Never heard of it, so you are not the only one.

I would describe myself as a very ardent fan of Anime. I own a fairly large collection of titles, and have been collecting for years. Plus I have watched over a hundred series through rentals. So in my experience most people that comment on what is good or bad in Anime come from a fairly narrow point of view. They basically see Anime in very broad strokes, and end up thinking in fairly broad terms.

Honestly I feel like I have a more critical eye. Ghibli films are basically the equivalent of raw sugar. They are full of energy, color, and vibrance. They are full of emotion, but beyond that not much else. Sure for the most part they are fairly potent, but that potency comes at a fairly steep price. Basically they can leave the viewer sick, and lethargic if they take in too much, and like a sugar rush it is easy to become distracted and disconnected. Making the entire exercise meaningless. So I can see how some would have a lower threshold of tolerance, and reach the limit faster then others. I can stomach Ghibli for around two hours. After that the emotional fix no longer masks the fact that my mind has begun to whither under the barrage of meaninglessness.

That said if you can stomach super sweet for a couple hours Ghibli is a good emotional fix. I usually watch the films when I am feeling under the weather. That usually puts a little spring back in my step, and they are a good way to just forget what is bothering you at the moment. Not because they engage, but because they overwhelm. That said I really couldn't imagine downing this kind of content for many hours or day after day. The lack of real mental stimulation would simply start to drive me away. Children are fairly simple, and that is good for them, but as an adult I need to be more engaged.

That said a Ghibli game seems like a oxymoron. Their films aren't all the intellectually engaging, and that is the core of what a game is supposed to do. Could result in a fairly weak experience, and more then that the real soft tone could drive players away. I can't help but remember how the hyper childishness of Blue Dragon struck many members of this forum as pretty foul. This game is looking many times sweeter, and the combat system isn't looking anywhere near as complex as Blue Dragon. I would watch this one very cautiously.

You seem to misunderstand what makes a Ghibli movie great.  It doesn't really surprise me as you don't seem to understand what makes a video game great either.  Video games have nothing to do with intellectual engagement.  A quick comparison of any of the greatest games of all time with any decent piece of literature or cinema shows that games will never be able to compete in that regard.  However, that's not what games are about, so that's not really important.  Games are about fun, enjoyment.  In that sense, it is gameplay that makes games.

Likewise, Ghibli movies are all about masterful story telling (story telling is to movies as gameplay is to games, in case you didn't make that connection).  There's no incredibly complex plot full of twists and turns.  There doesn't need to be.  Every scene, every character, every tiny detail in a Ghibli movie serves a purpose.  Whether it be characterization, developing relationships, explaining the setting, or something else, all of it is shown with a purpose.  There is no unnecesary fluff, no plot holes, no distractions.  When you watch all of these things work together to tell one story, it's really beautiful.  It's story telling at its best, and it's what makes Ghibli adored by so many.

@Galaki: I'm kind of surprised by this thread because I normally agree with you on almost everything.  I love Ghibli.  I think you should try watching one of their films from the start.  View one as an entire package, and then see what you think.

Edit: By the way, I too, have seen well over a hundred anime, so I'm not exactly ignorant about this sort of thing.

Come on! There's no need to start a Ghibli vs Disney discussion. I thank god they both exist.

The cartoon network content, on the other hand...

@tarheel91

Honestly I think you are confused as to what a game is supposed to be, or more specifically what playing is all about. Playing isn't a passive experice. Playing is an engaging experience. The point of playing is to challenge oneself. That is a form of stimulation which results in your brain rewarding you chemically. Playing is primordial, and it is all about making one better, stronger, smarter, more intune with their environment. We are conditioned by our genes to engage in play. There is no such thing as a game without a challenge, and without a goal. Even if that goal is mere social interaction.

Speaking to games not being great story telling. What rock did you crawl out from under. Games are great avenues for story telling. Just most of them do a piss poor job of doing that, but you know the same can be said for books, movies, and television. Oh before we forget this isn't the kind of the game that can do without story telling. That is kind of the genres whole point. Your trying to unlock a story from start to finish.

I like Ghibli well enough. Not fanatical about it mind you. That said it ain't the Illiad, and it ain't Citizen Kane. Are you going to seriously tell me you think it stacks up. The hell you are, and if you do your smoking some mighty fine stuff. I am just not buying that the story telling is going to be there, and I am not going to believe that a emotional peek of this magnitude can be maintained throughout a game, and that is a legitimate concern. The style of their films just isn't going to lend itself to a good game in my opinion. I will wait for the reviews when this comes out.

