The Wind Rises

This lovely, lyrical animated film by the Japanese manga artist and film director Hayao Miyazaki tells the story of a boy fascinated by flight and aircraft design who grows up to conceive the famous Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” fighter. Not a war story, rather the story of passion, romance and loss, the Wind Rises captures the grace (and tragedy) of Imperial Japan in soft pastels, blowing wind and falling blossoms.