Week six
May 13th through the 19th
"The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos."
Hayao Miyazaki’s films have been a favorite of mine since I was a young child. I can remember my mother taking me to the library and telling me I could pick one movie to check out for the week. Every single time My Neighbor Totoro was available, that's the one I wanted to take home. I can’t say for sure why I was so captivated by this movie as a kid, but as an adult, I adore the fantastical characters and story, admire the artistic visuals, and resonate strongly with the profound emotions.
These are all aspects of Ghibli movies that Miyazaki is known for and one of the many reasons I admire him so deeply.
I think the biggest reason I respect his work is because he often tells stories with strong, independent female characters. Women who will fight tooth and nail for what they believe in. Women who don’t need a savior but cherish their friends and support systems. These types of characters are so rare in films and even novels, making his characters refreshing and relatable. Miyazaki says he likes to create female characters because he does not want his films to reflect only his own experiences.
"Many of my movies have strong female leads- brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man."
Another reason I admire Miyazaki’s work is because of the storytelling and recurring themes in Ghibli films. He touches on environmentalism in his work a lot. He explores humankind’s relation with nature, including the propensity to destroy the environment and the conflict between human progress and nature in several movies.
"Humans have both the urge to create and destroy."
Miyazaki creates more than just beautiful art. He tells profound stories with deep emotions and well-developed, relatable characters. I admire his work and strive to create art that is as fervent as his.
