Hayao Miyazaki, Much More Than The “Japanese Walt Disney”

Hayao Miyazaki. FICG.mx. CC BY 2.0 http://bit.ly/2b744wa

Of all of us from mild to obsessive otakus that have grown up enjoying all kinds of anime, manga and Japanese films, if someone who knows nothing about the genre were to ask us what are the best and most family-friendly anime movies to get started with, it’d be very likely that the first name that comes to our mind is Hayao Miyazaki.

Hayao Miyazaki, chief director of Studio Ghibli for almost 60 years, is considered “the Walt Disney of Japanese animation.” But not because the movies resemble in anything the typical Disney style filled to the brim with princes and princesses, romance and rescuers, heroes and heroines climbing the social ladder and evil characters who are creatively dispatched in each movie – it’s because of the extension and importance that Studio Ghibli’s products have achieved worldwide. In contrast to Disney Movies, the values portrayed in Miyazaki’s creations are more oriented towards the return to nature and simplicity, enjoying family relationships, valuing hard work (like in Mimi wo Sumaseba or Majo no Takkyūbin) and fostering strength and resourcefulness, all of this through the most creative and delightful plots, characters and illustrations.

Hayao Miyazaki was born on the 5^th of January, 1941, in Akebono-cho, Bunkyo-ku District, Tokyo, at the times of WWII. He was the second son, after Arata (born in 1939) of Katsuji Miyazaki, an aeronautical engineer who worked with his brother at Miyazaki Airplane, the family business, devoted to manufacturing rudders of Zero fighter planes. From his father and uncle’s fascinating work, the child Hayao inherited a lifelong passion for aeronautics and flying, which is reflected in many of his most important movies, being one of the clearest examples Kurenai no Buta (1992). The family had to leave from Tokyo when he was only three, and they would not come back until three years later. After their return, his mother, Dola, became ill with spinal tuberculosis, keeping her bedridden for more than nine years – most of Hayao’s childhood. Nevetheless, strict and intellectual, she held great infuence over the young kids, and she had two more children after Hayao, Shirou (birthdate unknown) and Yutaka (born in 1944).

 

The young Hayao Miyazaki also changed schools very often, depending on the family’s needs to move – he attended Utsunomiya City, Omiya Elementary School in Suginami-ku, Eifuku Elementary School, Omiya Junior High, and finally Toyotama High. Together with his mother’s ill health and the country’s generalised distress at the time, this lack of stability exerted a powerful influence on him as well. The future cartoonist was growing up to became an intelligent, brilliant and dreamy young man, yet also aloof, sullen, angry, even a little bit of a misanthrope. He effortlessly indulged in fantasy while painstakingly enduring reality. When he watched the first animated color movie released in Japan in 1958, Hakujaden or The Legend of the White Serpent, he became so spellbound that he himself admitted in a 1988 interview to having literally fallen in love with the main protagonist, the princess Bai-Niang. Actually, many of the subsequent plots of his movies will involve characters undergoing similar magical transformations into animals or fantastic beings, like in Kurenai no Buta (1992), Gake no Ue no Ponyo (2008) or Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001).

 

Already before entering Gakushuin University (he graduated in Political Science and Economics in 1963), Hayao Miyazaki already knew that what he really wanted to be was a mangaka: a comic-book artist. He joined the Children’s Literature Research Club while in college, the closest to a manga club these days. Inspired, like so many other youths with the same ambitions, by the great master Osamu Tezuka, he too had a passion for the Western culture and fostered an image of friendly multiculturalism throughout his films, in spite of having lived first-hand the shock and destruction of the war and the consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Movies like Kurenai no Buta (1992), Kaze Tachinu (2013), Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (1984), the animated series Mirai Shōnen Konan (1978; this was his first work as a director for Nippon Animation) and above all Horatu no Haka (1988) deal with the issue of warfare and the results of senseless confrontation amongst human beings; although also Mononoke Hime (1997), Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (2004), Tenkû no Shiro Laputa (1986) and Pom Poko (1994) can also be considered films that, directly or indirectly, deal with the subject of war, anihilation of living species and environments and even genocide (the Tanuki people in Pom Poko, for instance). How these movies can be stirring, tender, uplifting and bright while having such undeniably heart-rending undertones is one of the particular magic effects produced by Miyazaki and Ghibli Studio, an effect that is very rarely achieved in other works of anime, or even common films or shows, in such a perfect balance. Leaving aside the most innocent ones, the great bulk of Miyazaki’s movies (and the most popular ones, in fact) are delightfully atrocious and dreadfully lovely, although in such a subtle way that your mind simply goes through the plot dazzled by the beauty and barely noticing (or not wanting to notice) the fear, the abandonment, the underlying horror. Like life itself, in times of war.

