>> My grandfather always said to leave the party at the peak of your popularity. Hiyao Miyazaki has clearly taken this advice to heart. Miyazaki’s latest film is also his last. “The Wind Rises” tells an embellished version of the story of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the Mitsubishi A6 “Zero” fighter plane. This carrier-launched aircraft was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent battles across the Pacific Theatre of World War II. The film shows an idealistic young Horikoshi who loves the idea of flight. He dreams that he meets Giovanni Caproni, famed Italian airplane engineer. In a later scene, he helps an injured person without hoping for a reward. Set against the backdrop of imminent war, the story is a touching tale of a good man whose invention is turned into a tool of destruction. This film is great for Miyazaki fans and history nerds alike, and it is a great farewell from Miyazaki.
