratives of pain and uncertainty at any age, especially when considering my Japanese characters. I guess I want my work to have the same melancholy, bittersweet realism that Ghibli films were able to communicate to me as a child, because it truly speaks to a deeply rooted cultural pain that most western media Can't deliver on for me. Western films about the indigenous american struggle tend to focus so heavily on the colonialism aspect that they fail to truly capture the full scope of the issue. We cannot go into many of our sacred sites to practice our traditions and ceremonies because they are protected as national parks, which, in turn, leads to their further destruction because many of our traditions and ceremonies exist primarily to maintain the environment; preventing wildfires and promoting biodiversity by keeping populations of flora and fauna in check. We were, at one point, a crucial cornerstone species of the ecosystem, and the assimilation and erasure of our culture removed that cornerstone species from the ecosystem. I see a similar story unfolding in Japan's westernization, mainly because Japanese society is catching onto how their primarily non-violent colonization is destroying their own extremely limited ecosystem much like my ancestors did during this never ending period of Reparations. I love art, man. It's so important. I'm glad I have these films to remind me of that.

The conclusion to the Tanuki film made me cry. Hard. The idea of being able to see the space you live in during a time when you took care of the land and the land took care of you…only for the tanuki who were creating that illusion to not be able to keep it up and play with the family they lost along the way… so heart wrenching. Aloha aina

The Tale of Princess Kaguya left me inconsolable for days after I had first seen it. Its a bittersweet and beautiful film of a devastating and crushing magnitude. It's a movie I can't watch without crying every time, but it always leaves me fulfilled in the end, even if the ending is quite painful.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is probably my favorite Takahata film. When you listen to the music, there's two constant melodies that play throughout. One melody represents Kaguya and her roots to the moon played in a minor key. The other is the song the children sing about the bees, bugs and trees; representing Kaguya's time on earth.

I definitely appreciate Takahata's work more as an adult than I did in my teens. His films are so rich-- one viewing is never enough. I have a hard time picking a favorite. I love Horus, Prince of the Sun for its sense of myth, but Only Yesterday is emotionally resonant for me in a way few other movies are.

Grave of the Fireflies is definitely one I’ve said after watching the first time that I will never watch again. But I watched as an older teenager, and it’s been over a decade since then, and I think I owe it another watch with fresh eyes as an adult and hopefully come away from my second watch with a deeper understanding of it.

Takahata's movies make me so emotional, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that an essay analyzing in depth their themes and narrative would make me weep multiple times. My favorite is Only Yesterday, admittedly I'm a very introspective person that hasn't really found their passion in life, so it hit me like an absolute truck when I first saw it not too long ago. Great job, it was definitely a pleasant watch.

A Ghibli horror film would be a dream come true. The boy and the Heron, while I found it flawed in many ways, displayed some of the most surreal/Lynchian logics and ideas the have ever made, and that was simply a treat

The segments involving the Tanuki and their homes' invasion and destruction hits hard for me. Although it's unlikely it was meant to parallel it, it reminds me of the Indigenous struggle across the world but particularly on Turtle Island/mainland North America. I'm Indigenous, and people like me are labeled as domestic eco-terrorists for defending the small portions of land we were forced onto from companies and government agencies barging in to snuff it out. We're being harmed by pipelines, mining for radioactive substances, pollution of our lands and skies and waters, and erasure of our existences. We can't return all of the land to the image it once was, colonialism and industrialization has made that nigh impossible. All we can do is try to help heal what's left and hope that others agree to love this world more than money.

im just here to say I love the yamadas and im so glad you mentioned how nobody really hypes it up- im a big slice of life manga reader so its one of my favorites in both formats. even if i dont always get every joke or cultural reference. but the tv bit i could relate to ive been on both sides of that my dad often bugged me when i was a kid and somedays i wasnt to willing to show grace XD

One of my favorite Ghibli films is Only Yesterday. I first watched it when I was 10 during the Toonami/TCM marathon of every single film Studio Ghibli produced, which included the first ever airing of Only Yesterday in the States with subs. Takahata was terrific at expressing emotional and temporal vulnerability. I teared up when rewatching Miyazaki's speech; the fact that he recalled the magical moments of the mundane even at the very end says it all. Kaguya's the only film of his I haven't watched yet and seeing this essay has given me the incentive to finally sit down and watch it. Also, Only Yesterday eventually did get distributed in the US in 2016 after a lot of petitioning. The dub stars Alison Fernandez and Daisy Ridley.

