Spirited Away needs no introduction. A hand-drawn animation masterpiece, the film broke so many records, shattered so many glass ceilings for animation as a category, and, to this day, remains a personal favorite and sets the bar for new-age animated films. But 30 years before Studio Ghibli left a permanent…
Tag: Hayao Miyazaki
Opinion
Evolution of beauty standards in global animation and characters that don’t fit
From a very popular anime series, I remember an unpopular quote about beauty. “Maybe it has a different kind of value just because it’s pretty.” – Episode – Money Style Jutsu, Naruto. For whatever role physical beauty plays in attraction, sexuality, and society, it is interesting to note that such…
Reading between lines
The timeless relevance of Genzaburo Yoshino’s How Do You Live
Hayao Miyazaki’s current final film, How Do You Live, was released theatrically in Japan on July 14, 2023. The film is inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 coming-of-age classic of the same name and is also one of Miyazaki’s favorite books. How Do You Live is written for adolescent boys, and…
Reading between frames
Spirited Away Simplified in 15 Q&As
Spirited Away needs no introduction. Released in 2001, this film continues to be an absolute favorite amongst its fanbase. To date, the movie inspires and intrigues. In this article, I have collected some commonly asked questions about the movie, analyzed them, referenced from a few books, and answered them. There…