This is exactly what I needed after watching It. I’m still confused though on the background story of the old ladies because they knew everything from the beginning and as to how they got there 😐

I also felt that Miyazaki was addressing his struggle to pass on the torch to a new generation, but I also feel he is accepting it, coming to an understanding that each generation inherits a different world, each with its own struggles and traumas that shape their dreams. When the tower crumbled, I became extremely emotional with the realization that Miyazaki is abandoning the concept of holding onto a legacy and allowing the new generation to have their own voice and to interpret his work (represented by the brick) however they will. We can only hope there will be another filmmaker as great as the old master Miyazaki.

Imo, this movie is the deepest Miyazaki movie. On the surface, it's a mix of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. but to me, it's a love letter from Miyazaki to us. He's telling us to create beautiful worlds untainted by malice. That block that Mahito kept at the end represent the movie itself, a powerful reminder that we have the power to create something beautiful.

Yes, Hahito is basically Miyazaki Haya herself (father who worked in a weapons factory, mother who died young). I don't know if anyone had noticed this before, but the birds (including the heron) are all metaphors for fighter planes (flying in the sky but never knowing the true purpose of flying, a weak person hiding in the body of a bird, etc.). For me, this movie is a closure to two of Miyazaki Haya's most important themes throughout his artistry, which are anti-war and motherhood. It feels like a farewell towards his beautiful creations throughout the years❤.

That movie is a whole drug trip

The Messsage is in part for Miyazaki's son. The main character refused to take his elderly relative's legacy, like Goro Miyazaki decided not to follow his father's tradition. The film is Hayao Miyazaki's message to his son, saying he understands and loves his son.

My first Ghibli movie in theater, and i felt like i was on acid. Everything went over my head. Its like the meme "never let them know your next move" made into a movie.

I need to watch it again. I hate to say it, but I felt no emotional connection to this film. Beautiful and full of symbolism, the message was so hidden amongst overloaded visuals that really came across like randomness for random sake. I love the opening 20 minutes but the otherworld didn't work for me. I felt excited and interested during Spirited Away and here I felt ready for the movie to end. And that sucked for me. I have been a Ghibli obsessed fan for all my life. Maybe my expectations were wrong. Will watch this again sometime and see how it hits. Thanks for the insight!

I have been a fan of all Miyazaki films. I even read ‘How do you live’ before watching this movie. There was a lot of symbolism in this movie which can be confusing if you don’t understand the meaning behind it. The visuals and music was stunning but the movie was hard to follow. This movie felt like a glimpse into his private journal, it becomes a pleasure and a treat to watch when you understand his past. Will watch again.

Mahito was representing hayao miyazaki and the heron was representing miyazaki's friend nizo yamamoto who died of stomach cancer. He was a good friend to miyazaki and im guessing thats why he made a character to represent him. Even though he was a background artist he still put in detail for us to enjoy the movie a bit more. Reast in peace nizo yamamaoto

I watched this in theatres a week ago and it was intense! I went in without seeing the concept art or trailers for a full blank slate. Absolutely wild, funny and horrifying. I’m gonna need a rematch for sure tho LOL Also the first Ghibli movie I’ve seen in a theatre; totally worth it!

Heron = symbol of your emotions who will always haunt you if you do not face them. He followed mahito until he was willing to face his feelings and in the end he even made piece with his inner self aka was good friends with the heron (who didn‘t turn out to be that bad after all if you get what im sayin) Magician = symbol of your choices and opportunities in life and that you have the power to create your own world and influence others in it. Also the magician died in the tower and was obsessed with it and couldn’t let go.(could be a meaning for being stuck in one place and not moving on/ or even more: suicide) Stones of death = mahito doesn’t chose the stones because he was not willing to die or give up. He chose life and found a purpose - he wants to create a better world on his own. Birds in the movie = unable to read their emotions, (people wear a mask to cover their emotions in real life). Symbol for the bad things in the real world/ hate/greed/war. Many doors: could be the many worlds the ghibli boss made Ghosts got eaten: unfairness in the world. The ghosts would be born as babies but some got eaten by the birds. If you take that literally then it symbolizes unborn babys in the real world (cruelty) In the end the main messages are to move on in life, to let go, to find purpose and that you have the ability to change the world around you to a better place you desire. Ofc these are my own interpretations and perspectives but maybe it helped someone think about it differently. I am sure that you don‘t feel emotionally attached is because you can’t relate to it that much. But i want everyone to watch the movie a second time and try to interpretate the scenes and meanings shown in this masterpiece. Final rating: 9/10.

