Every Studio Ghibli Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

After debuting with Tales From Earthsea to significantly less fanfare that he probably would have wished, Goro Miyazaki followed up with the vastly superior From Up On Poppy Hill, which is instantly more disciplined, more refined and more loveable.

At its heart is an uncomplicated story set against the backdrop of post-war Japan and it might appear to be narratively meagre, but there's great pleasure to be found in the microcosmic picture of normal life.

The problem comes when the plot changes in the final act with an unnecessarily weird twist - as if Miyazaki is making some sort of provocative statement by teasing that the two romantic leads might actually be engaging in incest. It's like you're being challenged for no reason simply because there's space there for a shock that ends up going away almost immediately.