From Up On Poppy Hill

Directed by Goro Miyazaki. Featuring the voices of Masami Nagasawa, Haruza Shirashi, Junichi Okada.

Gentle and nostalgic From Up On Poppy Hill is the latest from Studio Ghibli, anime’s genius mixologists. Having delighted audiences and the Academy with Spirited Away and last year’s Arrietty, their new project is a lower key affair.
Set in 1963 in Yokohama, it centres on Umi, a thoughtful and lonely girl grieving her father, as Japan tries to renew itself post-World War II. As if that wasn’t difficult enough she also has a crush on enigmatic schoolmate Shun. But the shadow of the past, and of Japan’s war crimes, threatens their relationship before it has even truly begun.
With its political and historical backdrop, Poppy Hill is more nuanced and adult than last year’s sweet Arriety. It’s too complex, perhaps, for children and also suffers from an overly busy Francophile score. The movie is charming rather than heart-wrenching.
Overall, it lacks spark.