# The Guardian ranks the Studio Ghibli movies. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461 "2020-02-04T01:01:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/1 "2020-02-04T01:01:15Z")
As with most lists, [it gets some things horribly, horribly wrong](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/28/studio-ghibli-ranked-netflix-princess-mononoke-spirited-away). Argue about it here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/2 "2020-02-04T04:09:28Z")
Well, I certainly can’t argue with _Princess Mononoke_ as #1. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/3 "2020-02-04T05:03:02Z")
_Spirited Away_ at #6? This list is bullshit. Also bullshit for rating dubs, not subs, but that’s no surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/4 "2020-02-04T05:10:29Z")
I would have put _Pom Poko_ bit higher up, at least. I agree with _Spirited Away_ being #6 (or lower): the art is fantastic but I hate the story. I think the top 4 are interchangeable at any of those spots. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/5 "2020-02-04T05:26:16Z")
My top 5: _Princess Mononoke_ _Spirited Away_ _My Neighbor Torotoro_ _Ponyo_ _Howl’s Moving Castle_ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/6 "2020-02-04T05:27:46Z")
_Porco Rosso_ should have been much higher, and _Earthsea_ dead last. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/7 "2020-02-04T06:57:04Z")
I also agree with the number 1 choice but sharply disagree with the rest: My top 5 are: Princess Mononoke Grave of the Fireflies Spirited Away Only Yesterday Nausicaa ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/8 "2020-02-04T09:02:35Z")
My top 5: 1. Spirited Away 2. My Neighbor Totoro 3. Nausicaa 4. Princess Mononoke 5. Howl’s Moving Castle ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/9 "2020-02-04T13:08:09Z")
Spirited Away as 6th? Porco Rosso 22nd? Hate to be a language snob but if you are ranking them by their translated titles then you have already lost credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/10 "2020-02-04T13:18:14Z")
Actually I mean “English” titles. Some were translated some just changed. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/11 "2020-02-04T13:32:08Z")
My top 5: 1. Spirited Away 2. Whisper of the Heart 3. My Neighbour Totoro 4. Howl’s Moving Castle 5. Ponyo ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/12 "2020-02-04T14:17:46Z")
Difficult list, and not in particular order, but my top 5 would probably include (no credibility) Spirited Away Totoro Kiki Mononoke Pom Poko (some credibility) Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi Tonari no Totoro Majo no Takkyuubin Mononoke-hime Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (maximum credibility) 千と千尋の神隠し となりのトトロ 魔女の宅急便 もののけ姫 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/13 "2020-02-04T14:46:57Z")
It’s an English publication writing for an English audience, and we here are English speakers on an English-language message board, discussing them in English. Of course the titles are in English. And all Studio Ghibli movies are dubbed. The Japanese originals are dubbed, too: Unlike the Western standard of recording the voices and then animating mouth movements to match the speech, it’s the norm in Japan to do all of the animation (including mouths) before the voices are recorded. The only problem with dubbing of foreign-language films is that it’s often done shoddily, with a poor-quality translation and voice actors, but most of Ghibli’s films have gotten the same professional treatment for their English versions as for the Japanese originals. As an aside, since we’re discussing the language: _Spirited Away_ deals with “spirits”, _Mononoke_ deals with “gods”, and _Howl’s Moving Castle_ deals with “demons”. Would I be correct in guessing that all three of those are translating the same Japanese word, “kami”? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/14 "2020-02-04T16:05:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As an aside, since we’re discussing the language: _Spirited Away_ deals with “spirits”, _Mononoke_ deals with “gods”, and _Howl’s Moving Castle_ deals with “demons”. Would I be correct in guessing that all three of those are translating the same Japanese word, “kami”? _Howl’s Moving Castle_ is based off an English book. The “demon” in it is a “demon” in the original. Or are you asking what the Japanese script uses? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/15 "2020-02-04T16:49:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > As with most lists, [it gets some things horribly, horribly wrong](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/28/studio-ghibli-ranked-netflix-princess-mononoke-spirited-away). Argue about it here. Rescuing the Guardian’s rankings from the horribly formatted page: 1. Princess Mononoke (1997) 2. