Makoto Shinkai English Fan Forum and Site

Laz · Laz Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 1073

This movie gets the least amount of discussion Sad

Understandably, 5 CM get's the most since that is the movie that typically brings most people to Shinkai.

Anyway ... in November I'm going to focus on this movie a little more. Definitely make sure you watch and be prepared to discuss with the class Smile

Laz

_________________
You're a woman, I'm a calf ... you're a window, I'm a knife ... we come together making chance into starlight ... - Jeff Buckley

ここにいるよ. - Voices of a Distant Star

zitch · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject:

Heh. Funnily enough, I had just rewatched this one last week too.

In truth, I'm kindof wavering between this one and "She and Her Cat" being my most favorite Shinkai anime right now.

gleowine · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject:

I have to admit that I've been placing "Place" on the back burner for awhile. As soon as I'm done with watching Emma (for the 3rd time, no less), I'll go help the boys rescue Sayuri again.

zitch · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:50 pm Post subject:

There's an air show going on at the local airport this weekend, and it looks like they're doing some practice runs, so for the past couple of days, F-16s would be flying overhead constantly.

I also watched The Place Promised last week with my 600 Watt 5.1 sound system and "probably too loud for you, but way cool", and the sounds of aircraft going overhead is dead on. Not only how it sounds, but the whole surround field experience.

Just one more of many things Shinkai nailed down right.

Laz · Laz Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 1073

Wow ... it's been a while since I've watched this movie (shame on me) ...

I think the main thing that strikes me is that this (in my opinion) is the most visually striking of the movies so far ... 5 CM and Voices has some beautiful scenes, but I don't think they compare to this. I'm having a hard time thinking of a non-beautiful scene ... maybe the scenes in the Military college lab or when they show the Nav screen on the Bella Ciela. The landscapes, the sky, the color and the play of light. You can almost smell the Summer air or feel the breezes that cause the grass to bend.

That being said, this movie doesn't quite tug at my heart strings like Voices or 5 CM ... not sure why ... it's not until near the end where Hiroki and Sayuri start sharing the dreams that I really feel the movie. The end, of course, is excellent ... finding out what it is that she's going to lose and then losing it with the promise that her life will begin again from that day forward. Seeing Hiroki alone, narrating at the beginning, leads me to believe that they did not get back what they had in the dream. I'm sure for Hiroki, it must be tough .. but he helped the person he loved. Only time would tell.

I got a few new ideas for ranks as well .. little odds and ends that I picked up Smile

I started to focus on the relationships (shirakawa, Hiroki, Sayuri and Okabe, Maki and Shirakawa, etc ... lots of different triads there ...) as well.

Ha ha .. also, the person I'm talking with at ComixWave has a DVD Production Assistant credit on the film Smile

Anyway ... I watched the Sub .. which I'm finding more distracting these days. I spend more time reading than I do watching Sad

Next up is the Dub.

I love tis violin music too ... must get Tenmon cds Smile

Laz
_________________
You're a woman, I'm a calf ... you're a window, I'm a knife ... we come together making chance into starlight ... - Jeff Buckley

ここにいるよ. - Voices of a Distant Star

gleowine · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:03 pm Post subject:

Laz · Laz Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 1073

I would love to see this movie on a full movie theater screen as the visuals would be amazing. The scenery in this film is spectacular. The story .. ehhh ... it's good enough. The romance between the two characters takes a long time to develop and I think (just my opinion) ... it's a difficult situation to picture yourself in. I think Voices or 5 Cm strikes a chord with people because we've all been in those situations .... I'm not sure we've been in the situations in Place Promised. I can't really see myself in any of the male characters ... I guess that about sums it up. I feel like a third party watching the movie and I don't really connect with the male characters.

Anyway .. still a good film and artistically stunning.

Laz
_________________
You're a woman, I'm a calf ... you're a window, I'm a knife ... we come together making chance into starlight ... - Jeff Buckley

ここにいるよ. - Voices of a Distant Star

Nick · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:50 am Post subject:

Laz, agreed.
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There are certain moments where some people should just be left unknown.

Laz · Laz Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 1073

Here in the last week of November, I watched the English Dub version of the movie. Other than just liking the sounds of Japanese better than the English dub, Dub or sub is about the same for me. I like the English voice actors voices ... they go well with the characters. Nothing is more annoying than having to sit through emotionless, stiff voice acting Smile

I really wanted to have the Japanese and no Sub, but that was not an option on the DVD Sad

Some observations ...

If the Azo Tower was intended to be able to interface with alternate universes and ultimately, see into the future, why the heck couldn't the Union see what was coming ? At one point, I think it's Takuya, says that he thinks the tower designer and the UILTA freedom group were both doing the same thing ... protesting the division. Maybe Sayuri's Grandfather built that tower to spur the Alliance into a war/unification by putting something intimidating or scary out there ... even if it didn't work properly for the Union. Any opinions ?

Once again I was struck by the sheer beauty o the scenery ... I listened to the Shinkai interview and some of the things he says underlines this theme ..

"I felt that I was always saved by the beauty of scenery." He had hoped to convey feelings through the scenery as much as through the music/words of the film.

As for the ending line (and all of his ending lines) ...

"I didn't want stories to just be stories. ... I've constantly tried to have the story step out of the movie, after watching, and I've always wanted that one step." I definitely think he succeeds, in all cases ... the stories end with a possibility or an unknown future, rather than being tied up in a nice bow.

Anyway ... definitely check this film out .. especially if you're going through a bleak and dreary Winter.

Laz
_________________
You're a woman, I'm a calf ... you're a window, I'm a knife ... we come together making chance into starlight ... - Jeff Buckley

ここにいるよ. - Voices of a Distant Star

gleowine · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:46 pm Post subject: