[Manga Reviews, OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Hayao Miyazaki]
I'm not a prolific graphic novel reader, as the infrequency of the updates in this blog's manga category will testify. As one of the first manga series I read to completion though, the in-print version of Miyazaki's futuristic eco-fable left me stunned. Even after experiencing several other titles since, this series is in a league of its own: I'll leave out a detailed synopsis because I'll probably be reviewing the feature film soon anyway. Suffice to say it covers everything the anime did and more: what the anime explains, it explains further. What the anime shows, it shows the same but in more detail. Then it takes the whole story in an entirely new direction which is more unexpected, interesting and ambitious than the anime adaptation ever hoped to achieve. It's also a world apart from child-friendly, Spirited Away-esque adventure for those who are worried about that. When I say this manga is in a league of its own, I apply that to its artwork as much as its plot. The style made my jaw drop the first time I read it and even after reading others I can say it doesn't look like any other manga series at all. Miyazaki's perfectionism is well-known of course, but in the manga format he has 100% creative freedom: cut loose from the time constraints (both in terms of the story itself and its production) and budget, the old guy's imagination can only ever be truly free here. It took over twelve years to complete, albeit sporadically between film projects, and no wonder: even the famous names such as Ken Akamatsu have resorted to cutting corners artistically to save time but Nausicaa's manga incarnation is a pure labour of love. The detail is staggering and is also, I daresay, superior to his movies. Things like the aircraft and the awe-inspiring ohmu are especially lovingly rendered, but the line-shading approach that's used in every frame is unusual and looks very labour intensive too; the current editions in print also include maps, character sketches and fold-out pieces of watercolour. I suppose it's unsurprising that the manga is outstanding artistically since it's a Miyazaki piece. From a thematic and storyline point of view though, it even addresses the other issue I had with the movie. Being a victim of the notorious Unfinished Manga Syndrome, the anime had to wrap up what was at the time an incomplete story and in my own view had a bit of a weak ending (especially after Hideaki Anno's spectacular God Warrior scene). The manga takes this point in the story and continues it, expanding the worldview, following up what happens to existing characters and even introducing new ones. The Torumekians were war-mongering bullies on-screen but they are literally less than half the story here. Like the rival factions of Anatoray and Disith in Last Exile, they are locked in conflict with a collective of tribes known as the Doroks. The politics is much more complex and places the smaller players such as the Valley of the Wind as pawns in a bigger game instead of mere victims of their more powerful neighbours, along with the additional moral issues that arise. Individual characters, such as the pragmatic Kurotawa and the gutsy Kushana get more limelight and come across as more worthy of the reader's sympathy too; the girl who lends Nausicaa her robe to aid her escape (her name's Ketcha and she's a Dorok), Asbel of Pejite and even the God Warrior itself have more significant parts to play. Overall it rivals Tolkein and Le Guin in terms of creating, quite literally, a whole world in which the reader can immerse themselves. With the possible exceptions of Mononoke Hime and Porco Rosso Miyazaki is primarily a storyteller whose work appeals to the younger generation. In this case though, it's as dark and violent, if not more so, than the former and certainly more so than the latter. Cities are laid waste, people are slaughtered and nature really goes all-out in punishing humankind for its selfishness with little in the way of comedy to lighten the mood. If you feel put off by the prospect of a fluffy and feelgood Totoro-esque romp that earned the author his reputation, fear not: childlike innocence is trampled underfoot by a herd of rampaging ohmu and buried by a Sea of Corruption, leaving a wiser, if sadder, world in its wake.

God Warriors: worse than bear cavalry

Of course, there are still signs of light and peace but the underlying message of hope is complicated by a much more bittersweet and doubtful prognosis for us as a species. This is arguably Miyazaki's most 'grown-up' story to date in that he's less afraid to show the ugliness of humanity and nature alike - this manga is similar to its anime adaptation and Mononoke Hime, but is at the same time very different. As a fan of his movies who can nevertheless find fault with them in the intervening years, I see the Nausicaa manga as Miyazaki's true masterpiece in that it shows his talents at their most daring, brutally cynical and, ultimately, most pure. At seven respectably-sized volumes (compare Akira's six, which weigh in like telephone directories) it's not as much of a bank-breaker as you might expect, either, so there's not much of an excuse to see what Miyazaki is REALLY capable of as a storyteller.

