Yamadas or Pom Poko, which is better?

[Kenai]

I need to know. Wave 3 is coming in August and I'd like to know which one is best for viewing. Which has a better story/climax and which is more entertaining? Thanks.

[Mr. Toad]

Dont really care for the animation style of Yamadas. Might be the first Ghibli film I pass on.

Looks like a badly drawn Peanuts cartoon(that aint a compliment if you were wondering)

[Little Red Henski]

Dont really care for the animation style of Yamadas. Might be the first Ghibli film I pass on.

Looks like a badly drawn Peanuts cartoon(that aint a compliment if you were wondering)

That's your lost Mr. Toad. Being that you are a family man Toad I would expect that you would love Yamadas.

My Neighbors the Yamadas & Pom Poko are 2 very different movies. I really can't say which is better.

[Prince Eric]

I think I'm going into this (Wave 3) like you, Kenai. I have never had access to these Studio Ghibli films, but I'm going to try and pick both of them up! I mean, they're Isao Takahata! His movies are supposed to be all good; they're completely opposite from Miyazaki's epic storytelling, but equally engaging. I may pick up Pom Poko first, since the revolving animation styles seems like an artistic innovation in the genre. Then again, I'm completely drawn to the style of My Neighbors the Yamadas. I'm in such a quandry. Little Red Henski, could you perhaps rate/or rank the Studio Ghibli films for those of us who are just starting to collect?

[Little Red Henski]

How I rank the Ghibli films from highest to lowest.

1. I Can Hear the Sea
2. Only Yesterday
3. My Neighbor Totoro
4. Castle of Cagliostro
5. Grave of the Fireflies
6. Kiki's Delivery Service
7. Porco Rosso
8. Whisper of the Heart
9. Howl's Moving Castle
10. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
11. My Neighbors the Yamadas
12. Pom Poko
13. Princess Mononoke
14. Spirited Away
15. Laputa: The Castle in the Sky
16. The Cat Returns

Keep in mine I enjoy lots of foreign films. I wouldn't recommend buying any of the non Miyazaki titles[excluding The Cat Returns] if you don't like foreign or art films. These films are very different from Hollywood films.

[MickeyMousePal]

1. Kiki's Delivery Service
2. Spirited Away
3. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
4. My Neighbor Totoro
5. The Castle in the Sky
6. Princess Mononoke
7. Porco Rosso
8. The Cat Returns

[Kenai]

Dont really care for the animation style of Yamadas. Might be the first Ghibli film I pass on.

Looks like a badly drawn Peanuts cartoon(that aint a compliment if you were wondering)

Yeah, I'm not digging the way the style is either, but who knows, it might be entertaining.

I think I'm going into this (Wave 3) like you, Kenai. I have never had access to these Studio Ghibli films, but I'm going to try and pick both of them up! I mean, they're Isao Takahata!

I'm with you there Prince Eric. I rarely had access to them as well, but now that Disney's been releasing them, I'm getting into Ghibli fast.

[iloveghibli]

I need to know. Wave 3 is coming in August and I'd like to know which one is best for viewing. Which has a better story/climax and which is more entertaining? Thanks.

I have not seen Pom Poko, but I have seen the Yamadas. My Neighbors the Yamadas doesn't really have a single story. It's a series of "slice of life" type vignettes mixed with a little Japanese poetry. It's kind of interesting because it shows Japanese style family life, but it's definatly not for everyone.

Myself I will be getting both films. I can't wait to see the first "Disney" film that shows "pouches".

[Little Red Henski]

I need to know. Wave 3 is coming in August and I'd like to know which one is best for viewing. Which has a better story/climax and which is more entertaining? Thanks.

I have not seen Pom Poko, but I have seen the Yamadas. My Neighbors the Yamadas doesn't really have a single story. It's a series of "slice of life" type vignettes mixed with a little Japanese poetry. It's kind of interesting because it shows Japanese style family life, but it's definatly not for everyone.

Myself I will be getting both films. I can't wait to see the first "Disney" film that shows "pouches".

I thought that My Neighbors the Yamadas was hilarious. Too bad that most people can't look past the character designs. Yamadas looks like that because it is based on a newspaper comic strip.

I'm more interested in seeing how Disney deals with the nude baby scene in Yamadas. I can't wait for the first "Disney" film with full frontal male nudity.

Pom Poko and Whisper of the Heart take place in the same town. Pom Poko's closing shot is the opening shot of Whisper of the Heart.

[TaleAsOldAsTime]

Im definately getting both, i haven't seen either of them, but i love studio ghibli films.

btw, isn't my neighbor totoro getting released the same day, it says so on the barnes and noble website, or at least the last time i checked

[Little Red Henski]

No, Totoro is still locked in the vault with Only Yesterday & Whisper.

[Mr. Toad]

According to an interview with the company that does the english voice overs Totoro is coming in Wave 4 with Howl's Moving Castle.