 

The man that Hayao Miyazaki has come to be, a man of sharp contrasts, with his characteristic pure white hair and beard and pitch-black eyes, eyebrows and glasses, with his serene and surly demeanour, has created one of the most outstanding animation empires around the world. After working for Toei Animation, Nippon Animation, A Pro, Zuiyô Pictures, Telecom and many others, together with Isao Takahata, Yasuyoshi Tokuma and Toshio Suzuki they founded Studio Ghibli on the 15^th of June, 1958, in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan. Miyazaki chose the name after a World War I war aircraft (the Caproni Ca.309), nicknamed “the Ghibli”, a hot and dry wind from the Sahara. With the only exception of Lupin Sansei: Cagliostro no Shiro, all the movie scores for Ghibli and pre-Ghibli films have also been masterfully composed and performed by Joe Hisaishi, adding even more charm to the already rich mixture.

 

Before the foundation of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki had already participated in the creation of big classics like Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken (1968), Alps no Shoujo Heidi (1974), Meitantei Homuzu (1984), Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri (1976), Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (1984) and Lupin Sansei: Cagliostro no Shiro (released in 1979, nominated for the Saturn Award 1981 as Best International Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA; winner of the Ofuji Noburo Award by Mainichi Film Concours in 1980). He married a fellow cartoonist, Akemi Ôta, and they have two children: Gorō Miyazaki (who, following his father’s steps as a filmmaker, directed Gedo Senki in 2006 and Kokuriko-Zaka Kara in 2011) and Keisuke Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli’s signature icon is Totoro, the fantastic character from Tonari no Totoro (1988), one of their most emblematic movies and also one we can easily deduce that mirrors a great deal of Miyazaki’s feelings in relation to his mother’s enduring illness. So far, Studio Ghibli has produced more than 20 major animated films.

 

He doesn’t like to be called the “Japanese Walt Disney”. He says Disney was a producer, not a director. “Disney is such a big company, they’re very keen to have everything in the world!”, he laughs. Disney speaks in a very different language to the audience: heroes win and get the honor and the girls; heroines win and get their autonomy and also the boys; baddies are badly punished, and in the end the world is a better, cleaner, more prosperous and perfect place.

That’s not what happens in Ghibli’s films: there’s uncertainty, defencelessness, fear of death and death itself. There’s no “and they lived happily ever after”, but “and they lived. And life was good at times, and sometimes it wasn’t”. Ghibli’s movies are not based on fairy tales that portray mighty messages – they are the inner subtelty of the space that exists between dreams and hopes and anticipation; they are living your own days, your own fantasies to the fullest, even if you’re feeling insecure about your future, your family’s well-being, or about whether you will thrive and succeed in life. Ghibli is not Disney; Ghibli is not like anything else in the anime and film industry… Ghibli is a little child that relies on dreaming so as not to lose innocence too soon, a child that longs to fly, to grow up and live and love and rise, high above the peril, high above the underlying dark horrors of war.

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Sources:

• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594503/bio
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hayao_Miyazaki.aspx
• http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Le-Ra/Miyazaki-Hayao.html
• http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/miyazaki_biography.txt
• http://www.nndb.com/people/940/000059763/
• http://www.angelfire.com/anime/NVOW/Interview1.html
• http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/M-R/Miyazaki-Hayao-1941.html
• http://bit.ly/2aMuBjU

Pokémoan – Gotta Get ‘Em All! (And Some Fanfic To Get You Started)

Are you a true, hardcore Pokémon fan? Did you always want to take your relationship with Pokémon to the next level, but not know how? Well, now there’s Pokémoan, sex toys for every fanwoman and man! And, as with every Pokémon trainer, you know that you Gotta Get ‘Em All! (Pokémoan – “Gotta Fuck ‘Em All” is a better tagline – come at me for rights.)

Let’s meet your new best friend via Pokémoan’s Pokésex Data:

‘Bulby’ – A grass type Pokémoan. Bulby has a large seed tip making it a very pleasurable friend to have. It’s seed is 5cm wide and 4cm tall and its body is 16cm tall and 3.5cm wide.

