From Up on Poppy Hill Review: A Christian Perspective on the 2011 Studio Ghibli Film (Contains a Parent Guide)

Our From Up on Poppy Hill Christian review discusses the themes and characters of the 2011 Studio Ghibli film from a Christian perspective, including whether it is appropriate for kids. Includes a parent guide.

Synopsis: What is From Up on Poppy Hill About?

In 1960s Japan, the world is struggling between the past and the future. Umi, a second-year high school student, is experiencing this firsthand. A rundown building, known as the Latin Quarter, has become her school’s clubhouse, and many people want to tear it down.

Umi and her classmates, including her romantic interest Shun, must work together to clean up the building and save it from destruction.

Between a blossoming romance with Shun—who has secrets of his own—running a boarding house, saving the clubhouse, and keeping up with her studies, Umi is extremely busy.

Will the students be able to save the Latin Quarter, and what is Shun hiding?

From Up on Poppy Hill Review

From Up on Poppy Hill, also known as Kokuriko-zaka Kara, is a wholesome Studio Ghibli movie written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son, Goro Miyazaki. From Up on Poppy Hill is a great example of a family-friendly anime and is appropriate for (older) kids and preteens with discernment.

It’s a very cute film grounded in reality—there are no spiritual forces at play.

The main conflict is between those who want to save the Latin Quarter—a large building that some students use as a clubhouse—and those who want to tear it down. Another main conflict involves Umi, the main character, and her feelings for Shun, one of her classmates, who works for the Latin Quarter’s newspaper.

From Up on Poppy Hill deserves a place among the wholesome Studio Ghibli films—like Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty, and My Neighbor Totoro—and is certainly one of the more grounded and family-friendly Studio Ghibli films.

Overall, From Up on Poppy Hill is a mostly clean, family-friendly film with minor romantic themes.

From Up on Poppy Hill English Dub Cast

The wholesome anime film boasts a talented English dub cast. Umi is voiced by Sarah Bolger (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Once Upon a Time), and Shun is voiced by the late Anton Yelchin.

Other notable voices include Emily Osment (Young Sheldon), Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday), and Gillian Anderson (Princess Mononoke).

Hard Work in From Up on Poppy Hill

“You cannot move into the future without first knowing the past.“

Many of the students in this anime film find a strong love and appreciation for the past, particularly the Latin Quarter, a very old building that other students—and many adults—want to tear down.

To save the building, Umi suggests that they clean it up. It’s extremely dirty and filled with junk and dust. Despite this, many of the students clean and repair it. They target every part, and by working together, they make immense progress—and ultimately save the building.

It’s a great example of both responsibility and how teamwork can help lead to success.

Umi’s Responsibility

Umi’s responsibility is admirable. Despite being in high school, she gets up every morning to take care of the boarders living in her grandmother’s home. She makes them breakfast and dinner, among other things.

Even though she already has a lot on her shoulders, she willingly helps Shun with his newspaper. This causes her a few issues—namely, being late—but her responsibility never wavers. She also helps save the Latin Quarter, which is another huge responsibility.

Proverbs 13:4 (ESV) says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

Adoption in Studio Ghibli

Shun, the male main character, is adopted. Despite Shun’s status as an adoptive child, he isn’t treated that way. When he asks his adoptive father about his birth father, his adoptive father says, “We’ve already discussed all of this. You’re my son, and that’s that.”

His adoptive family is caring, heartwarming, and fully embraces him as their son, and that’s beautiful.

(Spoiler) Another beautiful part of Shun’s backstory involves his adoption as a baby. Umi’s father adopts Shun without even asking his wife, aka Umi’s mother, and refuses to let him end up in an orphanage. Shun isn’t Umi’s family’s responsibility, yet Umi’s father still finds him a loving home. Shun is adopted again, this time by the family that raised him.

(Spoiler) This odd situation causes some issues with Umi and Shun’s romantic desires, though.

