When Hayao Miyazaki says he is retiring, unlike the boy who cried wolf, we all feel a sense of dread… every single time. This is his sixth such announcement, and despite wanting to hold onto that glimmer of hope that he will return for another film, it really does feel as though it is an end of an era.
The Wind Rises is his latest, and last film, and so I felt it important that we discuss it on the podcast. I also thought it was important to discuss, as it is a fictional retelling of Jirô Horikoshi’s life. Jiro was the aeronautical engineer who designed the Zero fighter for the Japanese military during WWII. It was an instrument of death, and what Miyazaki has done with this retelling, is change Jiro’s personal life in order to make him more retable, if not loveable.
This has upset a lot of people, however it has not changed the fact that the film, when seen as an entirely fictional piece, is absolutely spectacular. It’s in analyzing it that we are confronted with very serious questions as to whether or not such a re-telling was appropriate.
Please leave us your thoughts on this, as we are curious about what you all felt as well.
Enjoy.
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