Studio Ghibli (1)

May I recommend a Studio Ghibli marathon?

We could all use a little escape from reality, and there are few realities as magical as those in Miyazaki’s movies. Rewatch them if you’ve seen them before. See them for the first time if you haven’t. They’re all on Netflix.

Spirited Away

I started with rewatching Spirited Away, which is widely considered the best Ghibli work. On the face of it, Spirited Away is a sociocultural commentary on the excesses of human greed, the power of love, and the beauty of nature. But look a little deeper and you discover a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. 4/5 for the movie. An additional 0.5/5 for my joke.

My Neighbour Totoro

Next, My Neighbour Totoro. I continued my proud tradition of falling asleep while watching this movie. It’s so serene, it’s so comforting, that it’s no wonder that every time I watch it I’m transported into this beautiful place, i.e. I fall asleep. Here’s an interesting fact: This movie was released concurrently with another Ghibli (albeit non-Miyazaki) classic, Grave of the Fireflies, which is famous for being one of the most brutal and most depressing World War 2 movies ever made. This was seen as a huge contributing factor for why GOTF, while a huge critical success, was not a favourite with audiences.

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is my favourite among all the Studio Ghibli movies I’ve watched. It’s the one in which the themes that are consistent among all Ghibli movies — the battle between nature and man, and the victory of good over evil, and the idea that there’s good and evil in all of us — are most clearly borne out. But when it comes to the art-work, there’s two others I’ve been more fond of at different points in life — Nausicaä and Princess Kaguya.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä’s dystopian themes led me to watching that one next. But then again, dystopia is probably not the best thing for me to be looking for now.

(to be continued…)