Picture the scene – you’re in the middle of the Viridian Forest*, surrounded by the gentle whisper of the wind and rustling of tree leaves as they glint in the light. A twig breaks nearby, and out steps a Bulbasaur, the massive seed on its back throbbing with an insatiable need.

That’s how I’d assume the fantasy would start for those who choose ‘Bulby’ as their starter Pokémoan. Would bet a solid amount of money it devolves into a BDSM scene, considering how Bulbasaur could use Vine Whip. Unfortunately, this kind of genius thinking doesn’t make it into the toy – it’s a solid, traditional, and not too versatile choice for those less adventurous types. Also, that section of the ‘bulb and where it connects into the shaft looks a little uncomfortable no matter where you put it.

*I know you can’t catch a Bulbasaur in the Viridian Forest. It’s a FANTASY.

‘Charmy’ – A slightly thinner, fire type Pokémoan with a flaming tail. Standing 18cm tall and 4cm wide at its widest point Charmy gives intense orgasms everywhere it goes.

You ready for this? Houses in a small mountain village where you have gone for a retreat have spontaneously caught fire. You are running for your life, and are stranded on a grassy hill, flames imminently approaching. You can’t use your Squirtle because you were letting him have a nice rest after putting him through a shit ton of battles recently, and you’re really sorry you put Squirtle up against an Electrobuzz in the last one. Squirtle is probably enjoying a nice spa bath at the moment.

Anyways, you’re up dying on a hill, and this is how your life will probably end – when all of a sudden a wild Charmander breaks out of the wall of flame with a crazy look in his eye. He’s heard your screams and promises to your God in exchange for not letting you die, and one of those phrases was, “I’d even fuck a Charmander!” Charmander lets out a roar and up goes a wall of flame that the other fire can’t penetrate.

But you know who can penetrate you now? Charmander.

As a sex toy, logically it doesn’t make sense – the tip of a Charmander’s tail is literally made out of fire. And I’m not sure how people feel about putting something pointy inside their body. Who knows though? Charmy looks fun and a little dangerous, which is pretty much how I’d sum up that Pokémon.

‘Squirty’ – A water Pokémoan. Squirty has a smooth round head with a large grooved turtle shell on its back. Its bubbly head measures 4cm wide whilst his body measures 6cm wide and 14cm tall.

Remember when I said your Squirtle was relaxing in a nice spa bath? Well, you are now too, especially after your foray with the fire of death. Your eyes are closed, and your head tilted back as you splay out against the bath, when you suddenly feel a gentle lapping between your thighs and a wetness that has nothing to do with the water…
Out of all the Pokémoan toys, Squirty is the most well-integrated one. You can’t actually fuck Bulbasaur’s bulb or Charmander’s tail, but you could play around with Squirtle’s head. Hehe. It doesn’t seem like Squirtle vibrates (maybe the Wartortle will) but still looks like this Pokémoan trainer could do pretty well by this Pokémoan.

‘Piky’ – This small electric type anal Pokémoan is a perfect size for the average Pokémoan trainer. Piky is an extremely cute yet essential addition to your team. Its insertable size is 2.5cm wide by 4cm tall and his tail is 8cm long.

I’m not going to write a Pikachu fantasy. I do hold some things sacred, like my favorite childhood Pokémon.

But you can stick this in your butt and pretend to be a Pikachu! $5 and a Piky that this toy proves to be the most popular of all in establishments where people go around naked and pretend to be Pokémon and engage in fantasies. Is that a thing yet? Pretty sure it exists somewhere. Because the internet.

What are you waiting for?! Go and get ‘em all! Every Pokémoan trainer is different and you’ll want to be prepared for all sorts of various situations like forests and fires and pools. So – do you have what it takes to be a Pokémoan Master?

Buy the toys here:

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/467418501/pokemoan-dildo-range-gotta-get-em-all

What do you think of the Pokémoan sex toys? Let us know in the comments below!

This Is The End Of Bleach!

Here it is, the end of a manga that I have appreciated to read for the past 14 years, the final battle of a tired hero who overcome despair in each fights against the big boss. Ichigo Kurosaki is actually one of my favorite character in manga history, by his personality to thrive always forward and to never give up no matter how hard it is to surpass the biggest obstacles.

But unfortunately for all the fans around the world of the Shinigami, Tito Kubo made it clear, there will be only 5 chapters left before closing the final arc… I’m so sad by this news but everything has an end doesn’t it? Volume 74 will be the last and this arc was the most interesting arc to read for me as you get to know the real origins of Ichigo Kurosaki and his powers, the origins of Soul Society and of the Quincy too.