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 3. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) 4. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 5. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) 6. Spirited Away (2001) 7. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 8. Tales from Earthsea (2006) 9. Ponyo (2008) 10. Whisper of the Heart (1995) 11. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) 12. The Cat Returns (2002) 13. The Wind Rises (2013) 14. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) 15. Ocean Waves (1993) 16. When Marnie Was There (2014) 17. Pom Poko (1994) 18. Arrietty (2010) 19. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) 20. Only Yesterday (1991) 21. My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999) 22. Porco Rosso (1992) My rankings (listing only those I’ve seen): 1. Spirited Away (2001) 2. Princess Mononoke (1997) 3. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) 4. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 5. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) 6. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 7. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) 8. Ponyo (2008) 9. The Wind Rises (2013) 10. Porco Rosso (1992) 11. Arrietty (2010) 12. Whisper of the Heart (1995) 13. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 14. Tales from Earthsea (2006) _Spirited Away_ is absolutely my favorite–probably my favorite movie of all movies. The whole world and the magic and the themes just resonant with me. The end music “Always With Me” is one of my favorite songs and captures the spirit of the movie perfectly. _Princess Mononoke_ is just a tad behind Spirited Away (I think “Always With Me” makes the difference). I love the characters. Top ten movie of all time for me. After the top two, which are a step above the rest, it’s all gradually less good. _Whisper of the Heart_ is a solid meh. Worth watching, but nothing special. _Grave of the Fireflies_ is traumatic to watch; it’s well done, but I don’t need that kind of well done. _Tales from Earthsea_ holds a special place of dislike for me. Ursula LeGuin is one of my favorite authors and I disliked the movie even before I heard her comments on it. But to be fair, I’ve only seen the movie with Japanese audio and Korean subtitles, so my comprehension of the movie-maker’s work is less than ideal. (My viewing of _Arrietty_ suffers from the same conditions.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/16 "2020-02-04T16:56:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As an aside, since we’re discussing the language: _Spirited Away_ deals with “spirits”, _Mononoke_ deals with “gods”, and _Howl’s Moving Castle_ deals with “demons”. Would I be correct in guessing that all three of those are translating the same Japanese word, “kami”? It is right there in the Japanese title for _Spirited Away_: _Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi_. “Kamikakushi” is a subject [straight out of Japanese folklore](https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a636.pdf). (PDF, well worth reading.) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/17 "2020-02-04T17:13:48Z")
Putting **Porco Rosso** last is egregious. It’s an easy top 10 pick for me. While not a sub-title original language snob, the English dubs for Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle are so bad with lazy by-the-numbers stunt casting as to drop the whole movie down a couple of ranks. The English dub for Totoro is excellent in contrast to the others. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/18 "2020-02-04T17:22:10Z")
I’d like to sometime see the French dub of _Porco Rosso_–Porco is voiced by Jene Reno. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/19 "2020-02-04T17:45:43Z")
My criteria are does it have planes? Flying vehicles of any kind? How about flying creatures? And why not include the other Miyazaki stuff? It’s pretty much all on Youtube. My top 10: The Wind Rises Porco Rosso Future Boy Conan Sherlock Hound, The White Cliffs of Dover Laputa: Castle in the Sky Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Spirited Away Howl’s Moving Castle Ponyo (subs are like airplanes) Kiki’s Delivery Service Also let’s throw in some Lupin. Lupin III, part 2, episode 145: Albatross, Wings of Death, if you don’t have 13 hours to watch Future Boy Conan. Castle of Cagliostro, for the gratuitous auto-gyro. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461/20 "2020-02-04T20:20:20Z")
> [@pmwgreen](#): > > And why not include the other Miyazaki stuff? Because Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are not synonymous. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-ranks-the-studio-ghibli-movies/847461.md?page=2)