u/Alone-Title-9948

My friend and I marathoned a huge chunk of Ghibli films over the last few months. While we didn’t get to all of them (Only Yesterday, From Up on Poppy Hill, the Earwig and the Witch) we did do eighteen, and here are the awards we’ve granted each of them

Castle in the Sky - 10/10 - “Award for Most Ghibli”

My Neighbor Totoro - 10/10 - “Award for Most Cozy”

Grave of the Fireflies - 10/10 - “Award for Most Not-Okayness”

Kiki’s Delivery Service - 10/10 - “Award for Most Casually Fantastical”

Porco Rosso - 9/10 - “Award for Most Weird”

Pom Poko - 10/10 - “Award for Most Asthetically Japanese”

Whisper of the Heart - 10/10  - “Award for Most Personally Relatable”

Princess Mononoke - 10/10  - “Award for Grandest Scale”

Spirited Away - 10/10 - “Award for Best Fantasy”

The Cat Returns - 10/10 - “Award for Most Fun”

Howl’s Moving Castle - 10/10 - “Award for Most Surprisingly Charming”

Tales from Earthsea - 7/10 - “Award for Most Ambitious”

Ponyo - 8/10 - “Award for Most Adorable”

The Secret World of Arrietty - 10/10 - “Award for Best Atmosphere and Sound”

The Wind Rises - 10/10 - “Award for Most Miyazaki”

The Tale of Princess Kaguya - 10/10  - “Award for Biggest Tragedy”

When Marnie Was There - 10/10 - “Award for Most Personally Touching”

The Boy and the Heron - 10/10 - “Award for Most Reflective”

Do you agree with our awards? What award would you give each of these movies?

So my friend and I are doing a marathon of all of the Ghibli films: we finally made it to When Marnie Was There. Some of the other ones, like Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Kaguya emotionally wrecked us made us both tear up, but I absolutely broke down sobbing watching Marnie.

(spoiler)

For context: my grandma passed at the start of the year. She was my only grandma, and she was the first person in my life I lost. I didn’t cry at her funeral, and I tried to force it but it didn’t happen. For months I didn’t cry about her death. However I made it to the scene when it was revealed Marnie was Anna’s grandmother had raised her when she was a baby and said she loved her. I felt the overwhelming grief of the pain of losing my grandma well up like an overflowing dam and spill over, leaving me a sobbing mess.

It’s not the best of the best for Ghibli, but When Marnie Was There is the one film in this marathon that I’m most grateful for watching for letting me express this pain that had been closed off.