We all know the story of Bleach if you do read manga and Shonen Jump weekly as Bleach, Naruto and One Piece were the three pillars for over a decades of this magazine. Even though Naruto finished in 2015 and let places to a new director and also new team, Bleach was still really appreciated to his reader but there’s no information if it will turn out as Naruto.

There is three arcs in the manga which contains at the moment more than 800 chapters:

•  First arc: Soul Society
•  Second arc: vs Arrancars and Aizen
•  Third arc: War against Quincy

As a final note I would say: After 366 episode (which there was too many fillers), 2 OAV, 4 movies and 74 volumes of an intense story and manga…

Thank you so much Tito Kubo.

Attack On Titan Finally Gets A Second Season And Why You Should Watch The First!

Attack on Titan is an amazing anime and fans have been clamoring for a second season. Now our wishes have finally been answered with Season 2 coming Spring 2017.

Attack on Titan tells the story of a young man named Eren and humanity’s struggle against the titans. In a world where humanity is left to only a small portion of life and kept behind 3 walls it is up to the Titan Killers to fend of vicious beasts known as titans.

These terrible creatures want nothing more than to eat the humans and finish off the human race. These beings who can go up 100 feet tall are vicious and terrifying. It isn’t known why they really want to kill off the humans but the story is heading towards that end.

At the end of the first season it was seen that there are actually titans in the wall. What will this do to the civilization. If the creatures you are trying to kill have been hiding in your city how will you be able to get away from them?

All I know is that this anime should be watched by anyone who enjoys giants getting cut to ribbons. It can get a tad gruesome and depressing but it comes with the territory. Also this show can be rather frightening but I think a little fear makes it that much cooler.

Plus just look at this opening, if this doesn’t pump you up for Titan killing nothing will! Stay tuned for the struggle against humanity will be televised next Spring! It is also available right now to watch on Hulu and you can even watch it dubbed as it already aired on Cartoon Network! So go forth and watch the titans get cut down as humanity fights for its survival!

Blue Exorcist Gets A Second Season!

Blue Exorcist getting a second season is amazing news! A thrilling story of 2 brothers who are the sons of Satan and their journey to become Exorcists.

The main character Rin, wants nothing more but to be the Head Exorcist like his adoptive father.

I think this is perfect for newbies and Anime Fans alike. The characters are great and the realism of faith fuses well with the world. Honestly I don’t have any leanings in that area but I enjoy learning and I feel like I have a learned a bit from watching this show.

Plus how can you not like a son of Satan working to take down Satan and his demons.

I cannot wait for 2017 when I can watch the second season of this amazing show. Plus if you haven’t been watching you can watch the first season Dubbed or Subbed. Whatever works for you is gold.

I always find that if I have to do other things I watch Dubbed and if I can just watch I watch Subbed.

Really though if it looks at all interesting give it a shot!

Anime To Watch:Kiznaiver

Kiznaiver is a relatively new anime that just aired it’s final episode. This show tells the story of 8 people and one fateful summer.

However these people are rather special. In a world where it is possible to link pain between people there 7 are linked in that way.

What occurs because of this is a brilliantly powerful story of how people live with each other. As the bond strengthens and they become closer they start feeling every type of pain among them.

While it simply starts as physical pain soon they are feeling emotional pain as well. Everything has an effect. Love hurts and this show really shows off how love between friends can really hurt. You may not even try to fall for a friend, it’s just because of your closeness.

I suggest that anyone who enjoys a deep story watches this. I employ you to think first though as it is rather visceral. These characters are forced into insane circumstances with these horrendous locks on them.

If you like stories where people are thrust into a seemingly unexplainable and vicious circumstance this is for you. Now really this anime won’t be for everyone but that is fine. Anime is for everyone willing to expand themselves. The opening music is superb and it lulls you into a false sense of security.

All in all this anime is worth watching but I’ll leave it up to you. I will attempt a full review sooner than later. Tweet me @Starkwyvrngamer as per usual!

My Hero Academia Gets A Second Season (And Why It’s Great For Anime newbies)

One of the best new anime out there is My Hero Academia. It was recently announced that this stellar anime is getting a second season. Now, I really do think that this Anime deserves all of the praise that it gets. It is just a wonderful anime with humorous characters and a wonderful story of a boy becoming a man.

Our young hero is training to become a superhero.  He goes to an academy in a world where  nearly everyone has a super power. At first this young boy is powerless but that is all about to change when he meets his greatest hero.

