🚀 go-pugleaf

To get an idea of how good "Omoide Poro Poro" is, one could start by looking
at the fact that it was the number one animated movie in Japan for 1991.  The
next fact to consider is the presence of Hayao Miyazaki as the film's
producer.  The director, Tsutomu Takahata, is a former student of Miyazaki,
but as this movie (and his previous project, "The Grave of the Fireflies")
shows, Takahata is well on his way to becoming a master, if he isn't
considered one by now.

There are signs of Miyazaki's artistic influence in the character designs and
backgrounds Takahata uses in "Omoide Poro Poro."  The clean, simple faces of
the characters are reminiscent of Miyazaki's style, and the colors used
in the production are subdued.  However, the difference is that Takahata's
work appears even more detailed than Miyazaki's because Takahata's direction
tends toward realism.  The attention to details is reflected in various places
throughout the film from subtle human motion like the slight shake of the head
to nostalgic displays like Beatles posters and old TV shows to ordinary
physics like the reflection of buildings in a swinging car door window.  The
sum of the effects is astounding and enhances the world presented to us in
"Omoide Poro Poro."

Takahata focuses on personal and inter-personal relationships in this tale of
a woman's reunion with her family.  The movie's blurb, translated as "I am
going on a journey with myself," hints at the poignant scenes in "Omoide Poro
Poro," most of which are flashbacks to the childhood of the main character,
Taiko.  Taiko's memories have strong emotional contents which is
communicated to the viewer through common experiences from joy and love to
sorrow and disappointment.  The characters break the language barrier with
crafted responses filled with hints from subtle, natural gestures and from
voice intonations that is often taken for granted.  Knowledge of the
Japanese language is certainly helpful, as usual, but ignorance does not
completely interfere with the enjoyment of the film.

"Omoide Poro Poro" may have been aimed toward Japanese adults, but it certainly
carries appeal for people of any age and language.  There are no giant robots
nor monsters wrecking destruction upon Tokyo in this story, just a woman
discovering herself and her place in the world.  At the end of this
entertaining movie, one may wonder if there's a child in all of us, ever
hopeful of the decisions we make based upon our experiences in the journey of
life.

(Please email corrections.  My information can't be that perfect!  (=B  )
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 Pomru (John Yung)                                           pomru@acm.rpi.edu