Teen Romance and Complicated Relationships (Spoilers)

Shun and Umi have true chemistry. They both clearly like one another, and Umi helps Shun with his work, which even makes her late to make dinner one night.

When Shun notices a familiar photograph in Umi’s house, he starts to withdraw and avoid her. This shift came out of the blue, so she goes ahead and asks him why he’s upset, and Shun tells her the truth: that he thinks they are siblings.

This is a really odd—and honestly uncomfortable—development. As I already stated, they have solid chemistry, so it’s not hard to root for a Shun/Umi romance.

After Shun tells the truth, everything changes. Any possible relationship would be incestuous, not pure, so they both decide to step back and stop their developing romance.

This, of course, requires a lot of self-control, and it’s very difficult. Most people wouldn’t want to date their sibling, but when you don’t grow up knowing they’re your sibling, I can imagine it would be much harder, and their self-control is admirable. They both admit—after learning they can’t be together—that they love each other, so this development is painful, to say the least.

(Major Spoilers) Thankfully, though, by the end of the film, everything is cleared up, and Umi and Shun realize that they are not actually siblings. A potential romantic future is on the horizon.

Overall, though, I appreciate that the film emphasizes that being with your sibling is wrong. Some anime actually encourage or support incest, but From Up on Poppy Hill does not.

FAQs About From Up on Poppy Hill

Conclusion: From Up on Poppy Hill Christian Review

In our From Up on Poppy Hill review, we explored the positive themes—and a few negative ones—that appear in the film.

Overall, From Up on Poppy Hill is a wholesome, lighthearted, and grounded film with very little spiritual content. There are some romantic themes.

With discernment, we think that From Up on Poppy Hill is a great Studio Ghibli film to consider for Christians and families.

We recommend the film for ages 8 and up, with discernment. Common Sense Media recommends the film for ages 9 and up.

---

From Up on Poppy Hill Parent Guide

Sexual Content & Nudity

• A guy holds out his hand and a girl takes it.
• “Lovebirds” said.
• Umi’s grandmother wants her to find someone.
• Mention of potential groupies.
• Check it out, x chromosome.
• Blushing
• Stupid debate.
• Mention of inviting cute boys to a going away party.
• Umi’s mother went against her parent’s wishes and married a sailor.
• A character asks Shun if there’s “what’s going on between” him and Umi. Shun says nothing is.
• When Shun learns about the night he was adopted, we see his adoptive mother nursing him. You can see part of her breast and a good bit of cleavage.
• Girls get excited about Shun, wondering if he has a girlfriend and wanting his autograph.
• A boy calls a girl beautiful.
• A girl admits she loves a boy. They hold hands, and he says he loves her too.
• (Spoiler) After Shun and Umi develop feelings for each other, Shun becomes convinced they are siblings, which causes them to halt their romance (although they still love each other). However, by the conclusion, we learn that Umi and Shun are not siblings.

Language

• “Holes in his head”/”hole in his stomach.”
• “Math club freak.”
• Snobby
• “Dirty old club house.”
• So stupid.
• Old men
• dumb and enamored
• hell-bent

Violence, Gore, & Frightening Scenes

• Kids argue and debate.
• Umi’s father’s ship shown hitting a mine and blowing up.

Alcohol and Substances

• Characters bring out whisky. A kid asks if she can have some and is told she’s too young.
• People smoke in Tokyo.
• Mention of going for a drink.

Spiritual and Cultural Content

• Characters say, “I gratefully receive” before eating.
• Calling chemists “second rate alchemists.”
• A lucky cat is visible in the clutter from the clubhouse.
• Good luck
• Goddess of good luck
• Flags raised say “I pray for your safe return.”
• Since Umi’s dad is passed, she thinks he sent Shun to her.
• Mention of the gods.
• Heaven sent
• Little angel.

Photo Credit: © 2011 Chizuru Takahashi, Tetsuro Sayama/Keiko Niwa/Studio Ghibli, NDHDMT. Courtesy of GKids Press Room.