A Film by Hayao Miyazaki

The Wind Rises, directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, was supposed to be the veteran animator’s final film, and was planned as a “farewell feature” for his career. As we near the North American release of The Boy and The Heron (aka How Do You Live?), one can see that retirement is unlikely for the man, and I fully assume he will be making films until he dies. At this point, I almost think he is continuing his career is some weird form of spite! The Wind Rises is far different than most of the director’s films, acting as somewhat of a bio-pic and a thought experiment on his two main loves in the world – aviation and pacifism, both of which seeming completely contradictory.

The film is a captivating and thought-provoking animated film that beautifully weaves together history, art, and human aspirations. Known as his most poetic work and his first real venture into surrealism, this is a Miyazaki film like none other.

“Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted from a young age and unable to be a pilot, Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes one of the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers. The film chronicles much of his life, depicting key historical events, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic and Japan’s plunge into war. Jiro meets and falls in love with Nahoko, and grows and cherishes his friendship with his colleague Honjo.”

Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Japan, The Wind Rises follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, a real-life aeronautical engineer with an unwavering passion for aviation. Jiro is most notably known as the man that designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the plane that would strike fear into the hearts of allied sailors in World War II, as Japan eventually resorting to suicide “kamikaze attacks”, to weaken allied ships. The film never really touches on the aftermath of Jiro’s creations, something that sparked controversy that I will later go into, and instead solely concentrates on the artistic endeavor that is designing something to fly through the air like a bird.

From a young age, Jiro’s dreams are ignited by his fascination with flight and the desire to create something beautiful that soars above the earth. He is aided in his dreams via imaginary (or not?) conversations with an Italian aviation pioneer named Giovanni Caproni. Caproni is perhaps best known for his attempts at creating wondrous aircrafts such as the six-winged passenger behemoth, the Caproni Ca.60, which unfortunately fell apart in one of its test flights. Jiro learned of this man through English-language aviation magazines as a boy, and uses his discussions with him to learn about the romance of aviation. While we can assume that Jiro is just dreaming, there is a bit of wiggle room to believe that the two men, bonded by their passions for aeronautics, could be having some sort of joined dream. I’d like to personally believe that is the case at least!

Being a history buff, I enjoyed seeing some big historical events elaborated on such as the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and the beginnings of World War II. While that war is not really happening in the forefront of the film, viewers got to see little bit of how it may have affected somebody such as Jiro, because even in his prevailed position, nobody could escape the war effort. There is a scene in a hotel where Jiro runs into a German man that is against the Nazi regime, marking Jiro as ” person of interest” when he gets back to Japan. It appears this man could have been a spy and Jiro is seen as somebody that could be a collaborator. This sort of thinking enrages Jiro because all he wants to do is make planes, separating himself somewhat from what they are intended to be used for.

Miyazaki navigates this delicate subject matter, neither glorifying nor condemning Jiro’s contributions to the war effort. Instead, he presents a complex portrayal of a man torn between his artistic aspirations and the reality of his creations being used for destructive purposes. This gray area the film presents is where some fans have taken issue with the film. Miyazaki was lambasted in Japan by Japanese right-wingers that are trying to preserve the pre-war attitude of the country and take back any criticism of the country’s actions during the war. on the other hand, some felt that he should have gone out of his way to either show how wrong Japan was or at least not make Jiro out to be a hero. Since he did neither of these, the film is somehow stuck in the middle of a storm of controversy that is honestly unwarranted.

Take, for example, this blurb from a New York Times review of the film:

“”People have agendas, and it’s easy to use this film as your own,” Mr. Wexler said. Despite its antimilitary message, for instance, “The Wind Rises” has been denounced in South Korea as a celebration of Japan’s wartime aggression. Mr. Miyazaki and his film have meanwhile been criticized as unpatriotic by some conservatives in Japan, where the prime minister, wary of China’s rise, has pushed for a constitutional revision that would allow for a more muscular military.”

The New York Times

The film masterfully intertwines his personal journey with the historical context of Japan’s turbulent pre-war years, providing a multi-dimensional narrative that blends personal ambition with societal challenges. Miyazaki’s signature attention to detail is showcased in every frame of the film. The animation is breathtakingly stunning, capturing both the grace of flight and the intricacies of human emotions. The dream sequences, in particular, stand out as ethereal and imaginative segments that blur the lines between reality and fantasy, inviting the audience to explore the inner workings of Jiro’s mind.

