My Neighbors the Yamadas
Movie, 1999, The '90s, Set in A family's everyday life
My Neighbors the Yamadas is #12 of 25 in release order and #12 of 25 in chronological order in the Studio Ghibli.
The story
The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.
My Neighbors the Yamadas recap
My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) follows an ordinary suburban family through a string of short comic episodes about marriage, school, chores and bickering. Isao Takahata wrote and directed this adaptation of Hisaichi Ishii's comic strip, drawn in a sketchy watercolour style unlike any other Ghibli film. The family is salaryman Takashi Yamada (Tōru Masuoka), his scatterbrained wife Matsuko (Yukiji Asaoka), her blunt mother Shige (Masako Araki), teenage son Noboru, ten-year-old daughter Nonoko and their dog Pochi. Each vignette opens with a title and often closes with a haiku. The episodes include Nonoko left behind at a department store, Takashi and Matsuko fighting over the television remote, Noboru's first phone call from a girl, and Shige facing down a gang of bikers. There is no single plot; the through-line is a family that loves each other despite their flaws.
My Neighbors the Yamadas ending explained
My Neighbors the Yamadas ends without a climax: after a run of small domestic victories and defeats, the family gathers for a closing musical number, singing "Que Sera, Sera" together. The comic strip has no story arc either, and Takahata keeps its loose, gag-by-gag rhythm. The film was a box office disappointment in Japan, the weakest Ghibli release of its decade, and later found a following abroad through its English dub.
Where to watch My Neighbors the Yamadas
My Neighbors the Yamadas is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 78%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Princess Mononoke, before Spirited Away.
- Chronological order: after Princess Mononoke, before Spirited Away.
Cast
- Hayato Isohata as Noboru Yamada (voice)
- Masako Araki as Shige Yamano (voice)
- Naomi Uno as Nonoko Yamada (voice)
- Toru Masuoka as Takashi Yamada (voice)
- Yukiji Asaoka as Matsuko Yamada (voice)
- Akiko Yano as Teacher Fujihara (voice)
- Kosanji Yanagiya as Haiku Reader (voice)
- Tamao Nakamura as Shige's Friend (voice)
- Chōchō Miyako as Grandma Kikuchi (voice)
- Suguru Egawa as Baseball Commentator on Television (voice)
Directed by Isao Takahata.