The Wind Rises (2013)

The Wind Rises is a lyrical animated biopic that follows the life and ambitions of Jiro Horikoshi, the brilliant but nearsighted aeronautical engineer who dreamed of designing beautiful airplanes rather than piloting them. Spanning the 1920s through the years leading into World War II, the film traces Jiro’s journey from an aviation-obsessed youth inspired by the Italian designer Caproni, through his work at a major Japanese engineering firm where he becomes the mind behind landmark designs like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Along the way the story weaves in landmark historical events—the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Great Depression, a tuberculosis epidemic—and explores Jiro’s friendships and his tender, complicated romance with Nahoko. Watching the film you’ll experience a quietly powerful mix of technical wonder and human vulnerability: exquisite, painterly animation, soaring dreamlike sequences that dramatize Jiro’s imagination, and intimate domestic moments that reveal the costs of ambition. The movie balances admiration for the beauty and ingenuity of flight with growing moral unease as Jiro realizes his creations will be used in war, producing a bittersweet, contemplative tone rather than straightforward triumph or condemnation. Visually sumptuous and emotionally restrained, The Wind Rises pairs meticulous period detail with a haunting score and a slow-building melancholy. Viewers can expect to be moved by the romance and character work, fascinated by the design and engineering scenes, and left reflecting on the tension between artistry and consequence. It’s a thoughtful, elegiac film for anyone who appreciates animation that tackles history, love, and ethical complexity.

Actors: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Runtime: 126 min

Genres: Animation, Biography, Drama

7.2 /10 83 /100 7.8 /10 7.8 /10