I especially liked a weird choice that was made for the film – the idea that most sound effects, including mechanical items such as plane engines, or the aforementioned earthquake, were done with human voices. Like imagine somebody such as that guy from Space Balls and Police Academy (Michael Winslow) being given a contract to do sound work for the film. It took me a second to realize it was happening, but when I did it was definitely a strange choice. It adds a really dream-like quality to the movie and almost goes to show that Jiro sees life in things such as airplanes and earthquakes, which can almost explain his romanticism to such items.

The voice acting, as expected from Disney and Studio Ghibli productions, is pretty good no matter what people that hate English dubs say. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who voices the English version of Jiro, brings a depth and vulnerability to the character that enhances the emotional resonance of the story. The supporting cast, including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Werner Herzog, and Stanley Tucci, contributes to the film’s overall authenticity and heart.

I think one interesting thing about the original Japanese version is that Jiro is portrayed by Hideaki Anno of all people, the film director perhaps most known for Neon Genesis Evangelion. The two men have been collaborators in the past, with Anno previously working for him pre-Ghibli as a key animator. Even some of Anno’s works, like Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, were proposed as Miyazaki films.

While The Wind Rises is visually mesmerizing and emotionally engaging, it may not be suited for younger audiences who are more accustomed to the fantastical elements present in many of Miyazaki’s other works. The film’s pacing is deliberate, allowing for contemplation and reflection, which might not resonate with those seeking a more fast-paced adventure. This was one of the few films in this series that I did not take my son to, not because I figured it would be inappropriate, but because of the fact that I had not seen it before and was not sure he’d enjoy it. Now that I have seen it, I feel like he might enjoy it, so I will likely toss it on via the Max streaming service here soon.

I did a little research on the film, and from what I can gather, the historical Jiro Horikoshi was likely different than Miyazaki’s. For one thing, I cannot find evidence that Jiro had a young wife that slowly died of tuberculosis, one of the main focal points of the film. In fact, Wikipedia cites his unnamed wife being at his side through some of the allied bombings of Tokyo, and the fact that he had five children by the time of World War II. These differences are due to the fact that Miyazaki adapted a handful of novels from three different countries for the film – The Wind Has Risen, a short romantic fiction by the Japanese writer Hori Tatsuo; the French poet Paul Valery’s best known work, Le Cimetière Marin; and The Magic Mountain, from German author Thomas Mann. Miyazaki himself has said that Naoko – Jiro Horikoshi’s fictitious wife was lifted from a character named Setsuko in The Wind Has Risen.

The Wind Rises was the only Miyazaki film I had not seen going into this series, and I was pleasantly surprised with it. I would not say it is one of my favorites, largely because I prefer the studio’s adventure titles, but it was a bittersweet look at one man’s passion being divided by war and the baggage that comes with that. I feel that The Wind Rises is Miyazaki’s most experimental work, his most poetic work, and perhaps his most interesting film. It truly is a shame that it became a lightning rod for such controversy, but I can honestly see why.

There is a tendency is modern Japanese politics to look back at the past and say “we did nothing wrong”. This is an issue we are dealing with in America currently wherein right-wing politicians seem to want to pretend that our ancestors did not commit any genocides or have slaves. I don’t think Miyazaki is of that mindset considering most of his film are openly anti-war and he outspoken about being ashamed of Japan’s actions during World War II, however by trying to make a movie set during that time period and ignoring the 1,000 pound elephant in the room, he inadvertently created something akin to Disney’s The Song of the South. With the right mindset going into this film, and an understanding of the director, one can take a lot away from this film and understand what Miyazaki was doing. Jiro Horikoshi, in this film, much like Miyazaki himself, was a pacifist and did not want their art used for a political agenda in any way – and sadly both men have suffered the same fate.

Once again, this film was shown accompanied by a short “bonus feature” from a longer documentary series called Ten Years with Hayao Miyazaki.

Next time, we are in the home stretch, as I will be reviewing Howl’s Moving Castle! Stay tuned for more Studio Ghibli reviews as well as a new series Satoshi Kon Fest, that will be starting in September at my local theater!