Young Kang

My neighbors the Yamadas. I understand why many people wouldn’t get the movie. It’s because the film presents the ordinary lives of Japanese people. And without prior knowledge of the Japanese culture or East Asian culture in general, the average audience wouldn’t like the film much. However as a Korean American, I was surprisingly invested in the lives of the Yamadas. I know that I’m not Japanese, but there were aspects of the lives of Yamadas that reflected the early years of my life when I was at Korea. Once I had interest in the characters, the film did something magical. It turned the ordinary to the extraordinary and expressed our everyday emotions in a beautiful poetic animation. The writing was amazing- funniest Ghibli movie I’ve ever seen. Actually, this is probably my favorite Ghibli film. The other ghibli movies give me renaissance disney vibes, so I don’t like them quite much. A brilliant case study of what family means to many people. The film’s specific obsession with the ordinary lives of an imperfect family brought out it’s beauty. Heart warming, thought provoking, and an entertaining film for those who can relate. Can’t believe that this was made in 1999.