The Life You Live
A Reflection of The Boy and Heron and Miyazaki's Creativity
As mentioned before, here’s one of the things I’ve been working on! It actually turned into something I was not anticipating, but I wanted to write a piece on Studio Ghibli that wouldn’t spoil the newest movie before I would write anything else.
Also, thank you to everyone who has followed and subscribed recently. You’ve all told me that you enjoy reading what I write, and knowing that means so much to me! Thank you so much for the support!
Warning: There are minor spoilers for a handful of the Ghibli movies, but nothing that will spoil your experience if you watch the movies for the first time after reading these thoughts.
What comes to mind when you hear the name Hayao Miyazaki? Do you think of the grey fuzzy forest spirit Totoro or a moving castle? Can you see the yummy food or the scenes of characters running around cleaning? Do you remember iconic soundtracks like the Mononoke theme or Path of the Wind?
Or maybe you’re like some people who don’t necessarily think of anything in particular. Maybe you don’t know much, if anything, about Miyazaki. You may have heard about characters like Totoro, but you may not have watched a movie from the director.
In either case, both people are welcome here! You’ll never be turned away, that’s for sure. Odds are, you’ll find a movie that fits your taste. Miyazaki has created movies that are fantastical in nature, like Castle in the Sky, Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind, and Howl’s Moving Castle. He has also created more historical-based movies, such as The Wind Rises, and his son, Goro Miyazaki, created From Up on Poppy Hill, another historical-based movie.
Hayao Miyazaki’s latest movie, The Boy and the Heron is a mix of the two genres. It balances historical events, featuring the Bombing of Tokyo and Japan during WWII while combining some fantastical elements akin to Alice in Wonderland.
This movie has been eight years in the making. Yes, you read that right. Eight years. In 2014, Miyazaki declared that The Wind Rises would be his final film and that he would go into retirement… That was 13 years after he had announced he would retire in 2001 after completing Academy Award-Winning Spirited Away. It should come as no surprise that Miyazaki is continuing to work on yet another movie. It’s almost as if the ideas won’t let him rest. Perhaps he feels indebted to telling their story. He’s the only one who knows them, after all.
I still remember reading rumors about Miyazaki’s new film in 2020. News was supposed to be released in the summer, around the time of the Tokyo Olympics, as to the state of the movie. I waited with anticipation, wondering what the movie would be about and how Miyazaki would craft another excellent story that would deepen my appreciation for his work. While the rumors were true that Miyazaki was creating another movie, the news was released that the studio only had about 30 minutes of the movie drawn in 2020. Though hundreds, if not thousands, of cells were already created, they were nowhere near completion for the movie.
The impatience gnawed at me and continued to gnaw away as I searched for more news weekly. While waiting for more information to be released, I consumed Ghibli video essays and read more about Miyazaki’s history. I love researching and the ability to learn more about such an intriguing gentleman filled the time I had waiting for the new movie.
News came that the movie was called Kimi tachi wa do ikiruka or How Do You Live? after a popular novel by the same name written by Genzaburo Yoshino. The Japanese title for The Boy and the Hero retains that name, though it was changed when released to US audiences. At first, I didn’t understand why people were upset at the name change. We were informed later on in the film’s progress that the movie was only loosely inspired by the book and didn’t feature any of the characters within the book. The previous movie title fits the theme of the book much better, for certain. After watching the movie, however, I can understand better why people were upset by the name change, though I’ll cover that in a future post on the themes of the movie.
While the movie is definitely inspired by How Do You Live?, one can see the footprints of another influence, something much more personal in the life of the main character, Mahito. The young man is unique in his own right – he’s arguably the first young male main character of a Ghibli movie. While some may say that Mononoke featured Prince Ashitaka as the main character of the movie, he acts more of a deuteragonist with San, and the same with Pazu and Sheeta in Laputa: Castle in the Sky. In The Boy and the Heron, Mahito doesn’t share the spotlight with another female character. All focus turns to him.
Miyazaki doesn’t waste this unique opportunity, pouring his own experiences into the interactions of the young man. In a way, the director and writer of this story uses this chance to reflect on his experiences in wartime Japan. While these reflections are sprinkled throughout all of his movies, as noted by Susan Napier in her book Miyazakiworld, they are concentrated to their fullest extent in this movie. A young man’s response to the bombings of Tokyo, his mother’s illness, and the difficulty of fitting into a new school with new people are shown in such depth that it makes it easy to identify with the young Mahito quickly.
