I got the sense watching The Boy and the Heron a second time would help me like it more, but I didn't expect a second viewing to help this much. I would've ranked it maybe #8 or #9 in a Miyazaki ranking after watching it the first time, but now, I think I might honestly rank it as high as #2. The only film of his I definitely like more is Princess Mononoke (that one's a classic - little can touch it).
The first time, I was overwhelmed and somewhat confused, but never bored. It's so beautiful to look at that following what was going on felt secondary. The second time around, it's still beautiful, I like the music even more, and also, I have to say, seeing it for a second time with subtitles instead of the dub helped (though the English dub was of pretty good quality, it does have to be said).
I looked into how people were interpreting the film following watching it for the first time, I'll admit. I wasn't clever enough to crack the subtext, but the reading that the granduncle is a stand-in for Miyazaki, and the fantastical world represents Miyazaki's work... it's so apparent now. Having that in mind just changed the entire final half-hour for me, and though part of me feels a little slow for not "getting" it, I also respect the film not spelling it out, but having it there clear as day once you know that's (almost certainly) the main subtextual element.
But even on an emotional level, things just clicked more this time around. Understanding how certain elements of the fantasy world lined up with reality from the start made things more moving and improved the pacing; it was less like a random stream of events, which is kind of how it felt the first time around. I appreciated the protagonist's arc more, I liked the side characters more, and I think I even found more humor (as well as more sadness) in the film the second time around.
The Boy and the Heron was still really good after one watch, for the visual and musical elements alone. But the second time around, it was something else. I still think the pacing is a tiny bit slow in places, but I feel that way about every Miyazaki movie. And the ending... I do wish there'd been just something else that happened in that kind of abrupt final scene. But other than those nitpicks, this is an almost-perfect animated film.
The first time, I was overwhelmed and somewhat confused, but never bored. It's so beautiful to look at that following what was going on felt secondary. The second time around, it's still beautiful, I like the music even more, and also, I have to say, seeing it for a second time with subtitles instead of the dub helped (though the English dub was of pretty good quality, it does have to be said).
I looked into how people were interpreting the film following watching it for the first time, I'll admit. I wasn't clever enough to crack the subtext, but the reading that the granduncle is a stand-in for Miyazaki, and the fantastical world represents Miyazaki's work... it's so apparent now. Having that in mind just changed the entire final half-hour for me, and though part of me feels a little slow for not "getting" it, I also respect the film not spelling it out, but having it there clear as day once you know that's (almost certainly) the main subtextual element.
But even on an emotional level, things just clicked more this time around. Understanding how certain elements of the fantasy world lined up with reality from the start made things more moving and improved the pacing; it was less like a random stream of events, which is kind of how it felt the first time around. I appreciated the protagonist's arc more, I liked the side characters more, and I think I even found more humor (as well as more sadness) in the film the second time around.
The Boy and the Heron was still really good after one watch, for the visual and musical elements alone. But the second time around, it was something else. I still think the pacing is a tiny bit slow in places, but I feel that way about every Miyazaki movie. And the ending... I do wish there'd been just something else that happened in that kind of abrupt final scene. But other than those nitpicks, this is an almost-perfect animated film.