As we all start to get back into the groove of University life, with work starting to pile on and deadlines soon emerging, I thought it’d be nice to unwind with a movie.
But which one?
Why, ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’, of course!
Well-known for their nostalgic art style and imaginative tales, Studio Ghibli is a well-loved animation studio, home to many wonderfully endearing films.
Now, I’ve never been one to enjoy history. I can appreciate it, sure, but my memory is pretty awful, and it’s just never really been an interest of mine.
But with ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’, the history of Japan and their culture has been intricately weaved throughout the story, without being too obvious or in-your-face. These little hints of history, as well as implicit life lessons, are something I adore about these films.
For those who are unfamiliar, this lighthearted coming-of-age tale is about a group of teens looking to save their school's clubhouse from being torn down in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Based in Yokohama, it aims to convey some part of how Japan rebuilt itself after the second world war.
The Korean War caused protagonist Umi’s father to disappear (don’t worry - not a spoiler!) after his ship was blown up by a mine. Throughout the film, we see first-hand the effects that the war had on the families of these soldiers, more specifically Umi’s. She takes on her dad’s role and becomes the main carer for her family while her mother visits America.
Around this time, Japan also saw quite the increase in student activism and campus revolts, as well as in other parts of the world. This film does a great job of demonstrating this, without losing the light and breezy feeling of the film.
Not only did I learn a little more about Japan in the ’60s, including architecture and fashion, but I learnt a lot of stuff that I never expected to know about. For example: International maritime signal flags.
Yep. Flags.
Those little colourful ones raised on big poles or boats. Each flag represents a letter, similar to morse code. For example, the flags that protagonist Umi hangs outside her room stand for ‘UW’ in the International Code of Signals, which means "I wish you a pleasant journey."
Pretty neat, huh?
As you can see, not all learning has to be deep or reflective or philosophical. It can be, and that’s great! But it can also be fun tidbits of information that’ll make you say “Hey, that’s pretty cool!”
So, if you’re looking for something not too heavy, and maybe want to learn a thing or two, give this movie a go! I highly recommend it.
Edited by Hannah Youds