Now, I won’t tell you how he gets these powers or how he meets his idol but I will say it is awesome. Deku is on his way to becoming a great hero due to his endless spirit. To have such high hopes when for so long you’ve been put down is incredible. I truly think that this anime is going to be one of the best.

I think that honestly, this is a great show for anime newbies to watch. If you are a fan of action shows and superheros it is for you. I think that because of its high superhero aura, it would be a perfect transition for someone who has yet to see any anime. While it is definitely an anime it has enough Americanized Superheroics that it works as an intro show.

I remember growing up, watching Justice League, and that was one of my first real action shows. Soon I found Anime but I digress. If you are a fan of superheroes absolutely give this a shot.

The cool thing is that since this is a new show, there are only thirteen episodes. Now, in the future I will be telling you about my favorites which have upwards of 500 episodes. Starting with a short anime like this could be amazing. Plus it is subbed in English and already Dubbed so you can watch it however you like.

I will be posting a season one review soon so look forward to that! As always tweet me @Starkwyvrngamer.

Bleach Anime Review And Primer

The anime Bleach created by Tite Kubo has been popular for a long time. Considered to be one of the Big Three manga for years.

This Anime and its manga tell the story of a young man named Ichigo Kurosaki. A seemingly normal kid who can see spirits. Now one fateful evening he takes on powers from a wounded grim reaper-esque character Rukia Kuchki. It is in this moment our story begins.

Now Bleach was one of my first introductions to anime. I remember watching Pokémon and Yu-gi-oh along with many more before but this was different. Something about this screamed this is what you have been training for.

Late nights spent watching Toonami and Bleach would be on. This story is a long one with characters coming in and fading out. Ichigo grows stronger as the story progresses. He learns new abilities and becomes close with shinigami and his friends.

The shinigami are the takers of spirits. They travel to Earth to rid the dead from the planet. If a spirit loses itself it becomes a hollow. This vicious beast wants nothing more than to devour spirits. It is up to the shinigami to slay them.

Ichigo faces multiple foes all with different reasons to attack. The abilities of all the characters are rather awesome. You never know what one character holds inside his soul until fighting begins.

I could certainly go into depth about the characters and the seasons but I’d rather you find out naturally.

The openings are amazing and I can’t help but listen to them over and over. I have watched them so many times that I have memorized a few. It really does get you ready for the show.

People say that this story needs to end and the manga version is working towards it. Once that is done which could be soon, they may even make more episodes.

Now if you are a first time Anime watcher I suggest you watch maybe the first season. With 366 episodes you don’t want to commit unless it really makes sense too.

All I know is, I enjoy Bleach. I like the characters and the story. I enjoy reading this basically every week. I know that when he reaches his end point it will be something great. I mean if this story has been able to make me cry when I thought it was over that is saying something.

I hope you will give this a shot as it really is great.  I’ll leave you with Ichigo’s Theme. If this gets you pumped up watch the first episode.

As this is older you can find the whole series dubbed in English or Subbed. I actually watched both versions in full but you don’t have too. It’s available on many platforms including Crunchyroll and Hulu.

‘Anime 101’ For Beginners

Anime or Japanese Animation is something that has been a part of my life since I first watched Pokémon in 1998.

Ever since then I have learned about an watched so much Anime. Now Anime is a lot broader then American cartoons.

While most American Cartoons are just humorous Anime tends to be everything. There are so many types of Anime it is astounding.

When I started I watched and read mostly Shonen Anime and Manga or Animes source material. These are the traditional hero saves the day type of manga. A hero gains a power or is working on attaining it and is thrust into a new world ripe with possibilities because of it.

Now many Anime fit this bill such as the comical yet vast One Piece a pirate adventure and the story of a bald superhero who can take out a foe with one hand in One Punch Man.

There are of course other types of Anime including Historical, Comedy, Drama, Horror, and many more. There are even stories about life and those often can be just as amazing even though the characters dont have amazing powers.

Other top shows include Bleach, Naruto, Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online, Gundam, Hunter x Hunter and Full Metal Alchemist.

I have enjoyed stories about cooks, students, and even train conductors. It really is about finding series that peak your interest. You never know you may start watching a show about a young Pianist and be crying by the time it’s done.

All I know is that without Anime and Manga I wouldn’t be who I am today. It has honestly made me see the world differently and appreciate far more about this blue marble than I did before.

Now this is literally just scratching the surface. In future articles I hope to delve into a few of my favorite Anime as well sharing some of the best and brightest new shows!