In this episode of Beyond Ghibli I take a look at Miss Hokusai, a truly special piece of cinema about Japan's most famous artist and the daughter that lived in his shadow. PATREON: / beyondghibli TWITTER: / beyondghibli
I love this film more than words can say. And thus, I am always disheartened when I see reviews from people dismissing it as "boring". So I am so happy to see more people giving it the praise it deserves, and finding out that they see same fascinating wonder I see in it myself. And since it is a coming-of-age story of a young woman, I am always excited to know of more men liking this movie too. Thank you for getting the word out and brining more people's attention to this work of art!
In his 80s and 90s, Hokusai lived in his blanket. He would wake, grab his brush and paint from bed until he grew tired, swapped his brush for his pillow and fell back to sleep surrounded by his work. If ever there was a man who embodied 'practise makes perfect' it was him - he was still getting better and better every passing year until he died. Good luck on your own quest :)
Beyond Ghibli We need more of these. I regret not buying Millennial Princess when I had the chance. Have you seen about Paprika? A great film that many people have not heard about yet.
When I sat down and watched Miss Hokusai I was expecting something a bit artsy. Something with long scenes of characters just sitting and talking about their art and such. I was expecting to nod and say that it was a good film but it wasn't something that I could actually watch again. What I wasn't expecting was to be completely charmed by the film. Oi was just incredibly likeable and I enjoyed watching her even through the mundane moments. This is a movie I could see being remembered as a masterpiece
What I love about Hokusai is that, by all accounts, he was a genuinely good person. He strived to uplift the work of his hundreds of students, he emphasized that his work should be accessible by all classes of people, and he was a kind person. That's rare for someone that had such a profound impact on not just Japan's culture, but revolutionized artistic expression around the world as well.
I just cry like a little baby every time I watch a good anime/manga... The music...the mood... it just transports me to another space and timeline... agh... my heart aches...
Have been wanting to find more Japanese animation besides Ghibli, so glad found your channel. So many beautiful recommendations that I would otherwise have never heard of!
I am really happy that somebody besides me likes this movie ;) Slow-paced as it is, everything that happens throughout its run is meaningful. Not a single scene is out of place. It manages to do what even the best slice of life stories struggle with - to capture the essence of ones everyday life, both magical and monotonous elements of it. Honestly, after watching Miss Houkusai I want to watch the world with my eyes wide open and use the time I have here the best I can, and i think this is a testament of how amazing this movie is.
Thank you so much for this video. I will definitely look this film up. I was also inspired to look up Katsushika Oi and was pleased to discover she was recognized as an accomplished artist in her own right and had her own distinctive style separate from her father's. Her "Night Scene on the Yoshiwara" showed a mastery of lighting and contrast, and in some way reminds me a lot of Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks."
I want to love this and highly praise it buts hard choice. The scenes and some dialogues and analogies were so beautiful and authentic, genuine, poetic and intelligent showing the perspective of life and culture in Japan as an artist filled with loneliness, love for nature, sexuality, and also spirituality through art. At the same time, the ending and closure was a bit quiet and weak. The movie remained at constant slow pace entirely with no ups and downs but sophisticated and complex. I do believe this films is the prime epitome of why Japanese anime will and always remain unique and distinguish from any other cultures' form of animation. They told a true story with no action and fantasy but only real life and I can see this succeed as a live action and winning some Oscars and golden globe awards
The beautiful thing I've always loved about anime is they can express a great deal of emotion in something as simple as one's hair being picked up by the breeze. The Japanese seems to understand emotions on a truly deep level and know how to express them on such a deep level that it draws out the deep emotions within us, the viewers.
I'm taking an art history course on Edo Japan, and we watched this film today in class. It was amazing to see the world of Edo built so well, with 40-page chapters on the Yoshiwara and Ryogoku bridge realized as physical spaces and not just descriptions for, at best, murky mental images. I know the concept of "world-building" is usually attributed to fiction (and technically this is a work of fiction) but goddamn there are so many spot-on details and icons of Edo culture. I fully agree with you calling this film a modern masterpiece. It's certainly an important film; I feel like that final match cut of the old Ryogoku bridge to the modern day version was meant to kinda commemorate and preserve the rich and fascinating history behind it. lol im in love with this film. Great essay too! Glad I found this channel, curious to see more.
+Jeffrey Ryan that final shot is one of my favourites in the movie. It really slams home the difference between Edo and Tokyo as we know it now - and in less than 200 years. It's bananas. It's awesome to hear this film is being used for education too!
This was a great film! I loved it! Everything, from the animation style, the storyline, the depiction of every day life, and the views of the city! Beautiful! Thank you for your video!
You have a way with words and a great voice to transmit them. I get a real sense of the emotional content you put into these reviews, and the feeling that you only put up material about work which has really moved you. Thanks very much for this.
RU-vid is trying to teach me to be cultured and diverse in my knowledge of all forms of art and vast in my awareness of the content this platform contains. I did not know anything except hollywood animation, but after watching this(understanding nothing), I feel oddly improved already. Thank you RU-vid algorithm!
This movie perfectly combines supernatural and realistic views. It ties them in a believable way, putting us in the perspective of the citizens. Something that nowadays gets lost since plots tend to either be real or fantasy. But Miss Hokusai blends it so well.
