September 28, 2001 (12:00 AM) ( link )

About halfway through Ender's Shadow; I should be done with the book by the end of the weekend two days from now. Recently, I've been watching Japanese anime films directed by Miyazaki Hayao, who is best known in the United States for Princess Mononoke. Mononoke, however, is a much darker and more mature work than some of his previous work, most of which are aimed at younger children; so people who were turned off by Mononoke's violence, ambiguous characterization, and blatant environmentalism should still check out Miyazaki's older films. My favorite one so far is Laputa - Castle in the Sky, which is just an amazing film, full of adventure, drama, and wonderful characters. My Neighbor Totoro is one of the cutest movies I've ever seen (although, in hindsight, Totoro him/itself could be pretty scary in a dark alleyway). And Kiki's Delivery Services, though not quite as flashy as Laputa, is a charming film in its own right. I wouldn't say that these are the greatest films of all time, but I certainly couldn't help watching each of these films without a big, stupid grin on my face.