From Up on Poppy Hill

From Up on Poppy Hill was produced by Studio Ghibli and released in 2011, marking the second directorial effort by Goro Miyazaki. Adapted from the 1980 manga series of the same name by Chizuru Takahashi and Tetsuro Sayama, the film is set in 1963 Yokohama, capturing a period of transition in Japan as the country prepares for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The narrative centers on Umi Matsuzaki, a high school student managing a boarding house, and her involvement in a student movement to save the school's historic clubhouse from demolition.

The aesthetic of the film was guided by a desire to evoke a nostalgic, detailed portrait of early 1960s Japan, focusing on the architectural charm of the Latin Quarter clubhouse and the everyday resilience of the characters. Goro Miyazaki worked closely with his father, Hayao Miyazaki, who wrote the screenplay and insisted on a grounded, realistic approach to the character movements and environment. Upon its release, the film was well-received by critics for its understated beauty and emotional sincerity, eventually becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film at the domestic box office for the year 2011.