Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Jxbinha
Score: 6/10
Pom Poko is without a doubt one of the strangest Studio Ghibli movies I have ever watched. And that says quite a lot. The premise starts relatively simple, with the tanuki fighting to protect their forest from urban expansion, but the story quickly goes to places I definitely wasn't expecting.
Behind all the absurd humor and completely bizarre situations, there is a very clear environmental message about the expansion of cities and the destruction of natural spaces. I found it interesting how the movie manages to talk about this without being completely serious all the time, switching between funny moments and surprisingly melancholic ones.
Still, it wasn't a movie that completely won me over. At times, the story felt a little too chaotic, and I simply couldn't connect with the…
Read at the sourceelumizu
Protecting forests and preserving the natural world often sounds simple in theory, almost like something everyone would agree on instantly. Save the trees, save the animals, done. However reality is almost never that polite. As cities expand and populations grow, the spaces once belonging to nature suddenly get “rebranded” into roads, housing complexes, and construction sites with very confident blueprints. Pom Poko builds its story right in the middle of this tension, where nature doesn’t just fade into the background, but it gets actively pushed to the sidelines. Directed by Isao Takahata and produced by Studio Ghibli, the film follows a community of tanuki living in the forests on the outskirts of Tokyo. Their peaceful home is somehow swallowed by urban development, which seems to multi…
Read at the sourceOlorin666
You need to have an incredible level of immersion in Japanese myths and legends. And understand not only this, but also the way the Japanese think and their specific humor. I advise you to watch this anime only after you have watched all the other films by this studio. Due to the fact that the inherent meaning and references will pass you by if you are an unprepared viewer, I rate this anime as at least specific and controversial. Let me put it this way: if you’re a cultural studies scholar, then this will make sense. You need to know not only the history, but also the myths and legends about raccoons. Who these animals are and what role they play among other spirits, monsters, etc. For the average viewer, it’s just a raccoon that suddenly stretches out its scrotum. This is a very unfriend…
Read at the sourceAnime_Enjoyer_69
It's very fun. The art is incredible and the music is great. It's very whimsical and funny. This is easily the strangest studio ghibli movie i've seen. The movie heavily focuses on a group of tanuki (tanukis?) that live in a forest that is being taken over and developed by humans. The tanuki have special shape-shifting/illusion powers that allow them to change into many different things and create elaborate illusions to fool humans. The transformations were the best part of this movie to me. They're so creative and charming. There are some dark parts that I didn't expect. There is a lot of mortality. The movie isn't overly violent or grotesque but there is death and loss. Despite the darker parts though, this movie is very light-hearted and happy.
It's a bit hard to recommend to your aver…
Read at the sourceVanVeleca
Why don't they just buy the patch of lands? No seriously, is that not the most obvious answer?
Now I was not born in the 90s and I have no idea how buying land works, but I know it's possible to buy untouched patches of nature as long as you're willing to spend a couple thousands. The young Tanuki that can transform into people have jobs, right? And they don't have to spend it on things like taxes, cars, etc. They seem to only spend money on food and alcohol.
From the very start, why didn't they just start piggy bank-ing some money to buy land so that no human, including the governement, could interfere with that part of nature? I get that the movie is about trying to convince the viewer into being more ecological and more importantly trying to convince japanese youths to care more about…
Read at the sourceSirBunting
This movie is quite interesting. It must be rare to find such a long narrative dedicated so reverently to the tanuki animal. The high point of the movie is without a doubt the macro-transformations and haunting atmosphere that accompanies them in those wonderful scenes. I respect the artistry, varied character designs, folklore fidelity, and ambitious narrative presentation and themes.
Yet as a movie, while you experience awe at moments, it isn't necessarily easy to watch. The low points are pacing (slow and meandering to mimic how real life feels), tonal whiplash (childish paired with adult), and plot loopholes and contradictions. The movie features alcohol, depictions of sexual assault, some minor nudity, and onscreen deaths and calls/chants for death and slaughter. Sensitive viewers ma…
Read at the sourceMidniteAndBeyond
I don't know why I always thought I wasn't gonna like this one. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to. A great mix of Japanese mythos and addressing the ongoing crisis of environmental preservation. I like that the entire film was from the tanuki's point of view. I'm glad there wasn't some sort of human character who got tried to teach the tanuki that not all humans are bad or have everyone meet in the middle or anything like that. It was very real in its message and outcome, despite the fantastical characters leading the whole thing. It certainly has some... interesting imagery for those who aren't already knowledgeable about certain Japanese folklore. But I've been in the game far too long to have been surprised by any of that.