I'm so glad he made only yesterday for how real and relatable the film is and one of my personal favorites as an adult.

These video essays are so intelligent and it's easy to get sucked into them even if you're not extremely familiar with the works they're about. I loved the one you made about Miyazaki and this is just as insightful and amazing.

Seita’s a child. A child filled with false ideology and given way to much responsibilty from day one. No child should grow up in war and be expected to ‘do the right thing’ What is the right thing? Today’s right thing is tomorrow’s mistake in a society build on lies.

I just love how emotions are depicted in Kaguya, the way the world around her got visibly more sketch like when she was running away and very emotional because her whole world was basically falling apart at that point

I remember as a child who lived in poverty that Christmas never was on Christmas with my mother. We would struggle to make ends meet and my mom was very self-sacrificial, putting all of our resources into the community around us because she couldn’t stand seeing people suffer in our celebration. Because of that, we would get our favorite snacks/candy every once a year. It was the best day of my lives those days, because I saw treats as a beacon of happiness in what would’ve been endless questioning as to why the other kids got their gifts before me. Looking back I think it made sense in my autistic little head that Santa couldn’t mail everything on time for Christmas as I compared him to actual delivery workers and mail men, it just felt more logical that Christmas would go on for several days until everyone was taken cared of. For me, my favorite treats was just as big as a child getting a 3DS for Christmas. I had no concept of monetary value. And I think I don’t really have a concept of monetary value still, when I go out on trips with extended family or friends there would be inquiries about why I would prefer trying out a new experience over getting a souvenir. I just feel more satisfaction with the ability to do something rather than to keep something.

Only yesterday was a masterpiece

Your video on Miyazaki is probs a top 3 video essay ever so I am so excited for this

My first true experience with shrooms was watching Pom Poko while recovering from covid with my roommates. It made me seriously resonate with the movie and Isao's vision. I felt I was able to really digest it with no judgement or scruteny. I absolutely love it and feel it is my favorite Ghibli movie 💕

The Bamboo Cutter's Tale is not really children's literature. It's really four different stories combined into one. The first part is a pastiche of children's stories, what with the elderly, childless couple finding a supernatural child and raising her as their own. The second part is Heian-era social satire, featuring five different members of the Japanese elite and how foolish they really are. The third is a doomed romance between the Japanese emperor and the ideal woman, witty and highly literate, but circumstances make it impossible for them to be together. And finally a rumination on a beautiful child approaching death, and the people who love her fighting to stop it while she tries to come to acceptance and leave behind some kind of legacy (which also turns out to be futile). It's framed as a fairy tail at first, a comedy next, a romance after that, and a science-fiction story in the final portion. Also, although it isn't told from her perspective, and she's kept mostly indoors through the entire tale, she certainly isn't lacking in agency. She basically finds ways to refuse her five suitors in the second part, and it's her wit and intelligence that attracts the Emperor in the third, and she, again, refuses to meet the Emperor, something the men of the story (especially the bamboo cutter himself) wouldn't dare to do. She, far more than the titular bamboo cutter, is the hero of the story. Don't sell the story short. It's lasted over a thousand years for a reason.

Such a great video essay! To answer your question, my favourite of Takahata's Ghibli films (and actually my favourite Ghibli movie in general) is The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, but I also have a huge soft spot for Pom Poko and Grave of the Fireflies as well.

I as expecting to cry when you discussed Grave of the Fireflies. I did not expect that I would weep therapy-style through the discussion of Only Yesterday, a film I'd never heard of until this video and wow...that's a film I need to see...

Thank you so much for making this video. Isao Takahata is one of my favorite directors, so I am so happy to see others recognize his work. Actually, your exploration of Grave of the Fireflies has shed some light onto the film that I hadn't considered (I've only seen it twice now). I'll have to watch it again and pay closer attention to how Seita acts throughout -- I was shocked to see the scene where the Aunt asks why he isn't at school ?! Maybe reading the book would help me better understand where Takahata was coming from.

Thank you for showing the respect this most remarkable creator deserves. May he rest in eternal bliss

I love Takahata-sensei so much. His works are devastating and beautiful. The kinds I can only handle watching once as an adult but will watch again once my baby is a bit bigger so he can learn valuable lessons about nature and humanity.

Phenomenal video! Grave of the fireflies being a "watch it once" movie definitely feels true to me... It just has so much weight behind it... Seems I've got a couple of movies I've missed to catch up on though!

