I don’t mind people calling Ghibli films comforting but it does bother me when there’s ignorance or denial of the themes going on in those stories as well as infantalizing or exalt Miyazaki above what is realistic
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Unfortunately a lot of this generation has no patience, but it's not all their fault. They're given phones and tablets, told to shut up & be quiet, and just consume "summarizable" media content that may or may not always be honest or in good faith. Concepts like nuance or contrast are lost on them.
Not specific to them, no, but a lot of bad actors cater to them above other demographics. The media landscape has changed so much that if something's not being streamed all the time or in quick succession (ie seasonal dumps on Netflix), then people mentally check out. It's also a time problem.
Miyazaki is actually kinda a dark dude!
He also buys properties in Tokyo, leaves them vacant, and lets the weeds & plants just climb over it & tear it down.
Yeah, I like Ghibli films, and acknowledge MIyazaki as a master, but I have a pet peeve about the meme of citing him as the Ultimate Arbiter of Anime Artistic Legitimacy. He's just a guy with skill and work ethic, but he'd probably hate some stuff that I love, and that's perfectly fine.
I don’t think all Miyazaki’s films are above criticism, but I will always love My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Spirited Away. I need to watch Princess Mononoke and the rest again, it’s been decades.
this is why ppl constantly requesting a ghibli legend of zelda film has always irked me. like ok i guess princess mononoke had pretty cool horseback animation but there is literally no depth of story in Zelda that would make a ghibli film of it appealing
Intrigued by what you mean in From Up on Poppy Hill? I remember it being a warm film, but haven’t been able to find any service that streams it recently. It is true that many Ghibli films have eerie monsters and allude to armed conflict, or portray depression. Spirited Away too despite its U rating.
The main characters Shun and Umi found out they were brother and sister after having feelings for each other. It makes the movie get uncomfortable vibe after that.
Myazaki’s attempt at dramatic tension clearly backfires, if the viewer is so freaked out that they can no longer follow the plot - in the end, it turns out - he’s NOT her brother, what a twist!
They are *extremely* relieved. All’s well that ends well.
(& you’re right, that bit was a gut punch & felt very odd. What alleviated it for me was that he levelled with her about what he thought was wrong, & both were mortified. In the end it’s revealed, thankfully, that they aren’t related— but it’s understandable to recoil before it’s all resolved.)
Ok but let’s not pretend violence in an animated film will ever, EVER be as ghoulish as the real life genocidal violence being portrayed with these AI ghibli memes by a gleeful White House.
I heard that romanticism is about finding belonging in the world as it is, and yes this studio has helped me see that beauty which makes me feel more at home in life. Mindfulness does too, self-awareness & presence helps me & which they craft very well. All the colors & buoyancy. Oft bio diverse. 🦋✨
howl’s moving castle broke my heart in the childhood, not like I regret it but it’s interesting how well miyazaki’s art helps to captivate both tragedy and coziness at the same time, like how it is in real life but also adds a lot of fantasy which doesn’t feel out of place
Or princess Mononoke, or Castle in the Sky, or Howls Moving Castle, or Nausicaä, or Porco Rosso. Half that studios films are about the utter horror of armed conflict and the greed that inspires it
They scared me as a kid. They made me feel ill because of the violence.
Which is insane because I watched Predator when I was 3 and Robocop when I was 7 but it was the cartoon with he blood in it that just left me shook. It just felt so wrong to see. 😂
I know what you mean! I think it’s because the gore in Ghibli films is so startling and visceral and not very cartoonish (even though it’s animated) if that makes sense
It's especially jarring if you grew up with his kid-friendly films like My Neighbor Totoro. I watched that one so much growing up, only to gasp as a teen when I saw arms and heads getting torn off in Princess Mononoke. (I love both films, now.)
Totoro is so cute if you overlook that the fantastical elements also represent at first a denial and then eventually an acceptance of the inevitability of growing up and growing older and dying.
Nothing is more cozy than WW2 and giant pigs vomiting blood 10/10 safe space. (I'm gonna guess those are people who only search for "aesthetic anime gif" and find the food scenes..?😆)
Miyazaki's movies are dark and real. They are about hardship and hope. They remind us no matter how bad things get if we stick together we can get trough. We need that message now more than ever. Hold on to each other.
Usually the beginning of these films have those "comfy aesthetic" which I understand wanting to hold on to and enjoy. But ignoring the rest of the movie just for that feels crazy to me because there is so much more to see and understand from these films
For me, Miyazaki movies are comforting because of the sense of community found in those stories, that often the characters had the strength in them all along to fight against the conflicts of the movie. Also Miyazaki is a beast at action sequences
I’ve seen accounts of people who found beauty in learning to clean or cook because of how Ghibli portrays those acts and I think that’s also beautiful. Heck, how many folks started art because of Ghibli?
Be inspired to do the hard work, not the a/i bullshit
reminds me of when someone asked an artist for The Secret of Kells how they would describe their style for a gen AI prompt and the artist was upset. the person said I'm inspired by your work aren't you happy? and the artist said they wanted them to be inspired to actually create their own art
ong I wanted to fight. we see time and again people are consuming media and not understanding a damn thing. like how do you watch a film about MAKING BEAUTIFUL AND MEANINGFUL ART and then ask one of the creators how to generate a rip off of the style
The least comforting movie I ever saw was Grave of the Fireflies. I will never watch it again. I cried my eyes out and I was in my 30s. It's a movie everyone should see once, only once.
It's actually worth noting that, at least in my opinion, MOST NORMAL COUNTRIES in fact DON'T romanticize the devastation of war but I can't easily put even one finger on a hand for "Tragic American War Movies"
We all need to remember, it’s a matter of understanding humans, not strength. Ying and Yang sounds great, it means seeing both sides. You have to look at evil to understand how good life is.
I heard Grave of the Fireflies described as, "The Greatest Movie I Never Want to See Again." I respect the movie, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to watch it myself.
Yea I've only seen that movie twice and even the second time I was in tears... can't really revisit that movie, more than the film's turning point...its the way the film portrays loss and the world's indifference afterwards... that was the really harrowing aspect for me....
Grave of the Fireflies is my "humanity test": if you watch it all the way through and you don't trigger an empathy response of some kind (sadness, anger, despair, etc.), you need to see a psychiatrist because there may be something serious going on in your upstairs.
Most people would have to be dead or in a coma to not feel this movie.
The opening scene sets the stage for what is to come and the whole time you know this can only end badly.
My husband and I were clutching each other and crying like babies long before it ended.
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I only really keep up with a few youtube series ep to ep
He also buys properties in Tokyo, leaves them vacant, and lets the weeds & plants just climb over it & tear it down.
They are *extremely* relieved. All’s well that ends well.
Which is insane because I watched Predator when I was 3 and Robocop when I was 7 but it was the cartoon with he blood in it that just left me shook. It just felt so wrong to see. 😂
Vs
“I wanna lay on da Totoro belly and eat da food”
Be inspired to do the hard work, not the a/i bullshit
If so, probably Totoro first. After Grave of the Fireflies most people just want to crawl under the bed and cry.
We forget too easily, it would seem…
It is a great movie that absolutely everyone should see - once. I do not wish for anyone to see it more often than that.
The opening scene sets the stage for what is to come and the whole time you know this can only end badly.
My husband and I were clutching each other and crying like babies long before it ended.