Phil Newton’s review published on Letterboxd:
Jiro dreams of being a pilot, but seeing as he is near-sighted, he instead studies aviation with the aim of becoming a designer. Ending up in Germany he reunites and falls in love with Nahoko, a girl he met on a train years ago. Eschewing much of the fantasy elements that populate his work, Hayao Miyazaki's final film is a more sombre affair, reflecting on Japan's poor economy during WW2 and the country's fighting spirit. Nevertheless, The Wind Rises is full of engaging characters and an emotional weight to its subject matter.