Following his mother’s death, young Mahito moves to a new town where he struggles to settle. One day he ventures into a strange tower, promised by a heron that he can be reunited with his mother…
Miyazaki’s newest offering to the Ghibli collection gets off to a slow start. Following an impressive scene that artfully depicts fighting your way through fire and chaos as Mahito tries to reach his mother, we see him arrive in his new home with his father, and his father’s new wife who is Mahito’s aunt (yes that felt weird to me too). His first encounters with the mysterious heron are ripe with suspense, but the film takes its time to get to the point where Mahito is ready to step into adventure.
The Boy and the Heron’s character through line feels a bit muddied and lacking compared to other Ghibli films. We see Mahito come to accept and embrace Natsuko as his new mother but his process to getting there is never really shown. Whilst Mahito being a quiet and stoic boy is always an interesting alternative to the more expressive and excitable Ghibli protagonists, the film would have benefited greatly from a few more insights into his emotional journey. Even a scene where Mahito smashes his own head with a rock following bullying at his new school feels oddly detached. A Ghibli film that showcased a character’s emotional journey in respect to grief and loss excellently is When Marnie Was There and I was hoping for a similar character development process here.
Perhaps this isn’t helped by The Boy and the Heron not always landing its tone and pacing. It starts in quite a somber and serious way and peppers lighter moments throughout. Some of these work well, but others, like a longer sequence of the heron struggling to fly after being struck by Mahito, seem jarring. Herons symbolise transformation so I appreciate this scene may have been meant to represent Mahito’s grief faltering but if so it doesn’t elicit the necessary pathos.
The most notable scene in this film for me was the one where Mahito leaves the outhouse to look at the moonlight. The skycape, music and his playful interaction with the warawara (an adorable Ghibli creature) evoke so much beauty, emotion and grace in just 30 seconds, and it certainly reminded me just how intensely moving Miyazaki is at his best. It was the moment I felt most connected to Mahito’s sense of lightness and joy, it’s just a shame that level of connection is lacking from the rest of the film.
The character that left the greatest impact on me though, was the soundtrack, an invisible, resonant presence that vibrates out of each scene, elevating and punctuating every moment. Ghibli great Joe Hisaishi has returned here, and his music is the palpable, beating heart of the story for me. Here is just one example to give you a taste of his brilliance:
It goes without saying, but the visuals are as much of a typical Miyazaki treat as ever, particularly his trademark liquid globules of blood and sweat oozing out of each scene, and in one impressive moment, fish guts, constantly bubbling and writhing with life like cloth from a bag. I’d happily rewatch this film just to notice all the little world details I didn’t take in the first time around.
The Boy and the Heron has a lot to offer, sadly it just didn’t offer a satisfying emotional journey as I’ve been on with so many other Ghibli films. It certainly didn’t leave me empty, it just didn’t fill me up either. It’s definitely worth your time for the music and fantastical world alone but I hope if Miyazaki plans to stay in the game a bit longer that he recaptures the heart he did with characters and stories past.
Otaku Brit (^.^) 
I’m glad I saw it in a theater (8 people total for a subtitled showing), but it didn’t land emotionally for me either. A coworker said she didn’t empathize with him beyond the death of his mother.