The Wind Rises (2013)

“The Wind Rises” is a 2013 animated film by Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki. "The Wind Rises” tells the partially fictionalized story of Jiro Horikoshi, Japan's World War II airplane designer, responsible for designing the lethal "Zero" fighter plane used by Japanese troops during the war. The film begins with Jiro as a awkward and socially outcast youth who spends his days fantasizing and dreaming up plans for airplanes. It follows him through his young adult years, and does a great job of portraying the intensity and pressure many young people in Japan feel to be career-driven and achieve. Much of the plot is told through the dreams of Jiro, which follow him through his schooling, his investigative trips to Germany, and his sweet courtship of the girl Naoko, who will become his wife. As the film moves on, and as Mitsubishi competes for contracts with the army and navy, he realizes that what he is doing is designing a killing machine. It is through Jiro’s that we realize his inventions will be used in warfare, and that his dreams are quickly becoming nightmares.
Overall, the film is a powerful representation of the cost of war and the moral dilemmas war brings. The film would fit in well with any World History curriculum, and students will find the use of animation voiced by famous actors engaging. It should be said that some criticized the film for glorifying the Japanese and not addressing their guilt in the atrocities of the war, but again, this could be addressed as a class and lead to interesting discussion for students.