The only scene I'm still extremely confused about is when Mahito enters Nazuko's birth room and approaches her and she says she hates him

I just love how deeply studio Ghibli expresses the meaning of art ❤ Ghibli aesthetics 💖

Anime is no mistake. I love it. There are so many great stories ranging all the way from the early stuff like Astroboy, Gugantor, and 8th man to the modern My Hero Academia, Dr. Stone, One Piece, Yashahime, Demon Slayer Mugan Train, and a host of others. I just saw The Boy and the Heron a couple of hours ago and had a great time. The story is bizarre but imaginative, fun, and powerful. The art is absolutely beautiful. I strongly recommend going to see this.

Anime is one of the best things that have ever happened to me.

I had so many deja vu moments throughout this movie, seeing references from past ghibli movies, but the biggest deja vu for me was seeing a reference to the painting I learned about just literally yesterday, the isle of death by Arnold Böcklin. It gives the same whimsical, yet ominous curiousity.

It’s a beautiful film that summarizes Miyazaki’s whole career and the importance, to him, of not losing himself in his own fantasy worlds and grounding himself in reality. A very very deceptively simple film

Miyazaki preserve the true beauty of Anime for his entire life. They never use latest technology and literally still making Anime from scratch. They keep the beauty of Key Animation which is I actually agree. Abayo Miyazaki Sensei!

The Island with the trees reminded me so much of the painting "Isle of the Dead" by Arnold Böcklin.

Miyazaki is one of the best filmmakers out there, I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves like Scorcesse and Kurasawa did, but ig that's a part of the movie, learning to move on and make a new path in life, truly the best "final" film that there will ever be

The uncles world felt so unsettling and dark despite being so full of colour and beauty.

I needed this so bad…..I was SOOOOO lost in the theater. Thank you :)

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!! you put everything (or mostly) that was going in my head perfectly, i really liked the video, def one of my fav movies

The movie had me crying in the first 30 seconds because I knew what was coming and I'm very close with my mother who was sitting next to me it has become my new favorite film it just feels personal as an artist myself it just felt real

I just didn't like how there was no reaction to finding out himi was his mom

i watched this movie last night. What you have explained on this video is so true. The movie is very emotional. Full with messages from Miyazaki and something really personal. Thanks for doing this.

Bro me and My Twin Sisters really really really really REALLY Love Ghibli Animes so Much ❤ and I am glad they are Back !!!

This was the only boy and the heron video I 100% understood

Don’t forget his new step-mom is also his aunt and his brother is also his cousin

If the movie had explained literally any other of that while I was watching it, it would have been great. As it was I got to the parking lot and started asking what the heck I had just watched.

beautiful & heartfelt, thank you man 🙏

This film confused me. Was beautiful to look at, but the story felt like it was all over the place and I felt like I had more questions than answers.

I watched the movie yesterday and i felt very confused. I am a studio Ghibli fan and I’m showing my husband more movies of this fantastic studio. However yesterday we felt disappointed. We felt it was an acid trip. Now with this explanation and some others from KZfaq, probably i will watch it again in a year or two and see how my experience and perspective of the movie changes

Kito Senpai discussing the latest movie of Studio Ghibli?! We're in for a treat, ladies and gents!

Amazing review thank you

Thank you so much! ❤

I am so thankful for this man his films are treasures of creativity that dare us to dream and see the beautiful things in life, when life can be cruel and tragic ❤

Just watched it , this sums it up well - Thank you

Just watched it and I got major themes of the nature of creativity and living a life consumed by creative pursuits

God damn, this video helped make this movie make sense.

After watching the movie in the cinema i always go thru youtube to watch these kind of explaination vid and with your explaination some of my initial speculatio as well as confussion actully been answered and confrim so thanks for the explanation vid And also with those explanation vid helps me appreciate the movie more

I think this is miyazaki's very personal film. if this is the last of his creation. this might be it

The visuals were crazy… that’s what I was so excited about when seeing the film. Something about the settings always invoke an emotion in me. Most of the settings presented are places id wish to be in as emotionally, I feel that it would bring me peace and happiness. The setting also reminded me of my home country, and how the environment I used to live in was covered in forests and bushes… almost like the in the film. The part that had me almost in tears was when Lady Himi said he’d rather be Mahito’s mother than to live. It was such a short moment but that quote alone made me feel more appreciation for my mother. Pregnancy is one hell of a trip after all. The fact that she would rather birth a beautiful child than to live KNOWING she would die…

Thanks. Great explanation. I was confused and now I understand.

This movie is like Ghibli's Inland empire. So many scenes seems so random and as the story progressed, it gives you more question than answer. I love the surreal element and atmosphere though. The scene of Mahito's mother's melting, reminds me of Dali's "Persistence of memory".

