loved the way nobuhiko obayashi showed the horrors of wartime bombing while also acknowledging japan's own role in the war and the impact of natural disasters. even with his uniquely theatrical and whimsical style, it never loses its sense of terror, showing how trauma lingers in the survivors and across generations

loved the way nobuhiko obayashi showed the horrors of wartime bombing while also acknowledging japan's own role in the war and the impact of natural disasters. even with his uniquely theatrical and whimsical style, it never loses its sense of terror, showing how trauma lingers in the survivors and across generations

"We have to use the pain caused by war for peace."

nobuhiko obayashi. what a man u are, this isn't just a movie it's an experience, this actually changed my whole perspective on war and what it truly means to live on. i do understand why some people weren't able to get into this, for me it took a good 15 minutes to truly get used to the way this movie is going and how it's filmed but i trusted obayashi and thank fuck i did. this has got to be the most under looked anti-war masterpiece ever, i've seen a good amount of anti war movies and this is one of the best, obviously behind the human condition trilogy. i love the themes of regret, memory, healing and hope and the way they explore it through this mix of fiction and reality is such a unique method of exploring such themes and it works amazingly in my opinion, nobuhiko obayashi is a master at film making. the obvious green screens don't bother me as (imo) it adds so much charm to this movie, it's not really about the way it looks mostly anyway so the green screen shouldn't bother u as it's more about the message it's conveying.

**"if people made pretty fireworks instead of bombs, there wouldn't of been any wars."
**
 i've always been invested in japanese history during the world war so this movie has always been on my radar considering it's made by the guy who made hausu which happens to be one of my favourite movies and this is also an anti war documentary/drama movie. his style of filmmaking is at an all time here, his visuals are just stunning and that final shot of the fireworks is just amazing to look at and after watching this movie and all the emotions and the overall message of this movie finally hits u with that song and the shot of the fireworks, it's just fucking fantastic and so emotional. the GOAT joe hisaishi did the soundtrack for this and im honestly so disappointed that the soundtrack isn't on any streaming services as its probably one of my favourite soundtracks in recent memory. this is an absolute behemoth of a movie, 2 hours and 40 minutes yet it flies in and feels like an hour and a half (for me it flew in anyway) the movie goes at such a rapid pace and tells u so much, but no too much to the point where ur overwhelmed but so much that u can consume the information ur reading whilst still enjoying the visuals and the soundtrack. i'm still not over that amazing ending with the play and the fireworks, i recommend this to ANYONE getting into japanese cinema and especially nobuhiko obayashis filmography.

amazing movie

"We have to use the pain caused by war for peace."

nobuhiko obayashi. what a man u are, this isn't just a movie it's an experience, this actually changed my whole perspective on war and what it truly means to live on. i do understand why some people weren't able to get into this, for me it took a good 15 minutes to truly get used to the way this movie is going and how it's filmed but i trusted obayashi and thank fuck i did. this has got to be the most under looked anti-war masterpiece ever, i've seen a good amount of anti war movies and this is one of the best, obviously behind the human condition trilogy. i love the themes of regret, memory, healing and hope and the way they explore it through this mix of fiction and reality is such a unique method of exploring such themes and it works amazingly in my opinion, nobuhiko obayashi is a master at film making. the obvious green screens don't bother me as (imo) it adds so much charm to this movie, it's not really about the way it looks mostly anyway so the green screen shouldn't bother u as it's more about the message it's conveying.

**"if people made pretty fireworks instead of bombs, there wouldn't of been any wars."
**
 i've always been invested in japanese history during the world war so this movie has always been on my radar considering it's made by the guy who made hausu which happens to be one of my favourite movies and this is also an anti war documentary/drama movie. his style of filmmaking is at an all time here, his visuals are just stunning and that final shot of the fireworks is just amazing to look at and after watching this movie and all the emotions and the overall message of this movie finally hits u with that song and the shot of the fireworks, it's just fucking fantastic and so emotional. the GOAT joe hisaishi did the soundtrack for this and im honestly so disappointed that the soundtrack isn't on any streaming services as its probably one of my favourite soundtracks in recent memory. this is an absolute behemoth of a movie, 2 hours and 40 minutes yet it flies in and feels like an hour and a half (for me it flew in anyway) the movie goes at such a rapid pace and tells u so much, but no too much to the point where ur overwhelmed but so much that u can consume the information ur reading whilst still enjoying the visuals and the soundtrack. i'm still not over that amazing ending with the play and the fireworks, i recommend this to ANYONE getting into japanese cinema and especially nobuhiko obayashis filmography.

amazing movie

“But they couldn’t see us from the airplanes. If they could, there wouldn’t have been a war.” 

Casting Blossoms in the Sky is the first of three movies in Obayashi’s anti-war project. Blossoms proves to be a very solid, intricately crafted and poignant first entry. It is not a perfect film by any means, I feel it feels a little long and some of the characters get a little muddled in how much is going on in the film, not to mention Obayashi’s style can be a little daunting for newcomers (in a way that it’s seemingly so unserious that it can take you out of the film, however I feel it comes off as endearing here).

