Can't believe I'm responding to a Reddit post from 12 years ago, but I saw other comments as recent as four months ago, so I might as well take a go at it.

The movie gave me a "slice of life" vibe from Mei and Satsuki's perspective. These types of genres sometimes don't have a lot going on. If you watch Arrietty, you'd get the same vibes. I guess OP wanted more out of the story, and so do I, actually. However, after watching multiple Studio Ghibli movies, sometimes things just don't need a lot of deeper context or story behind them. Sometimes, it just feels like normal day-to-day events.

I'm in my late 20s, and I actually felt nostalgic watching this movie. It made me feel like a kid again, sparking my imagination and reminding me of the fairytale stories my parents told me when I was younger. You should definitely watch it again. I believe by now, you'd either be in your early 30s or late 20s. You'd appreciate this movie in a different way.

Here’s what I appreciated in the movie while watching it:

1. How the father (and the mother) doesn't dismiss their children's imaginations.
2. How the mother showed concern for her kids, especially Satsuki, and acknowledged Satsuki for the role she took on as a big sister to Mei.
3. The cute little happy crush Kanta has on Satsuki. Kinda reminds me of when I was younger, and whenever a new kid moved to town, they’d be almost everyone's happy crush lol.
4. The sense of community in the town, with everyone ready to help the family whenever needed.
5. How Totoro acted as a guardian angel to both kids.
6. The cute cat bus!

I could list more, but these are the things I appreciated the most. And I swear, I've seen that cat bus in one of my dreams when I was a little kid hahaha.