Anime Movies - From Up On Poppy Hill

Another Studio Ghibli movie. Since I've seen a few movies from Studio Ghibli I noticed they are always more or less relaxed with some human drama or cause involved. This one was not the exception. The fight to preserve the Club house was really imaginative and full of determination. It was amazing to watch all those different clubs occupy the same house which was totally full of all sort of clutter.The two main characters were a nice pair even though they met in an unusual way. Their friendship and struggle against the majority was indeed admirable. It was cool how they even inspired and persuaded others to join the cause and make a difference. The whole brother-sister thing added an additional twist. Students did a lot of bonding through their hard work on the Club house which was really nice to see. All in all, this was a journey through wishes, hard work, friendships and hope.

Categories: Coming of Age, High School, Historical, Manga, Romance, School Life 

The story is set in 1963 in Yokohama.Kokuriko (from coquelicot, French for Papaver rhoeas) Manor sits on a hill overlooking the harbour. A 16 year-old girl, Umi, lives in that house. Every morning she raises a signal flag facing the sea. The flag means “I pray for safe voyages”. A 17 year-old boy, Shun, always sees this flag from the sea as he rides a tugboat to school. In preparation for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, people are destroying the old and believing only in the magnificence of the new. In that time, at a high school in Yokohama, a small struggle occurred. The building of the Culture Club, nicknamed Quartier Latin, is old but full of history and memories. Should it be destroyed or preserved? In the middle of this, Umi and Shun meet. Shun appeals to the students who want to protect the building. Umi suggests a big clean up of the building to show its good parts. Gradually the pair are drawn to each other but they are faced with a sudden trial. They may be siblings. Even so, they keep going without running from reality. Then, in the middle of the battle and the aftermath, they come to know how their parents met, loved and lived.

Genre: Animation | Drama
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10 from 507 users
Director: Goro Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Release Date: July 16, 2011 (Japan)
Running Time: 91 minutes
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan