With the increasing need for Tokyo to expand as one of Japan's major cities, inevitable sacrifices must be made so that changes can take place. One of these sacrifices is that the room for nature and wildlife to flourish will decrease significantly over time. As this decline continues, many animal communities experience the brunt of urbanization. One such community known as the "Tanuki," a type of magical shape-shifting mammal, is caught up in a struggle to defend their beloved forest from being absorbed by the looming threat of an expanding Tokyo. As more and more Tanuki find themselves with nowhere to hide and territorial fights become increasingly regular amongst the different factions of the community, the elder Tanuki Oroku decides that something must be done. For the sake of their home as well as the safety of their future generations, the Tanuki unite as one with the hope that together they may be able to repel mankind's construction projects and scare them away from the forests using their shapeshifting abilities. But as they begin their first attempts at sabotage, the Tanuki soon realize the operation will be no easy task. Will they reclaim their forest as a united community, or will they be torn apart by a war against humanity, blinded by anger and pain after witnessing nature's destruction? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Pom Poko is one of my favorite anime movies, although that's not to say it's a perfect movie. The documentary-style opening , complete with uninspired narration, will lull most people into a false sense of security before the second half. If you can stay awake for the second half, prepare to be blown away. The Tanuki's transformation prowess here makes for some of the of the most imaginative and unrestrained animation I've ever seen. A careful eye will notice Kiki, Totoro, Porco Rosso, and Galaxy Express 999 during the parade sequence. The tanuki themselves fluidly turn without restraint into hyperrealistic, humanistic, and charicature forms.(the third being a homage to a classic manga-ka) The characters for the most part aren't very notable, more important is the interactions in the community. Pom Poko is easily the most misunderstood movie put out by Studio Ghibli. While there is some environmentalist message there, I feel this movie is more about adapting. In fact, while the main characters are raccoons, they represent the Japanese society, and how it has to cope with tradition being overtaken by technology. The older raccoons wear traditional kimonos and plan to wipe out the humans developing on their land. The grand masters apparently inspired Japanese deities-(the oldest master being 999 years old.) Eventually the tanuki learn to hide among the humans (modernize) but, not before one last battle. Most people view the battle as humorous, and it is indeed the most commented part of the movie (because of what, exactly the tanukis transform.) But I see it as an act of desperation, putting their very manhood on the line for one last hopeless push. The aftermath of the battle is all the warriors' dead bodies being dumped in a huge pile, more reminiscent of Auschwitz than a Disney movie. Because of the overwhelming circumstances the main characters must fight against, I found this movie to be sadder than Grave of the Fireflies, Takahata's much more famous work. This isn't Fern Gully or Avatar however, the tanuki are full of flaws. When they steal a TV to learn more about humans, they become couch potatoes instead. In another scene, they feast upon stolen McDonalds hamburgers. This is a very Japanese movie, it is filled with references to Japanese culture, mythology, yokai, folklore, and culture. This can make it dense and unappealing to some. They say that a truly good film is universal, but after seeing this film I disagree. Truly a great movie, one of the best. However, it might take a little patience on the viewer's part to fully enjoy. One of the best- but you might want to watch it in two parts.
Stories about anthropomorphic animals behaving like human beings have always been a form of storytelling that different types of authors, narrators and storytellers used to employ back in the old days to convey a message to their audience. This was done by using the animals as some sort of metaphor to represent human society and the flaws that show up within it’s systems. Perhaps the most famous example would be George Orwell's magnificent social commentary on Communism that is the timeless Animal Farm. From there, this form of storytelling would go on to get adopted by many other storytellers that came after the man. Fortunatelyenough, one of the storytellers to pick up on Orwell’s unique form of narration was none other than the late and great Isao Takahata, a man I like to nickname as “The great innovator of Ghibli”. Isao Takahata is a name that needs no introduction whatsoever. The man was studio Ghibli’s greatest asset, and he was the one responsible for some of the greatest movies and TV series to come out of both Ghibli’s discography and the Anime world in general. Though Takahata has had many celebrated works throughout the course of his life, he’s also had works that have somehow managed to slip under the radar when it came to audiences and viewers everywhere. Beneath the eminent and prominent works that were Akage no Anne, Grave of the Fireflies and Omoide Poroporo, there was also a work that was just as thematically rich as those three, yet never got the recognition it deserved. That work is of course none other than the brilliant 1994 Anime movie, Pom Poko. What is Pom Poko exactly? Pom Poko would be the result of Takahata replacing his cast from his previous works with anthropomorphic animals - as in the characters have all the charm and humanity that the other Takahata characters possess, the only difference here being the fact that they are not human. Just like Takahata’s other movies, this movie was ahead of it’s time in the way it handled it’s narrative and used it to convey it’s central theme to it’s audience -- which was environmentalism -- unlike any other Ghibli movie that came before and after it. While Princess Mononoke was a great experience both in terms of visuals and