The annual Studio Ghibli outing at the NZFF this times focuses on Japan in the 1960s with a group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It also focuses on the attraction of Umi and Shun, a pair whose lives may be entwined in ways they could never imagine.As ever, FUOPH is gorgeously animated and recreates the era very well, but unfortunately this latest SG outing's story doesn't quite have the resonance of prior cinematic fare-the story's nicely told, quickly resolved and lacks some of the emotional core of others.Sure, there's heart aplenty and humour,but this latest is more of a nostalgic piece than a showcase of SG's best. Not a disaster by any stretch, and great to see whole families there but FUOPH doesn't have the longevity of the studio's previous output and while gorgeously presented and with a beautiful OST ,it's a little lacking, which is a crying shame.

Mon July 30, 2012 10:50AM