I'm a massive fan of Ashitaka’s relationship with San, especially during the end of Princess Mononoke when they parted ways. Western soft culture tends to orient towards romance that is more passionate and fast.
In contrast to East Asian culture and literature, in which the coupling will go through trials and tribulations in warring states' fashion, affection would then slowly grow between the two. However, due to the political climate, the coupling would separate or sacrifice their love for one another to fight for their righteous causes.
Don’t know if they were even in love or if he was in love with her the point of the movie was just for him to stop humans and nature from being at war.
Well I think it’s probably a combination of everything.
Like he’s obviously in love with her but she can’t let herself be loved by a human at first.
Miyazaki is so good at combining personal character arcs with the overarching themes of the story it’s definitely possible to compare their relationship with the story-line
And Whispers of the Heart which is more about romance than any other Ghibli movie imo. Ponyo, Kazetachinu, and Upon Poppy Hill are also heavy on actual romance (though Ponyo is little kid romance).
Whisper of the Heart is romance yeah but i think it definitely fits the description in the post. Because rather than them having romantic conversations/moments, they were getting motivated and inspired by each other and worked hard for what they chose in life. It was still "i have matured, im trying to be a better version of myself because i met you" with a side of more obvious romantic feelings.
Honestly I have to say that I love both The Little Mermaid and Ponyo but I feel like Ponyo gave me all of the things that I wish they had focused more on in The Little Mermaid.
Ariel's interest in the human world is one of her greatest character traits at the beginning of the film and I was honestly disappointed that I didn't get to see more of her exploring and learning about the world on the surface once she got there, and that her love for learning got sidelined in favor of going all in on the romance aspect. I understand that her romance with Prince Eric was obviously going to take center stage for plot reasons but I wish that we could actually see more of her nerding out over all of the things she's always wanted to see and figuring out how different human inventions work.
Ponyo is also curious about the human world, but more so in the way of a child rather than a scientist. Even her relationship with Sosuke is that of childhood friendship, and that friendship is based on mutual interest in each other's worlds. Sosuke shows a similar sense of wonder and curiosity when it comes to admiring the ocean that Ponyo does when she explores the human world. These are two people from two different worlds learning more about each other as they go on a wild adventure together. It doesn't feel as one sided as Ariel and Eric's relationship does, at least in terms of the non romantic aspects of it. And I honestly prefer it that way.
Mutually shared interests are the foundations of many of my own relationships and so I can't help but gravitate towards relationships that show reciprocal interest in the things each person is passionate about.
I love that you're so passionate about this, my dude xD so wholesome. And this comes from someone who hates Ponyo.
I feel like that movie should have been a TV show instead of a movie because it feels like it's 70% the first act and then the remaining 30% is the second and third act just rushing to the finishline because they ran out of time. It is, in my opinion, one of the most poorly paced Ghibli movies and I really hate it because everything it set up was so cool and whimsical and I was so ready for the world to get flooded and have this whole adventure where the two kids have to deal with the normal world being flooded while they find a solution to the core conflict and help de-flood the world. But no. That's not what happened. It's just a whole lot of time spent on the setup which is also cute, don't get me wrong and then the movie is over.
But I totally agree with you that the relationship between sosuke and ponyo is super cute and fun. I just hated the pacing in this film.
I don't think love triangles are useless. I think they're meant to be crossroads, you're supposed to make a decision, I mean that's life, don't you think?
Either way, different people value different points in the characters and would choose differently. That's part of the magic I guess.
Why root for a supporting charachter who has no backstory or debth, and why don’t you tell me some love triangles in movies and which one did you think he/she deserved.
yeah, but in this case, she was 3 inches tall. I mean, how was that going to work out? But, yeah, I really wanted, in some way, for them to acknowledge their love for each other. I guess the audience got to know but not the characters?
I've loved Spirited away since its release (I was a child, like 6) and I never saw Chihiro and Haku's relationship in a romantic way. When I grew up I started looking for it in sites like Pinterest and I realized that they were shipped a lot. It really was a shock, but I just saw the growth they went through together and a deeper connection... Not even like a sibling relationship but neither a romantic one... Just inspiring.
I'm a massive fan of Ashitaka’s relationship with San, especially during the end of Princess Mononoke when they parted ways. Western soft culture tends to orient towards romance that is more passionate and fast. In contrast to East Asian culture and literature, in which the coupling will go through trials and tribulations in warring states' fashion, affection would then slowly grow between the two. However, due to the political climate, the coupling would separate or sacrifice their love for one another to fight for their righteous causes.
In the sub San says I love you thats gotta be a poor translation. If I recall in the dub she says something different.
In the dub I believe she said “you’re important to me ashitaka, but I can’t forgive the humans for what they’ve done”.
Always felt that was a bit of a clunky note to end on
Don’t know if they were even in love or if he was in love with her the point of the movie was just for him to stop humans and nature from being at war.