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[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

My Neighbour Totoro

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, iyashikei]
It's something I usually find really, really, difficult. Sometimes though you have to leave all your cynicism, your preconceptions and all your hang-ups to one side to appreciate a movie. My Neighbour Totoro, possibly the most eloquent piece of innocent escapism I've ever seen, is a case in point. It's not exactly the title that you could use to convert unknowing members of the public to the idea that anime is mature, serious and not for kids - it is a children's film through and through. It also has a rose-tinted and childlike (but not childish) portrayal of magic and adventure in 'the good old days' of rural idyll that may or may not have ever existed: those old enough to recall the quaint countryside cottages, winding lanes and picturesque farms as they are shown here will have their memories influenced by personal emotions, so the truth may have been nothing like this at all.

A traditional country cottage The place that Satsuki and her sister Mei move to with their father when their mother is recuparating in hospital is probably a mixture of history books, picture postcards and Miyazaki's own childhood memories, delivered with flourish and a bit of artistic licence. The conflict and epic sweep that mark many of his other films before and since are scaled down to magical moments found literally in the characters' back yard; the hard-hitting ecological message of Nausicaa for instance becomes a mere statement of finding wonder in your surroundings. I admit that I expected this to be boring or saccharine next to the unflinching violence of Mononoke Hime or the high-flying adventure of Laputa; equally I wasn't sure how a giant, roaring creature named after a troll from Mei's picture book could be endearing.

The cute, fluffy and friendly Totoro...what's not to like? It's a very simple and straightforward film, which made me all the more surprised when I didn't feel bored once during the entire duration. The simplicity is carried over to the visual style, which combines Ghibli's trademark attention to detail with very pretty-yet-plain artwork that has aged well (it's almost two decades old already!). With only one or two moments sounding a little too familiar, Joe Hisaishi's musical score includes both orchestral melodies and more playful folk-inspired moments; it also knows when less is more. Every now and then the wind, rain and other background noises create a soundtrack of their own.

Satsuki and Mei visit their mother As it turns out, their mother's illness (autobiographical on the part of the director) is the only source of gloom or upset in this overwhelmingly uplifting tale. Nothing really bad or tragic happens at all, in fact. When you expect someone to get hurt, they don't. When you expect the hidden world of the forest to be frightening, it isn't: Totoro is cuddly and harmless, being the benign forest spirit that he is. This movie was originally intended to be a cinematic companion to Grave of the Fireflies, and considering the 100% tragic nature of that film it's easy to justify why Totoro needs to be so rose-tinted, almost but not quite, to the point of being naive. Sure, bad things happen, the film says. Leave those thoughts for another time, it continues. Because the world can be beautiful, exciting, fascinating, fun...and there's a bus in the shape of a cat heading towards you to take you home.

It's a catbus! Um, yeah. The catbus. It's pretty weird, actually. Like Totoro himself, it looks large and frightening at first but Satsuki and Mei are not afraid of it at all - it's a fascinating, furry and friendly addition to their adventure. How anyone could come up with the idea of a bus being part-cat, with twelve legs and mice for headlamps, I don't know. It just works. The idea of children being able to see things that adults can't isn't a new one in kids' fiction either - in addition, Mei's tumble into Totoro's den, not to mention the toothy grins of the Catbus and the Totoros themselves, owe a lot to Lewis Carroll as well. It's certainly imaginative but borrows much from traditional children's stories. Most importantly though, it allows the viewer to do what I was trying to explain at the beginning of this review. You can leave all your preconceptions and adult feelings to one side, and enjoy this for the simple and beautiful piece that it is.

