Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
GOODBOYMODZZ
If this really is his last movie, which he's gone back on saying five fucking times now, then this would honestly be a pretty amazing end to one of the best film careers ever. I really loved this. This is easily his most introspective movie yet, both for him as a person and director, but also in a way that gets the viewer to look inward as well. I love how this handles its themes. The emotional journey that Mahito goes on throughout this is so powerful to watch, as he learns to live for the people he does have, being there for them and letting them be there for him too. The first act has such an interesting tone, as he's kind of just wandering around this new place while his mind is struck with grief, which causes him to be distant with people and even hurt himself. It's almost like an inv…
Read at the sourceJxbinha
The Boy and the Heron is a visually beautiful and deeply symbolic film, filled with the kind of imagination and atmosphere I expect from Studio Ghibli. The animation is stunning, the soundtrack fits perfectly, and the mysterious world creates a constant sense of curiosity throughout the story.
I appreciated the themes surrounding grief, loss, growing up, and learning to accept difficult changes. However, I found myself struggling to fully connect with the story at times. Some parts felt too abstract, and I occasionally had difficulty understanding the symbolism or becoming emotionally invested in everything happening.
Still, I can appreciate how personal and ambitious the film feels. It may not be one of my favorite Ghibli movies, but it is undeniably unique, beautiful, and the kind of sto…
Read at the sourcelunarylub
I kept my eyes wide open from the beginning to the very end of the film. Hayao Miyazaki's final masterpiece, and here I am, mourning all the past versions of myself that have watched his breathtaking creations.
When the credits rolled, I was struck by a profound sense of sadness and melancholy. For all the things we loved experiencing, the things we desperately want to remember, only to eventually forget them. We cling to a life lived, to the people we loved so deeply, to growing up and finally being able to say goodbye to those who forged the most beautiful memories of our lives. But forgetting is normal. Growing up, leaving things behind, and moving on is a true sign of wisdom. Still, I am completely overwhelmed with emotion; I feel that one of the greatest gifts life has given me is th…
Read at the sourceLuxfor
The movie starts off slow, doing a decent job of building up future characters, but as it continues, it just starts piling up. The whole vibe feels off and forced, as if the creators simply applied the iconic Ghibli formula and called it a day.
A good comparison would be the newer episodes of SpongeBob, where the writers are so caught up in their own heads and under pressure to make every frame a future meme that it strips the soul out of the work. The result is an unwatchable product. This film was similar; it felt like they were just checking off a list: small grandmas with big noses and wrinkles, tasty food scenes, and small cute things, transforming demon-like creatures, etc..
It honestly felt like AI made it. They reduced the entire experience to a "vibe" that they didn’t even get r…
Read at the sourceetchedmonolith
"The wind rises was fantastic! If only Hayao Miyazaki made just one more movie!"
*The monkey's paw curls*
Now, this isn't a bad movie per se, it has quite a few cool concepts, and, most importantly, it still retains this Ghibli magic that throws you into a different world that lives by its own whimsical laws, making you wonder what else it has in store. So, it's not that the movie is low quality - if this was made by literally anyone else, it would be one of the top animated movies of the year. It's just that this is a terrible send-off to Hayao Miyazaki. The beginning seems very enticing, but the deeper we go into the story, the more it resembles a compilation of unreleased short story drafts crammed into three hours of high-budget animation. Dreamy and chaotic, it just feels like the l…
Read at the sourceSzandor
A young boy grieving the tragic loss of his mother encounters a grey heron that can speak and is drawn into a strange fantasy land of magic and wonder. It sounds like the perfect backstory for a movie that could take it's place amongst other fantastic Ghibli movies. And yet, this movie seems to have failed to capture the hearts of the audience in the same way as Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away. How come? Well...
