Classic Ghibli, definitely takes the cake as my new favourite in the war film genre, and might steal Princess Mononoke's spot for best Ghibli film (pending Kiki's Delivery Service).

Not sure how I've missed it up until now but all Ghibli movies have incredibly strong openings, and this is no exception.

It's wild to me how difficult it is to properly pin down what any Ghibli film is trying to get at while watching it, and then Miyazaki will swoop in at the 3/4 mark and tie all these disparate themes together in a package so cohesive it appears inextricable from the outset.

Seriously, this is Miyazaki at his most brilliant and unrestrained.

On a sidenote, Nahh, Mahito got that shit on fr.