Miyazaki’s ‘How Do You Live’ is Being Called A “Visual Masterpiece”

The west has been in the dark when it comes Hayao Miyazaki’s new movie “How Do You Live,” but at least Japanese audiences are finally able to watch Miyazaki’s first release in 10 years. It’s now been released in the land of the rising sun.

As you know, there’s been no marketing for this film, so we had no idea what it was about. Here’s the first hint of plot, beware of SPOILERS:

The film is about a young boy, Mahito, during World War II and it opens with his mother's devastating death due to air raids. It's slightly harrowing with a tinge of horror. After the war, the boy moved away from Tokyo with his father to the country region. He experiences difficulties in creating relationships with his father's new wife, and also finding it hard to adapt in a new environment. Nearby, there is an abandoned house, and he finds a talking heron who reveals to him that his mother is still alive. Soon after, his father's new wife goes missing, leading Mahito to pursue the talking heron. The heron invites him to the abandoned house, which opens up into a surreal and fantastical world with great art styles. This part is quite dense, complex, paired with Ghibli's signature style of childlike wonder. Soon after, his father's new wife goes missing, leading Mahito to pursue the talking heron. The heron invites him to the abandoned house, which opens up into a surreal and fantastical world with great art styles. This part is quite dense, complex, paired with Ghibli's signature style of childlike wonder.

The film is said to be a slice of life with spiritual themes added in for good measure. It sounds like a Miyazaki film. In Japan, it's being raved. Quite a lot of people on social media are saying they cried at the end, via Games Radar

Anime News Network calls it a "visual masterpiece", though tempered expectations by saying some of the plot twists are "predictable."

Writing for the BBC, reviewer Matt Schley said How Do You Live? – thought to be Miyazaki’s final movie after 60 years in animation – features the director’s "signature obsessions, quirks and thematic concerns." He added:

There are the usual visual treats, like cute yet eerie creatures, great-looking food and gravity-defying flights of fancy – primarily hand-drawn and moving with the fluidity and sense of weight that mark the master animator's work.

Sounds like he's done it again. There’s a lot of family themes in this film. Some are implying that this is Miyazaki’s apology letter to his son for being a bad dad.

There is currently no North American and European release date for “How Do You Live,” but Studio Ghibli did release a new image last night to coincide with the Japanese release — see below.