From Up on Poppy Hill Review

 

Movie: From Up on Poppy Hill

Genre: Historical, Romance, School, Shoujo

Summary: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics represented a new start for Japan—out with the old Meiji-era buildings that reminded citizens of bad times, in with innovation that spoke to the future of a newly peaceful and increasingly prosperous country. 

Umi, a shy teenaged girl, manages a boarding house on the Yokohama seaside. Her father was killed in the war and her mother travels constantly, so in addition to attending high school, Umi must also run the family business. Her classmate Shun, an orphan unsure of his lineage, lives with a few other students in the old high-school clubhouse, a French-style, mansion that's set to be demolished as part of the current modernization project. Shun and his schoolmates refuse to let this happen. 

As much as they fear losing their shelter, they are also appalled at what they see as the erasure of their history. As the students organize a protest, Shun and Umi grow closer. What begins as a friendship develops into something deeper as these two lonely teenagers find a mutual understanding and trust. Yet when Shun starts to investigate his past, secrets emerge that threaten to tear the two apart. 

From Up on Poppy Hill was directed by Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki's son. I was pretty interested to see how much of Hayao's legacy he could carry on. This movie looked very promising, but it was simple. The outcome wasn't exactly what I expected, and this goes as a bad and good way. 

Amoeba Records + Hollywood Adventures

Summer has ended and I'm sure for everyone that has been replaced by a dread also known as school. I was definitely not looking forward to going back to days of endless hours of studying, cramming, busy days, and stressful nights. Thus, I decided to spend my last day of freedom at a not-so-little music store in Hollywood: Amoeba Records. 

If you live in Southern California and not under a rock, surely you've heard of what Amoeba Records is. This is THE trendy, go-to music place for anything bands, music, or movie-related. They have pretty much anything you would want to listen to! Not only that, but they sell used albums, making some of the prices a lot cheaper than they normally are. The selection of bands is HUMONGOUS and there are thousands to choose from.

Colorful (Movie) Review

Movie: Colorful

Genre: Drama, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Summary: "I" died and was kicked out of the cycle of reincarnation because of the sin "I" committed. An angel told me that "I" won a lottery and he gave me a chance to remember the sin. My spirit possessed the body of the 14-year-old boy Makoto, who committed suicide and "I" tried to recollect my memory. "I" felt distressed by the terrible circumstances of Makoto and the fact that "I" was borrowing his body. "I" have started to realize that people are hurting each other because the world is too colorful to distinguish the true color of themselves from others.

I have a certain fear of what happens to humans after death. Do we go into a vast oblivion of darkness or do we get a second chance at life and become reincarnated? Since I brood over such trivial matters often, the plot for Colorful really caught my eye and I figured watching it would help me reach an answer. Well, not only did the movie get me closer to a sufficient answer, but it changed certain views of life that I had as well.

Hotarubi no Mori e Review

Movie: Hotarubi no Mori e 

Genres: Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural

Summary: The story of Hotarubi no Mori e centers around Hotaru, a little girl who gets lost in an enchanted forest where apparitions reside. A young boy, Gin, appears before Hotaru, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. 

I heard a lot about Hotarubi no Mori e for its great story, despite it being so short (45 minutes). It was a movie that people deemed was almost equal to others like 5 Centimeters per Second. I finally watched it after my friend pushed and pushed me to see it and I was definitely not disappointed.