From Up on Poppy Hill

From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) a Studio Ghibli film that was released in Japan on July 16, 2011. It was directed by Goro Miyazaki, and written by Hayao Miyazaki. This film marks the first join project between Goro and his father. This is also Goro's second film as the director, after his 2006 film Tales from Earthsea.

Plot
The story is set in Japan in 1963. In preparation for the to be held in, people are destroying the old things because they believe only in the magnificence of the new.

A 16-year-old girl, Umi Matsuzaki, lives in the boarding house called "Coquelicot Manor", which is located on the hill overlooking the harbour of the Port of. Each morning, she raises a set of signal flags with the message of "I pray for safe voyages". A 17-year-old boy, Shun, always sees this flag from the sea as he rides a tugboat to school.

Meanwhile, at a Umi and Shun's high school in Yokohama, a dispute raises about the fate of old school's club house called Latin Quartier. While the school administration wants to demolish old and dilapidated building, group of students including Shun struggle to preserve it. During all these events, Umi and Shun meet for the first time. Umi starts to help him and his comrades. and she suggests a big clean up of the building to show its good parts.

Gradually Umi and Shun are drawn to each other, but a sudden obstacle appears: Shun finds out that they might be brother and sister. But Umi refuses to give up on her feelings, and she tells Shun that she loves him, and he reciprocates her feelings in spite of their situation.

Finally, Umi and Shun travel to Tokyo to meet with school's board chairman, and managed to persuade him to postpone Latin Quartier demolition until his inspection. Being amazed with building restoration by students, the chairman cancels the demolition of Latin Quartier. But during all of this, Umi and Shun get a chance to get the truth about their relation. It seems that an old sea captain, Yoshio Onodera, a friend of their fathers, currently is in Yokohama. But his ship departs soon, so Umi and Shun rush to the harbor, board the tugboat, and sail to him.

They made it in time, and the old sailor reveals a truth to them. Umi and Shun aren't related in blood in any way after all, which means that they're free to be together. Finally, Umi and Shun learn the full true story of how their parents met, loved and lived. With everything resolved, Umi returns to Coquelicot Manor. She resumes her daily routine of raising the flags, but now, it's not just for her father.

Voice cast
→ See also English cast

Japanese Cast:

Production
→

Easter Eggs
Shun asks his father about his biological father. At that moment a ship, named Kogenai Line, drives past Akio's boat. Line means maru in Japanese. Kogenai Maru is the ship in the film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. On Yoshio Onodera's ship Koyo Maru Yokohama, there is a cabine "Ghibli" is written on it.

Goofs
At the first minutes of the film, Shun drives to school and he stops at crossroads. Across from him there is a store with the Coke sign on it. Although the movie takes place in the early 1960s, the "Coke" sign over the store has a swoosh. That didn't become part of the Coca-Cola logo until 1969.

Release
→ See From Up on Poppy Hill/Release

Accolades
See also:
 * Wikipedia​ on Wikipedia
 * Awards on Imdb