direction, it didn’t quite hit the mark with it’s environmentalism theme, and it delivered the theme quite poorly might I add. It was an excellent film both narratively and visually, but Miyazaki became overindulged with those aspects of his work that he forgot to deliver the message that he preached about in a quality fashion. Unlike Princess Mononoke however, Pom Poko never concerned itself with a grand story nor did it explore the various political factions or the many landscapes and mythical creatures within it’s narrative. Pom Poko focused narrowly on a small, select group of raccoon dogs called the Tanuki species, where these Tanuki would shapeshift endlessly to take the form of humans and use those shapeshifting abilities to stop housing construction on their homeland. This was of course brilliant in reinforcing Takahata’s message regarding environmentalism. By focusing solely on his central theme and giving it more importance than other aspects of the work, he managed to deliver that theme quite perfectly in the end. The comedy is pretty spot-on as well. Almost every shapeshifting scene was fun and hit the mark in terms of making me laugh, and never did a scene go to waste. The comedic timing is almost perfect here, from the lady Tanuki shapeshifting into a malicious fox to instruct the young, juvenile Tanuki to use that specific transformation to scare off the pesky humans when their identity is discovered, to the elder Tanuki stretching his testicles to form a mattress so that the other Tanuki can sit on them. They were all lighthearted gags that never ceased to amaze me. Though the comedy managed to hit the nail on the head at most times, the testicles gag did become old and stale halfway through the movie, and it lost it’s charm due to the overuse of the gag, which is a shame since it was pretty hysterical when it hadn’t become an overused trope. It is pretty ironic though that the funniest thing about this movie is not the various creative transformations that the Tanuki made use of, rather the fact that Disney renamed the term “testicles” to "pouches". It is a pretty bizarre and awkward stance, and it gets even funnier the more one thinks about it. It was not an unnecessary change though, since most Ghibli movies are directed and are made for children at the end of the day, and western audiences are cultured differently from Japanese audiences, so it makes sense. The animation here is pretty consistent just like most other Ghibli movies. It does the job and it does it well enough to assert itself among it’s contemporaries. It has many well animated scenes, but my favorite one has to be the parade sequence the Tanuki perform near the middle of the movie’s run, where even by Ghibli’s standards it looks quite excellent and stands out from the rest of the scenes. Although the animation was pretty consistent for the most part, my biggest gripe with this movie was the absence of any originality or creativity when it came to the character designs. It looked like Takahata never placed any thought into making his characters as uniquely looking as possible, rather, it looked like he churned out the same character design over and over again until he got the main and supporting casts ready for use. Every character here looks like the typically animated raccoon that you would see everywhere on animated television, and all the characters look like they were copied and pasted off of one another, which makes matters even worse since the characters were well written in their own right. Now granted, this is a movie about raccoons and not humans, but it still isn’t a valid excuse for the vapid character designs. Many anthropomorphic animals are drawn in a very distinguishable and unique way in other media, so why should there be a problem here? In addition to the trite character designs, the soundtrack was pretty forgettable as well, which is a shame since most Ghibli movies are recognized by their main themes – Spirited Away had the hauntingly beautiful “The Name of Life”, Princess Mononoke had the haunting yet so ever-present “Legend of Ashitaka” and Kiki’s Delivery Service entranced it’s viewers with the beautiful orchestral melody that is “A Town With An Ocean View”. It seems here, with Pom Poko, not one track stands out from the rest. All of them are uncreative Japanese folk music tracks, they flow smoothly with one another and do well at being a coherent and cohesive soundtrack for the film, but fail to make an everlasting impression on the viewer. Not going to lie, the characters were pretty charming and were all full of wit and personality, and the creative dialogue between them was ever present. It just felt weird watching this movie and knowing that it was produced by Studio Ghibli, since there was no female protagonist to save the day in this one. Regardless, the most interesting aspect about this movie is the fact that it’s so focused in Japanese folklore, and it’s a pretty great introduction for anyone who would like to know more about Japanese mythology as a whole. This movie is a well-known representation of Tanukis in their fairy tales/mythology. For Japanese children, this is just a normal depiction of one of the many animals from their fairy tales. It is a good starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about them in their famous Japanese stories. Overall, it’s not that hard to see why Pom Poko is pretty obscure and niche compared to the other Ghibli titles. It does not have a standout heroine, it is underproduced in terms of audiovisuals compared to some of it’s contemporaries, and it focuses solely on it’s main theme - which is environmentalism - rather than focusing on developing a compelling narrative. However, I also think that this is what makes it the most unique work out of all of them. If you want to vicariously experience the theme of environmentalism, then no other movie does the theme justice more than Pom Poko. In it’s thematic exploration, it is rather excellent, and unlike Princess Mononoke, the message never felt forced whatsoever. Don’t expect this to be on the same level as other Ghibli movies in terms of anything else though, it delivers it’s central message quite perfectly, but that’s about it.
