ehalcomb: The Wind Rises || Anime Movie Review

Everyone has those movies that, despite its flaws, they unconditionally love. The Wind Rises is definitely one of those films for me. The film is not only a marvel by a technical and sound engineering standpoint, but because of the tone that it gives off. Throughout the entire picture there is an almost sort of melancholy feel because of the situation that these REAL people are in.

Jiro, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is a young airplane engineer who's only passion in life is to make "beautiful airplanes" as he eloquently puts it. The only problem, however, is that he is making them for the Japanese military during WWII. It does seem like a very futile passion but the amount of heart that he has for his craft is astounding. So much so that I smile every time he talks about different types of rivets he can use or how the wind affects the pressure on the wings of the craft. His enthusiasm just seems so genuine. Because of his situation, Jiro feels a sadness for the downed planes that he designed and sometimes blames himself for the deaths in a war that he opposed in the film and in real life as The Wind Rises is based on a true story. This is partly the reason for the flaws that the film has. Because the story of Jiro Horikoshi is a real one, the pacing slows down considerably about halfway through when the romance is introduced. I don't have a problem with the romance with Satomi in theory but there is way too much time focused on it and not on where the movie truly shines: showing Jiro's passion for building aircraft. The overall story is very good, albeit flawed.

The thing I love about the film the most, however, is the technical side and the production. For example, the hand-drawn animation is hands down the best I've seen in any 2D animated feature. There's a particularly memorable and mind-blowing scene where a town is being ravaged by an earthquake. The ground rolls and the train tracks roar as the city of Tokyo is demolished somewhat beautifully because of the animation. Another astounding scene is a pseudo-montage of Jiro sitting at his desk designing a plane. Sounds boring in theory but the animation makes it something gorgeous. Jiro, and therefore the audience, feel the emotion, the wind, and the passion for the project. The Wind Rises also boasts an amazing score by the one and only Joe Hisashi. The music is purposefully Italian with light woodwinds and dark brass fluttering sixteenths to give the film a 'flighty' feeling; no pun intended. Another extremely fascinating technicality of the movie is the use of REAL sound effects. By that I mean that most of the sound effects, from plane engines revving up to the rising of the wind, are done entirely by mouth. At first it can be a little jarring, especially if you notice it during your first viewing, but you quickly get used to the genuine sound of it and appreciate it greatly. All of technical aspects aside, The Wind Rises is an exceptional, though flawed, movie. It has fantastic sound design, amazing animation, and a great true story.

The Wind Rises is extraordinary.