The Wind Rises
Hayao Miyazaki began conceiving the story of The Wind Rises in 2008, marking his first feature film since Ponyo. He published a manga series based on this concept from April 2009 to January 2010 within Model Graphix magazine. This serialized work was later collected into a single volume in October 2015. The title itself references Paul Valéry's 1920 poem Le Cimetière Marin, also known as The Graveyard by the Sea. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki suggested adapting Tatsuo Hori's semi-autobiographical novel The Wind Has Risen instead of creating a sequel to Ponyo. Miyazaki initially rejected the proposal because he viewed the subject matter as unsuitable for children, the traditional audience for his studio. A staff member convinced him that children should be allowed to engage with unfamiliar subjects. He found inspiration in a quote from engineer Jiro Horikoshi stating All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful. The manga featured characters designed as anthropomorphized pigs, echoing the style seen in Porco Rosso from 1992.
In 1918, a young Jiro Horikoshi dreams of flying but suffers from nearsightedness which prevents him from becoming a pilot. He meets Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Battista Caproni in recurring visions where Caproni tells him building planes is better than flying them. Five years later, during the Great Kantō earthquake, Jiro helps Nahoko Satomi carry her maid Kinu after Kinu breaks her leg. They travel home without exchanging names until they reunite years later at a summer resort in Karuizawa. In early 1932, Jiro takes a vacation there and finds Nahoko has been searching for him since their first meeting. Castorp, a German tourist critical of Nazi Germany, warns Jiro about Adolf Hitler apprehending Hugo Junkers. Nahoko contracts tuberculosis and moves back to her family home while waiting to marry Jiro. She eventually checks into a mountain sanatorium but returns to be with Jiro despite her deteriorating health. Her sister Kayo, a doctor, warns that marriage will end tragically because tuberculosis remains incurable. At the test flight of the Mitsubishi Ka-14 on the 4th of February 1935, a gust of wind suggests Nahoko's passing.
Hideaki Anno provided the Japanese voice for Jiro Horikoshi while Miori Takimoto voiced Nahoko Satomi. The English dub featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiro and Emily Blunt as Nahoko. Stephen Alpert served as executive director of Ghibli's international division before leaving the company in 2011 for personal reasons. Miyazaki asked Alpert to return to Japan to model the appearance of the character Mr. Castorp and provide a suitable voice. Production began after Ponyo released in 2008, making this Miyazaki's next feature film following that release. The story follows historical events from Jiro's time at Tokyo Imperial University in 1923 through the first test flight of the Mitsubishi Ka-14. The film portrays the failure of the Caproni Ca.60 and the subsequent development of aircraft like the Mitsubishi 1MF9 which breaks apart midair during testing. Jiro and his friend Kiro Honjo travel to the Weimar Republic in 1929 to obtain production licenses for Junkers G.38 bombers. They face obstruction from Sicherheitspolizei despite Hugo Junkers welcoming them initially.
Joe Hisaishi composed and conducted the 32-track score performed by the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Singer-songwriter Yumi Matsutoya contributed her 1973 song Hikō-ki Gumo to the soundtrack. Producer Toshio Suzuki recommended the track to Miyazaki in December 2012 because its lyrics resembled the film's story. Das gibt's nur einmal serves as the German song Hans Castorp sings while playing piano at Hotel Kusakaru. The soundtrack released in Japan on the 17th of July 2013 via Tokuma Japan Communications. Critics noted how Hisaishi's music recalls Nino Rota with lilting accordion-and-mandolin themes. Dana Stevens described it as a romantic orchestral score that complements the visual narrative. The music reinforces central themes of beauty and loss throughout the film's emotional arc. It accompanies scenes where Nahoko writes farewell letters before leaving the house secretly. The score underscores moments when Jiro dreams of Caproni after World War II ends in 1945.
The Wind Rises premiered in Japan on the 20th of July 2013 through distributor Toho. It became the highest-grossing Japanese film of 2013 earning over 16 billion yen domestically. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed the film in North America under its Touchstone Pictures banner. A one-week release window began in Los Angeles on the 8th of November 2013 to qualify for Academy Awards consideration. Wide theatrical release occurred across the United States on the 28th of February 2014 following select city screenings starting the 21st of February. The United Kingdom received the film on the 9th of May 2014 via StudioCanal. Home media releases included Blu-ray Disc and DVD versions released in Japan on the 18th of June 2014 by Walt Disney Studios Japan. The Japanese DVD sold 128,784 units until December 2014 plus another 6,735 units between December 2014 and June 2015. In the US physical sales exceeded unspecified amounts but contributed significantly to overall revenue. The UK ranked it as fifth-best-selling foreign-language home video in 2015 and third best-selling Asian title.
Rotten Tomatoes aggregated 182 critic reviews showing an 88% positive rating with an average score of 8.0 out of 10. Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 83 from 41 critics indicating universal acclaim. David Ehrlich rated the film 9.7 out of 10 calling it perhaps the greatest animated film ever made. Peter Bradshaw described it as visually exquisite and emotionally charged while Mark Kermode called it a rich treat for eye and soul alike. The film received one Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature among thirteen total nominations. Joe Hisaishi won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Music Score and Hayao Miyazaki won Writing in an Animated Feature Production at the Annie Awards. It was selected as Audience Favorite Animation at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Critics noted how the film reveals itself less as a biopic than a lament for corruption of beauty. Matthew Penney wrote about its layered look at how Horikoshi's passion captured by capital and militarism. In 2025 the film appeared on The New York Times list of The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century finishing at number 235.
The film faced criticism from both Japanese political right groups and the Japan Society for Tobacco Control. Miyazaki published an essay criticizing proposals to change Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution allowing remilitarization. South Korean internet users argued the Zero fighter represented military aggression assembled through forced labor. Miyazaki told journalists that Horikoshi resisted demands from the military yet wondered if he should be liable simply for living during that period. He expressed complex feelings about World War II since pacifist views clashed with pride in formidable pilots who flew the Zero plane. The Asahi Shimbun interview revealed his belief that militarist Japan acted out of foolish arrogance despite acknowledging the aircraft's strength. This tension between artistic vision and historical responsibility sparked debate across Asia regarding representation of wartime engineering achievements. The controversy highlighted ongoing tensions around national identity and memory in postwar Japan.
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Common questions
When did Hayao Miyazaki begin conceiving The Wind Rises?
Hayao Miyazaki began conceiving the story of The Wind Rises in 2008. This project marked his first feature film since Ponyo.
Who voices Jiro Horikoshi and Nahoko Satomi in The Wind Rises English dub?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides the voice for Jiro Horikoshi while Emily Blunt voices Nahoko Satomi in the English version. Hideaki Anno voiced Jiro in Japanese with Miori Takimoto voicing Nahoko.
What date was The Wind Rises released in Japan?
The Wind Rises premiered in Japan on the 20th of July 2013 through distributor Toho. It became the highest-grossing Japanese film of 2013 earning over 16 billion yen domestically.
Why did Hayao Miyazaki initially reject adapting The Wind Has Risen?
Miyazaki initially rejected the proposal because he viewed the subject matter as unsuitable for children. He considered the traditional audience for his studio to be too young for such themes until a staff member convinced him otherwise.
When did production begin on The Wind Rises after Ponyo?
Production began after Ponyo released in 2008 making this Miyazaki's next feature film following that release. The story follows historical events from Jiro's time at Tokyo Imperial University in 1923 through the first test flight of the Mitsubishi Ka-14 on the 4th of February 1935.