Another Studio Ghibli masterpiece, and produced by anime genius Hayao Miyazaki, Pom Poko brings something new to the table: Animals who, instead of fleeing from the deforestation that threatens them, choose to resort to a different method by turning the tables on the humans that shamelessly and thoughtlessly tear away at their homes. Based on the Japanese Tanuki folklore, many of the raccoons featured in Pom Poko have magical shape shifting powers, some a little more rusty than others. These creatures begin to notice their food and shelter becoming scarce after the invasion of their land by the crew of new housing construction, and mustcall on their elders, the masters of transformation, to teach them how to change their shapes. They hope to use these abilities in many different ways, but all for one sole purpose: to reclaim the land that is being stolen from them. Though in the film they are introduced as raccoons, the Tanuki folklore is centered around a very different breed, known as the raccoon dog. In either case, the creatures in this movie are far too plump to be easily identified, doubly so with the fact that in the movie, the raccoons do not possess the famous ringed-tail that raccoons are known for. Studio Ghibli's depictions of the Tanuki are nonetheless charming and adorable. Even the mean and stuffy raccoons are hard characters to hate. Also featured briefly in the film is another creature of folklore known at the Kitsune, a transforming fox, which in the film tries to convince the raccoons to stop their personal war with the humans and instead use their shape shifting abilities to change into humans and begin new lives. This decision is widely argued over in the film, partly because of the raccoons' inability to transform into convincing humans. I think a child would thoroughly enjoy this movie, however, here's where the warnings begin to come in. I had not been familiar with the Tanuki folklore before I watched this movie, so was surprised to discover that until about an hour through the movie, I had not noticed the raccoons' exposed genitalia. I later learn that this exposure is a prominent detail of the Tanuki in folklore, representing good luck financially. Though it may seem overly risque to the unknowing, their exposure is never, in the lore or the film, intended as sexual, and the film does not illustrate them sexually either. Rather, in the film they use what is referred to in the English dub as their "Pouches" to contribute to their shifting, such as parachutes which are seen later in the film. Other material in the film include the deaths of humans and several raccoons, and though there is occasionally blood, it is never graphic. Additionally, there is a short scene narrated by one of the raccoons talking about how, because of lack of food and sheltering, they must halt breeding. While the raccoon talks about the female raccoons making sure this rule is kept, we see male raccoons charging at female raccoons, some seemingly drunk, and the female raccoons using karate moves to fight back, which implies their attempts to cease reproduction. Some female raccoons also have exaggerated breast size with occasional cleavage. This movie I predict would otherwise be a delightful watch for children, even if they have to watch for 2 hours waiting for the conclusion. I extend yet another ovation for Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki.
Fans who remember Isao Takahata best for his relentless tearjerker, "Grave of the Fireflies", could very well react with surprise and shock upon viewing "Pom Poko". This lavishly animated tale about raccoons battling for their homeland (which was the biggest hit of 1994 in Japan) isn't so much a heartwrenching tragedy as it is an interesting amalgam of humor, drama, and action--all delivered in a way that is daringly original for animation. At times, the viewer gets treated to scenes which recall the one-two-three emotional punch of "Grave of the Fireflies", but even though the tone of the movie is somber, a handful of lightheartedmoments elevate the overall production out of depression. As this is a Studio Ghibli film, production values are spectacular. Backgrounds are painted with a tasteful mixture of simplicity and art, and the raccoons are as cuddlesome as you would expect--especially when they shape-shift from "ordinary" animals to Saturday-morning-cartoon style critters in the style of shows such as "Care Bears". (If you're scratching your head while reading this, don't be alarmed--according to Japanese folklore, raccoons have the power to transform into anything--including human beings!) The actual animation is as colorful and imaginative as you might expect from a Ghibli movie--and there is one scene where we are treated to cameo appearances by Porco Rosso, Kiki, and Totoro. While "Pom Poko" has a story to tell and a meaningful message for one to think about, its character and plot aspects may come across as a bit off-putting to viewers expecting a typical animated feature. Indeed, while some raccoons identify themselves with distinguishable names and/or personalities (for example, Gonta is a burly, rough-and-ready raccoon who is always looking for a fight, while Oroku is the "wise woman" of the tribe), the story offers little in the way of character development. In fact, most of the action in the story is narrated (by Maurice LaMarche in English, Kokondei Shinchou in Japanese), which elevates the overall effect of the movie to that of a semi-documentary. For the most part, this approach works to a very interesting degree and is a refreshing change of pace. However, there were some scenes in the movie where I wished the narration could have been reduced a little bit, as it sometimes gets in the way of appreciating the beauty of the visuals onscreen. Aside from this, the biggest controversy about "Pom Poko" seems to be centered on several scenes where the raccoons can inflate and/or transform their testicles(!) for multiple purposes. One particular scene involves a raccoon flattening his testicles against a truck, causing its driver to crash. Such moments may be alarming to children, but it is important to remember that while we see the testicles at times, the movie is, after all, animated. Even still, while a Japanese audience may take such scenes naturally, squeamish viewers in America could react differently. In fact, as a solution to handling this kind of translation issue, the English language version (produced once again by Disney) refers to the testicles as "pouches". That's a somewhat awkward decision, but it sure beats digitally removing the testicles from the scenes they're in. "Pom Poko" was obviously a nightmare for English dub writers Cindy and Donald Hewitt to translate (especially since much of the movie is rooted in Japanese culture), but I really have to commend them for their efforts. There is some Americanizing here and there, but there was little, if any, that I could find missing in their script. In fact, I was most impressed at how they handled the songs; while at least two of them come across as a little contrived and/or corny, others flow so naturally that you never would have sworn that these were originally Japanese folksongs. Another interesting aspect of the dub is the voice acting. With the exception of Jonathan Taylor Thomas (star of TV's "Home Improvement"), the cast consists of veteran performers who are known for cartoon voice work; Tress MacNeille, John DiMaggio, Russi Taylor, Andre Stojka, and Clancy Brown, to name a few. Whether this was done to cut down on costs for big-name stars or for avoiding aural distraction is unclear, but when listening to the spirit and energy that the aforementioned voice artists give their characters, it really doesn't matter. "Pom Poko" may be an unusual entry from Isao Takahata, and its foreign aspects may not appeal to everyone, but if given a chance, the film offers a colorful display of imagination and pathos as well as an experience unlike many that one will find from ordinary cartoons.
