Hayao Miyazaki, beyond the Ghibli World - His Magic of Philosophy

As I try to be more active with my blog, you will get more good articles now and then. My blog is almost dead, with 50000 views and an engaging tariff. So, it will be a vain effort to build it back. By the way, there is no loss in the process, because if it is not revived, we can get some good articles on the line. In this blog post, I will bring forth the magic of Hayao Miyazaki that got forgotten behind the craze of AI-generated Ghibli photos. It is high time to celebrate his creations. So, without delay, let us get to the point -

Studio Ghibli movies celebrate the natural world using a Japanese mixture of Shinto, Buddhist, and Daoist themes. Hayao Miyazaki’s movies celebrate the natural world in a subtle, organic, and profound way. Studio Ghibli's movies reflect the fusion of religious practices in Japan—a combination of Shinto, Buddhism, and Daoism. Watching a Miyazaki movie can move us and jolt us from our current path. They feel right, and so they reveal how things elsewhere are wrong. The odds are that most people are reading this on a phone or tablet. With shoulders hunched and eyes straining toward tiny blue-light displays, we cocoon ourselves in small indoor spaces, alienated from much of the natural world. But what we see on screens doesn’t have to alienate us. In the hands of a genius, the images we see can help us transcend the mundane and transform our relationship with the world. One example is the artist behind Studio Ghibli: Hayao Miyazaki.

The Message of Miyazaki

Miyazaki is the animator, director, author, and screenwriter who co-founded Studio Ghibli. This is Japan’s most renowned animation studio that has produced international hits like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The beauty and wonder of the natural world is a recurring theme in Studio Ghibli films. But Miyazaki does not like to be called an environmentalist. His movies are not hamfisted, nor are they simply pretty packages that carry crafted messages about the world. Instead, Miyazaki’s films are organic and subtle, as alive as the worlds they depict. 

Watching Studio Ghibli's work can feel as if the germ of an idea has taken root, swelling inside of us in a way that’s hard to describe. The films do not scream, “Do this to save the planet” or, “The end times are here!”. Instead, they offer a breath of wind, or a reaching branch, that nudges and nods to an appreciation of the natural world around us. 

In Studio Ghibli, beauty is found through curiosity. Miyazaki’s characters lose themselves in the exploration, examination, and appreciation of the world around them. They possess inquisitiveness and openness. It appears to the world that strikes us as nostalgic, somehow, simply in how it echoes our own, often lost, childhood curiosity. The inquisitiveness of Miyazaki’s characters enables them to reveal a deep and enormous power — a power that spirits them up and away. We, as the viewers, are pulled into the quiet and protective canopy of a forest (as in Princess Mononoke), or invited to enjoy the simple and restorative calm of a favorite tree (as in Our Neighbor Totoro). Nature is revered, but it’s not exponentially exposed. It is called being eco-friendly without being eco-fanatical.

The Magic of Ghibli

Shinto, Buddhist, and Daoist themes shine through many of Miyazaki’s films.

• Shinto is an animistic religion, which means to believes the natural world is inhabited by spirits. These spirits are called kami. They are believed to be found in rocks, birds, trees, rivers, fish, etc. In traditional Shinto mythology, reference is made to the “800 myriads of kami,” which means there’s an infinity to be found. Throughout Shinto history, and even now, new kami are discovered and worshipped. And Miyazaki uses Shinto imagery effectively. For example, by the end of Spirited Away, the main character Chihiro looks out over a vast green field holding hands with the river spirit that helped her along the way. In Princess Mononoke, we meet a forest deity who, at night, becomes a huge titan of a creature and makes lakes where he treads. By day, however, the same spirit becomes a slight and graceful deer. Strength becomes grace. 

• This element of night and day, light and dark, and strength and grace is a theme common in Daoism (especially the yin and yang). But Daoism, as well as most ideologies that spread across Japan, morphed into something with a very Japanese twist. Japan has always been a unique amalgamation of different beliefs and religious traditions. Shinto does not have any definitive or exclusive Shinto holy books. Instead, it is tied to traditional rituals and belief systems. As such, its teachings have made their way into a lot of Japanese culture, while also flavoring Buddhism and Daoism.