7.5/10
Read at the sourceUncool_Slut
𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣.....
Distinctly Japanese in its essence yet resonating with cultures universal. It captures the allegorical struggle between modernity and traditionalism, while also shedding light on the fight for environmentalism. This piece accomplishes these feats through a perfect blend of humor and heartbreak, a balance that few films can achieve. With seamless grace, it weaves together hilarious moments and poignant sorrow, creating a symphony of emotions. It transports the audience, painting a masterpiece of words and scenes that fulfills dreams and leaves an indelible smile and teary eyes at the end. The opening of the film is so joyful it's really hard to digest the utterly bitter final epilogue. It's just the ultimate crossover where ra…
Read at the sourcektulu007
I've looked at a lot of Ghibli films over the years. Most of them have been quite good others have been more bland or even worse, Tales from Earthsea. This time around we're looking at 1994's Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko.
Story:
We follow a group of tanuki. Their mountain is in danger from human expansion and they plan to do something about it. Using their transformation skills and determination they set on a campaign to save their home from being converted into an apartment complex and a WcDonalds.
The only real issue I have with the story is that it can drag on a bit. There are multiple scenes where the tanuki will go over information they've already been over or they'll just decide that it's time to celebrate. Now, I do get the point of these scenes. They're reiterating information…
Read at the sourcelamaraptor
Miyazaki is usually a little more subtle with his environmentalist messages. Even Princess Mononoke wasn't this blunt. Strap yourself in for 2 hours of Lorax level preaching about how bad deforestation and land development is.
That's not to say this movie is terrible. If you don't understand anything about Japanese folklore it will probably feel like one of those fever dreams made in the drug fueled era of 60's animation, and even if you are familiar with tanuki and other forest creatures and legends it still feels a little trippy. If you can just put aside all sense of reality and enjoy this trip into a fantasy land it can actually be pretty fun. Watching the carefree tanuki have parties and the games they make with their transformation abilities is great.
There was a moment where I had…
Read at the sourceWillNeot
Pom Poko is a good Ghibli film!
But not an amazing one though, for me the first 30 or so minutes are amazing, the documentary style narration and I loved to see this slice of these raccoons lives, how they interact and live. But after sometime it gets a little boring, the story itself isn't anything to write home about, and that's why I think this would work a lot better if it was a short movie. I would gladly watch a 30 minute short documentary(ish) piece about these raccons.
But as it is the film is good nonetheless, the Ghibli qualoty is here, there are absolutely gorgeous scenes here, the animation is flawless, the comedy is good, and it has lovable characters, I just felt that the story didn't held up that good throughout the film...
Overall Pom Poko is a good experience, and if yo…
Read at the sourceElusiveEllie
This movie was very interesting. I'm certainly no expert on Japanese culture nor was I raised in it, so a lot of the stuff involving the tanuki was a little bit uncomfortable. However, luckily I've heard a little about the mythology behind tanuki so I wasn't completely blindsided by the. eh, anatomically correct portrayals of the characters in this movie. To anyone who isn't familiar, portrayals of tanuki in Japan very often involve them bouncing on their testicles... This movie portrays that and has tanuki testicles visible throughout 95% of the movie. If that's not something you can get past, this movie isn't for you.
Story: 6/10. The story is a pretty simple environmentalist tale following the tanuki who are trying to save their home. It's very creative with the different ways the tanu…
Read at the sourcexraaki
This review contains *SPOILERS*.
Watched in Sub/Dub: Dub
Story: 6/10
Pom Poko highlights one of Japan’s odder but extremely popular legends. Pom Poko follows a large commune of raccoons that are determined to reclaim their land from the humans that stole it. The raccoons engage in plenty of shenanigans to halt construction and screw with humans. The plot is all over the place and lacks character development and opportunities for emotional moments. Even though Pom Poko is advertised as a comedy, I found the “funny” moments to be forced and cringey.
Art: 6/10
The animation flow when the raccoons are transforming is excellent but the entire film seems stylistically desynched to the other Studio Ghibli films. The scenery specifically is more angular compared to the generally soft look of mos…
Read at the sourceHeather69
Literally just a movie about raccoons (or tanukis if you wanna sound cool) swingin they massive bawlsacks around and transforming them into various things. Cool visuals and really sad ending but overall kinda boring. However, there is a scene where the raccoons inflate their bawls and use them as parachutes and then fight riot police with them so I guess that's kinda the big selling point of the movie. Very heavy-handed environmentalist moral that's sure to jerk your tears and make you wanna throw out all your wood into the dang dumpster. Cute characters and lots of fun for the whole family! Solid 7/10.
