AoY Podcast #57: Christmas Special Review – The Wind Rises
Also known as: “Ooh hauzsa darz use to stealz our plaaanez!”
And also: “Yea I just googled ‘Don East Anime’.”
Download Episode HERE! (Total Time: 59:07)
On the eve of our 2 year anniversary (and the fact that it’s Christmas), Jonn and Zeonic decide to end the year by the wind rising beneath our wings. In this last episode of 2014, we get to soar one last time with Hayao Miyazaki last film, The Wind Rises.
(0:00 – 38:42) Review: The Wind Rises: There is no doubt about it that Hayao Miyazaki will go down as one of the most well known anime directors in the anime industry from the past 30 years. Because hey, without his contributions, we wouldn’t have any good anime to show our folks that doesn’t make all anime nerds look like degenerate social outcast. Despite the fact that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are done for, they still had one last hurrah in them, and that’s this film. To Zeonic, he can easily say this is number 2 on his own personal “Best Miyazaki Films” list (which is behind Castle of Cagliostro, as Zeonic cleared up in the recording instead of letting Mononoke be his favorite, because that would be a dishonest travesty if that stayed the record in the podcast). You can expect this film to have funny moustached Italians, sketchy German engineers, falling in love, and making weapons of war in your lifetime. If you want a really interesting review, check out this ANNCast episode where Carl Horn chimes in on his knowledge of the actual Jiro Hirokoshi. Also in this segment, Zeonic and Jonn mention other works by Miyazaki, the current political disputes of Asia and Europe, some World War 2 truths, the Anime Abominations of Don East, and much more
(38:42 – 59:07) UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: VIZ MEDIA Segment: Both Jonn and Zeonic get into a discussion over the hot button issue (as of November) regarding the release of Sailor Moon by Viz Media. Zeonic talks in detail about the ANNCast interview with Viz as to why Sailor Moon turned out the way it did, and the excuses behind it. This also gets Jonn and Zeonic to mention the new Dragonball Z film, as well as manga discussions (aka, really about Golgo 13 manga, because 35+ years of Duke Togo is hard to miss). All this and more in the last episode of 2014. Merry Christmas to all our listeners!!!!
Music Selection:
OP – Not a bad way to go out Miyazaki, not bad at all…
ED – The national anthem to all waifu loving cheating otaku out there…
This show has:
Only these videos can be created and archived during the height of anime marketing in the 1990’s. TOTAL MOON POWER!!!!
jonnjonzz01
zeonicfreak
The Anime of Yesteryear Podcast 
Funny how you stopped the podcast to correct yourself. haha. Howl’s Moving Castle is my least favorite and I think Porco Rosso is my favorite. However, I still haven’t seen Cagliostro yet so that could change one day, who knows.
I watched “The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness” earlier today and it was a pretty interesting documentary that pretty much follows the production of The Wind Rises.
Overall, I thought The Wind Rises was pretty enjoyable. Maybe the best thing Miyazaki produced since Spirited Away?
That Sailor Moon ANNcast was great. Dude was grillin’ those VIZ people for answers. haha. It sounded pretty tense. At least the Ranma stuff looks okay as far as can tell.
12/27/2014 at 3:25 pm
I recently got some anime tapes from Gerald over at Anime World Order and one of them had the “On Your Mark” music video included on the tape, which was an incredible experience to see. I do plan on seeing the rest of those shorts someday.
I still defend my stance on making the correction in this episode, because it’s the total truth.
I’m not sure what the quality of the Ranma DVDs are but it seems they fared better on those than how Sailor Moon turned out.
Yea man, Merry Christmas to you and hope you had a great time.
12/27/2014 at 5:05 pm
Miyazaki seems like such a pretentious d-bag, that i’m personally happy he has retired. All his movies were so boring and heavy handed. Miyazaki himself seemed like a terrible person as well because of how neglectful he was to his family most of his career.
01/22/2015 at 11:05 am
Despite your personal opinion of the man, I do have to give him credit on his impact on the industry, which won’t be forgotten about. The whole neglecting family issue is common among the japanese regarding how they don’t balance work and family all that well.
It seems to be worse in the anime industry because of how they make their products for the consumer market. If you have to give the man credit for anything he at least loved what he did, and that shows in the final product.
01/22/2015 at 1:32 pm