[Categories: Editorials]
Hayao Miyazaki: out of ideas?
Okay, the ‘Bokurano on trial’ article I promised you will be online in a day or two. This post though is the result of a very interesting discussion over at Cruel Angel Theses, which mainly concerned itself with Dennou Coil. I haven’t seen that show unfortunately but it got me thinking - is the output of Hayao Miyazaki really as good as the general concensus makes it out to be or is he just retreading familiar territory?
I have a sentimental attachment
The reviews I’ve written for his movies on the main site are, for the most part, wide-eyed fanboy raves. In my defence, many were written a fair while ago before my experience with anime really took off - I’d also like to note that I still haven’t seen My Neighbour Totoro. I’m sure I will soon, mind. The bottom line is, Laputa was my first anime experience…and yet, should I claim certain stuff to be good purely because I hadn’t seen anything else at the time to compare? I’ll put that question to those of you who got into anime through Pokemon and Dragonball Z…
His films still look beautiful…right?
From a technical point of view, Miyazaki exhibits an attention to detail that has left critics and audiences impressed for years, and he still tries to make a movie that stands up to rivals that fall back on CGI instead of good ol’ fashioned pen and ink. This is merely personal taste though. I prefer the mid to late 90s character designs and artwork, but I don’t have a beef with bringing the digital techniques in if it’s appropriate - it’s a means to an end since it doesn’t matter to many if you use CG or not as long as the end result is satisfactory.
Miyazaki is important
I get the feeling that people are afraid to criticise him because he’s nigh-on the only anime director who has broken into Western cinema - in a culture where the general public really do view anime as all Pokemon and Dragonball Z should we anime fans be putting down our biggest ambassador? On the other hand, I’ve seen people take the opposite view: dismissing his films BECAUSE of their popularity, not in spite of it. Ignore them, they’re idiots. Saying that he’s the only anime director to win an Oscar doesn’t say much to me either - if Satoshi Kon can get beaten by a dancing penguin, we should take those little gold statues with a pinch of salt.
What’s the alternative?
I don’t think we do have to rely on Miyazaki as our ‘anime ambassador’. Kon’s Paprika has made it onto the indie film circuit, Oscar disappointment notwithstanding. Makoto Shinkai has produced movies that look like a Haruki Murakami novel splashed onto a film cel. Hideaki Anno has made no less than three forays into live-action film. Plus there’s the fact that Miyazaki isn’t the be-all and end-all of Studio Ghibli either: Hiroyuki Morita made a superb debut effort with The Cat Returns, which is a sort-of sequel to Whisper of the Heart, directed by Yoshifumi Kondo; then there’s the other half of the ‘old guard’, Isao Takahata. Only Yesterday and Grave of the Fireflies are not just rivals to the tenderness and emotional power of Miyazaki: in places they are superior. The cold truth is, Takahata is less well-known.
What I mean to say is…
All this waffle is the lead-up to my main question: is Hayao Miyazaki working off the reputation of his previous work and presenting us with the same old themes and ideas he’s been using for years? Mononoke Hime for instance draws many comparisons with Nausicaa: both are superb films but there are still a lot of concepts that are recycled or at least reiterated. After Mononoke, my interest has waned a little. Artistically, Spirited Away is a marvel; yet it never grabbed my attention in the same way that his earlier work did. I imported a Japanese DVD of Laputa just to get the older dub and more accurate subtitles that the UK edition lacked; in contrast I still haven’t bought the DVD of Howl’s Moving Castle even after seeing it in the cinema. Mononoke Hime took Miyazaki in a full circle: a circle that contains everything I feel he has to say. In that sense, his CV was complete right there and then in 1997.
What’s wrong with his new stuff?
Spirited… and Howl’s… are films I’d recommend as great entertainment that will enthrall young and old and lead more people into a medium in the same way that it did with me. Beyond that though, there’s not much else. Mononoke Hime has samurais’ heads and arms being lopped off; Nausicaa features giant insects on the rampage in a chillingly plausible future world; Porco Rosso makes a middle aged man with a pig’s head its star. These older movies aren’t just family entertainment, they address so many more issues and push the boundaries as well.
