It's truly a mesmerizing film. As always, Ghibli was ahead of its time, but the fact that this movie came out in 1986 feels unreal to me. Producing such high-quality animation and background art back then is insane—they were really 30 years ahead.

The backgrounds and the aesthetic are STUNNING. I rarely see architecture this interesting, and yet most of it is just in the background, barely noticeable, even though it’s incredibly detailed. But what makes this film exceptionally beautiful and unique is its verticality. It’s not just a civilization trying to reach the sky—their entire architecture is built vertically like their ambitions, everything is on mountains, cliffs, and walls. It’s absolutely gorgeous and adds so much depth to the worldbuilding, which develops naturally on its own. This film does such an amazing job of telling its story through its world and architecture alone, without needing to explain everything explicitly. That’s one of my favorite aspects of it.

As always with Ghibli, the music is phenomenal, elevating every scene to another level, all the work from Joe Hisaishi are masterpiece. The audiovisual experience is also just so well-crafted—it’s mind-blowing.

Characters feel so alive and endearing through their natural personalities, their distinct features, and their clearly defined strengths and passions. You can guess so much about their backgrounds just from these traits. I rarely see such an effective way of conveying information implicitly, and even though I usually love works that explain everything in detail, this movie does it so well that I absolutely loved it.

The natural relationship between Sheeta and Pazu is just so wholesome and adorable. 21st-century rom-coms could learn a thing or two from them. Their relationship is already so healthy, even in its early stages. I absolutely love them. Both characters have their own fields of expertise and strong convictions, making them feel as alive as the world they inhabit.

Watching well-developed characters evolve in such a richly detailed world makes the experience incredibly captivating and enjoyable. I love stories that can accomplish all of this, especially in such a short amount of time.

I'm absolutely fascinated by their technology and aircraft. The way they blend old machinery and gears with advanced engineering to achieve miracles like flight is incredible. Their technology is highly specialized and far more advanced in aviation compared to everything else, unlike our world. On top of that, the film is filled with characters who are deeply knowledgeable about it, while we, as the audience, are not. This only enhances the immersive feeling of stepping into a fully developed, believable world that exists beyond what we see on screen.

Once again, Ghibli has created a masterpiece in every aspect. They shouldn’t have even had the resources to do this in 1986, yet they still pulled it off. What masters of their craft.