Review 3 : Movie "My Neighbor Totoro"

 A movie “My Neighbor Totoro”

            This is a Japanese animation. The title of this film in Japanese is Tonari No Totoro. All the characters in this film are described very cute. When I watched this film, I said “Waaaa! They are so cute. I wonder if they are real. I do want to meet them.” That was my first expression. This film is very attractive, not only the characters, but also the story. This film shows us how beautiful a family if the members love each other. The characters of this film are Kusakabe (father), Mei, Satsuki, Kanta, (Satsuki’s friend), Nanny (Kanta’s grandmother) and Satsuki’s mother. Totoro wasn’t the name of a person. Totoro was a kind spirit in the form of a cute animal. It wasn’t a bear or cat. You would know after you watched this film.

            The story began when they (just father, Satsuki, and Mei) moved to a new house. They looked so happy. They helped each other to clean the house. When they cleaned the house, Satsuki and Mei saw many soot angels. Actually, Satsuki and Mei could see the invisible one. Because the house had been stayed, all the soot angels were moving and leaving the house. Actually, this family wasn’t complete, because their mother was hospitalized. In the next day, Satsuki went to school. When father was busy, Mei was playing around the house alone. When Mei played in the garden, she found a seed. She walked and took the seeds. In front of the bushes, she met a spirit like a kitty. Then, she followed it into a tunnel. She walked and walked until she found a big tree. Again, in that tree, she found a seed. She tried to take it, but she was fallen into a hole. The hole connected with the place where Totoro slept.

            Satsuki went back from school and looked for Mei. But she didn’t found her around the house. She found her sleep in a tunnel. When Mei awoke, she tried to invite her sister and father to meet Totoro, but she was failed to find the place again. The next day, Satsuki asked Nanny to look after Mei while she was studying in the school, but Mei cried. So, Mei followed Satsuki in the school. After they were back from school, they picked up their father in the bus stop. They remembered that their father didn’t bring an umbrella, and now it was raining hard. They had waited for a long time but the bus didn’t come. Mei was sleepy, so Satsuki carried her on the back. Soon, something approached them. It was Totoro! Totoro waited for a bus too. But, when the bus came, Satsuki and Mei were astonished. Totoro’a bus was a big cat. Before Totoro left, he gave Satsuki and Mei a gift. Soon after Totoro left, their father arrived and they went back to home.

            When they arrived at home, Satsuki and Mei opened the gift immediately. The gift was some seeds. In the night, Satsuki and Mei dreamt meet Totoro. In that dream, Totoro and they were doing such a ritual to raise the seed quickly. There, they were also flying with Totoro and sat down in the top of a tree. When they awoke, they run into the garden quickly. They were glad because the seeds had become buds. Then, they joined Nanny in the field to pick some vegetables. When they enjoyed the vegetables, they got information from the hospital where the mother was treated. It made Satsuki feel panic and worried. Actually, their mother would come back from hospital this Saturday, but it was cancelled. Satsuki was afraid if something happened to her mother. When the condition was in disorder, Mei tried to go to the hospital. It was a pity that she was lost. All the people in that village looked for Mei. Satsuki asked for help to Totoro. Then, Totoro screamed and soon after that, a big cat bus arrived. The bus was ready to help Satsuki meet Mei. Right, they met each other. Then, the big cat bus brought them to the hospital. In the hospital, Satsuki and Mei could see that their mother was alright. After seeing their mother, they went back to home safely.

            Tonari no Totoro atau dalam bahasa Inggris diartikan My Neighbor Totoro adalah sebuah film animasi Jepang yang penuh dengan amanat-amanat positif di dalamnya. Menurut saya, Totoro adalah tokoh roh yang paling lucu dan menggemaskan. Tidak hanya dari penampilannya saja, tetapi juga dari tingkah lakunya. Satsuki dan Mei adalah kakak beradik yang dapat melihat hal-hal gaib seperti roh. Pada awalnya, hanya Mei yang melihat dan bertemu Totoro, tapi kemudian Satsuki juga bertemu dengannya saat berada di pemberhentian bus. Keluarga Satsuki adalah keluarga yang sangat harmonis. Mereka selalu menyayangi dan membantu satu sama lain. Suatu ketika Mei hilang karena berusaha menemui ibunya di rumah sakit untuk memberinya sebuah jagung. Tapi sayangnya, Mei tersesat dan semua orang di desa berusaha mencarinya. Satsuki menemui Totoro untuk meminta bantuan karena pencariannya selama ini tidak membuahkan hasil. Totoro pun membantunya. Mei dapat ditemukan dan pulang dengan selamat. Kekompakan dan keharmonisan keluarga di dalam film ini dapat memotivasi keluarga-keluarga di seluruh dunia. Film ini juga cukup baik untuk disajikan sebagai bahan tontonan anak-anak di rumah.