Mei meets some new friends Summary My Neighbour Totoro, for all its awareness of the natural world, is not an eco-fable or brave struggle against good and evil; it's a beautiful and timeless portrait of the world through a child's eyes, and the lack of cynicism or affectation that goes with it. Yes, it's a kids' movie. It also feels like the innocence, the purity and wonderment of childhood crystallised into an hour and a half of pure magic. We adults can never return there but this movie lets us experience it again, albeit for a short while.

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[Editorials]

Hayao Miyazaki: out of ideas?

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, Rants]
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. :)

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[Specials]

Miyazaki’s Laputa: A Tale of Two Dubs

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Hayao Miyazaki]
Nine times out of ten I'm a subs-only guy. In rare cases (Cowboy Bebop for instance) I listen to the English language dub and Miyazaki's Laputa is one of them. There are however two different dubs for this film and since I have two copies I have both versions so thought I'd share my comparisons with you. The 1986 film was originally dubbed by Streamline Pictures in the 1980s but, for whatever reason, Disney redubbed it when it was distributed under their Buena Vista label. The Disney dub (which is what I'll refer to their version from here on in) is the one that's on the official region 1, 2 and 4 DVDs; the Streamline dub is on the region 2 Japanese DVD discs that are available on import. Confused? Ok, the Disney dub is on more or less every Western release and the old Streamline one on the Japanese import release only. Unless you have a bootleg (in which case, burn it NOW lest you not learn the error of your ways), there should be the original Japanese dub as well, with English subtitles. With all this out of the way, on with the review bit.

The script The Disney dub features a lot of background 'chatter', ad-libs and loosely translated dialogue. On the other hand the Streamline has a few bits of dialogue of its own that sound forced and out-of place. The naming of the crystal as 'etherium' is mentioned in the Disney version only so overall the Streamline dub is a little more convincing and sticks closer to the original script, as far as I can tell (my own Japanese is limited to literally a dozen phrases).

The Lead Characters This is where the Streamline dub wins hands-down. The VAs for Pazu and Sheeta in the Disney version aren't badly acted, they just sound too old. The characters are intended to be in their early teens: the Streamline dub portrays them as being much younger than their Disney counterparts and crucially closer to the original Japanese VAs. In both dubs the quality of the acting isn't too bad at all though. Supporting Characters Disney wins by a nose on this one. The pirates in the Streamline version sound a bit 'goofy' and the old guy in the mines is a little hammed up. In addition the VA for Dola in the Disney version sounds a little more convincing and Mark Hamill (yes, the Mark Hamill!) plays Muska to perfection. Although such things are subjective, the Disney dub's supporting VAs sound a little more professional and polished.

Other factors The Western DVD editions all have dubtitles which means there's no real way of avoiding the mistranslations and moments of Japanese text/English dialogue that don't match up. In terms of sound quality the Disney sounds better but purists will favour the original score of the Japanese audio track. UK folks should note that while the Japanese discs are region 2, they use the NTSC format instead of PAL. You won't notice the difference but your TV might!

Conclusions I watched the Streamline dubbed version on TV years ago and it was this that I remember (it was also my first ever anime, but that is another story). I even went to the trouble of importing a Japanese DVD to hear the film as I remembered it, just to recapture the fond memories and see if my view of the older dub was as rose-tinted as I'd feared. Overall I do prefer the older Streamline version but there are one or two aspects of the Disney dub that prevent me from getting rid of that edition entirely. Unfortunately the dubtitles irritate the hell out of me so my pricier import version will be getting more play in future. Extra Notes The newer version with the Disney dub as the English language track is, in the UK at least, now distributed by Optimum Entertainment instead of Buena Vista. I could give links but I've taken up enough space already. It is also important to note that, regardless of my criticisms of Disney's handling of their distribution of Miyazaki's films, any change they make has been officially approved by Studio Ghibli themselves before it is out in the cinema or on DVD.

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