[dgfan2112]

I think Pom Poko is better.

[iloveghibli]

I thought that My Neighbors the Yamadas was hilarious. Too bad that most people can't look past the character designs. Yamadas looks like that because it is based on a newspaper comic strip.

I didn't mind the character designs, or even the fact that it was like a bunch of shorts. It was the subject matter, and the fact that there was very little in the way of excitment, big drama or more overt comedy. I definately can see how a person with a family could relate to it, but it's just not me.

I'm more interested in seeing how Disney deals with the nude baby scene in Yamadas. I can't wait for the first "Disney" film with full frontal male nudity.

It think that scene passes by pretty quick, and it's not super realistic either. I think PomPoko would be more of a problem, since you not only have male nudity, but INFLATING testicles.

[Little Red Henski]

I think PomPoko would be more of a problem, since you not only have male nudity, but INFLATING testicles.

I haven't watched Pom Poko in a while but I don't remember any pipis in it just pouches. Not that I was looking. I don't think Disney cares how quickly a nude scene passes. They edited Jesica Rabbits privates from the Roger Rabbit film and you can't even see that unless you watch the movie in slow motion.

edit.

I just got done watching Pom Poko again. You are right it is going to be the more controversial of the 2 films. But it isn't because of male nudity.

[Lord Yupa]

Both are films that have more Japanese than universal appeal. They are of a high quality, indeed, but unfortunately many references may be lost on American viewers. Pom Poko is a very visually appealing film, with an average frame rate just a hair below 12 frames per second, so it's close to Disney's standard. (Remember, Disney normally animates at 12 frames per second in their feature films to avoid jerkiness but will use 24 frames per second in special cases, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?!. Ghibli normally animates at 8 to 12 frames per second, a consistent quality standard seldom seen outside of Disney. At times, in action scenes, they will jump to 24 frames per second, such as in Princess Mononoke. Actually, the fluid flight scenes in their films are the best example. Most anime and even US animation is done at 6 or 4 frames per second, except the high-budget theatrical features and some television shows) If you though the animation in Porco Rosso was good, in Pom Poko it's even better. Content-wise, it's a provocative meditation on not only the environment and humankind's natural encroachment upon it, but also a tribute to the post-war period of Japan, a harsh time in Japan's history. The sometimes surprising folklore in this film has a bittersweet tinge to it, the theme of the loss of the Japanese cultural identity in our age further explored in Spirited Away. (Remember, though Takahata directed Pom Poko, Miyazaki produced it and was involved in conceiving many ideas and concepts for the film in its planning stages.) The story is quite engrossing, and the characters are worth every penny you spent on the DVD. Overall, an entertaining yet thoughtful picture. As for Yamadas, the humor is very Japanese, but I suspect that in the dub they Americanized it a bit more. The theme song, "Que Sera, Sera", fits the nostalgic yet progressive tone of the film, which is merely a set of comic scenes, one after another, snippets of haiku here and there. The visual style is interesting; completely in CGI but in a watercolor, zen styl, very sparse and not very detailed, as if straight from a comic strip. Characters move smoothly and the direction is superb. A must-see.

[Alan]

Keep in mine I enjoy lots of foreign films. I wouldn't recommend buying any of the non Miyazaki titles[excluding The Cat Returns] if you don't like foreign or art films. These films are very different from Hollywood films.

Not even Grave of the Fireflies?

[Escapay]

Not even Grave of the Fireflies?

LRH ranked it at #5 in his Ghibli list, and I don't exactly understand what it is you're asking him about regarding that film.

Anyway, regarding the wave in question (hard to believe it was about 2.5 years ago!), I really loved My Neighbours the Yamadas. I only own five of the Ghibli films on DVD at the moment, and I'm glad I blindbought Yamadas.

Scaps

[magicalwands]

What exactly is a wave?

[Escapay]

What exactly is a wave?

There's several definitions.

One of them is a stadium tradition in which people get up and sit down one after another creating a sort of ripple effect.
The other is a block of water that hits up against the shore.

Yet another is the gesturing of a hand back and forth in acknowledgement of someone that has seen you.

Finally, it's a general term that denotes a set of DVDs that are released according to a fixed schedule. Examples include the different waves of the Treasures that have come every December.

Regarding Ghibli, the first wave, IIRC, was Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Spirited Away. This was followed by a Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, and The Cat Returns. The wave in question here was for My Neighbours the Yamadas and Pom Poko. The latest wave was My Neighbour Totoro, Whisper of the Heart, and Howl's Moving Castle. Princess Mononoke was released under the Miramax label, and I'm not sure when. Also, Castle of Cagliostro and Grave of the Fireflies have separate non-Disney releases (as they weren't in the "package" that Disney bought). Only Yesterday, I Can Hear the Sea, and Tales from Earthsea have yet to be released on DVD (in R1 at least).

Scapsta