Overview: Studio Ghibli is generally synonymous with quality. Led by Hayao Miyazaki and his lifelong friend Isao Takahata, Ghibli has come closer to batting 1000 then any movie studio I can think of. However, if you delve into the more obscure Ghibli films you can find some that while still good...are a little less than perfection. This is definitely one of those. SPOILERS! Plot: The plot of this 1994, Takahata penned Ghibli film is that a community of magical tanuki (raccoon dogs) are being threatened by deforestation and must fight back against the loggers. Basically take the plot of 1992's Ferngully and add massive hairy balls. The tanuki aroundTokyo are being driven from their homes, having to fight for food, and being killed by hunters and cars. Soon the various clans unite and start trying to chase away the humans using their transformation magic. The tanuki actually manage to kill several humans and celebrate their victory with a party...in this children's film! However, the humans just keep coming back and clearly a more drastic plan is needed. The tanuki manage to gather ancient tanuki transformation masters from around Japan. The plan is to use a massive series of illusions so terrifying that the humans are driven away for good. However, the amount of magic this requires kills one of the masters and the tanuki retreat. The humans all immediately dismiss what they saw as a bad drug trip or dream. A theme park then claims responsibility and everyone just accepts it without ever questioning how they accomplished the illusion. None of the human characters in this film with the exception of 1 reporter EVER believe that magical tanuki exist. This is despite the fact that the tanuki don't exactly hide their powers. It is the same bullshit skepticism of the humans in DBZ or Seto Kaiba in Yugioh. TV Tropes calls it "Flat Earth Atheism", when a character refuses to believe in magic despite living in a world clearly filled with magic and personally see magic all the time. Next we introduced to the Kitsune fox tribe of shapeshifters. The Kitsune have learned to disguise themselves as humans and live among them. The kitsune that couldn't shapeshift were killed off, but the shapeshifting kitsune simply accept this as survival of the fittest. It is revealed that the theme park that claimed responsibility is actually run by the kitsune, but then the tanuki steal back their money and the kitsune vanish from the plot without ever really serving a purpose. It is at this point that different tanuki come up with different plans. One group of Tanuki pull a Lord of the Rings and sail into the afterlife. One group decides to fight the humans and we get easily the dumbest scene in the movie. Instead of using magic, the tanuki simply try clobber the humans with their massive scrotums. The humans don't enjoy being teabagged and start punching the tanuki in the nuts. The scene then fades to black and a narrator somberly explains that all the tanuki were killed...apparently by being punched repeatedly in the nuts. I think this scene was guest directed by Johnny Cage. The surviving tanuki that can shapeshift are forced to disguise themselves as humans and live like the kitsune, who of course are never seen or mentioned again after their brief introduction. The tanuki that can't shapeshift continue to try live their lives despite the deforestation continuing to get worse and the problem never being resolved. While Miyazaki's films tend to have an emotionally cathartic climax in which the characters learn a lesson, this film by Takahata just kind of...ends. We are however given a moment in which the main tanuki breaks the 4th wall and tells the audience to care more about the environment. Thanks Takahata! We never would have figured out the moral without Tanuki Deadpool. The end! Art: The art is excellent and has that Ghibli beauty. However, I'm not sure this film needed quite so many giant balls. Given this IS a film about tanuki so some balls were expected. What we REALLY didn't need was tanuki titties. I'm not just talking Lola bunny in Space Jam boobs, but fully displayed, large nippled, furry boobs aplenty. Thanks Takahata sensei! Music: The music is mostly traditional Japanese folk music and is among the highlights of the movie. Overall: This movie had some very cute moments, touchingly sad moments, and tried hard to teach the audience a lesson about environmentalism. However, like Takahata's more famous work Grave of the Fireflies, he drives his points home with all the subtlety and grace of a sledgehammer. He tries to forcefully milk tears from the audience and guilt them into supporting his message, respecting and listening to elders in Firefly and conserving the environment in this case. For all its faults, the film still does have its strong suits and I feel it wouldn't be fair to give it less than a 6/10. i would recommend watching, but only if you've already seen all the Miyazaki directed Ghibli films.
I have dedicated the past few days to watching EVERY Ghibli film. This was my third-to-last. I simply cannot believe that Studio Ghibli created this. Having now watched all of them, I know the studio had its share of problems and movie flops - not all gold. BUT THIS? THIS can't be Ghibli. I feel like I have been pranked. Have we all been pranked? This must be a joke. This anime is about raccoon testicles. Two hours of raccoon testicles. And some raccoon breasts for good measure. They talk of them; they sing of them; they use them as parachutes and weapons and as aflying ship to transport the raccoon village to the afterlife. I'm sure there have been many poor ideas for anime, so how could anyone let THIS ONE through? Who? Why? The overarching story could have been nice: raccoons defend homes from nasty human development. Great! I loved Fern Gully! But it strayed so far. Did not one person watch the final cut before sending it off? The art wasn't even close to usual Ghibli standards. The whole thing seems like a joke of a project submitted by some dedicated students. I just don't know what happened here...