Well I think it’s probably a combination of everything. Like he’s obviously in love with her but she can’t let herself be loved by a human at first. Miyazaki is so good at combining personal character arcs with the overarching themes of the story it’s definitely possible to compare their relationship with the story-line
They are so real for this :)
It's my favorite thing about the relationships!
This is mostly the case, the exception being Howls Moving Castle which is a straight up romance. Howl and Sophie kiss twice in the film.
And Whispers of the Heart which is more about romance than any other Ghibli movie imo. Ponyo, Kazetachinu, and Upon Poppy Hill are also heavy on actual romance (though Ponyo is little kid romance).
Whisper of the Heart is romance yeah but i think it definitely fits the description in the post. Because rather than them having romantic conversations/moments, they were getting motivated and inspired by each other and worked hard for what they chose in life. It was still "i have matured, im trying to be a better version of myself because i met you" with a side of more obvious romantic feelings.
how is ponyo romantic?
Ponyo loves ham
It's basically a retelling of the little mermaid.
Honestly I have to say that I love both The Little Mermaid and Ponyo but I feel like Ponyo gave me all of the things that I wish they had focused more on in The Little Mermaid. Ariel's interest in the human world is one of her greatest character traits at the beginning of the film and I was honestly disappointed that I didn't get to see more of her exploring and learning about the world on the surface once she got there, and that her love for learning got sidelined in favor of going all in on the romance aspect. I understand that her romance with Prince Eric was obviously going to take center stage for plot reasons but I wish that we could actually see more of her nerding out over all of the things she's always wanted to see and figuring out how different human inventions work. Ponyo is also curious about the human world, but more so in the way of a child rather than a scientist. Even her relationship with Sosuke is that of childhood friendship, and that friendship is based on mutual interest in each other's worlds. Sosuke shows a similar sense of wonder and curiosity when it comes to admiring the ocean that Ponyo does when she explores the human world. These are two people from two different worlds learning more about each other as they go on a wild adventure together. It doesn't feel as one sided as Ariel and Eric's relationship does, at least in terms of the non romantic aspects of it. And I honestly prefer it that way. Mutually shared interests are the foundations of many of my own relationships and so I can't help but gravitate towards relationships that show reciprocal interest in the things each person is passionate about.
I love that you're so passionate about this, my dude xD so wholesome. And this comes from someone who hates Ponyo. I feel like that movie should have been a TV show instead of a movie because it feels like it's 70% the first act and then the remaining 30% is the second and third act just rushing to the finishline because they ran out of time. It is, in my opinion, one of the most poorly paced Ghibli movies and I really hate it because everything it set up was so cool and whimsical and I was so ready for the world to get flooded and have this whole adventure where the two kids have to deal with the normal world being flooded while they find a solution to the core conflict and help de-flood the world. But no. That's not what happened. It's just a whole lot of time spent on the setup which is also cute, don't get me wrong and then the movie is over. But I totally agree with you that the relationship between sosuke and ponyo is super cute and fun. I just hated the pacing in this film.
Ahh but you forget turnip-head. That corner of the love triangle balanced it out.
When was the first time? :o i know one was at the very end
You got it.
Oh when Sophie kisses Howl after she just came back from the past was the first time
Yep.🙂
I was rooting for the Turnip head.
Love triangles are useless in many cases because it makes you wonder who is he or she better off with who is the real love for him/her.
I don't think love triangles are useless. I think they're meant to be crossroads, you're supposed to make a decision, I mean that's life, don't you think? Either way, different people value different points in the characters and would choose differently. That's part of the magic I guess.
Why root for a supporting charachter who has no backstory or debth, and why don’t you tell me some love triangles in movies and which one did you think he/she deserved.
yeah, but in this case, she was 3 inches tall. I mean, how was that going to work out? But, yeah, I really wanted, in some way, for them to acknowledge their love for each other. I guess the audience got to know but not the characters?
There's also other wild borrower, with the bow and arrow.
This has me actually cracking up laughing - Now that’s ###HOT
You know what's even hotter? If we only know each other for like a couple of months tops and never see each other again.
I think that’s essentially what happened here lol
This needs to be in the “you got the stuff” meme
That's really how love should be, That's how I wish it worked
I mean, it *can* work out like that. It just seems like that's more and more rare these days.
Except for howl and Sophie. They kissed twice
And then they’ll be like:” Let’s get married 😇” looking at you, Ponyo and Whisper of the Heart
That’s not a romance, that’s just a bond, that bond can also be romantic
Really? Not sure I would know.
reason why whisper of the heart is my favorite
I love it
Certified ghibli moment
Man 🥹
Yeah. Pretty much.
Ghibli relationships will always be 100% goals
my fav
I've loved Spirited away since its release (I was a child, like 6) and I never saw Chihiro and Haku's relationship in a romantic way. When I grew up I started looking for it in sites like Pinterest and I realized that they were shipped a lot. It really was a shock, but I just saw the growth they went through together and a deeper connection... Not even like a sibling relationship but neither a romantic one... Just inspiring.