#4

So, Totoro is me, my history, and my childhood.

However, other than that, looking at the film now makes me notice several things. First of all, I have always thought that the artistry in Totoro as a little bit different from Miyazaki's other works. The depiction of the characters, especially of the female protagonist, is usually only a slight alteration of each other. However, Satsuki and Mei are drawn distinctly different from his other characters. Their foreheads are a lot more prominent and have almost a bean-like structure. This is interesting, as this makes their faces slightly unattractive at certain angles. As I do not think that Miyazaki did not know this, I think there is a reason behind this choice. Both in regards to the time period that the film is set and also the message it tries to convey with a strong connection to the traditional way of life, I think he tried to go back and reflect old japanese portraits which had the forehead more prominent as the essence of beauty.

And on a total side note, I remembered the incident with Japan's former prime minister Aso and anime. A few years ago he proposed that they use government money to construct a grand anime center as a representative of Japan's presence on the global scale. This idea was shot to hell, especially because Aso was an avid fan of anime. I remember that months after his statement, other politicians were still hitting him hard saying "Yes, I know that Mr. Aso is a great fan of anime, but for him to bring that hobby into the world of politics....." I think this shows both the significance Anime has in Japanese society and also its limitations as a hobby and lack of respect on the "larger" or "more important" sphere.

#3

In the screening of Laputa yesterday, a thought came to me - theme songs. In most US films and animations, the theme song is thought of as separate from the film's content. It is usually a song by some artist, either fitting or abhorring in its usage. However, the theme songs of Japanese films is treated with much greater care. For live action films, it is rare that a song is written for that purpose, but nevertheless the song and lyrics fit with the story. And even greater for anime. The theme song, sometime multiple songs are written and recorded for the sake of anime. Therefore, the lyrics have an almost mirroring resonance with the story.

In watching the film yesterday, we skipped over the ending. Of course, it may be due to the fact that there are no subtitles for the song. However, we must not ignore the fact that the theme song is an integral part of the entire feature. This is especially true because Miyazaki's composer, Joe Hisaishi composed the song as well. The songs are included in the official soundtrack and should accordingly be treated with the same emphasis. In Laputa and many of Miyazaki's following work, the theme song summarizes or at times supplements the happenings on screen.

Finally, the translations for Laputa were very bad. One thing, what is up with there being subtitles for dialogue that doesn't exist and subtitles coming 6 seconds after the line is said? I took a Japanese-English translation course so I know that total accuracy is difficult. But getting the placement wrong is just ridiculous. That sort of "professionalism" makes me cringe.

#2

In the reading, it put a focus on Japan's apparent emphasis on the post-apocalyptic society. The statement which traced the origins of this fascination to the actual atomic bombings, is of course natural and obvious. However, beyond the historical origins of the portrayal of the post-apocalyptic, I believe that a new possibility for narrative stories is born in the post-apocalyptic world.

In a near totally post-apocalyptic world (if it was total, there would be no one left and no story), there is a certain beauty and simplicity to those individuals who remain. The people, go back to the most basic of human characteristics and flourish in a manner that tickles at our sense of nostalgia. This sense of nostalgia and individualistic purity may be some of the aspects that pull Japanese audiences to this kind of world. In a post-apocalyptic society, all the "unnecessary" things have been taken away, thus leaving the characters to weave out the most essential of their being and grasp it by the end of the narrative. I think there is something inherently gratifying about that. It may be a Japanese sensibility, but there is something immensely attractive about a woman in simple dress, standing still in the middle of nature.

In many novels and manga that I have read, and also within some of my own screenplays, the idea of the post-apocalyptic has been present. I chose to adapt a screenplay from the short story "Kami-no Kotoba" by Otsuichi. The story was compelling, but in considering the choice of the post-apocalyptic once again, I think it was that the environment allowed characters to start in a sense of absolute solitude. This solitude, which most stories accomplish sometime around the second act, allows more time to see and develop the characters' psychology. The stakes are higher, at least for interpersonal relationships because there is no going back.

Finally, I think that why Japan is the most active in using these themes is because it has the claim on this post-apocalyptic reality. True, other nations have experienced a sort of apocalypse, but not like Japan. If the US were to make a post-apocalyptic (post-nuclear) film, there is a paradox (at least from a Japanese mindset). As these types of film automatically treat the "event" as horrible and wrong, if America took this stance, it would be stabbing itself in the foot in a very obvious manner. Hollywood, with its emphasis on the "happy ending" will not ruin its face with this kind of dilemma.

#1

Having grown up watching Studio Ghibli films, the viewing experience now has a pre-determined nature to it. Much like, I would assume, that which Disney is like for people in the US. I come to remember the parts of the film that have had a special role in my upbringing whose influence still lingers today. Viewing Nausicaa, I remembered how I made a huge water color of an Ohmu with the Miebe underneath, how I always love the Versus Colbet song and how I cringe when Nausicaa's foot goes into the acid water. Somethings never change.

However, there is one thing that I know has changed over the years. With my work in both watching films critically and film production, I am now seeing more of the "skill" within the production. I see myself looking at the frame more so than into the frame. Miyazaki, at least in his earlier works, had a grand meticulousness which rivaled that of great live-action film directors such as Kurosawa who gave detailed backstories to the over 100 extras in Seven Samurai. I noticed the placements of certain objects of people on the edges of the frame which was an enjoyable subtlety. It really does not do anything of value for the narrative, but in looking at the film as a piece of auteuristic art, Miyazaki's aesthetic and dedication show up in these parts. Further, since watching Conan last week, I was driven by a hysteria of nostalgia to watch them all. And in comparing the two, there were similarities in how similar situations were put together. One that stands out is the sole individual coming down (from the Baracuda[Conan] and in the finale with the baby Ohmu [Nausicaa]). Each takes a beat which settles the roughened waters and makes a mood shift.

And I really do believe that the viewing experience for Japanese viewers is different from all others. There are indirect appearances of culture which foreigners cannot understand. This is not in the realm of old edo culture and so fourth but rather more of a certain sentimental value. There are onomatopoetic sentiments in Japanese culture which are evoked in Miyazaki films. Because I know, but am not so well versed in American culture I cannot say for sure that these do not exist here, but when I have tried to express this subtle sensation it has come to no avail. People wonder at what they do not know. I wonder what these films say to everyone else.