Many reviewers take what is to me an odd angle on this film. The usual complaint is that the movie is not about anything especially, but some environmental overtones, and that it meanders, but has great visuals, especially during the festival scene. I stand before you right now and tell you not many many movies have made me cry. I am something of a tough guy, I like my heavy metal, I sport a beard at times. This movie had me crying, not once, but again upon rewatch, and I mean my eyes weren't just watering, I mean sobbing. I am going to take adifferent angle in my approach in my review to this movie. One that is based on industry and the fragmentation of modern society. Pom Poko is a movie about the trials of a group of people (they are tanuki, mythical shapeshifting racoon people) as they try to survive the encroach of man on their forest they call home. The tanuki are a whimsical bunch, they try hard, but they are easily distracted by games and good food. They try to get along with each other, but they are often divided on various issues. However, when man starts to push in on their living space, various smart leaders in their ranks realize what is happening and that to survive they will need to unify in order to remain. This starts as general pranks and mischief on the construction workers and people moving to the area. This stalls progress somewhat, but the gears of the machine continue as people continue to move into the area and food begins to become scarce. The tanuki have to start controlling their population and their rations of food. At about this point the tanuki are forced to make one last stand something to impress and awe the visitors of that area and get their attention. They make festival of sorts using the help of a powerful elderly tanuki that had responded to their cry for help, something that says adamantly "We are here, this is us, this is our way of life". Unfortunately, this is cunningly misinterpreted by the news as a publicity stunt for a new theme park, and progress on the destruction of their homes continues. At this point, many in their ranks turn to violence, and they decide if it is going to end this way they would prefer to go out with a bang. Many of them are killed, some run away. At this point the few tanuki left, the very advanced shapeshifters, submit themselves to a life of living tiring lives as humans, essentially having at that point been conformed, an idea a smart shapeshifting fox presents to them who has long given up on maintaining his original way of life and now uses his abilities for himself in human society. The real heart clenching moment in the movie though is when just for a moment the magic of tanuki are able to reveal what the forest used to be. A boy and his mother step out of their house and examine the tanuki and is able to appreciate the forest as it once was. For me, this is a movie that shows what happens when even the best efforts of genuinely hard working and sincere people can fall straight through the cracks of a fragmented society. I think it is representative of how easy it is to get swept up in the machine and not to realize their is something very special right in front of your eyes. The movie doesn't condemn those that don't go out of their way to examine the world around them, as a matter of fact it acknowledges how tiring and how difficult it can be to live in human society, as the remaining tanuki shapeshifters find the hustle and bustle of daily life difficult to deal with and the pressures it puts them. But if I had one moral to draw from this movie, it wouldn't be cherish the forest or stop destroying the homes of wild life. No, it would be, take a look around you every once in a while. It is a call for conscientiousness. Don't allow those that live differently to get trampled underneath by a machine, and don't allow yourself to easily become swept up in deindividuated. Otherwise the film is a very good looking and sounding one. English dubs are excellent. The design of the tanuki is very characterized and far from simplified. Many tanuki have been given different personalities. It isn't something I would watch on a lazy Saturday morning, but I would recommend it to anyone for its general viewing power (PG rating), and its powerful message.
Pom Poko is defiantly a great movie and is from Studio Ghibli. It had a rather unique and different view on the animals and had a vary good story. Its a wonderful movie about the raccoons trying to save there home from humans who are trying to destroy the forest, while the protect the forest they use shape shifting and other things to try and scare away construction workers and even the people in the city.
It's not easy, staning in the shadows of a mastermind. Well, the same goes for Isao Takahata. He is not only one of the Co-Founder of the Studio Ghibli, he also is the man for the "Different Works". He proofed this with one of the greatest animated classics ever, Grave of the Firflies. It was the first time Studio Ghibli made a movie with such a thematic, and it was their last. That haven't changed, not even in 2014. But Takahata is not only known for "Grave of the Firieflies". He made other fine movies like "Only Yesterday" or the most unique Ghibli Work "My Neighborsthe Yamadas". To sad, all these movies are underrated. It's such a pain to see Takahatas work for Ghibli is not so much appreciated compared to Hayao Miyazakis work. For me, Pom Poko is equal to the great works of Miyazaki. Maybe, he surpasses Miyazakis work in this movie. The art ist stunning, I've never seen in an animated movie (besides of Chihiro) so much love and magic. The dialogues are packed full of funny moments but it is the Story, the Moral itself, which stands out in this movie. Pom Poko is not an obvious Tearjerker like "Grave of the Fireflies". You have to go deep into yoruself to fully understand the Moral of Pom Poko. It's such a nice mix of traditional japanese lifestyle and pahntastic myths from the old Japan. And yes, I've almost shed a tear at the end of the movie. At the time of it's release, Pom Poko was on the Shortlist for an Academy Award. And I will not debate, this movie deserved an Oscar. Maybe this is the most underrated Ghibli Movie ever created. Don't let all these disappointed Reviews disappoint yourself. If you like Ghibli, no, if you like magic, animated movies and a great story, you will love Pom Poko.
