Kaze Tachinu (the Wind Rises) Episode 1 -

Ultimately, the "first episode" of The Wind Rises is a masterful setup for a historical tragedy. It portrays Jiro Horikoshi not as a villain or a hero, but as an artist whose medium happens to be the machine. By focusing on the purity of his initial inspiration, Miyazaki forces the audience to grapple with a difficult question: can one remain blameless when their lifelong dream becomes a nightmare for others? The wind that rises at the start of the film carries with it the scent of both progress and ash, setting the stage for a story about the cost of chasing the horizon.

The film opens with a dream sequence that immediately defines Jiro’s character and the film’s lyrical tone. We see a young Jiro climbing onto the roof of his house to pilot a bird-like aircraft. This dream is vibrant, soaring, and unburdened by the laws of physics or the grim realities of war. It establishes Jiro’s singular obsession with flight, not as a tool for combat, but as a pure expression of human ingenuity. Miyazaki uses this opening to ground the audience in Jiro’s internal world, where the sky represents a canvas for the imagination rather than a battlefield. Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) Episode 1

However, this dream is quickly interrupted by a dark, monstrous presence—a massive, shadowy airship that looms over Jiro’s fragile plane. This imagery serves as a haunting foreshadowing of the Great Kanto Earthquake and the subsequent rise of Japanese militarism. The tension between the elegance of Jiro’s aspirations and the destructive potential of his creations is the heartbeat of the film. By starting with a dream that ends in a crash, Miyazaki signals that Jiro’s journey will not be one of simple triumph, but one of moral compromise and tragic beauty. Ultimately, the "first episode" of The Wind Rises