All the Greats Have to Start Somewhere

Oh hey internet!

Long time no see. How is everyone?

As a previously announced at the end of last year, this year’s movie watching challenge takes me across the sea to the mystical island nation of Japan and the Japanese version of the Disney Studio: Studio Ghibli.

Now, before I get started on this I feel like a few things need to be explained:

1. I like Japanese Anime. I am not an anime fanatic. For me, anime is just like any other animation medium: some of it is good and some of it is terrible. I am incredibly picky about the anime I will watch and I’m not a purist about the anime I watch – as in, I will watch it in English if possible because more often than not I’m too lazy to read my cartoons (there are, of course, exceptions). I don’t have Japan envy and I don’t think that everything produced by their animation industry is entertainment gold. I give this disclaimer because there is a severe stereotype out there when it comes to people who watch anime: that they’re crazy fanatics who will watch anything made in Japan without discrimination, they have major Japan-envy, and even if the opportunity doesn’t present itself they will talk about anime with anyone and everyone whether or not the other party is interested in hearing anything about it. I have met these people, I know they exist; I get along with some of them, most of them I get annoyed with almost instantly.

2. Hayo Miyazaki is an incredible animating genius, he is not God. I like Miyazaki’s work. I am always impressed with the beauty and obvious care taken in each of his movies. His production value is (almost) unmatched. However, I do not think everything he’s ever made is worth watching all the time. Sometimes I think his storylines genuinely suck and sometimes I think his themes get a little bit repetitive. Also, he is not the only director worth mentioning who has worked for Studio Ghibli. In fact, he is not the only director working for Studio Ghibli. I know, it’s shocking, but there are other directors making incredible movies in Japan and I will discuss them during this year’s animation rants.

Although I have to give kudos to Miyazaki for name recognition. Is there any average animation lover that can tell me the various directors that have worked at Disney/Pixar over the years? I mean, most people know the name of John Lasseter and maybe Brad Bird, but does anyone know who actually directed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? I know it may shock you but Disney did not direct most (if any) of the movies produced by his studio.

3. Japan has a culture that’s different from America’s culture. This may seem like a given but you’d be surprised how many people I talk to that don’t like Ghibli movies because they’re “too weird” or they “didn’t get it.” That’s cool, you aren’t obligated to like or get every movie that you see. It doesn’t mean you are a cultural bigot. However, I think that frequently this happens because people go into these movies with a Western frame of mind. They have no understanding of the cultural, political, religious, or mythological context that is portrayed or implied in a Ghibli movie. Sometimes a small amount of research is needed in order to comprehend and truly appreciate what’s going on in a foreign film. That is especially true of a Miyazaki film, you have to have some understanding Shinto beliefs, Japanese mythology, and the impact World War 2 had on Japan (both physically and metaphysically). Actually, I shouldn’t limit that to just Miyazaki, I’d say you’ll have a greater comprehension of anime in general if you take the time to learn a little bit about Japan. 

Now that I've got all those disclaimers out of the way let's get started!

Now then, Studio Ghibli's first film is technically Castle in the Sky. Although most people usually consider Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind to be Ghibli's first film even though the movie's release predates the founding of Studio Ghibli. 

 However, I decided to take a step even further back in Ghibli history and kicked this animation year off with Mr. Miyazaki's directorial debut: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. For those of you not familiar with this movie, allow me broaden your horizons. Lupin III was an anime show based on a manga series (or comic book if you're an American) that debuted in the 1970's. It follows the escapades of the gentleman thief Arsene Lupin III. They used to show it late at night on Adult Swim back in the day when Adult Swim mainly played anime and not a bunch of crazy who-knows-what's-happening-I'm-not-even-sure-if-this-can-be-categorized-as-animation. I have never been able to sit through an entire episode of Lupin III. It is silly, the characters are obnoxious and I'm never sure what's going on. 

In short, it is the polar opposite of anything you would ever expect Miyazaki to be associated with. I guess that just goes to show that all the greats have to start somewhere.

It has the faintest hints of the later Miyazaki movies we will all come to idol worship: It features a flying contraption (in this case a helicopter) and the vehicle designs are very Miyazaki-esque; they're all sleek lines and very curvy. The scenery is very pretty, but not in a quintessential Miyazaki way - it's just pretty.

This is perhaps the least feminist movie Miyazaki has ever produced. Which is probably another example of the fact that Miyazaki was doing this for a paycheck and not because he's really passionate about Lupin III.

The Castle of Cagliostro also features a samurai for some reason. He doesn't do much at all for the entire movie except sit around and at the end he cuts through a stone statue with his samurai sword and says "my blade can cut through anything." (Like people were actually questioning a samurai's sword's ability to cut things up.) He's probably in the movie because he's in the show but I could be wrong. As stated before, I could never sit through a whole episode. Maybe they felt like throwing a samurai in there for funsies. Or maybe it's because they thought the plot seemed too Western so they needed to remind people that this is a JAPANESE film dang it! If that's the case, wouldn't that be considered racist on their part? Or is it racist if they're doing it to themselves?

And that's all for this week!

Tune in next time for the exploits of Nausicaa and Sheeta!