Honestly this movie was amazing Spirited away has always been my favorite Ghibili movie but this one beat it because of how deep the story went

This was a very good analysis. I was actually let down a lot by the movie, with one of the reasons being the super-power space rock theme. However, the way you related the elements of the movie to themes from Miyazaki’s life made it make a lot more sense. And, I agree that the score is excellent. Again, very good job.

Me and my girlfriend just watched this movie. I thought it was absolutely amazing. Kept my attention the entire time. She seemed a little bit uninterested as she’s more of our Kardashian watcher. 😢 but she did agreed watch it again and we’re going again this weekend. 🎉😊

I watched the movie when it first released and it was so good. I tell my friends to watch it because it is so good, especially Joe Hisaishi music background. Some parts it so hard like when the piano notes hitting the lower notes. I hope The Boy and The Heron win the Oscar awards for best animation.

One of my favorite movies I've ever watched, will never forget seeing it in IMAX.

I wish this was in the theaters near me

Wow, when I watched the movie the message went way over my head but. Now I’m significantly less confused but also disappointed that I didn’t understand without help. Well, c’est la vie.

I just saw it yesterday really good :)

I may have my info wrong but I heard that Miyazaki’s family was well to do which meant that they were relatively safe during the war and that was something he resented. So I felt like I saw a lot of similarities about the father (in the movie) who aided in constructing planes and also told the factory workers to continue working once they couldn’t initially find the stepmother

even tho i understood this movie. This video was great. One of my top ghibli movies.

this movie is not like the ones before. this movie has depth. first few minutes had mahito live inside darkness (depression, grief, loss) and he had a hard time to adjust with his step mom. then at the end he accepted his new mom, let go of his past, and set to a new beginning with his family instead of living in a dream that his grand uncle created as it is not the reality. i think it depicts most of our lives where we feel lost and depressed but over time we learn to accept it. mizayaki's concept is really good. the visual were utterly pleasing and beautiful. bgm was really was also nice. the dream world that mizayaki created was also worth watching. except for the (bit) slow pacing and some parts which i was a bit confused, like the scene where mahito gives no reaction on meeting his mother again, i really loved and enjoyed this movie. i dont know if this is mizayaki's last film but the ending when the tower falls got me sad to realise that mizayaki is old and he is passing the genre to the next generation.

YES LETS GO I loved this movie and just watched it but I have no idea what it means that much 😥😥

I still believe that if Goro Miyazaki stops trying to be just like his father, he'll finally be able to make a good film. He's probably been pressured from a young age to live up to that legacy, but it's just not him. Who knows, maybe someone new will take up the reigns of Ghibli once Hayao is gone, but just maybe Goro will learn to be himself. When Hayao is gone, there will never be anyone like him again. But good films will continue to exist. We just have to cherish the time we had with his films and enjoy different kinds of films made by different people. For example, Goro.

Just saw the movie. I loved the symbolism with the basic shapes of drawing to build his tower again and again to keep his world alife. So fkn deep

seeing this on the big screen shortly after christmas.

Miyazaki thank you so much for changing my life with your beautiful films.

This is by far the trippiest movie from this studio I've seen

Best explain ever. Just like the movie simple but perfect.

The Boy and the Heron in three words: "I'm sorry son."

Damn so Mahito’s father really just went and married his wife’s sister after she died…. Cold

Loved this for many reasons

These are not movies, these are experiences. Loved every second of The boy and the heron.

Just watched the film, people still have imagination and it’s a lovely sight when drawn. Love and honor your parents folks.

watching that movie literallly felt like just 30 minutes passed. then it ended and I had no idea what tf I just watched

Underrated🎉🎉

I loved the first half of the movie, I liked the way the mystery was slowly unraveling and was gradually revealing the fantastical elements of the world. But the second half left me with more questions than answers. When I heard that Hayao Miyazaki's friend and colleague Isao takahata passed away half way through making this movie, it all made sense. The change in vibe, the chaos, the more questions than answers, the grim and horror, the afterlife nature of the world, exploration of human souls, contemplation of the end of everything he's built... my heart breaks for him actually. It made me appreciate the clarity that the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths bring to these concepts and we see some elements of those here. Such as the garden of paradise full of fruit trees and rivers - where we can meet our ancestors only every one is younger, even the same age as us. The fact that our own malice can create a bad fate for us in the afterlife or otherwise a beautiful world of our own creations - it's the quality of or good deeds that creates it... I also felt that the bird king that destroyed the balance and harmony of the 'tower' out of selfishness, rage and arrogance regarding their 'empire' was a metaphor for imperialism, political corruption and greed in the world. Like the Zionist occupation and apartheid state of Israel that has destroyed Gaza and all it's beauty that the people worked so hard to create under difficult circumstances. They destroyed it in just three months for the sake of their capitalist greed (to gain control of the off shore gas reserves of Gaza) but it is masked as 'concern' for the defense of their illegal blood thirsty state.

