Reactions to Studio Ghibli’s mystery new movie call it a "visual masterpiece"

gamesradar.com:

Studio Ghibli’s new movie may not have a western release date – but that hasn’t stopped fans and critics alike from fawning over legendary director Hayao Miyazaki’s first release in 10 years.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s worth checking in on the premise of How Do You Live? Not only is it pure Ghibli, it’s actually the first we’ve heard about the release after the studio chose not to release any marketing for the film.

After the death of his mother in the Pacific War, Mahito is forced to move out of Tokyo. Struggling with his fresh surroundings and new family unit, he encounters a talking bird who tells him he can meet his mother again – if he goes to an abandoned house.

Anime News Network calls it a "visual masterpiece", though tempered expectations by saying some of the plot twists are "predictable."

Atom Review went one further, calling it "the best animated movie ever" and a Best Picture frontrunner at next year’s Oscars. High praise indeed.

"A worthy entry into Miyazaki’s incredible filmography," tweeted one lucky audience member.

Another described it as a "weird film that feels like a mix of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle" but expressed disappointment that the "overall story is lacking."

Writing for the BBC, reviewer Matt Schley said How Do You Live? – thought to be Miyazaki’s final movie after 60 years in animation – features the director’s "signature obsessions, quirks and thematic concerns."

He added: "There are the usual visual treats, like cute yet eerie creatures, great-looking food and gravity-defying flights of fancy – primarily hand-drawn and moving with the fluidity and sense of weight that mark the master animator's work."

How Do You Live? is currently in cinemas in Japan. No release