Diving into the Ghibli works outside of Miyazaki comes with an inherent risk. However, I am usually the one disappointed by non-Miyazaki Ghibli films. That being said, Pom Poko is the non-Miyazaki film that proves itself. While many Ghibli films have an underlying environmental theme, Pom Poko addresses this theme with full force. Avoiding subtlety isn't bad. This is great. Watching Totoro and Spirited Away give us a nice warm emotional hug from the beautiful scenic displays of nature and old Japan, but then we walk away from it into each films fantasies, and then back to our 21st century lives. Pom Poko humanizes the tanukito turn a Japanese myth into an ecological looking-glass for the damaging industrial expansion of mankind. It is not suggestive. It is informative. The production quality is as expected of any Ghibli movie. Plus, the animation quality and musical score are not just stacked on top of the story but are actually quintessential to the development of the film: each tanuki varies in animated complexity throughout the film, and much of the music arises from moments of the film (the party music, and the parade for example). The development of the tanuki as characters is nothing short of brilliant. The use of their transforming ability allowed the artists to establish motifs across their different physical forms. These thematic forms act as an indicator for what type of creatures are in contact with the tanuki at any given scene. They have a comedic cartoony form, a serious battle form, even a mating form. Noteworthy among these is their realistic form, where they embody how we humans see animals in reality: they rely heavily on their instincts, and struggle to consciously analyze their environment. They usually take this form when they are being seen by humans, and thus it emphasizes that these moments are how we see tanuki, as opposed to how other beings in nature see them. The scenes with tanuki in their realistic forms tend to be the scenes in which we pity them most, and they are often hurt or patronized by the human world. In these scenes we directly see how our actions, which we have the ability/responsibility to make consciously and wisely, should be more considerate to the remaining world. This world of organisms may not be as inherently clever as we are, but still experiences the emotions that all humans and animals are endowed with. Throughout the film there are many key figures in the tanuki community, but the film never revolves around any particular character. This can be problematic for many films, but this works well for the themes of Pom Poko. Pom Poko is centric around the tanuki as a group, and it is another nudge toward being less ego-centric as human beings, and being mindful of our ecosystems as a community. By the end of the film we still end up being very attached to a handful of the tanuki who have experienced a coming of age throughout the story, without ever realizing that we were following these characters. The development of character and attachment to these characters is a reflection of how an honest community works. We don't choose our friends and loved ones at the beginning of our lives, but we build them as we go through our trials and tribulations.
(Review originally posted to Letterboxd) Seriously one of Studio Ghibli's true materpieces, and yet one of its least-known titles just because the tanuki have large testicles. It's seriously a 10/10 from me, something that is incredibly rare by any standard. Pom Poko is a satirical war epic that is so steeped in Japanese culture and folklore that no other country could produce something similar. It has the same basic plot of Hollywood kids' movie dreck like Over the Hedge or Furry Vengeance--animals trying to subvert humanity's march toward progress as their home is being decimated--but takes a much darker turn. This may be rated PG with theMPAA somehow but it's most certainly not a kids' movie; the tanuki actively try and often succeed to kill humans destroying their forests, and the story isn't wrapped up in a nice little bow to make you feel good about the outcome. The animation, music, and voice acting is all superb, as is standard for a Ghibli production. The movie is distinctly Japanese but should resonate with any culture for its allegorical struggle between modernity and traditionalism, or its not-so-allegorical fight for environmentalism. It accomplishes all this by being both hilarious and heartbreaking, which is a feat few films can pull off.
It is yet another early 90’s Ghibli movie, this time with Isao Takahata (Gauche the Cellist) behind the helm. Coming in around two hours, for the kind of movie it is, it will seem on the long side of it. The first half simulates a documentary narration and the second half having a bit more “action.” This film can come off as either having a major environmental message, the message saying to adapt to your surroundings, or even both. Reasons such as this are why Pom Poko could be regarded as one big political statement with talking raccoons sending the message. It is a story about amountain forest land in Japan succumbing to deforestation and the raccoons are trying to fight back best to their ability. The raccoons, when humans are not watching, essentially become intelligent creatures and have the ability to transform themselves (Japanese folklore). Due to the circumstances, the raccoons try to drive the humans out and protect their land through various means: transforming into ghosts or demons, sabotage, or even throwing a massive scale horror parade. All animation, art, and music are outstanding in true Studio Ghibli fashion. However, much can be lost due to all of the Japanese folklore, or even the extreme slow pace half of the film has. This is not one of Ghibli’s best works by any means. Much of the message is sad and takes away from the childish humour the anime is always trying to get across. The slow pacing is unbearable at times as well. Pom Poko definitely takes some patience to watch and ultimately could have been shorter with the same message.
This movie follows many Raccoons as they struggle to keep there forest around with the humans huge increase of towns and housing for the multiplying humans. With no care for nature they cut down trees and level land at the loss of the Raccoons home. You watch as Raccoons try to drive the humans away with little success, and watch as the Raccoons have to adapt to a new way of life. With many losses and no home the Raccoons must learn to live along side humans with there ability to transform. Throughout this movie you learn that animals can still live and be happya long side humans and no matter if they lose there home Raccoons are still happy and playful creatures and go on living happy live. This series I thought was very great close to a lot of the Studio Ghibli films I give it a 8 out of 10 just because I don't think it quite met my standards of studio ghibli movies. But none the less very great movie.
