“How Do You Live?”: the first reviews of the new film by Hayao Miyazaki

the japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke”) just released her new animated film “How Do You Live?” (“Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka” in Japanese) in her native country. The feature film based on the book by Genzaburō Yoshino is one of the most anticipated by anime fans and this Friday we got the first reviews from specialized critics.

The film, which would presumably be the last of his career, has been produced by his own studio Ghibli. Here are the first impressions that have been shared about “How Do You Live?”

Early reviews of Hayao Miyazaki’s new film have been mixed:

BBC’s Matt Schley: “’How Do You Live?’ is full of characteristic Miyazaki obsessions, quirks and thematic concerns. There are the usual visual treats like cute but creepy creatures, alluring foods, and gravity-defying fantasies, mostly drawn by hand and moving with the fluidity and sense of weight that mark the work of the master animator.”

Richard Eisenbeis from Anime News Network: “’How Do You Live?’ Get what you want: a road map to deal with the loss of a loved one within the framework of a fantastic tale. Her goal is to tell those who suffer these feelings that they are not alone and to show them how to find significance in the changed world in which they find themselves. Although it can be predictable at times, it is still the visual masterpiece expected of Miyazaki’s films and will undoubtedly become a classic for decades to come.”

Matteo Watzky from Full Frontal: “With its ambition, range and depth, it’s hard to think ‘How Do You Live?’ be Miyazaki’s last film, the testament we all expected. Treading on old and new ground, it illustrates how the director’s creativity is a deep well that never seems to run dry (…) It’s a difficult piece of work, and as written I don’t think it will work for everyone; I’m not even sure it worked for me. But this difficulty and ambiguity may be its best quality, the ultimate display of Miyazaki’s talent, nuance and imagination.”

Noah Oskow from Unseen Japan: “’How Do You Live?’ it is Miyazaki’s personal film from start to finish. But, it seems like he has no desire to be hugely successful or have mass appeal. What it does have, however, is a deeper message for an unknown world and the young people who will have to live in it.”

The movie “How Do You Live?” It premiered this Friday, July 14 in theaters in Japan. However, the release date for the rest of the world has not been shared yet.

Based on Genzaburō Yoshino’s 1937 book, “How Do You Live?” follows the story of Yoshino, a young man who, after the death of his father, must move to his uncle’s house and cope with the spiritual and emotional upheaval that his life is going through.

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