S4doll

one of the first "beautiful ones"... historic discourse I don't see it exactly the same way, in the sense that in my opinion Miyazaki rises above even political criticism. The main problem is that at the end of World War II, instead of sidelining the emperor, the USA decided to keep the Japanese political apparatus intact and to rebuild on the same foundations. The result is that nowadays, instead of celebrating liberation (like most of the defeated in the second conflict), Japan celebrates its defeat. That indeed creates nationalism, and current events should be a sufficient example. Now, the master doesn’t seem to have ever sided with the nationalists or with those who still engage in outdated self-criticism; he simply has never missed an opportunity to emphasize how horrifically stupid it is for man to resort to mass destruction as a quick solution. At least, that’s how I see it.

To tell the truth, this is probably linked to my origins, but I didn't grow up with anime... when I was in Canada, they mostly aired stuff like Transformers, GI Joe, and Hanna-Barbera shows... by "trash" I mean the distinctly commercial series that were very popular in Italy just over a decade ago (goodness, shows like Dragonball are over 20 years old, and yet I see they're still airing it) so the likes of Lamù, Ranma, DB, etc... anyway, yes, I got to know some higher-level anime on the internet, definitely in the early days of the new millennium.

Did I just say currently? :D

Honestly, I first got into trash series, then into miniseries (cult classics, especially if fansubbed and unexportable from Japan), and finally into films. The fact is that the quality of miniseries and films being produced right now in the land of the rising sun is currently light years ahead in terms of content compared to what is produced here.

Isn't the shit we already get from the UK and the USA enough (not to mention the crap we have right here)?

I've seen almost everything from Ghibli, and there's not much that's truly dark in the traditional sense. Many of their films feature brief moments or characters that are somewhat "dark," but nothing that would define the film as such.

Anyway, if you want my opinion, Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke are a notch above.

I or the brave cpt will soon release a review about it :) Anyway, it’s the story of a young girl who moves to a new city with her parents. They decide to take a break on the way and discover a small corner of natural paradise. However, at sunset, the geography of the environment radically changes and begins to be populated by bizarre creatures. The girl embarks on an epic journey that isn’t exactly painless, leading her to experience a fantastic reality. The film has a vague posthumous flavor of a trippy experience, but the way the narrative unfolds captivates the viewer and doesn’t let go. More information here La città incantata (2001) - IMDb

Look Vincent, personally I didn't mind Howl's Moving Castle, but objectively I can't deny that films like Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke exist on a completely different level. In terms of feelings (technically the castle is very well done), these three masterpieces stand apart from other excellent films because of their depth and what they manage to convey to the viewer. This film leaves you almost speechless due to the strength of its content; it's something I can't explain clearly, you have to experience it to understand it.
@hugoniot: I found Kiki's Delivery Service just nice, nothing transcendent, maybe a bit too childish. It lacks that magic found in his other films, it lacks the film's own soul. That said, for those who have already seen the best of the master, it’s definitely worth checking out.

I haven't seen it in Italian so I can't vouch for the dubbing :D but I can assure you that the English and French versions are decent.