First, a brief message:- What I like about anime is the fact I get, well, normally get, movie-quality art, sound and character in bite-sized chunks, over the amount of time of a TV series. Basically, I'm not a massive movie-fan. I like movies, but, like anime, the huge volume means half the stuff is average, and the big time-scale to try and portray an epic tale just bores me sometimes. However... STUDIO GHIBLI. I came to find Studio Ghibili when my mums boss lent me Howl's Moving Castle, on DVD, and then Spirited Away. Fast forward a few years and I'm a big anime fan, and StudioGhibli productions never cease to amaze me. And so I come to Pom Poko. Let's jam...:- STORY:- The story, in brief, is about a bunch of TANUKI. Many, including the narrator in the film, refer to them as raccoons, and they tanukis are "raccoon dogs", but raccoons, in the American sense, do not have the folklore surrounding them that the Japanese do. So, with the history lesson over, this is a story of many themes: family, destruction, regret, passion - well, you'll see when, not if, you watch the film. The tanooki are trying to save their home when constructors destory their land to make way for new home projects. There. I went off on a tangent, but that is the story. Sorted. 8/10. ART:- Art is traditional Ghibili affair, that is to say, beautifully hand-drawn and fantastically animated. The artists at Ghibli's dispirsal are of top-notch expertise, and I, as a massive fan, wouldn't have it any way. Kudos Ghibli, kudos. 9/10. SOUND:- Wow. WOW OH WOW! I mean, the sound would have scored high for the dub alone, as it is fantastically done. I cannot compare it to the Japanese original, but, I mean, you don't need to really. It's fantastic anyway. But what really did this for me was the traditional Japanese music. I mean, with the film being centered in Japan and on the old folklore tanukis, you have to expect a certain aspect of tradional Japan, but the taiko drums I think they're called, and the lutes for example, are just so harmonious and, just, brilliant. If you're a Japan buff/otaku like me, you'll love it. P.S. Loads of singing too. Very harmonious. 10/10. CHARACTER:- Ghibili are brilliant at creating characters. Not my favourite film due to this, but each tanuki, despite many seeming like clones, all to seem have their own character. It's truly brilliant. The humans are quite good too. I just... Can't seem to put my finger on it. Maybe because there's a massive group of tanuki there isn't the traditional character building of what Ghibli are known for, but, yeah, whatever, still awesome. 8/10. So, overall, I'd like to give the film an 8.8, but MAL don't do .'s, so, has to be a 9. The sound is fantastic, the story is whismical and, as is Ghibli tradition, has many underlying themes, and the character is fantastic. Another Ghibli stroke of genius, and a must-watch for any anime fan. And Ghibli fans? Should you need any convincing?
I had absolutely zero interest in watching Pom Poko. I never intended on watching it, I never intended on caring about it, I honestly didn't think I'd like it, and I had other anime to watch. Plus, an anime entirely about tanuki just didn't appeal to me, and probably never will. I was so sure I would go through my life never watching this movie...unfortunately, I took a class on Japanese supernatural creatures in college, and on the last day of classes, my teacher made us watch this...and my fears were correct: not only was this movie disappointing, but watching it just made me feeldrained and uneasy. The only time I was happy was when this movie finally ended or was close to ending. Honestly, I can't stand this movie and I hope to never have to see it ever again. The story is about a bunch of tanuki who live their normal lives in peace...until humans come into their forests and knock everything down so they can make houses and a new neighborhood for humans. This makes the tanuki angry, and they try to fight off the humans as much as possible in order to preserve their homes, even going as far as to use their shapeshifting powers. Unfortunately, some of the tanuki have forgotten how to shapeshift and have to learn from the masters in order to do so. Some will stop at nothing to fight off the humans, some even suggest that they kill humans, and others just want to save their homes. Yeah, it's a pretty heavily environmentalist movie. Honestly, this movie could have been great, and it does have a lot of things people would like: animal characters, great Ghibli animation, a wonderful soundtrack, and an aesop about protecting the environment. Unfortunately, this movie fails so hard in so many ways. For one, the movie barely shows anything. All it does is jump from scene to scene for just about no reason just as people are getting to understand what the heck is going on. It doesn't help that there's an obnoxious narrator who is present throughout THE ENTIRE MOVIE who NEVER shuts up about anything! I think the movie would have benefitted so much had they cut out the narrator! Instead of having that narrator info-dump about the tanuki losing their homes, why not show the tanuki losing their home and their reactions to it! Well, technically, they do, but it's so forced in and heavy handed that the movie gives us no reason to care about the characters or their plight. Speaking of the characters, I'm not afraid to say this: the characters in this movie don't feel like actual characters. They feel more like props to force feed the audience the story's message than anything. All of them are extremely one note, bland, one-dimensional, and pretty much never develop throughout the entire movie. One character, Gonta, is especially terrible because all he does is whine about how he doesn't get to kill any humans. Almost all of the characters are incredibly mean spirited, and the ones who aren't don't do anything to make us care about them or like them. The only character I even remotely liked was the one tanuki lady in the red kimono. She was a strict teacher, but had moments where she was hopeful, told jokes, had fun, and genuinely cared about her elders and the students, so she wasn't being a strict teacher for the sake of being strict. But she didn't get enough screen time to make me like her. All of the other characters are just either