Like the Clouds, Like the Wind (1990)

Very best movie i ever watch

So much average

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

"Like the Clouds, Like the Wind" follows Ginga's story. She is an energetic and lively country girl who, one day, gets a shot at becoming one of the Emperor's wives.While I was watching it, I wasn't really thinking about how I felt about the movie. I just thought that it was a normal Japanese film- filled with cute animations and whatnot. But after having watched the whole film and letting everything sink in, I realized that this is quite a heavy film. Sure, it's not as sad as other films or as full of angst and drama as television shows, but it is quite heavy for a film associated with Studio Ghibli. I know Hayao Miyazaki didn't make this film, but hey, when media categorizes film like these under: "Non-Ghibli Films involving Studio Ghibli People", people can't help but associate them together! Which brings me to this: People who decide to watch this because they think that this is another one of Studio Ghibli's magical works are going to be in for a real disappointment and should really just exit this IMDb page now.I thought the animation was good for something done in the 90's. It reminded me of "Kiki's Delivery Service" and a bit of "Inuyasha". This movie also had lots of dry humor. Some were not entirely appropriate for children, though. Based from my own memory, I can remember about 1-2 sexual innuendos, 3-5 sexist jokes and lots of violence. It's not anything too harsh, though. The jokes can be overlooked and the violence wasn't gory at all. Just a few slashes and gunshots here and there.The worst thing about this movie was the pacing. It killed the movie. I was interested during the start, where all the girls were being taught by a teacher on how to become fit for an Emperor's wife and all that jazz. But my interest suddenly dwindled when the "plot" surfaced. It seemed very messy and put together too fast. The climax just happened. There was no build-up or anything. It made the film boring and inconsistent.Though the ending may not please everyone, I thought the ending was quite good. Not many films (animated, much less!) go towards that sort of route- the unhappy and open endings. I give the 4 stars for the first half of the movie and the ending. But besides those, I think that this is one Studio Ghibli-related movie that I won't be watching again any time soon.Viewed on: May 1, 2011

During the 'dull, meandering' scenes people have mentioned, the film was laying out its politics, which I thought were great. This is the only anime I've seen where characters say it's natural for a man to love a man, or a woman to love a woman. And there's whole lot of cross-dressing and gender-bending going on, which Ginga treats as completely normal. I think this is a great anime for kids, which will counter some of the rigid masculine & feminine gender stereotypes so prevalent in most anime movies.There's also an interesting treatment of power politics. It's saying political power isn't worth it for its own sake, and it will destroy all who try to achieve it. So, although it's a film about a battle for the dynasty, it's a variation on the old "power corrupts" maxim. Which is, I think, another very positive message.

Ginga is a simple—yet energetic—country girl, living with her father far from the capital city of the empire. When she learns of an opportunity to become a concubine of the young new Emperor, with the possibility of becoming his head wife in charge of all of the other wives, Ginga convinces her father to let her go. Once there, she meets all of the other potential head wives, each of whom have various reasons for being there. All of them must learn to read and write, learn the history of their country, and learn the proper mannerisms for being in the royal court.Ginga's enthusiasm tends to get her in trouble more often than not, but it works to her advantage when they learn that the former emperor's head wife, who is not the mother of the current emperor, is plotting treachery against the new emperor, and that a rebellion is headed toward the capital.

First off - this film was not made by Studio Ghibli even though some sources list as such. The film has creative people in common with Ghibli so the film looks and feels like it might be part of the work of that studio.This is the story of Ginga who rises from commoner to the first wife of the Emperor. She's a strong willed young woman, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, who stands out among all of the women brought to the palace to compete for the first spot. Add to it court intrigue and a rebellion and you have a potent mix.... ...or would if it didn't sort of wander into too many places for a 78 minute movie. The problem is that there is too much going on with too many characters that get the short end of the stick. I also question a couple of turns in the plot that seem intentionally bleak. For me there was a sense that it was about something in the minds of those who made it but it didn't reach the screen.The film looks good, although its not quite as lush as the Ghibli films its confused with.I give it five out of ten but that's probably a bit too generous for a rather bland film with some really great moments.