25 Comments
Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Thank you for taking the time to write on Totoro and Ghibli!! I love Miyazaki’s art style and direction and it’s always nice to see content like this on Substack!

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author

Glad you liked it! We're big Ghibli and Miyazaki fans here and it was a joy to discover Oga's thoughts about this project.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

I have the art book of My Neighbor Totoro, with all the background paintings and character sketches. It might be my favorite Ghibli film re: art.

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author

It's a stunning film. One of our all-time favorites, animated or not.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

I would rank it alongside Tale of the Princess Kaguya in terms of pure beauty. 🙌

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2 hrs agoLiked by Animation Obsessive Staff

And don't forget Porco Rosso and Kiki!

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2 hrs agoLiked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Kiki was the first I saw, it’s gorgeous. And I am yet to see Porco Rosso!

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Sep 10Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

No one does it better then Miyazaki. He is one of the true masters.

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author

Completely agreed. His films are one of the main reasons we're doing this work today -- if we hadn't fallen in love with them all those years ago, it's hard to imagine how we would've ended up here.

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Sep 10Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

That's what's up. He has been an inspiration to many. Myself included.

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Sep 12Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Wow this brought so much insight into the film's production and background story of it's conception. Amazing article!

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author

Thank you! Happy we could share all this.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Wonderful article !! Thank you so much ^_^

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author

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you liked it.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Thank you so much for this translation! It was a really enjoyable read and a fascinating insight into a master artist's experience

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author

Really happy you liked it! This is a piece that's been in the works for quite a while and it's great to send it into the world.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Great article, and for anyone interested in Miyazaki, you can find this documentary on YouTube it’s fascinating

The documentary about Hayao Miyazaki’s last movie is called **"The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness"** (2013). Directed by Mami Sunada, it provides a behind-the-scenes look at Studio Ghibli during the production of Miyazaki's film *The Wind Rises* (2013), which at the time was considered to be his final feature before his initial retirement. The documentary also covers the work of Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata and the broader operations at the studio during this period.

Though Miyazaki later came out of retirement to work on a new film (*How Do You Live?*), this documentary offers an intimate portrayal of his creative process and the inner workings of Studio Ghibli.

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author

Thank you!

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

Also love to know what you thought of it 😀

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

You’re welcome, it’s so interesting, you see an entire year, watching every decision, argument, process, problem and Joy.

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

This was such an inspiring article, thank you!

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author

Very happy you enjoyed it!

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Sep 9Liked by Animation Obsessive Staff

If you like anime background art, this gallery does wonderful high-quality prints and posters: https://www.riekeles.com/shop.

I'm in no way affiliated with them, just a happy customer :-)

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author

Thank you! Stefan does incredible work -- it's really inspiring.

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A person's worth does not lie in what they have done, but in what they can still do.

——Metamorphosis (written by Franz Kafka)

لا تكمن قيمة الإنسان فيما فعله، بل فيما يستطيع أن يفعله.

——التحول

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