ciphers or mouthpieces, nothing else. The animation is good as usual, and the music is the same, and...honestly, I don't have a problem with tanuki using their testicles in this movie. They're clearly using them for non-sexual purposes, and if they do use them for sexual purposes, its always consensual and never played for fanservice or ecchiness. I know some people would be absolutely horrified by this, but there are worse things out there than mythical cartoon animals using their balls to transform themselves and fight humans. Besides, animals using their sexual organs is common, and it's never portrayed as fanservice-y in any anime I've seen. I DO, however, have a problem with the movie's execution of its morals. It has a very heavy message about how humans hurt the environment with their housing projects and technology, but it's so heavyhanded and forceful that it feels like its force-feeding its message to us rather than letting us interpret it for ourselves. Above all else...the tanukis' struggle is all for naught. We pretty much know that they're not gonna win no matter what, so the question we should be asking is...was it all worth it? What should we even take from this? I honestly don't know, but I do want the two hours I spent watching this back. Want to know the worst thing? This was penned by Isao Takahata, the man behind Grave of the Fireflies and Tale of Princess Kaguya, among other films. He's usually a lot more restrained than this, so to see one of his works be so ham-handed and cringe-inducing is extremely unlike him. Needless to say, I didn't like this movie. At all. All watching it did was make me feel drained. Now I know what the TVTropes term Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy is, because this movie pretty much exemplifies it. Also, there's a random scene where a couple of ten year old kids are looking at a porn magazine. Really, Takahata? Not Ghibli's best work. I'd recommend Nausicaa, Kaguya, or When Marnie Was There over this. It's just...not a good movie, and not even good animation and music can save it. It's just a massive chore to watch.
𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣..... Distinctly Japanese in its essence yet resonating with cultures universal. It captures the allegorical struggle between modernity and traditionalism, while also shedding light on the fight for environmentalism. This piece accomplishes these feats through a perfect blend of humor and heartbreak, a balance that few films can achieve. With seamless grace, it weaves together hilarious moments and poignant sorrow, creating a symphony of emotions. It transports the audience, painting a masterpiece of words and scenes that fulfills dreams and leaves an indelible smile and teary eyes at the end. The opening of the film is so joyful it's really hard todigest the utterly bitter final epilogue. It's just the ultimate crossover where raccoons prove they can out-horror anyone and still be kawaii....!!
Pom Poko is an excellent environmentalist film. It marries environmentalism with Japanese folklore to create a wacky and colourful warning to industrial development. Without knowing Japan's folklore, this movie may not make sense because it relies heavily on the viewer being familiar with lots of different stories and tidbits. For a movie about the tanuki's home being destroyed so that commerical housing can be built, it is hilarious. My favourite joke is when all the tanuki are sitting on a mat which is actually their master's transformed testicles. The nuanced message that we have to adapt to our changing environment is refreshing compared to theusual bleeding-heart tree-hugging or shame tactics that greenies like to use. Pom Poko is a fun way for children to learn about the effect humans have on nature and understand the positives and negatives that come with this.
Pom poko was.... Slightly strange. If the characters were humans I'd think the film was sick and twisted and should be rated much higher than what it is, but they're talking, animated raccoons...? Childish characters and a magical theme, yet a mature storyline? I didn't really know what to make of it. X'D None the less, good old Hayao Miyazaki once again hasn't failed to make this film utterly unique and get his morals across to viewers; I personally went away wanting to save all the woodland creatures' habitats. :) The characters were origional and the film wasvery cleverly put together in the way that it's viewers could be of any age and still be entertained and learn something from it. It isn't Miyazaki's best, I can say that much, however it's still well worth watching and I reccomend it to everyone.
Rate a 7 English Dubbed Story Some of you are aware an old saying about Americans being fat. Others may have hear about Japan's one child policy. Around the world there are such relevant remarks. While they entirety they construct is somewhat true depending which you are referring to all have the same backstory. Us humans over the years are starting to reap the devastation of over population brought on by greed. This anime through the views of another nature's animals species shows us the errors of us humans ways. In the past we have shoed them from our garbage cans. Or even murdered them with our cars.We did all we could to sweep the problem they brought us under a metaphorical rug. Life with end. How soon it will end lies on us who are breathing. The more actions we take on the defense rather than offense will delay the ending of the battle. All of which comes to light in the fictitious animals that can't be silenced in this anime. While that message being told is sad but is quite true. Fear not though, the anime does have a kind ending that provides more light to what some of us believe to be true. Art/sound At first the viewer may feel taken back by the different forms of drawing used. With most anime a art style is picked and used throughout the show. Not here. To fully express the changes being inflicted in nature and the changes brought by the anime's message the characters to had to change. Not an easy task to keep up with the constant changes in not only art but narrator speaker requires much effort. As long as you the viewer show proper due diligence in watching to the end will you see how parts fits nice and snug together.