- Story & Theme
The story isn't much to speak of, to be fair. But then again, a great movie doesn't need a complicated story, it needs only to tell that story well. And perhaps that's the first problem with this movie. It seems at times it's doing all it can to NOT tell the story. We see the movie establish hook after hook that never really lead anywhere. I constantly get th…
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
The Boy and the Heron was absolutely beautiful. I’m a little sad I didn’t manage to see it in the cinema, because the visuals and atmosphere would have been breathtaking on the big screen but even watching it at home, I was completely enchanted. The film has that unmistakable Miyazaki magic: a dreamy world, emotional storytelling, and a sense of wonder that pulls you in from the very beginning. It’s his newest work, and once again, he didn’t disappoint. The animation is stunning, the symbolism is rich, and the story feels both mysterious and deeply personal. It’s the kind of film that stays with you long after you finish it, making you think about its themes and characters. Even without the cinema experience, I’m genuinely thrilled I watched it, it left me amazed, moved, and grateful that…
Read at the sourceertiis
My candid reaction to this film was wonder, confusion, and then a bit empty at its end. It's a treat for the eyes, as Miyazaki films go, and definitely plays with the surrealism of its themes. I'll tell you straight up that I'm not the sharpest tack in the box, so having my friend explain to me what they got from the film allowed me to connect the dots immediately and appreciate what it was trying to convey. So if you're that person that picks up on all the little things, you'll love to pick this thing apart because there is A LOT to unpack here.
With that said, I'm going with the biased stance of, "it won't be for everyone, but for diehard Ghibli fans––or specifically Miyazaki–– it's a must-see." That's the TL;DR.
Characters are simple, but because they really aren't the point of the fi…
Read at the sourcesebastian108
When you contemplate a drawing or a painting, how do you value it? By the detail of its strokes, the beauty of the landscape, or the emotions, sensations, and thoughts it awakens in you? I think all three are valid, but the last one is the one I value most, because it’s unique, unrepeatable, and holds infinite possibilities. The Boy and the Heron remind me of how infinite the universe is, and feels like an ode to the mystery of life. From the compassion the boy shows to key characters despite their gruff/deceiving personality, to the experiences each character in the film goes through, and even to the stories and behavior of every creature and object that seem inert yet alive in some sense in that other universe.
The role of the colors in this movie is a corner piece of the emotions/thoug…
Read at the sourceelumizu
The Boy and the Heron is a deeply introspective fantasy that blends grief, imagination, and philosophical reflection into a story about loss and personal transformation. The story follows Mahito Maki, a young boy whose life is abruptly disrupted during World War II after his mother dies in a tragic hospital fire. Struggling to process the trauma of her death, Mahito moves to the countryside with his father, who has remarried Mahito’s aunt, Natsuko. The unfamiliar environment and unresolved grief leave Mahito emotionally distant and withdrawn, unable to reconcile his feelings toward his new family. Mahito’s turmoil becomes the emotional foundation of the story. Along the way of exploring the large estate surrounding his new home, he begins encountering a strange grey heron that behaves with…
Read at the sourceTheSlyRomano
This has been in my back burner for a couple of years now ever since it came out, I love Ghibli they have some of the best films in the anime genre, But this is not one of those films in my opinion and I'm aware that is a going to be a hot take
Spirited away, Grave of the fireflys, Pongo, My neighbor Totoro, Howls Moving Castle, Princess Mononke, Kiwis Delivery Service, The Secret world of Arrietty, The Cat Returns, A Whisper Of The Heart, Pom Poko, Tales of Earth sea, And My personal favorite Porco Rosso
Those are all fantastic films with different themes, Different messages but all from the same studio, Ghibli is definitely one of the best Animation Studios of all time, But the end out on this note is kind of underwhelming, in my personal opinion, It kind of feels like this was just a…
Read at the sourceNZBurgee3
I really enjoyed this movie. First studio Ghibli movie to see in theater and we had a great time. The story to me had a pretty different feeling that the other ghibli movies I have seen but I really liked it personally. I also liked the the time and place it was set in since I am into the history surrounding the setting so it caught my attention a little more. The character development with the boy I felt could relate more to. I think most people who like studio ghbili would get some sort of enjoyment out of the boy and the heron. To me overall it was worth the watch. I hope this helps :)
Read at the sourceStanKuroi
When Hayao Miyazaki released his last film, The Wind Rises, more than 10 years ago, I was disappointed. But in the way, how its missed me. In 2023 his supposedly last film was released. In English it's called The Boy and the Heron, but in the original it could be translated as: How Do You Live? And that's what the film is about. Once again, we meet the main child protagonist who is confronted with a tragic event and copes with it by making a pilgrimage to a fantastic world. Miyazaki is essentially recapitulating his entire life's work here. There are many of the motifs that are so typical of him - talking animals, denial of the laws of physics, blending between worlds, mysterious characters who stand for something but have little influence, and elderly wise women with the appearance of wit…
Read at the sourceKIN3critic
When you cook Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke together:
A very difficult Miyazaki film based on the philosophy of "How Do You Live?" It's animation is actually very gorgeous as every frame is different from one another. Very few people will notice this but yaa!
