From Up on Poppy Hill
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.
Critics Sentiment
Students unite to renovate Latin Quarter with Umi's leadership
Umi and Shun repress romantic feelings believing they are siblings
The film drops significantly when the sibling revelation creates melodramatic tension, then recovers strongly with the heartwarming resolution.
Critics praised the film's gentle charm, beautiful animation, and realistic portrayal of teenage life in 1960s Japan, though many found it minor Ghibli with a slow pace. The renovation sequences and character interactions were consistently highlighted as strengths, while the sibling subplot was criticized as the film's weakest element. Overall, reviewers found it a sweet, nostalgic experience that leaves audiences with warm feelings, even if it lacks the depth and magic of the studio's greatest works.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 70
Masami Nagasawa
Umi Matsuzaki (voice)
Junichi Okada
Shun Kazama / Yuichiro Sawamura (voice)
Keiko Takeshita
Hana Matsuzaki (voice)
Yuriko Ishida
Miki Hokuto (voice)
Rumi Hiiragi
Sachiko Hirokoji (voice)
Jun Fubuki
Ryoko Matsuzaki (voice)
Takashi Naito
Yoshio Onodera (voice)
Shunsuke Kazama
Shiro Mizunuma / Hiroshi Tachibana (voice)
Nao Omori
Akio Kazama (voice)
Teruyuki Kagawa
Tokumaru Board Chairman (voice)
Haruka Shiraishi
Sora Matsuzaki (voice)
Tsubasa Kobayashi
Riku Matsuzaki (voice)
Ayako Ito
Secretary to the Tokumaru Board Chairman (voice)
Naoya Fujimaki
Tokumaru Front Desk Receptionist (voice)
Toshimi Kanno
Nobuko (voice)
Aoi Teshima
Yuko (voice)
Fumihiro Awano
(voice)
Hikaru Ishiguro
(voice)
Keisuke Ishida
(voice)
Shinsuke Ueda
(voice)
Crew
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