It kinda reminded me of the fireflies grave.. i will probably watch this later..!

This movie is about grief and how much life changes after the loss of a loved one. It also shows how life can get weird and a bit paranormal when you just lose someone and you are trying to understand death. I believe you see abnormal things happen around you. Everyones grief is different. But when I lost someone real close myself after their death I went through alot of different emotions and believe I saw or heard things that no one around me could. Grief is not fun, and it can get weird and scary . This movie really gave justice or closure, at least to me, when it comes to grief.

Best Miyazaki film since forever

I LOVED this movie!!! The story, the visuals, the music. I myself have ptsd so i was really surprised how it was captured in the movie. I love all the studio ghibli movies, probably my favorite honestly. I DONT KNOW WHY SHE SAID SHE HATED HIM THOUGH that confused me and the end when he walks back with his mom????

Anime was a mistake

Holy moly

That old studio Ghibli is back ❤😢

i watched this movie twice now and probably will do so a third time. I love how you can see various elements of all the other Ghibli movies combined in "The boy and the Heron". It's absolutely a masterpiece and as many said, the "rawrest" movie of Hayao Miyazaki. I feel blessed to start 2024 with this movie and Joe Hisaishi's beautiful new music. Now I have to get my hands on the book "How do you live?" to get a better view on the movie (maybe).

Well, looks like I'm going to the cinema tomorrow🙃

I watch this because I love ghibli films. Also, I happened to lost my aunt late last year. It was sudden for us. Thank you Hayao Miyazaki.

it was breathtakingly beautiful

the final scenes explain the film, as him and his mothers spirit exit the tower as it falls, you see that the doors are not a multiverse at all, but all points in time. the tower is the spirit world of his world, it exists to give the world its form, but falls as the other towers have fallen (as seen by the field of stones where he got his piece). The tower falls simultaneous with and before the spirits decide to inhabit the world, being that it serves as a location outside of time to organize those within to where they belong relative to themselves. His refusal to accept the place of his great uncle is his acceptance of his own place. basically the tower serves to redeem the world, orienting the spirits that they may remove all evil by being placed in their proper place, where great wrong becomes lesson. It serves to say that all lasts and all is destroyed. know that when we die, so too does the world, but the root will always be generative, and as the new world must return, so too must soul be given form. But what do I know, its not like I remember anything anyway haha

I don't think I have fully understood the film yet. it usually takes me a while and ideas and thoughts change upon rewatches. but you video does help. thanks.

It felt like I was watching an actual moving piece of art

I liked this movie classical art and animation is great

Is it weird that this was the least confusing movie I've seen from Studio Ghibli?

Totally got all you said but the pacing felt so disjointed and convoluted.

Hayao Miyazaki is a freaking legend goat for beated three giants animation corporation which is Illumination, Sony Animation and Disney. Imagine Suzume will win Oscar, it a double win for anime community if that happens

Thank you so much! I was so irretated and kinda disturbed after watching that movie! Loads and loads of birdpoop and the conviction that its not a good Idea to mix all subdtances and create a movie. Now I have a more clear Idea of the backrounds and I can appreciate that work so much more!

Was a masterpiece tbh

Wow I am simply at a loss of words! What an incredible metaphor that the granduncle was Miyazaki himself watching his creation fall into chaos!

This movie made my brain malfunction, still haven't recovered yet

The man eating parakeets were awesomeness..!!

i watched the movie yesterday and i have some questions about the endig 1. When the grand uncle world was destroyed (tower collapsed) does that mean the pelicans are now free? since they were stuck on the island starving and thus lead them to eat the wara wara and they weren’t native to the magic world ? Does that mean they returned to their real world 2. himi burns and kills some wara wara trying to protect the majority of them and some wara wara get eaten doesnt that mean the dead wara wara also reincarnate again? since the wara wara are a reference to how souls are created and the the movie theme is about life and death and reincarnation? and kiriko says that himi killing some of them with her fire will help the majority to be reborn doesnt that also imply that these souls also regulate anyways even if they get burned or die?

While i wqtxhed rhe movie i didnt understand it but now i understand it and want to watch it again

Best movie of the year love the heavy symbolism. One of his non “kid” movies and I love it.

miyazaki: it is what it is

I KNEW there was a book like "The Boy and the Heron", that title just sounded familiar. I liked this but not his best in my opinion. But I definitely see the effort given the artistic styles of watercolors, the fire scene and I'm sure there are other painting styles there I missed. I want Miyazaki to do one more picture in partnership with Don Bluth! Imagine what those two men would create together, definitely a Swan Song. Interesting that the actual Japanese title is really "How Do You Live?". Honestly I liked Kaguya Hime and especially "The Wind Rises" much better.