Ghibli Jabber

Let's milk this for one last trip down memory lane. Join us as we look back at the entire Studio Ghibli catalogue, have a little awards ceremony to honour our faves and give our final definitive Ghibli rankings.

A decade of highs (The Tale of Princess Kaguya) and 'meh's (From Up On Poppy Hill). Join us as we discuss the films from the final (to date) decade of Studio Ghibli!

We did it! We've come to the final Studio Ghibli film we'll be discussing for this podcast, Hiromasa Yonebayashi's 2014 mysterious teen drama, When Marnie Was There.

Always in Miyazaki's shadow, but never anything less than his equal, Isao Takahata crafted 5 unique and gorgeous films that couldn't have been made by anyone else. Join us as we discuss Takahata's final gift of a film, 2013's The Tale of Princess Kaguya.

Fitting swan song or disappointing biopic? Join us as we discuss Hayao Miyazaki's final movie to date, 2013's The Wind Rises, a film which eschews a fantastical setting but retains Miyazaki's love of flight and examines his own drivers of obsession and perfection.

Chirpy high school romcom or a post-war mystery with themes of incest. Por que no los dos? On this episode we discuss Goro Miyazaki's confused 2011 period pic From Up On Poppy Hill.

Can a movie succeed purely on clever design choices and strong animation? That's what drives our conversation about Arrietty, Hiromasa Yonebayashi's debut 2010 film. Tune in to see whether we find this version of Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers' tasteful or boring.

It was a decade of highs (Miyazaki's Spirited Away) and lows (the other Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea). Join us as we revisit the films Studio Ghibli produced in the 2000s, as well as rank all the films they've produced to date.

After the hits of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, Hayao Miyazaki takes a simpler approach with Ponyo, crafting a beautiful and magical fable for children of all ages. Join us to see how this stands up among his masterworks!

It's Tales From Earthsea Vs Ocean Waves - which will take the title of least interesting Ghibli film? Join us for a discussion of Goro Miyazaki's little loved 2006 fantasy that will make you wish Miyazaki Senior had taken over.

This week we discuss Miyazaki's 2004 follow up to his smash hit 'Spirited Away'. So listen to me say 'lush' 1000 times as we dive into this gorgeous, intricate universe of magics, war and old people.

The Baron and Muta spin-off that everyone was begging for! Join us for a discussion of ‎Hiroyuki Morita's lighter-than-air kiddie fantasy, 2002's The Cat Returns.

Here we are! The big 'un!Will Trevor love this as much as Nick or will Nick be forced to entirely sever ties with Trevor over a less-than-enthusiastic review. Join us as we discuss the acclaimed and Oscar-winning Spirited Away.Apologies in advance for my echo-y audio. You can leave any episode feedback or comments at [email protected] (try saying that 3 times fast) and we can discuss in future eps.

Remember Tamagochis, baggy pants and Porco Rosso? Join us, won't you, as we podcast like it's 1999 and look back at Studio Ghibli's 90s output. We also offer our up-to-date rankings of all Ghibli films discussed so far from 13 to 1.

Every Takahata film is different from the next, but this film with its comic strip visuals and vignette storytelling is in a world of its own. Tune in for a divided reaction to the 1999 comedy.

Ghibli at its most epic! We return to Miyazaki at his action-adventure peak as we discuss his beloved 1997 eco-fable.

Do you love watching Japanese teenagers who spend their free time writing covers of John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'? Then boy, do we have the movie for you! Listen as we discuss Yoshifumi Kondō's 1995 teen drama, 'Whisper of the Heart', sadly the sole Ghibli film he directed before his early death.

How can you not like a movie where tanuki (racoon-dogs) transform their testicles into weapons to attack the humans threatening their forest? You get this in spades plus a whole lot more in Isao Takahata's wild 1994 eco-folklore fantasy-dramedy. 

This 72-minute TV-movie curio doesn't get discussed often within the Studio Ghibli canon. In this episode we talk about why that might be while comparing it to Ghibli's own 'Only Yesterday' as well as 'It Chapter 2' and 'Ladybird'.

On this episode of Ghibli Jabber we discuss Hayao Miyazaki's 1992 throwback action adventure film Porco Rosso and attempt to answer the age-old question of 'Why is he a pig?'. No seriously, why?

Animation doesn't have to be all catbuses and gunships. In this episode we look at Isao Takahata's Only Yesterday - his second feature released in 1991 - a quiet slice-of-life drama about a young woman who travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood.

Join us as we look back on all the movies we've discussed so far and offer our definitive rankings of Ghibli's 1980s (plus Lupin III, I guess) output.

We reach the end of Studio Ghibli's 1980's output with a story that's timeless. This week we're discussing Miyazaki's 1989 coming of age witch dramedy Kiki's Delivery Service.

We've made it to our first non-Miyazaki film and what an emotional 180 after My Neighbor Totoro. Of course we refer to Isao Takahata's wrenching 1988 WWII drama 'Grave of the Fireflies'.

Nick and Trevor tackle the 1988 Miyazaki classic My Neighbor Totoro and ponder important questions such as 'Is this a family movie?', 'Is Totoro real?' and the all-important 'What the hell is a catbus?'

One glowing and one lukewarm take on Miyazaki's colourful action adventure from 1986, Laputa: Castle In The Sky.

In this episode Nick and Trevor explore the honorary Ghibli debut of 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - produced just before the founding of the studio.

On this bonus first episode of Ghibli Jabber, Nick and Trevor delve into Miyazaki's first feature film, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, before they get into the Ghibliverse in future episodes.