The Wind Rises
“But remember this, Japanese boy... airplanes are not tools for war. They are not for making money. Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.”
I have always loved Miyazaki’s films, where I adored the fantastical nature of Princess Mononoke to the spiritual world of Spirited Away. Like always The Wind Rises contains impeccable animation and a beautiful score, but to me, this film stands out to potentially not only be my new favorite Miyazaki but a film that feels the most authentic, a film that doesn’t necessarily have all the fantastical elements of a Miyazaki film. There are so many moments in this film I can quote. It has a very poetic nature about the idea of love and aviation.
It's extremely fascinating to think that this film is almost a biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, the chief engineer responsible for carriers such as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. It is clear to the eyes of Miyazaki that Jiro isn’t someone who was built for war. He's someone with a passion who simply wants to do what he loves: building airplanes. To him his love is his dedication, aviation is a form of art that drives him. The film reflects upon this, creating and emphasizing this form of beauty and love.
The film is about the dreamers. It is about the idea of chasing your dreams and what it means to find your dreams. We see dream sequences with Jiro, showing his passion for the art of aviation, in which he chases his dreams, turning his fantasy into reality
The Wind Rises is just really breathtaking. Jiro and Nahoko’s bond is heartfelt and all the characters explored are just fascinating. This really might be my new Miyazaki film. I’m pretty sad I didn’t get to see this earlier considering it came out in 2013. But I am quite happy to know Miyazaki is making at least one more film.