Kaguya is my favorite, the intensity yet simplicity of the art and the emotions is just so striking! This video was lovely, thank you for sharing your exploration of Takahata's films with us.

When i heard he passed away that year it makes me want to watch his films and sometimes i never got a chance to watch them

I don’t think I heard of Takahata before this video. Yet, I think he deserves that same recognition as his fellow workers. Any recommendations on which of his work would check out first?

Your essays always make me cry with hope I swear

I never cried during grave of the fireflies, but the mere mention of pom pokos ending makes me start to tear up.

this is so good! i think i'll be revisiting this every night for atleast a week to absorb everything

thank you for showing more sides. all people ever describe grave of the fireflies as is very depressing and even though I was already sure there was more to it than that I wasnt very motivated to watch it with that discription. (for extra reasons)

This is an actual masterpiece. I wish I could play it on my wall forever. I didn't know that these were all made by someone other than Miyazaki as, from my memory ever since I was young, when Ghibli was spoken about, it was always about Miyazaki. The funny thing is, I always doubted it was from Miyazaki because when I had watched these movies, I felt different while watching them. Like I connected more with them and the emotions they invoked in me were different. Don't get me wrong, Miyazaki's films will always be cherished by me, but Takahata's films are, I feel, ingrained in my soul. I'm glad I watched this. As usual, it gave me a lot more to think about on my next re-watch. The details I notice in movies after I watch analyses like these are so valuable to me. I wish I was better with words, lol! I can't describe the emotions coursing through me right now. But thank you for this beautiful, amazing, fantastic, and dedicated work of art.

Considering Miyazaki's overdiverse style and his age, takahata's death probably has told us the only remnant of the old time might be gone in 2018 already. I bet we can't find any other movies more representive to show how animation arts works than Princess kaguya.

What a great commentary! Princess Kaguya is my absolute favorite!

I loved these movies but definitely didn't look at it with the lens as you're describing. Thank you I didn't know so much 🫶🏼

Isao 勲 means laudable man (kanji for merit) Takahata 高畑 is written with the kanjis for high and expensive filed, a farm, a garden. Fitting name if there ever was one 🙏 PS If you wonder why Takahata is affectionately called Paku-san, it's because in the early days he would always be last minute at work and he would enter while muncing on his breakfast. Paku-paku (or pacu-pacu) means munch-munch. That's why the arcade game is too called Pac-Man

a really wonderful and thorough video essay. so many sources cited and things explored! i myself am thoroughly impressed. thank you so much for sharing your work and passion.

What a great deep dive. Thank you. I've always meant to watch these films. You've given me all the more motivation to appreciate them.

Another wonderful essay, I very much enjoyed watching. Thank you for your hard work on it!

I really appreciated what you said about Only Yesterday

Such a well versed, hard worked, vdo essay! This was an beautiful vdo!

Most people whom I have show Pom poko and Yamadas have said that they didn’t want the movies to end. I definitely think these movies were misjudged by most. Only yesterday is my personal favorite and I think it will do very well with critics today. Fireflies and Kaguya I can only watch once in my life.

Thanks for this vid. It deepen my appreciation

excellent work. thank you.

Thank you for the video and your analysis, I just watched the film and I wanted to know more about Takahata.

I watched heidi growing up, as for movies my favourite might be pom poko, followed by only yesterday.

You are incredibly well spoken. I plan on using this video as study material for my own essay formatting in school

Seeing Isao Takahat's subtle throughline of themes and point of reference for his own view, opinion, and experience of life and death laid bare like this was really something moving. Thank you for putting such a wonderful retrospective together of one of the lesser celebrated mavericks of animated filmmaking.

The Yamada’s is my favourite, it reminds me of my own childhood and brings me in a place of comfort and peace every other movie brings me in an emotional and introspective state. To me it’s kinda like crayon chichan, GTO and Ranma 1\2 but Takahata really knows what’s important to tell. It’s hard to explain when I don’t feel good about where I am in my life this movie reminds me what I’m working for… It’s the pain and joy that i will chose over anything else.

Thank you for this video essay. I have to say, Only Yesterday is my favorite film. I wonder how I would have liked it, had I seen it sooner (damn Disney), but I’m glad I saw it as an older adult because I felt a lot of what the protagonist felt looking back & wondering about life & why we are now. I might have to join your Patreon just for the Ghibli video.