If you think that the film is boring, you're actually not getting it right. I also found the themes of the film very complex so I'm gonna re-watch it for better understanding of the film. And the blend of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke is actually real. Some scenes are the tribute to the previous works of Miyazaki.
"You have to let go some precious things from your life and live happily without it."
Sometimes, you don't have to understand the film completely, just feel it bro :)
Read at the sourcelakotrop
it was as if miyazaki had a dream. it felt real. and intense. emotions greatly heightened. then he woke up. and decided to share it.
but it just didn't feel the same anymore and made hardly any sense
it was more like a walk through his filmography rather than a new world to explore. it would have been an appropriate way to finally say goodbye for real if only the plot was a little more...engaging. i was trying to find a glimpse of miyazaki's genius more than actually enjoying myself.
characters were unexpectedly dull. felt no sympathy at all. i actually feel worse for having to write a negative review for a ghibli movie.
sound and art were peak per usual. fire almost felt real. although the animation seemed weird at times (few funny proportions here and there).
Read at the sourceAYBILA
The world that the grandfather tries to leave to his grandson is a direct reference to Miyazaki's grandson. Sending an atom bomb is a must, he also made references to his own films. The main story is not good, the processing of the story is very slow, he can't get into the main subject for 1 hour. You can understand who is who at the very beginning, the mystery he tries to create has no meaning, the characters' inclusion in the story is also very absurd. He spreads the story that wouldn't last 60 minutes into 2 hours, the most boring Miyazaki film I've ever watched, lastly the music is bad, the visuals are a bit of a let down. The script is undercooked, the connections can't be established, the story is baseless.
Read at the sourcey8man
Overall, I believe this film was more of an artistic expression over a compelling story on its own. For the record, both of these things can exist together, but it's pretty clear where the focus leaned on. It's an art form of symbolic thought and certainly ambitious as a portrayal of its themes, but I strongly feel that its presentation could have been better and more streamlined, especially since previous Ghibli films did not sacrifice much of its progression for subtlety.
Story: 3/10. Does it make sense to say this film was less of a story but more of a food for thought? How each pieces can connect to the art as a storytelling medium. How each character is meant to represent something meaningful culturally or personally. It is quite a strong product for introspection and deep considerat…
Read at the sourceogblynz
Rating: 5/10
"How Do You Live?" was a disappointingly mediocre and fake feeling experience. The film was overwhelmingly quiet for roughly 85% of the runtime, which could have been effective if the silence had served a purpose. Instead, the lack of dialogue and explanation felt frustrating. The film presented ideas and events with little to no context, leaving everything for the audience to interpret. While ambiguity can be a powerful narrative tool, here it just felt like the story was being intentionally vague to the point of annoyance.
The protagonist barely spoke and seemed to move through the story as if guided by the wind rather than his own decisions. There was no internal monologue, no moments of reflection, and no attempts to ask essential questions like "What is that?" or "Why i…
Read at the sourceNever_Know_Best
So The Boy and the Heron is… okay. Beautiful and winningly surreal, and the animation has the kinds of flourishes you both would and wouldn’t expect from a Miyazaki film. The backgrounds have this quality to them clearly influenced by the modern and surreal art periods that I certainly vibed with; the heron himself is a delight.
But the story doesn’t quite come together in that particularly human way he often excelled at, mirroring reality and expressing its truths through the most fanciful, inspired of “lies”. It reads more as a vague, stubbornly continued message for children to face life’s struggles and the inevitably of loss, which… makes sense, seeing as he explicitly made this one for his grandson and I imagine for himself in his twilight years.
Ah well, it’s not like I expect a di…
Read at the sourceWhapper
I do not recommend this film. It's boring after the first act. It's disjointed and borders on nonsensical. I would hesitate to even say it has coherent narrative.
The film seems to think it's addressing numerous serious themes. But it is not. At best, you could say it alludes to the existence of a few themes. It explores none of them. It doesn't have the narrative or characters necessary to explore any themes.
The characters are extremely flat. We generally don't know their motivations at all. The boy is unexpressive and strange. A bird shows up and starts talking to him and he just shoos it away, closes the window, and goes back to sleep. We never find out why anyone really did anything. The birds are ridiculous and overused. The father is dumber than one from the Sunday paper funnies…
Read at the source
