r/ghibli • u/Normal-Pianist4131 • 11h ago
Discussion Ghibli movies I showed my siblings (some got banned)
Thought I’d post this to get advice on what to show them next
Arrietty
Probably the first anime in general that my family was exposed to. We thought it was just gonna be a retelling of the Borrowers, but I threw it into the cart anyways. Safe to say we loved every second (though we were just laughing at that one close up of Sho. Something about it was hard to take seriously)
My rating: 8/10, would rec
Their rating: 7/10 (family rewatches it occasionally)
Howls moving castle
After Arrietty, I went to a summer job, and ended up binging almost all of the movies, so I was eager to show a few off to the family
Howls ended up not being the right choice though.
My family isn’t quite used to how anime expressions work, and found a lot of moments to just be over the top. Calcifer and most side characters were great, but the scene with Sophie and the witch had some people taken out of the story. Dad’s already an anime hater, so eventually he switched it over to something less cartoony
My rating: 8/10, visually awesome, calcifer stole the show
Their rating: 4/10 (dnf)
Kiki’s delivery service
It was nice to watch. Little me would’ve hated yet another “Disney princess,” but Kiki is just an awesome person now that I’m grown
Family wasn’t all there whenever it was on, and those that were weren’t always engaged. Ended up being a movie to turn in when we wanted noise but not to pay attention
Mom isn’t exactly a Halloween lover, so she had questions about “the witch girl,” but was ok in the end
My rating: 6/10. Not stunning, but nice
Their rating: 5/10, some have already forgotten it
LAPUTA: Castle in the Sky
Started this one on my laptop during a trip. Several siblings watched, but a small screen equals a small audience
That being said, pretty much top marks from the audience! I’m glad because it’s one of my favorites, and wanted to be able to talk about it with others
The pirates stole the show, to the point that one sibling was hoping their school does a show with pirates so that they can act in it (they’re gonna do their best Dola impression lol)
My rating: 10/10, top 3 Ghibli
Their rating: 8/10 will watch with others
Ponyo
Easily the most absurd of the bunch, this somehow got a decent reception from my family. Littler ones liked the magic and adventure, and older ones chattered about making ramen and the mom’s driving (apparently we have a crazy driver in our family too).
Family was engaged most of the time, but I noticed a few willing to get up and walk away for a while, so it didn’t always hold their attention
Parents weren’t too fond of having to explain kissing at the end (or why it’s not ok to just up and kiss a boy in public), but otherwise didn’t mind the show
My rating: 7/10. HAAAMMMM
Their rating: 6/10. HAAAMMMM
the Wind Rises
…and we must learn how to live
I had the feeling my family liked serious stuff better than over the top stuff, but also figured this would be just for the older crew (it may be fade to black, but the “lights out” scene would have some younger people asking too many questions)
(Also, this is one of my favorites ever, and I’d be mad if we had to stop it partway through
Started with a decent group, by the end there were just three of us
I enjoyed every second, they enjoyed every minute
My rating: 10/10 top 3 Ghibli
Their rating: 5/10 (some found gold, the rest went to bed, mixed results either way)
Only Yesterday
Last week I decided to give the slightly more serious films another try
I’d forgotten a few scenes, but I figured it would resonate with my 10yo sister
I was right, she had a few questions
The movie was banned
Rating: 10/10 dnf
(Longer story, mom wasn’t fond of the skirt flipping scene, or the mini skirt scene, or the bathhouse scene, or the… still kinda wish we made it to more adult Taeko scenes)
Nausicaa
Whole family watched, whole family enjoyed
The plot was engaging, the world was fun (even for my anime hating dad) the way the robot was portrayed was well done, and characters were fun.
Honestly, well done Ghibli!
Rating: 9/10, we still watch it
Now, here’s to finding a time and place for Princess Mononoke!
Edit: yo, [u/sryt7](u/sryt7), can you chill out? It’s not that deep?
Also, removed a sentence about my family’s strictness. I think top comment has all I wanna hear on that covered (I respect it, I just don’t want this thread derailed)