In closing
I’ve gone on for too long. I’ll be interested to see where the rest of the blogsphere stands in this, which is hopefully not with a flamethrower aimed in my direction! I’m still a Miyazaki fan: just because his latest movie didn’t do much for me, it doesn’t mean I don’t treasure his efforts from the 80s and 90s. With a fresh crop of promising directors making waves, maybe we shouldn’t be afraid to criticise one man who may have exhausted his creative reserves. Besides, he’s a modest guy so ‘fanboy raves’ might embarrass him anyway.
Thanks again Owen. Keep up the good work. 
Posted on June 17th, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Much like Salman Rushdie, I’m thrilled and humbled indeed. It’s an honour. Thanks for the mention. (:
Since you brought up Makoto Shinkai, of whom I considerably revere, I thought I’d put in my two cents about him: I haven’t seen 3cm per minute yet, but from what I’ve heard it apparently tackles the same themes in Beyond the Clouds and Voices of a Distant Star? I thought Beyond was pretty much like Voices in the sense that we’ve got the two lovers apart pining for each other again, only that Beyond was a full-fledged movie, whereas Voices was a short film thing. But man, can he pile on the graphics.
Posted on June 17th, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
@Owen: Yep, you got me on this train of thought! Shinkai seems to be sticking to similar themes too, although he’s only onto his third feature-length production. Of course, film makers’ successive works will always have some pervading similarities but it’s always good to see them branch out and try something different. I’ve only seen the first part of 3cm but it too seems like the same idea (namely romance separated by time and distance) but as you said, he knows how to deliver with the visuals! Whether or not this alone can carry the feature as a whole? We’ll have to wait and see.
I just thought it would be interesting to question something like Miyazaki’s legacy and his relevance in the current state of the industry!
Posted on June 17th, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
Miyazaki did retreat to familiar territory with his more recent works, but I don’t have a problem with that. Each director has his/her own defining style — or “trademark”, and Miyazaki has simply chosen to follow some previously used themes for his newer works. I don’t feel that reusing past themes takes away from my enjoyment of his films.
Posted on June 17th, 2007 @ 10:56 pm
The thing with Miyazaki is that people hate to be told they MUST love his work. The immediate reaction is to run in the other direction.
I can’t say his work has profoundly affected me, and yet, when I sit down to watch the likes of Nausicaa or Mononoke, I’m utterly captured by the moment. His work is truly animated imagination, it feels like stepping into a dream; this is especially the case with Spirited Away. It’s not so much the characters or the drama as much as that sense of awe inspiring imagination. Such is the effort placed in his drawing, it feels like watching something that is living and breathing.
And ConcreteBadger, you need to see My Neighbour Totoro. Arguably his most emotional and realistic work where the finer touches of fantasy are absolutely magical.
Posted on June 20th, 2007 @ 12:52 am
Nausicaa is one of my favourite animated films ever…not seen My Neighbour Totoro yet (although its my b’day tomorrow, I’m hoping for it!) I have to say I prefered Spirited Away to Princess Mononoke - feels like some kind of sacrelige, even to me…
Is it possible we just feel nostalgic about the older films?
On the other hand it’s a familiar cycle, where we place high expectations on old pros - maybe he has had his best days…or perhaps the best is yet to come?
Posted on June 20th, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
Thanks for the responses, guys! I think there’s a lot of truth in the ‘nostalgia’ feeling you get with his movies…in fact his whole ethos feels like it’s based around bringing that rose-tinted view of childhood to life. In a way, his films remind me of a more innocent era so maybe the world has moved on and become more cynical while Miyazaki has continued to tell stories in the same way. On one hand it looks like he’s out of touch but at the same time there’s still a place for such imagination and innocence.
I think returning to old ideas is enough for a good movie if those ideas still resonate with the audience - I titled the post as a question because I don’t proclaim to know the answer! Every Miyazaki film I’ve seen has been at least enjoyable but those that add something extra to the mix tend to be more rewarding. That’s a matter of personal taste really!
Posted on June 22nd, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Miyazaki’s been recycling themes for years - what’s wrong with that? Every director has their own ideals and causes and signature elements. He’s a movie maker, and he’s at the point in the career where he can make whatever he wants, even after he says he’s retired.