Directed by Isao Takahata My neighbor the Yamadas is the 10th film released by studio Ghibli. The film is told in a series of short segments in the perspective of the The Yamada family your Run of the mill Japanese family. Each segment tackles such things as losing a child in a store, the relationship between father and son, husband and wife dilemma and the wisdom of age and various other life topics. Compared to all the studios other films this one has the most simplified art style,that's not entirely a bad thing it's meant to mimic more of a newspaper comic book strip style. Almost as if you were reading a children's book. All of the focus is on the family Darnall secondary background characters that distract from them .The only thing moving in color over a white backdrop with no environments outside of their house. That's an overall experience what this film feels like, it's a cartoon strip you would read in the newspaper. They're short stories but they have a certain charm, Overall the film is just about a family getting all kinds of Drama and interpretations through imagination. It falls on the same category as whispers of the heart & from up on poppy hill. Where it's not fantasy-based there's no warrior princesses, no magical kingdoms no spirit world it's just ordinary people and that can make a come off as a little less interesting but the film itself still has charm to it. Westerners who aren't familiar with Japanese culture a lot of it can go over their head. There is playful humor to be found in the movie, but is more along the line either you'll understand it or you won't.