Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films have always struck a bitter-sweet, nostalgic chord in many a childish heart. He’s caused a stir several times before with talks of retirement, but at 72 and with failing eyesight, he’s finally hung his hat.
But not before he goes out with a subtle yet resounding bang.
The Wind Rises (Kaze Taichinu) is currently a box-office smash in Japan with ticket sales of $120 million. It will play in New York and Los Angeles starting today for one week – the minimum release time making it eligible for the Academy Awards. The fact that this film is entering the Oscar race shouldn’t surprise anyone, as Spirited Away (2002) had won a statuette for best animated film.
What differentiates this art film from Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, etc., is its nuance and more mature content. It’s not the first time Studio Ghibli has undertaken grim projects — Grave of the Fireflies was a tragic story about the struggle of two Japanese post-war orphans; Princess Mononoke also had numerous decapitating scenes. It is a fictional biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, the aeronautical engineer who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, a devastating killing machine in WWII.
This brings us to the “controversy” the film faces as Disney (Studio Ghibli’s American distributor of 16 years) inches it into the Oscar race. Despite its strong antimilitary message, already people are using it to aid their agendas. According to Geoffrey Wexler, Studio Ghibli’s international chief, the film has been “denounced in South Korea as a celebration of Japan’s wartime aggression,” and it has been “criticized as unpatriotic by some conservatives in Japan, where prime minister, wary of China’s rise, has pushed for a constitutional revision that would allow for a more muscular military.” It seems we still live in a time where almost every significant work of art is politicized and deconstructed beyond recognition.
There are also complaints about the historically accurate image of the characters smoking cigarettes. Even though the film is aimed at adults, it’s understandable that people’s feathers would be ruffled because of its potential impression on young viewers.
I’m not sure what we should really worry about. As far any moviegoer is concerned, the film shouldn’t be judged before it’s viewed, if only to honor Miyazaki’s ambitious last work. As for the Academy Awards – whose voters, according to Los Angeles Times, are predominantly white and male (the median age of which is 62) – the chances are shaky. Don Levy, a former awards strategist (not surprised we have those) for Sony Pictures and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thinks that “to a certain extent, controversy sparks interest and curiosity.” He also states that he trusts voters, who can “love or hate or have feelings toward a subject and still evaluate its artistic merit.”
The film is at its core a sad love story, and after watching it, people should see it as such. Personally, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. (Not watching it with dubs though, never.)
Sources:
Barnes, Brookes. “Swan Song Too Hawkish for Some.” The New York Times. The New York times Company, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Horn, John. “Oscar Voters Overwhelmingly White, Male.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.
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I actually do not have too much exposure to Miyazaki films since the only ones I’ve seen are Howl’s Moving Castle and The Secret World of Arrietty. However, I can absolutely say for sure that his movies feature top-notch animation that features a simplicity that I think can be considered as traditional, yet elegant. Aside from the aesthetically pleasing qualities, Miyazaki’s films also have deep themes and meanings. Because of this, I also find it appalling that people have begun to attack his newest film just because it features imperialist Japan and war, thinking that the movie celebrates the country’s military past.
However, I agree with the statement that controversy does tend to spark curiosity and attention. Perhaps this premature misconception about the movie will help give it exposure to more audiences. Maybe then will they all really see and value Miyazaki’s artistry and meaningful storytelling.
Especially because Miyazaki’s retiring with The Wind Rises, it’s disheartening to learn that his work is being criticized for it’s political standing when, as you said, it’s a sad love story as its core. In a story set in the 1920’s, there will be a degree of political opinion in the film that other may or may not be agreed with. As mentioned in this article: http://japandailypress.com/nationalist-netizens-criticize-hayao-miyazakis-political-statements-2432825/, nationalists attacked the film after an “anti-Japanese” statement from Miyazaki. But certainly, controversy sparks interest and curiosity, as you mentioned, because the amount of negative attention towards the film has made The Wind Rises number one in the box office.
I am a big Miyazaki fan. I’ve watched almost all of his films and enjoyed them very much. To me, the criticisms for this film don’t mean a lot. While I haven’t seen this new film, I’m sure the love story is the primary goal of this movie. Graves of the Fireflies also takes place around a wartime period. However, looking beyond that, it is the immensely powerful and heart-breaking bond between the brother and his younger sister that is the main subject of the story. Miyazaki always has a knack for depicting great emotions so I definitely will be watching his final masterpiece.
Actually “Grave of the Fireflies” was written and directed by Isao Takahata. The film was animated by Studio Ghibli, though.
When I first watched Miyazaki’s film as a child, I was afraid. I have seen Howl’s Moving Castle multiple times with various dubs as a child. Every time I saw the spirits in the movie I was frightened by them. I didn’t understand the plot either. Even with this experience as a child, I watched Howl’s Moving Castle again with subtitles and this time I understood the concepts. I’m enjoyed it much more and I’m glad my parents exposed me to Miyazaki’s films.
I haven’t watched his other films with the perception of an adult, but I should. Hearing about his retirement is disheartening because his films are excellent. The trailer you showed me of his last film has got me excited to watch it! I honestly don’t care about what critics say because I’m positive Miyazaki has a large fan base. The audience’s approval will always beat critics’ approval because the audience is the larger market. I can tell from the trailer this film will be attacked by many critics, but I plan to watch it and I doubt their comments will affect me.
I commend Miyazaki for being so ambitious on his last film and I hope that the film does well in the US. His films have been a staple of my childhood and I will miss watching new animations. Though it is hard to comment on its reception without seeing the film, it is important to take culture into context. Much of Asia is still plagued by after effects of many of the issues touched upon in the film, (especially Korea,) so it I can understand why its was received so negatively in some places. Thus I agree that the film should be taken as a love story, as Miyazaki intended and it shouldn’t be dissected down to a history lesson.
As someone who is relatively unexposed to this style of film, but can still appreciate the work put into it, I hope that Oscar voters can as well. Typically, I think viewers can get too distracted when a medium portrays an event (especially, a historical event) in an unusual light. The friction between what we previously believe and what we see happening in media can cause a polarizing view. If the disconnect is truly so great that’s where a lot of the criticism comes from. I also think that there’s no harm in producing historically accurate films to a younger generation. As adults, we can understand every reference and notice the subtly to the art film. While children might acknowledge the pilot’s smoking and the surface of the film’s plot, I don’t think that the deeper themes will resonate as much. That’s why rereading a book you had read as a child reveals more than it had the first time.
Having watched Miyazaki’s film since I was a little girl, I am a huge fan of his work. I believe his films are artfully made with deep, meaningful messages. For me, it is disheartening to see such a visionary retire; however, it is even more disheartening to see his last work criticized so harshly. Although I have not seen The Wind Rises, I can imagine what the movie is like based on his previous works. I would imagine that this film, much like his other ones, goes beyond the idea of war and violence. People should stop focusing solely on that aspect and realize that at heart, it is a beautiful but sad love story. Since Miyazaki has such a large fan base, I believe The Wind Rises will still be a success. In fact, the controversy surrounding this film will probably spark curiosity and lead to more viewers. I know I plan on watching!
It is in no way uncommon that works of art today meet with criticism from the mass as these works become politicized and its contents distortedly understood. Miyazaki has been a master of animate films since late last century and created a large amount of high quality animation films. Having watched a great part of his work, I can’t say that I find any evidence of Miyazaki being a militant activist, as some critics try to call him due to this latest film of his. As a matter of fact, Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter itself can only be regarded as a symbol of the very advanced aerodynamic technology of the WWII era. The world shouldn’t see a tool as evil because the ones who used it committed great atrocities.