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.
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