I've recently discovered you channel and I'm honestly perplexed. Every video is just stunning not only accredited to the wonderful narration but the stunning editing and narration by yourself, Joe. Hokusai is by far one of my favourite artists and I missed an opportunity to see his work in London. So this film is everything I could possibly need. Thank you 🙏
It's nice to see anime with characters that have actual faces instead of the samey cutesy cyphers we see on many shows these days. The most egregious culprits of which being your average shoujo, echi, or moe fodder.
Agreed, but you forgot shonen here, since dragon ball they’ve been getting more and more simplistic and deformed too. Just like what happened to occidental animation, they just aim for making it fast and half hearted, so it’s quantity over quality. A shame, really.
you need to read more manga dude. The art in this anime follows the manga is adapting. Manga has a lot of art styles and the moe thing or whatever is not bad in the same way the Glenn Keane designs for Disney are not bad. They have a purpose.
Take your time and please don't rush your videos because of the pressure from your growing subscriber base(including myself as of yesterday) bide your time as all the directors and artists you revere did. The world will be a better place for it. Thank you so much for your incredible videos, I've lost 5 hours of my life in one 24 hour day engrossed in your in depth analysis and philosophical interpretations of these artistic masterpieces,and i don't regret a second of it,this is time well spent as far as I'm concerned. Safe
I just had the wonderful privilege of watching this amazing film right before watching this video again. As usual, the only thing more beautiful & captivating about the wonderful movies & shows Joe recommends is the way he truly captures all that is best about them in his videos. I find myself putting off watching these movies & shows sometimes for months waiting to be in just the right mind frame & head space to fully appreciate them before taking them in, sort of how you'll put off eating a favorite food until you can savor & enjoy it. Beyond Ghibli is my all-time favorite anituber & the longer I've been watching anime & reading manga, the richer & deeper his videos become to me, probably because as I become more seasoned & experienced with this art form, the better I am able to appreciate Joe's genius in critiquing it. Great job, Joe! Keep up the good work! 💙
Wonderful! I have been ignorant of this kind of anime beyond Ghibli and am so happy to know that there is more. I’m looking forward to seeing more on this channel.
I just watched this the other night and loved it! I loved that many scenes were straight out of Hokusai’s repertoire. Truly stunning visuals and the thing that got me instantly hooked was the very beginning when that rock song started playing as Oi walked over the bridge. I was like...okay this is cool. Really really lovely film and great review you did!
Really good series. Haven't seen much else like it. Hadn't heard of a lot of the directors you talk about in the series before I found your channel. Thank you!
Thank you so much for introducing me to this movie. It was such a moving and unique experience. I haven't watched a movie like it before. I can't wait for the next one.
Definitely will watch!!! I haven't heard this but I purchased his piece while visiting Japan. Never realized how important his daughter was to his work.
Yes! I watched Miss Hokusai, for the first time recently. Absolutely brilliant, both in the artwork and the story line! I rarely watch full length anime movies, but I could not stop watching this one.
Thank you for picking up this wonderful work! I was so happy when I saw Miss Hokusai on Netflix some time ago. I think they did a quite good job to put the story onto screen. To anyone who likes this, I do recommend to read the original manga, Sarusuberi (百日紅), by late Hinako Sugiura (杉浦日向子). (I am not sure that there is English versions.) Her knowledge about Edo era, her storytelling and especially her style of drawing are very unique, both subtle and bald, humorous and sad, and wonderful. (More than the movie.) And there are some more episodes that had to be cut from the movie.
Your interpretation of life and the japanese is very close to my swedish experience. I am +50 and have experienced old swedish culture. It connects so well to these anime and your comments. Why?
Stumbled across your channel and watched all your videos. Sought this film out because of your recommendation. Just finished the film and am in love. So happy I found this channel and, by extension, this movie. Thank you for the recommendation! Would never have found this otherwise.
Holy crap I just looked at your subcount and oh my god??? Channel's with a million don't even have their videos so nicely put together! ! My god good work man good work
What a great review. I just finished watching the movie and it was amazing. There are very few movies that manage to hit every emotional peak and valley in such a relatable way. Its a wonderful film about life. But you added a little bit of extra insight and information to make me appreciate it even more.
literally 1:30 into this video and i just go and find this movie to watch and i am quite significantly changed. a good film and you sir are very good at what you do. thank u x
She had an amazing life and this movie captures parts of it well. It is a wonderful movie and must be watch with subs to really appreciate the dialog. The sound production is some of the best in any anime production as heard in the bridge transition in this video. Production IG its best.
Thank you for an astounding look at this movie. I will now ensure to watch Miss Hokusai, experience her wonderful life, and in the process enrich my own.
Wow 40 minutes? the 20 minute episode took me forever and I was worried a lot of people would get bored of that one :P There should be another 20 minute 'Beyond Ghibli' episode coming very soon... thank you for watching and commenting :)
What a beautiful piece of work narration against the art was perfect, and it's good to see someone look at Japanese film making through different eyes. please accept my thanks for sharing your art and look forward to seeing more of you. Kind regards Paul from London UK