1) Your description of gaming in this post has nothing to do with intellectually stimulating.  It has everything to do with fun, enjoyable gameplay.  Video games don't challenge the way you look at the world, force you to think differently, etc. (ok, there may be a few exceptions in regards to mind-bending physics puzzles, but they're the exception rather than the norm and it's not required or anything).  Great literature and cinema does that far more than any game ever could.  By the way, that's what intellectually stimulating means.

2) No.  Video games are an inferior medium for telling stories.  Why?  Video games are based around the concept of giving the player control and allowing him to overcome challenges through his own ability.  This is why they're fun.  However, that control doesn't magically appear out of no where.  It's taken from the creators of the game.  The story that can be told is very limited, because the person telling the story only has limited control over the story itself.  And guess what, the more control you take from the gamer and give to the creator the more it is a movie and the less it is a game.

3) I think you misunderstand my comments in regards to Ghibli.  I was speaking about them in regards to making movies, not games.  I agree they lack the content of something like Citizen Kane or Hamlet, but content isn't the only thing we enjoy cinema and literature for.  The way these pieces of art are crafted is a hugely important factor in the way we enjoy them.  Pride and Prejudice plot-wise is pretty standard.  It's still considered one of the best if not the best novel (note the word novel here) of all time.  Why?  The way the story is written.  Jane Austin's prose is magnificent.  She puts on a clinic in free indirect discourse.  Her characterization is subtle and embues her characters with real life.  Thus, while I'm not trying to say that Ghibli movies are the best of all time, I do think they are great, and deserve to be respected for the craft with which they are constructed.

I also reject your whole "Ghibli movies are sugar, and leave the viewer on a constant emotional high" idea.  You've watched Princess Mononoke, right?  Emotional high?  Ha ha.  Better yet, Grave of the Fireflies?  Seriously?  I think it's ridiculous to think the Ghibli is only capable of sugar.  Also, I think you underestimate the aforementioned ability they have.  I don't expect this Ghibli movie to be a some masterpiece, but I do expect it to be solid, and to integrate the story with the gameplay very well.  In many regards, a story not heavy on content but well told is exactly what a game needs.  A story becomes a problem in a game when it gets in the way of gameplay.  I have high hopes that Ghibli will be able to design a story that works well with the game and never frustrates the player, and instead serves as a complement for the gameplay.

Well it's not like I dislike Disney or anything, but it's different. Maybe because it's American? Go figure.

I don't even know who they are.

@tarheel91

I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of intellectually stimulating. Solving any problem no matter how large, or how small is by default intellectually stimulating. Playing a game of catch with a ball is intellectually stimulating. There is no value based upon the difficulty of the task. Your simply using your mind to solve a problem. Doesn't matter if how trivial the task happens to be.

Once again your playing the wrong games. There are a great many games that are built around story, and developers have found a way to convey stories well through aspects of a game. There is a reason that Mass Effect the game is going on to be Mass Effect the Movie. Lost Odyssey incorporates a collection of short stories. The list goes on and on. You need to widen your horizons.

Speaking to art well that is entirely subjective being that beauty, or meaning for that matter is in the eye of the beholder. That said the art in this game doesn't appear to be any more or less meaningful then the art in other games. Honestly I do appreciate animation, but while it can be visually stunning is it really art with a message. Does every tree that is drawn contain a message. Beyond a attention to detail.

By the way I have watched most of the films from Ghibli, and frankly yeah misery can be sweet. The analogy was in reference to the potency not the disposition. That said a movie can both be incredibly moving, and also be very stimulating. For instance Forest Gump was a sugar sweet movie, and it did so through the good things, and the bad things. Why did it win a lot of awards, because even as it was potent it was also thought provoking. That just isn't the case with Ghibli films. They are fairly simple narratives.

By the way while we are on the subject of literary matters if you like Ghibli. You might want to look into some good mythological anthologies. I think that is something you might reall enjoy. I would suggest forgoing mediterranean mythologies first, and look into Native American Mythologies. Simple narratives do have a beauty.

Ghibli's enormously successful, pretty prolific and historically important... which is like, the opposite of Team ICO.  Ghibli's really more comparable to Nintendo.