It was 2020 and a pandemic blanketed the globe. People had retreated into their homes to remain safe from the deadly virus. In the face of an uncertain future, the yearning for a human connection had found newer meanings. When the Covid lockdown was announced in India, my friend was stuck in a university hostel room. The university바카라a space where the bustle never died down바카라was eerily empty, except for a handful of students caught unawares. Meals and conversations were scarce in the hostel; corridor chitchats seemed a thing of the past. In the midst of this crippling isolation, she found Hayao Miyazaki.
In the sultry September, nearly 6,000 kilometres away from Studio Ghibli in Tokyo, my friend watched Spirited Away (2001) on a borrowed Netflix account. 바카라I always preferred Disney바카라s animation because of its brighter colour scheme. But watching Spirited Away during that period left me with a deeply positive feeling,바카라 she tells me. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) got her hooked to Miyazaki바카라s world. It became a means of survival in the limbo of the lockdown. 바카라Miyazaki reminded me that the child within doesn바카라t have to die down with adulting. The colours of nature in these films soothed me, while the soulful music calmed my nerves.바카라
Four years since, reading about Miyazaki winning the Ramon Magsaysay award reminded me of my friend바카라s anecdotes. It was startling to see a figure like Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also laud the Japanese animator for his cinematic endeavours. 바카라Anime have much for adults and Miyazaki serves them like a magician바카라, she wrote on X . So what is it about Miyazaki that enthrals such a wide range of audiences?
There is, of course, the stunning hand-drawn artwork in these films that fascinates the eye. In the world of animation, noted for its nuanced technological advancement, Miyazaki바카라s stubborn handiwork continues to stand out for its painstaking detailing. But it is the imagination these paintings capture that draws the viewer into these films. Miyazaki, born in 1941, bore witness to a war-torn Japan from a very early age. This is perhaps why child protagonists navigating the hardships of adulthood through fantastical journeys form persisting subjects in his films. Totoro, one of Miyazaki바카라s most popular fantasy creatures, is significant in his appeal for retaining the innocence of childhood.
The charm of his narration also lies in imbricating overarching themes of environmentalism and pacifism with stories for children. The child protagonists of Miyazaki바카라s films, especially young girls, are often mature and assertive, with complex emotions. Yet their sense of awe and wonder is alive. His world-making does not assume a passive audience that needs to be spoon-fed the film바카라s messages. Instead, the viewer is invited to wander in the fantasies alongside the protagonists, to derive their own meanings from the visceral cinematic experience. In many senses, this explains how the love for these films transcends linguistic barriers and the limits of exposure to specific cultural references.
The Boy and the Heron (2023), Miyazaki바카라s latest film바카라 made after the fourth announcement of his retirement바카라navigates a child바카라s realisation of the profound loss of his mother. To make peace with the rapid changes in his life, Mahito must find a way to return to a world where his past will be left behind. Interestingly though, the legendary filmmaker also reflects on his own life and filmography in its narrative. A film about forgetting and moving on thus becomes a film about remembering. However, even the uninitiated바카라who may not be familiar with Studio Ghibli바카라s earlier productions or with Miyazaki바카라s personal journey바카라can still find themselves absorbed into the parallel universes within the film. This happens through the carefully paced narrative and moments of philosophical reflection that linger beyond profilmic time.
This is perhaps why they say바카라there바카라s a little something in Miyazaki for everybody.
