Your favorite Ghibli and why? 👀
Was it ellaroundpanda who had a really thought-out response? I'm kind of the same way....
When I was young, my fave was Spirited Away. When it first came out in theaters, I think I was around Chihiro's age. I had never watched anything like this movie before with such major themes on heavy topics, but even at...10 or however old I was, they made it easy for children to comprehend. All movies back then were like sequels of previous hits....Cinderella II, Return to Neverland, The Santa Claus II....basically nothing original except Lilo & Stitch. Spirited Away was really different at the time.
And then when I got older and had seen all the Ghibli classics, for the longest time my fave was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. It might still be my fave, just not as strongly as before. I have a terrible fear of bugs, so Nausicaa's bravery and adventurousness really inspires and amazes me. The 80s music is really distinctive and memorable...I can't say I love the music (that la-la-la-la-la-la-la song is tiring), but that moment when she and prince Asbel discover his Ohm-destroyed hometown, that percussion gets me every time like a kick to the gut. The emotional devastation!!!!
Also whenever Nausicaa is flying around on her glider,,,, She's just so cool and she can fix things, fight, grow plants, and do science stuff, and she's basically the complete opposite of me. She loves those gigantic bugs, they even lift her up with their creepy golden feeler thingies, and she's SMILING. You know, I could never do that. So I greatly admire the strength and intelligence of her character. A part of me wishes I could be her because she's so ideal. She can do anything. She can do everything I can't. SHE'S A HERO.
Also, the lore of her post-apocalyptic world is crazy. We get a bit of a historical perspective, but this movie doesn't have you pining for the past. One reason why I appreciate this movie a bit more than Castle in the Sky or Princess Mononoke is that Nausicaa projects a much more hopeful future than those other classics.
My comfort Ghibli film is The Cat Returns. Haru reminds me of one of my friends, a little in her own world. It's such a funny and cute tale of character growth. Sometimes I need the magic of Ghibli without the heavy stuff, and so I watch Haru talk to cats. The Cat Returns is less stressful than Totoro, and dare I say, has even less stress than Panda Go Panda.