This is a beautifully, well-researched and emotive work. :) You earned a subscriber today. :)

Fascinating, thank you! ❤

Great video! Thank you for your well-researched work :)

Wonderful video as always!

Amazing video loved it , finally someone who understands Pom poko is actually a really sad film

He was the G.O.A.T.

love it! Keep up the good work!

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is my favorite Ghibli alongside Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro, although the latter might not be technically considered one since it was made before studio Ghibli established. I think I may grow to prefer Isao Takahata to Hayao Miyazaki once I watch Grave of Fireflies.

This is my favorite channel!

Favorite - Only Yesterday

Beautiful essay 💕

pom poko is my favorite movie of all time it just speaks to me

Damn. Where did all these onion cutting ninjas, come from? I've seen graveyard of the fireflies several times. And this definitly brought up some perspective I was unable to really, put into words, as well as some new ones. In seriousness, the tears were tied into how I could relate to how I've been feeling in the temporary strangeness of life, especially after a recent major goal that I've been wanting for so many years. I may have to watch these movies at some point soon.

Excellent video

Takahata and Miyazaki i think where very different directors and so similiar at the same time. I think the work of art as a concept of Ghibli create thanks to both wiews of them.

12:16 Interesting that for all of Seita's nationalism, he's cheering on enemy firebombers here, because the bombs give him a chance to loot evacuated houses

Apropos of nothing, I believe the film the family are engrossed with when Mr. Yamada wants to take a family photo is reminiscent of Kurosawa's Dreams. It would make some sense, considering later references to Ikiru (OMG one of my favorite films of all time).

More QC is like a drug you try ever few months.

AMAZING VIDEO!!!!

Loved the music and artwork in Only Yesterday, but I personally wanted Taeko to find happiness in living alone.

Raccoons are fascinating creatures. They rarely move alone, and usually you'll see several at a time. They are smart, mischievous, and brave. Also daring.

Amazing video!n

Right in time to eat my breakfast too 😩

29:32 Ahh a Gekko Kamen/ Moonlight Mask reference.

53:26 Hyokkori Hyotanjima :D

Not todismiss grave of the fireflies, but my favouurite is pom poko, its fun and tragic and more emotional than silly tnuki have any right to be.

Thank you for another heartfelt video. I learned a lot. I actually had no idea Takahara and Miyuzaki were separate people lol!

Have you seen the show Miyazaki directed: Future Boy Conan?

素晴らしく、よくまとめられたエッセイですね。 ありがとう。

Only Yesterday is a much better story than "Eat, Prey, Love"

Is there any doubt as to whether (in all cases), the conundrum which Man is pitted against is the REDUNDANTness of the choice between having no full-fledged children and dying as a gangster, or to have children as a full-fledged citizen who is always trying to prevent the proliferation of gangs (without taking breaks -- even if "life" becomes COMICALLY stressful for him {it's only The Greek Chorus who's in hysterics over him})? Monarchies [which were comprised of courts which ran on actual evidence] made up myths, and the libraries where the myths were recorded were "'traditionally'" (for better or worse) burned down when a new administration arrived. Any comment as to the "mythical" associations of the monarchs to whom a court was tied was a DIRECT INSULT to the entire government. Religion was the fight which each bloc put up against Nature, individually. Dr. Seuss being a political cartoonist whose access to MULTIPLE colors of ink has permanently changed the world more than any "apparition" which the likes of Jayne had surveyed, was there ever any doubt as to whether the purpose of all things which do not result in conception of children is to prosecute people? In other words, to be an artist is to have a peculiarly high social status, but for someone to become a content creator is something which has less to with collectivity and more to do with the emotions which a series of tidbits of knowledge makes someone feel.

Make a video on the unexpected success of RRR in the Western market.... ..

In your comment on Pom Poko, I think your american or american like lense is showing, those balls were no problem here in Germany and neither was the rest of it. The movie was easy for me to understand even as a child. So when you say The West, I think you mean the US.

Yeaaaah Let's get this video to a lot of views in the first hour so that it gets love from youtube Algorithm bless this video which i liked even before watching it because it's that good Seriously, sometimes i end up pissed off because i can't like it again after watching it, fix that youtube Lots of words lots of engagement, yadda yadda

Noice

Why do people say he was a terrible person?

For Whatever reason, his films do not click with me. I don’t really feel anything watching his films but love Miyazaki’s films. I am not saying his work is bad; don’t get me wrong. I can tell a lot of effort and love went into these and I’m happy for people who love them. They just don’t speak to me personally