平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ―総天然色漫画映画

by Isao Takahata

JP Oversized

Reviews

[Jared Pangier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying these anime-ehon for my Japanese studies. They let me practice my Japanese, while also re-enjoy stories I watched years before. This particular story is dear to my heart. It was my surprising choice for a first-date movie with the woman who is now my wife of 14 years. It’s hard to believe how time has passed. The story, itself, is filled with humor (much like Tonari no Yamadakun—same writer), but with a serious message about the way human development infringes on the land of the Tanuki. Despite the magical Tanukis’ best efforts to stop the development, the human greed for more land and space prevails, leaving the Tanuki forever changed (literally)—with the only signs of their existence coming in the form of dark eye circles and occasional night-time celebrations overlooking the night lights of Tokyo. This fantastical story, like most Ghibli stories, has a message that we must continue to hear as our greenery disappears at alarming rates.