Though the audience sees him in circumstances that they pray they may never experience, Miyazaki portrays everything vividly so that the imagination fills in the gaps. You can’t but sympathize with the character, and you want him to succeed, no matter what.
This is one of Miyazaki's many gifts when it comes to storytelling. The writer shows us young characters striving for a goal, whether it be simple or complex. The audience identifies with the characters, remembering a time when they worked desperately to attain a goal they had for themselves. We root for the characters as if we know them personally… as if they’re real…
Right as we identify with the characters, we are challenged by their actions. We see Chihiro board the train to find the remedy for Haku, never once complaining about the long train ride or how difficult the trip may be. We see Sophie forgive the Witch of the Waste for the curse the witch gave her, choosing to give one of the main villains of the story a place to sleep and food to eat.
Mahito continues this trend but puts a unique spin on it. In this movie, we see him struggle with how his life is affected by the war and the changes he is faced with. At first, he digs his heels in, determining that he will have no part in such difficulties and he doesn’t need to confront them in order to continue with his life. He keeps himself from going to school and bribes the workers at the house he lives in with stolen goods to help him craft things that he thinks he needs. In fact, the boy gets so frustrated with a heron that follows him around everywhere that he creates his own bow and arrow to hunt down said heron. Many other Ghibli characters would have been intrigued by the presence of an ever-lingering heron, wondering if it was a spirit bringing them good fortune or a friend to guide their way.
Not Mahito.
But throughout the movie, Mahito sheds his standoffish attitude and opens himself up to those he finds in the other world. He learns to continue living a happy life and to make the best of difficult situations. He learns that though the world may be far from perfect and circumstances far from ideal, he can do his best to make the best of any situation and be satisfied with his efforts. He learns that he’s not alone in his struggles and that the people by his side truly love and care about him.
One of my favorite things about Miyazaki movies is that there’s not just one theme or lesson to grasp. Three people could watch the movie, pay close attention, and come away with three different messages that they gained from the movie. In fact, you could watch the movie once and see one theme and then watch the same movie again another time and come away with a different theme. There are a multitude of layers that one can enjoy the longer that he or she watches.
The same is true for The Boy and the Heron. There are some more easy-to-understand themes: how to live after someone significant leaves your life, how to open up to people after a life-changing event, and how to live in a world filled with chaos and anger without becoming chaotic and angry yourself.
There’s a wide range of themes for anyone of all ages across all the Ghibli movies that Miyazaki has created. The movies are timeless in that right. Children can watch My Neighbor Totoro and learn how to find joy and laugh during difficult situations. Those same children can grow up to become parents and watch Totoro once more to enjoy the kind and guiding parenting that Satsuki and Mei’s father show to his two adorable girls. Teenagers can watch Kiki, with her awkward tendencies and difficulty fitting in, and learn how to be comfortable with the gifts given to them. They can then become young adults and see Tombow, who is so enthusiastic about the things that Kiki can do and learn to encourage others to do their best with the amazing things they’re gifted with.
These movies are special in ways far beyond just being beautiful Japanese movies. They teach valuable morals, encouraging people to change for the better and to encourage others to do the same. They provide comfort, acting like a welcome place to sit and stay a while before going back into reality.
Miyazaki has always created movies to promote this idea. While his movies can be used as a fantastic escape from reality, he doesn’t want his viewers to run away from life. His characters may do so for a time, but they’ll never stay there for long. In an interview, he said:
“I'm not going to make movies that tell children, ‘You should despair and run away’. I would like to make movies that tell children, ‘It’s good to be alive.’”
I have no doubt that these movies will bring smiles to people for years to come. Miyazaki did an excellent job with The Boy and the Heron, and though it wasn’t like what I was expecting, I still loved the movie for what it was. The great news is that Miyazaki is working on another movie and confirmed such last October. While I wish the 82-year-old writer and director would allow himself to rest, perhaps, as I said before, he can only rest when he is able to say that the stories living in his mind have been given the life he desires for them to live.
May we all find a similar determination to work on the stories that are near and dear to our hearts, that have lived with us, and inspired us in creativity. You never know; you may inspire someone to do the same.