Traditional hand drawn cel animation might be close to becoming a relic of the past in the mainstream, having been pretty much superseded by computer animation, but it's still alive and kicking in Japan - anime movies and TV series of all genres continue to be produced, and Hayao Miyazaki has been at the forefront for decades. The Wind Rises, said to be Miyazaki's final movie (perhaps until the next one - it wouldn't be the first time he's announced his retirement then returned from the wilderness to direct once again), is his most grounded movie of all. Set shortly before the Second World War, its tale of a young engineer's ambition to build the perfect airplane is more firmly rooted in the real world than any of his previous films, which only makes the luscious and vibrant depictions of everyday life in all their subtle details all the more impressive (not to mention the incredible earthquake sequence). It's an interesting swansong for the director; a more personal project which panders less to a younger audience.