However, even with all of this working against it, the film still comes out the other side triumphant. It successfully gets its themes across in meaningful and moving ways while providing a rather nuanced look at history of war in domestic Japan. By design Blossoms does not shy away from its critique of the systems and people that led Japanese civilians to suffer the cruelties of war. Obayashi clearly has contempt for the adults and leaders that pushed Japan into the mouth of war, while also having hope for the new generations to learn from the past mistakes of their elders and cultivate peace. 

Casting Blossoms in the Sky works as both a quasi-documentary, featuring vignettes inspired by true stories of Japanese civilians who suffered during WW2, and as a hope-filled poignant story shirking the cultures of battle for a future of peace. I’m excited to watch the next two entries in Obayashi’s trilogy.

“But they couldn’t see us from the airplanes. If they could, there wouldn’t have been a war.” 

Casting Blossoms in the Sky is the first of three movies in Obayashi’s anti-war project. Blossoms proves to be a very solid, intricately crafted and poignant first entry. It is not a perfect film by any means, I feel it feels a little long and some of the characters get a little muddled in how much is going on in the film, not to mention Obayashi’s style can be a little daunting for newcomers (in a way that it’s seemingly so unserious that it can take you out of the film, however I feel it comes off as endearing here).

However, even with all of this working against it, the film still comes out the other side triumphant. It successfully gets its themes across in meaningful and moving ways while providing a rather nuanced look at history of war in domestic Japan. By design Blossoms does not shy away from its critique of the systems and people that led Japanese civilians to suffer the cruelties of war. Obayashi clearly has contempt for the adults and leaders that pushed Japan into the mouth of war, while also having hope for the new generations to learn from the past mistakes of their elders and cultivate peace. 

Casting Blossoms in the Sky works as both a quasi-documentary, featuring vignettes inspired by true stories of Japanese civilians who suffered during WW2, and as a hope-filled poignant story shirking the cultures of battle for a future of peace. I’m excited to watch the next two entries in Obayashi’s trilogy.

Absolutely incredible.

Casting Blossoms to the Sky, as a piece of anti-war cinema, takes care to not present a grittiness of war through realistic portrayals of the horrors people faced, but rather uses its artifice to highlight the absurdity of those horrors and the long-lasting effects. The aesthetics of the film are optimistic and hopeful, almost storybook-like much like his other works, but this presentation doesn’t feel tone-deaf or inappropriate. Rather, this near whimsicality is a theatricality, where that art of protest in of itself is the understood takeaway and how pain can be communicated across generations accompanied with the wishes and prayers that those afflicted can find solace and those who perpetrated can be humble and the two can bridge gaps. It’s less that the suffering of war and disaster is not sacred and more that limiting our expression of that pain to somber reflections and hardened recreations is a prolonging of pain and prevents people from abandoning nationalistic identity in favor of a global identity.

The film covers several stories of those who survived the war, notably the air raids in Nagaoka, drawing the similarities between the suffering of that and war in general to the suffering of those at the hands of natural disaster, both of which have had a significant impact on Japanese cultural identity. Obayashi’s blending of the fiction of the film with the reality by including footage of real life events when they happened and incorporating the elders who were the basis of the characters in this story in the film itself is inspired. It’s a way of remembering and noting that these lives are still with us today and when they’re gone that we should still carry them.

Absolutely incredible.

Casting Blossoms to the Sky, as a piece of anti-war cinema, takes care to not present a grittiness of war through realistic portrayals of the horrors people faced, but rather uses its artifice to highlight the absurdity of those horrors and the long-lasting effects. The aesthetics of the film are optimistic and hopeful, almost storybook-like much like his other works, but this presentation doesn’t feel tone-deaf or inappropriate. Rather, this near whimsicality is a theatricality, where that art of protest in of itself is the understood takeaway and how pain can be communicated across generations accompanied with the wishes and prayers that those afflicted can find solace and those who perpetrated can be humble and the two can bridge gaps. It’s less that the suffering of war and disaster is not sacred and more that limiting our expression of that pain to somber reflections and hardened recreations is a prolonging of pain and prevents people from abandoning nationalistic identity in favor of a global identity.

The film covers several stories of those who survived the war, notably the air raids in Nagaoka, drawing the similarities between the suffering of that and war in general to the suffering of those at the hands of natural disaster, both of which have had a significant impact on Japanese cultural identity. Obayashi’s blending of the fiction of the film with the reality by including footage of real life events when they happened and incorporating the elders who were the basis of the characters in this story in the film itself is inspired. It’s a way of remembering and noting that these lives are still with us today and when they’re gone that we should still carry them.

“Nobody Can say they have nothing to do with war”

It takes time to hone in on this film, but when it grabs you, then you start to see the beauty of this film. This is because of Obayashi’s unique style, making something that should look amateurish look kinda Great.That being said, this movie is mostly about messaging. It’s part of his anti-war Trilogy.

“The V (✌🏻) is for victory. If victory is peace, Wars Will Never end”

… What is up with the unicycles?

“Nobody Can say they have nothing to do with war”

It takes time to hone in on this film, but when it grabs you, then you start to see the beauty of this film. This is because of Obayashi’s unique style, making something that should look amateurish look kinda Great.That being said, this movie is mostly about messaging. It’s part of his anti-war Trilogy.

“The V (✌🏻) is for victory. If victory is peace, Wars Will Never end”

… What is up with the unicycles?