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The story
On 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo G board, a thread kicked off over why director Mamoru Hosoda’s anime films keep underperforming at the box office. Posters cited figures for 2025’s “Scarlet,” claiming an estimated production budget of around ¥9 billion against domestic box office of only ¥500–600 million, then compared that to Hayao Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke” (¥19.3 billion) and “Ponyo” (¥15.5 billion). Opinion split between those who credit the strength of the Ghibli brand and those who think directors should be judged on individual merit, and the discussion spread to how other directors like Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Oshii are rated.
What people said
1997's Princess Mononoke made ¥19.3 billion
That's the Ghibli buff plus insane amounts of advertising, though
Ghibli's an exception because the brand was already established
think about what movie-going was like back then
still, it was better than Mirai, I'll give it that
Sounds like someone who'd actually go watch the "100-Day Croc" movie (a notoriously mocked flop based on a viral comic)
Both are equally boring
Mirai's at least slightly better since it has the old man's motorcycle episode
Ponyo (2008) — ¥15.5 billion
you lose
That's seriously impressive
That one got crazy amounts of ad spend riding the Ghibli brand though
lol
Director Mamoru Hosoda's film "Scarlet" reportedly earned only around ¥500–600 million at the domestic box office
The Digimon movie that isn't "Our War Game" is good too, right?
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2001934442718466048/vid/avc1/1920×1080/5NBY0UdIGibcgojr.mp4
Why's that wild?
even a big-shot anime director takes a reputation hit if they put out a dud
with live-action, big-name directors seem to get a pass no matter how the film turns out
you can't even criticize a Takeshi Kitano movie when it's boring
Feels like the people fixated on a director's name are mostly haters
with Hosoda too, you get comments that are clearly "I want to bash him" first and reasons second
I don't get why Weathering With You gets praised
that had me dying laughing
Makes you wonder what the whole story was even for
It's Nippon TV's fault for hyping up someone with only average talent
everything else he's made feels pretty unremarkable, yet he still gets treated as a top-tier director
Something feels off about Mamoru Oshii being treated as a top-tier director when he's really only ever clicked with otaku audiences
the second half of that movie was genuinely awful, and it still sold — that's the real tragedy
That scene where everyone sends her off with a "go get 'em!" makes zero sense, lol
it gets way too boring once the girl shows up
yeah the second half is trash
the part with the whale is garbage
you could already see the cracks forming there
well yeah, the first half is basically a straight rip-off of a world-famous movie
his hit rate's solid too — he really played it well
before Your Name came out he was treated as a has-been though
whichever one was Children Who Chase Lost Voices was genuinely terrible
that's Scarlet-level bad
it's surprising that Crayon Shin-chan movies kept going for years while being called a success at just the ¥1 billion level
there was an article recently saying the newest one pulled in ¥2.5 billion, its biggest hit ever
Weathering With You is good though?
what's supposed to be good about a story where some brat does whatever he wants, causes a disaster, and just barges ahead chasing his own wish anyway
if Your Name is a 10, Weathering With You is a 1
that's exactly what makes it good though
when you're young, don't you feel like the whole world could go to hell as long as it's for the girl you love?
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Mamoru Hosoda made his directorial debut with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and went on to direct Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast, among others. His 2025 film Scarlet reportedly carried a large production budget but struggled at the domestic box office, and that gap became the thread’s main talking point. Opinion split over whether to credit a film’s success to “the power of the Ghibli brand” or to judge it on “the director’s own ability.” Another point of debate was that Makoto Shinkai’s reputation wasn’t settled before Your Name, which highlighted how heavily having (or lacking) a hit shapes a director’s overall standing. Note that the box office and production cost figures cited in the thread don’t have clearly stated sources and may differ from official figures.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] I genuinely don’t understand why director Mamoru Hosoda’s “Summer Wars” became a hit.”
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