Read at the sourceTheDanishKing
Okay, if there ever was a ghibli movie that went under the raider it would be this one. Directed by anime great Isao Takahata this movie is not talked about at all. The film seems to get lost in the ocean of great Ghibli films. Why is that? What is it about this piece that just never seemed to break through? Well, let's explore it further and see if you can find out.
Pom Poko is about shapeshifting raccoons. These raccoons are actually the mythical creature "Tanuki" who you would have seen if you have watched the anime Uchouten Kazoku. These Tanukis are trying to keep the humans around them from tearing down the forest in order to build a city. So it's a man vs nature kind of theme we got going here. From the perspective of nature.
First, the things I liked. The Ghibli is great, you kn…
Read at the sourceTristynAshley
I have dedicated the past few days to watching EVERY Ghibli film. This was my third-to-last. I simply cannot believe that Studio Ghibli created this. Having now watched all of them, I know the studio had its share of problems and movie flops - not all gold. BUT THIS? THIS can't be Ghibli. I feel like I have been pranked. Have we all been pranked? This must be a joke.
This anime is about raccoon testicles. Two hours of raccoon testicles. And some raccoon breasts for good measure. They talk of them; they sing of them; they use them as parachutes and weapons and as a flying ship to transport the raccoon village to the afterlife. I'm sure there have been many poor ideas for anime, so how could anyone let THIS ONE through? Who? Why?
The overarching story could have been nice: raccoons defend h…
Read at the sourceJasuu_06
Okay so, viewing from the art style, motions and everything. It's very great!
I of course can't say it's a bad movie, which it isn't. I do see the purpose of this movie, it's kind of on a view of how it is with todays animals and peoples in ones.
But that the raccoons/animals then can transform themselves into humans and other stuff to like trick them and scare them because they are taking their safe spot, place.
It's a kids movie and me as a teenages enjoyed it very much and I am sure my family would too, it's very amusing, funny and at the same time dark to watch- it gets a feeling to it. As I said, it's kind of understandable.
On how animals die.
Humans taking their spot- safe spot innit.
Overall I rate this movie a decent 6/10. It's very amusing and enjoyable and I'd defenitly watch…
Read at the sourcePrawin_28
I came across Pom Poko while scrolling the anime section on Netflix. I was born in 1994, the year this movie came out and yet even with it being a Studio Ghibli movie, I've never heard of it, so I decided to watch it and was surprised that this was never recommended.
This is yet another Studio Ghibli masterpiece. The movie has everything from a great plot, music, art and loveable characters. This is a standard Ghibli movie that leaves you loving and respecting nature more and the movie sports just the right amount of testicles to be funny, one more testicle would've been too much, they killed it on that one.
The movie takes place in Tokyo as it rapidly develops and has to destroy neighboring forests to make room to build accommodation for the rise in population. The story follows a gaze…
Read at the source11chadwick
Pom Poko is an excellent environmentalist film. It marries environmentalism with Japanese folklore to create a wacky and colourful warning to industrial development. Without knowing Japan's folklore, this movie may not make sense because it relies heavily on the viewer being familiar with lots of different stories and tidbits. For a movie about the tanuki's home being destroyed so that commerical housing can be built, it is hilarious. My favourite joke is when all the tanuki are sitting on a mat which is actually their master's transformed testicles. The nuanced message that we have to adapt to our changing environment is refreshing compared to the usual bleeding-heart tree-hugging or shame tactics that greenies like to use.
Pom Poko is a fun way for children to learn about the effect hum…
Read at the sourceOptigisa
Stories about anthropomorphic animals behaving like human beings have always been a form of storytelling that different types of authors, narrators and storytellers used to employ back in the old days to convey a message to their audience. This was done by using the animals as some sort of metaphor to represent human society and the flaws that show up within it’s systems. Perhaps the most famous example would be George Orwell's magnificent social commentary on Communism that is the timeless Animal Farm. From there, this form of storytelling would go on to get adopted by many other storytellers that came after the man. Fortunately enough, one of the storytellers to pick up on Orwell’s unique form of narration was none other than the late and great Isao Takahata, a man I like to nickname as…
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