Pop Japan

Coming-of-age stories are those literature pieces or films which portray the journey of the young protagonist into adulthood. And the Hayao Miyazaki of Japan’s Studio Ghibli seemed to have already mastered this kind of storytelling.

But basing on the theme of the animation studio’s latest films, is there a possibility that the Studio Ghibli child is now finally in the early stages of maturity?

Studio Ghibli’s inner child

Mei from My Neighbor Totoro. Photo from the official website of Ghibli Museum.

For the longest time, Studio Ghibli films revolve around the magical world of a child, as represented in films like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Ponyo. Another interesting feature of the Ghibli brand is the portrayal of a child’s reaction in a given situation, most especially when introduced to adult issues.

Grave of the Fireflies is one of the earliest and best interpretations of how devastating a war is, in the eyes of a child. In the film, the protagonist, a boy named Seita, and his younger sister, Setsuko, showed the world how a child could preserve the smile on his or her face, while still maintaining faith in humanity, amidst the cruelties of World War II.

The official Disney poster of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Photo from http://pcpl21.org/

The fight between nature and man was exemplified in three more popular films: the very first Miyazaki release, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, the 1997 epic movie, Princess Mononoke, and the racoon-story of Pom Poko.

All these three movies featured the enchanted realms of nature and how they are saved by the stone-bound principles of the brave young protagonists.

The Child’s Journey to Adulthood

Kiki, contemplating about life on this fan art from Studio Ghibli Pinterest.

At some point in the Studio Ghibli timeline, this child couldn’t help but grow, thus going through coming-of-age moments, while still being completely magical.

In Kiki’s Delivery Service, Miyazaki related the young witch’s inability to use her broomstick to a painter’s creative block. The movie emphasized that this is a normal phenomenon among crafts people and this too, shall soon pass.

A fan art of Whisper of the Heart, with the lyrics of the theme song Country Roads. Photo from Studio Ghibli Pinterest.

Whisper of the Heart, released in 1995, told the story of how a young girl found her passion for writing and how she grew up by surpassing the gruelling realities of a very first novel draft.

Finally maturing?

But it seems like in the past few years, this child has now reached the end of the adolescent period, and is now arriving to real adulthood.

A fan art of The Wind Rises. Photo from user mmmaoh of Deviant Art.

In the 2013 Academy nominated film, The Wind Rises, the characters, though are relatively young, are now pursuing what we can call a career. Protagonist Jiro initially wanted to become a pilot but because of his being near-sighted, pursues aircraft designing instead.

Studio Ghibli’s signature magic was retained in the movie’s love story, which was given a different kind of challenge. Naoko, Jiro’s love interest, has incurable tuberculosis, and this situation was accepted open-heartedly by the couple, making it a very mature reaction to the problem.

A fan art of The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Photo from Studio Ghibli Pinterest.

Later in 2013, Ghibli also released the enchanted Tale of Princess Kaguya, but the movie dealt with the theme of womanhood and forgetting the past.

After a year, the animated adaptation of Joan Robinson’s novel, When Marnie was There, was released. The film definitely has the traces of Ghibli magic but the major theme of the movie revolves around abuse and depression.

The great Hayao Miyazaki.

Two years ago, during the 50th anniversary celebration of Japanese children’s literature writer, Rieko Nakagawa, Miyazaki said that the idea that children simply mature after an adventure, was a big lie. A lot of anime enthusiasts reacted to this, saying that it was like Miyazaki just told the world that magic really was a work of fiction.

But maybe, all Miyazaki wanted to say is that maturity takes time to materialize. Thus, after all these years, there is really the possibility that the Studio Ghibli child might now be growing up.

Celebrating adulthood. A fan art by Yunbymunch.

Banner image from Studio Ghibli Pinterest.