• This Buddhist-Shinto-Daoist potion is brought together by a concern about our lost connection with the natural order of things. It makes us question - how so much of the modern world yanks us away from the path(Dao), we ought to be on. The world we live in is one of thorns, hurdles, distractions, false friends, and alluring dead ends. And Studio Ghibli celebrates these themes.

Coming Home

The 'Coming Home' theme is the magic behind the philosophy of Hayao Miyazaki. He is a genius because he pulls us into a world that feels right again. It’s not only the way his characters are written, but also the whimsical and joyful aesthetic of his anime. No doubt, Studio Ghibli films are not for everyone. Some will find his narrative to be saccharine; his “cottageware aesthetic” too twee or garish. But, in many ways, that’s the point. It’s an exaggerated rural idyll, one designed to illuminate just how different our relationship with nature could be. Watching Miyazaki’s films feels like returning home. By the end, we return to our everyday worlds with a fresh perspective that recognizes not only the tedium and trouble but also the possibilities.

Studio Ghibli And Pacifism

Anti-war themes in Studio Ghibli are not as prominent as their environmentalism, but they are still there. They are notable in Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, The Wind Rises, Howl's Moving Castle, and Grave of the Fireflies. Part of the message is shown through how humans are never portrayed as pure evil. Evil is an idea that promotes war and other individuals and groups of people. So, it is understandable why Studio Ghibli avoids portraying such one-dimensional characters.

Since World War 2, Japanese popular culture has been predominantly anti-war, and these feelings have been put into anime and manga. Miyazaki himself was three years old when Tokyo was firebombed, and his father was the director of a company that made airplanes and even made parts for the Zero Fighter, a fighter aircraft used in World War II. So the co-founder of Studio Ghibli was not exactly far away from the effects of war in his early life. When Miyazaki came to Hollywood to get an Oscar for Spirited Away, he made it public that he loathed the USA's decision to invade Iraq. With such sentiments, it is no wonder Studio Ghibli movies explore coexistence between variables that often fight against each other. Howl's Moving Castle was partly inspired by Miyazaki's distaste for the USA's war with Iraq, and he believed American audiences would not like the movie because of that fact. Howl's Moving Castle showed how war was less about being fueled by justice, and more about how it is fueled by powerful people with selfish agendas.

Why So Many Studio Ghibli Movies Are Still Relevant Today

Founded in 1985, Studio Ghibli has released 21 movies in its 36-year lifespan, each with vastly praised stories, characters, settings, and animation. Their films are diverse, ranging from sober stories of World War 2 like Grave of the Fireflies to fantastical stories with magical beings such as Spirited Away. The studio is far different from Disney, and, arguably, tells stories that are even more relevant to the real world. Likely, Studio Ghibli movies will always be relevant due to the themes they all tackle, such as the dire consequences of war and the importance of environmentalism.

Co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, is critical of modern technology, capitalism, and globalization, and his works show this. The magic of most of the films is in the natural, the community rather than the self, and in household labor that is usually treated as unskilled/unpaid in a capitalist society. Today, these ideas are more applicable than ever, with viewers being ever more critical of the modern issues reflected in these films.

The Reason for Relevancy

War and environmentalism are huge topics. And these are layered with other big themes such as feminism, love, and family. Today, these topics are still important. And they will stay relevant as conversations about the self, conflict, and the environment continue. All around the world, war and conflict take out innocent souls continuously as we speak. In such uncertain times, Studio Ghibli movies seem to understand the world now more than ever. The movies were not ahead of their time, but rather just in time, showing current generations the dream of coexistence. The heroes are mostly women, showing how the world may benefit more from a feminine, nurturing touch rather than the glorified masculine approach that has been prominent for thousands of years. It may partly be from growing up with such films that the younger generations are pushing hard for change in society and dreaming of a gentler, greener world.

Although not every praise is due in this blog post, I tried to lavish the most that I could. With the high amount of Ghibli photos surrounding social media, I fear the loss of respect for his works. Many who are using Chat GPT to generate Ghibli images may not even know who Hayao Miyazaki is! So, it is my little tribute to him. I hope the surge will shed light on his creative power.

Next time, I will discuss one of his movies that I hold dear to my heart. So, till then, bye. And thank you for reading my words.