My Neighbour Totoro

 So, strolling through Netflix, I watched this classic Studio Ghibli gem at last.

And for a good reason bar it being a classic, as it will also yield me the MAL summer time badge for an anime, A Summer out of this World.

In the 1950's, Tatsuo and his two daughters Satsuki and Mei relocate.  They move to the countryside to be closer to their ill-stikken mother.

When the girls get acquainted with life in the country side, Mei encounters a small bunny like creature.  She gives chase to it, and meets Totoro, a giant forest spirit she befriends.  She introduces him to her sister as well, and they soon are in for a life of magical adventures with the other fantastical beasts of the forest.  Including the awesome cat-bus that picks them up on a rainy night.

They even manage to grow a huge tree overnight with the help of Totoro, much to the amazement of their dad who can't figure out where it came from.  One day, Mei get's lost in the village as Satsuki tries to call her father as he needs to contact the hospital as quick as possible.  She finds her way back, but their mom isn't feeling well and Mei is in denial of this.  As a result, she runs away as Satsuki goes to look for her.

With the help of the cat-bus and Totoro, she finds her back, and they race to the hospital, where they can watch their mom from a tree, seeing she is doing good, as Mei can deliver her corn to mama that way.

 

 

Yups, this was some good old, retro anime as this movie was made all the way back in 1988, which is about 2 years after I fell in love with the style and genre of japanese anime.  It makes one feel young again for sure!