From Up on Poppy Hill (Movie)

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Name: From Up on Poppy Hill
Type: Animation

Official Rating: PG

Director: Goro Miyazaki
Genre: Drama, romance, family

Age Rating: n/a

Review:
Umi and Shun become friends in the school's newspaper clubhouse. They start liking each other, but when Umi shows Shun a picture, things start to change. To top it all, the principal is threatening to shut down the clubhouse! 

A touching story with not too many plot twists. There wasn't too much of a point to this movie, other than for simple enjoyment. Because of this, I will probably never watch it again. Still, it was enjoyable and had a lot of endearing moments. The story, while a little slow, was easy to follow and it was easy to appreciate both Umi and Shun's characters. Their romance was fluffy and they never kissed. They held hands once, and I thought it was cute. I think if they had gotten any more serious, it would have been awkward and interfered with the script. 

There is implied incest when Shun believes he shares the same father with Umi. Later on, Umi tells him she "doesn't care" if they are related, because she loves him. Aside from her stubbornness, Shun decides not to pursue Umi any longer, and begins distancing himself from her. While it is a bit uncomfortable for older audiences who can understand what is going on, I appreciated that they frowned upon their feelings for each other based on the thought of being related to one another. If they had gone ahead and continued furthering the relationship in the direction it was going, it would not have been right. Thankfully they learned that they were not related, and got everything sorted out. 

This is a family-friendly movie that is suitable to watch together, because there isn't one group that it specifically tries to draw in. Younger kids might not like how slow it is, and might not understand all that is going on because of this. Despite this, it is entertaining, and while it can get boring at times, it is pretty unoffensive. I didn't love this movie, but I hardly disliked it either. If you are a die-hard anime fan, or love Studio Ghibli, then you should watch it. Otherwise, it can be skipped.

Mature Content: 

• Sexual References- Implied incest between the main characters, but it later turns out not to be true

Personal Note: 
I really enjoy Studio Ghibli.