An Anime Film "Starter Kit"
Working my way through the back episodes of the Filmspotting SVU's podcast series I came across episode 145 which includes intelligent discussions of a "starter kit" of 4 Anime movies:
- Ninja Scroll
- Millennium Actress http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/millenium
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/time
- The Boy and the Beast
I have reviewed 2 of the 4 films and included links above to my own reviews. They are, in my opinion, both excellent. I have not yet seen the other two.
The Filmspotting SVU podcasters believe it unnecessary to recommend a single Miyazaki film given those films' overall excellence. Were I to choose two Miyazaki films to start with I would select these:
- Princess Mononoke http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/mononoke
- Spirited Away http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/spirited
Some additional titles by other directors I would also recommend as "starters" are these:
- In Our Corner of the World http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/corner
- Letter to Momo http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/momo
- Miss Hokusai http://www.ddmcd.com/movies/hokusai
An additional film I would like to add to the above list but have as yet been unavailable to find available for rental or streaming anywhere is Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise. It's one of the best "alternative history" films I've seen.
Note that the above vary in terms of maturity and "family friendliness" with "Wings of Honnêamise," for example, including a disturbing rape scene.
Copyright (c) 2018 by Dennis D. McDonald
