Manga/Anime Review: Artist Recommendation: Hayao Miyazaki

Artist Recommendation: Hayao Miyazaki
Director, Artist, etc

I have always loved Miyazaki's films.

It is amazing that I encountered each of his works individually and loved them beyond words before realizing that it was one artist behind all of them.

My favourite movie ever is called Kiki's Delivery Service, and though it's very childish to admit that now, I can't help but love it. I watched it during one of those long lazy summers when I was still in elementary school, and haven't watched anything since that made me feel even close to what I felt then.

It was more than inspiration and hope - it was almost magical. Every time I think about the movie, I think about how it would feel to just fly above a beautiful coast city and enjoy the wind blowing by. What would life be like in a world where you could live each day as it comes, with no expectations or worries or fear of letting life escape through your hands in carelessness?

Then came movies like Castle in the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro. Could anyone watch them and not love them inexplicably? Watching each moment of the movie became feeling each of those moments, and I simply didn't want them to end.

I remember the day I watched Spirited Away. I wasn't even aware of the man named Hayao Miyazaki at that point. In fact, I was a bit miffed that Spirited Away won the Academy Award as opposed to Spirit (the movie about the horse), and didn't hold it in high regard.
It was after the movie ended that I realized I had been holding my breath for the last few moments, hoping to make the "magic" last just a little bit longer. The music, the scenery, the art, the characters - everything was just so perfect. I turned from a skeptic into an advocate.

I couldn't believe it when I found out that Miyazaki was going to make one of the most enchanting fantasy books - Howl's Moving Castle, into a movie. I nearly died of happiness.

I suddenly had countless screensavers saved on my laptop from the movie and my ipod was filled with every song from Howl's Moving Castle. Sophie and Howl became common names to me, and I looked forward to every update by Studio Ghibli.

Since then, I have watched every movie made by Hayao Miyazaki, and have been touched every time. I don't know how he does it, but the fact that I'm not the only person who's been influenced by his works is a testament of his ability to create beautiful masterpieces.

Here's a list of his works.

~~~

Director, screenplay, and storyboards

Yuki's Sun 1972 (Pilot film for a never-realized anime series)
Future Boy Conan, 1978 anime series
The Castle of Cagliostro, 1979 film
Sherlock Hound, 1982 anime series
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1984 film
Laputa: Castle in the Sky, 1986 film
My Neighbor Totoro, 1988 film
Kiki's Delivery Service, 1989 film
Porco Rosso, 1992 film
Princess Mononoke, 1997 film
Spirited Away, 2001 film (winner, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, 2002)
Howl's Moving Castle, 2004 (nominee, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, 2005)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, 2008 film

Shorts

On Your Mark, 1995 music video for Chage and Aska
The Whale Hunt, 2001 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Koro's Big Day Out, 2001 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Mei and the Kittenbus, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Imaginary Flying Machines, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)
Ornithopter Story: Fly! Hiyodori Tengu Go!, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)
Monmon the Water Spider, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
House-hunting, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
The Day I Harvested A Star, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Film Guruguru, ? (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)[26]

Scene design, layout

Heidi, Girl of the Alps, 1974 anime series
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, 1976 anime series
Anne of Green Gables, Episodes 1-15, 1979 anime series
Concept, screenplay, storyboards, scene design, key animation

Panda! Go, Panda!, 1972 short film

Screenplay, storyboards, scene design, art design, key animation

Panda! Go Panda! and the Rainy-Day Circus (パンダコパンダ 雨降りサーカスの巻, Panda Kopanda: Amefuri Sākasu no Maki?), 1973 short film

Screenwriter, storyboards, executive producer, sequence director

Whisper of the Heart, 1995 film

Story consultant, key animation, storyboards, scene design

Animal Treasure Island (どうぶつ宝島, Dōbutsu Takarajima?), 1971

Key animation, storyboards, scene design

Hols: Prince of the Sun, 1968 film

Organizer, key animation, storyboards

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと４０匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjūbiki no Tozuku?), 1971

Key animation, storyboards, design

Puss 'n Boots, 1969 film
Flying Phantom Ship, 1969 film

~~~

Even after everything, my favourite is still Kiki's Delivery Service. It brings back memories of ripe blackberries, geese eggs, and a bright green summer.

I wish I can recapture that feeling I had when I watched it for the first time, though I am unsure...
if it's anticipated or half-remembered.