Hayao Miyazaki was born January 5th, 1941. He was the son of an warplane parts manufacturer, Katsuji Miyazaki, and also an animator, Akemi Ota. Throughout his childhood he experienced things such as World War II and his mother developing tuberculosis between 1947 and 1955. He soon after became interested in animation, but not what we know him to have done today.

(Miyazaki and his mother Akemi Ota)

Miyazaki became interested in anime after seeing Hakujaden (Legend of the White Snake). At this time he was actually interested in comic illustration instead of anime. The thing is though, he did not go to college for the arts. Instead he went to Gakushuin University for economics and political science which possibly increased his dislike for politics from what he learned. While there he was a part of the Children’s Literature Club which was what he enjoyed because he loved to please children.

(Hakujaden a.k.a. Legend of the White Snake)

His entry into the animation scene was in 1963 when he made motion pictures and some television series with Toei Animation. After being at the studio for some time he started to get very creative with his ideas, thus impressing the other animators, and soon pitching his ideas to the directors who then made him the head animator. This is where he met his wife, Akemi Ota, who was one of the animators at the studio. They were married in 1968, and in that same year “Prince of the Sun” was released. This was the first motion picture that Miyazaki played a major part in, which in turn skyrocketed his career as an animator.

Miyazaki's first major film — Miyazaki’s first major film

Between the years of 1971 and 1978, Miyazaki experimented with his talents. He and another animator decided to attempt a motion picture that failed miserably. He then proceeded to Zuiyo Pictures where he was a scene designer. During this span he also dabbled in manga which were essentially graphic novels (not comic books). It was not until 1979 that he did anything truly noticeable, and that was the release of “Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro”,
and then the release of his first famous manga “Nausicaä” soon after. The Tokuma Production company took notice of Miyazaki’s manga and recruited him to turn his manga into an anime.

Nausicaa, Miyazaki's famous manga — Nausicaa, Miyazaki’s famous manga

In 1984, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” was released. It was not what someone would call a money maker, but it made enough money in the box office for Tokuma to create a new studio for Miyazaki. He called it “Studio Ghibli”, which he pronounced “jee-blee” which was Italian for dry Saharan wind and also the name of a World War I plane. This is the studio that has progressed through the years to be the flag ship and the top animation studio in the world. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind may not have been a a big hit in the box office, but believe it or not it became the standard for anime from then on.

Studio Ghibli (jee-blee) Logo

Studio Ghibli Filmography

Miyazaki has been apart of 21+ motion pictures. I say 21+ because no one has a set number of films he has produced or been a part of, so it is a rough estimate on the low end. The following are some of those films.

First up is one of my personal childhood favorites, “Spirited Away”. One of the more recent films releasing near the end of 2002.

From Google, and I quote, “Tale of the fanciful adventures of a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro, who discovers a secret world when she and her family get lost and venture through a hillside tunnel. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, Chihiro must fend for herself as she encounters strange spirits, assorted creatures and a grumpy sorceress who seeks to prevent her from returning to the human world.”

That is a basic description of the film “Spirited Away,” when the movie is packed full of morals, pain, and realism. To explain a Miyazaki film is comparable to explaining what it is to be in love. Anyone you ask will have a different opinion depending on how they interpret it. Spirited Away is a good example because it is closer to the present then most of Miyazaki’s films. One lesson the film teaches is that greed can be very destructive. Food for example can be a horrible thing yet can be what saves a person in the end. In the film, Haku gives Chihiro something to eat to gain her strength back so she does not disappear into the spirit world. Right before that, her parents had turned into pigs by the witch because they had “stolen” food, which portrays that we take things at an advantage in life like food.

“Princess Mononoke” is a film Miyazaki did in 1997. This film may be one of the greatest works he has ever done all because of one reason. When released to the box offices, it was such a smash hit with japan that it grossed over $150 million+ leaving “E.T.” behind by a long shot. This attracted the first large audience from the U.S. The Film essentially opened the door for Studio Ghibli to expand around the world when Disney offered to get Tokuma Productions out of the financial drought they were having in exchange for the distribution rights to Studio Ghibli. It was completely up to Miyazaki, but since Tokuma made his dreams come true he happily accepted the deal.

Works Cited

“Google.” Google. Google, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <https://www.google.com/webhp? sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS597US597&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=spirited%20away%20release%20date>.

“Reference for Business.” Hayao Miyazaki 1941- Biography. Reference for Business, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/M-R/Miyazaki-Hayao-1941.html>.

“Biography.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594503/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm>.

Shonen manga is a genre that targets mainly boys, which also may appeal to girls as well, for audience typically ages 13 and older. An action-packed, and sometimes humorous, plot usually characterizes Shonen manga. Most shonen series revolve around sports, adventure, or fighting.

One of the most notable publishing companies for shonen manga is Shonen Jump, which also publishes their series by chapter weekly in Japan (Weekly Shonen Jump), and multiple chapters monthly in the United States of America (Shonen Jump Magazine). The magazines also include a variety of articles that go along with the published series, the correlating animes, and any other news that the editors think their audience might enjoy; such as news on card games, video games, and conventions.

Japanese cover for Weekly Shonen Jump 2009 Issue 48

Tite Kubo

Noriaki Kubo was born on June 26, 1977 in Hiroshima, Japan. He is better known by his pen name Tite Kubo. He is mangaka, being he is both the writer and artist of manga. He published his first manga short, or one-shot, in 1996 titled “Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine.” At age 18, he submitted his the concept of his first series, Zombiepowder, multiple times before Shonen Jump accepted it in 1999, and ran for four volumes until 2000. In 2001, Tite Kubo began his next series, and the one that would rise to popularity, Bleach.

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is one of the longest running manga series to date with 552 chapters and over 60 volumes to date and is still an on going series. Bleach is an excellent show of how Tite Kubo’s art style has evolved over the years, and how it has matured. The human proportions have improved, as well as the definitions in the face and muscle structure. Bleach falls under the genre of shonen manga due to its action-filled adventure and comedic moments.

Bleach is the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a young man that just happens to see the souls of the dearly departed. He life changes from being relatively normal after a strange woman appears dressed in black. This encounter spawns a chain of events that cause Ichigo to gain the woman, Rukia Kuchiki’s soul reaper abilities in order to save his family. Their meeting alters Ichigo’s fate, thrusting him in to a mystery filled with betrayal and blood, which leads to war and death.

Takeshi Obata

Born on February 11, 1969 in Japan, Takeshi Obata is a manga artist, meaning he mainly collaborates with writers to create manga. He worked with Yumi Hotta to create Hikaru no Go, and Tsugumi Ohba to create Death Note, and later on again to create their current series Bakuman. Obata also has worked on the character design for Castlevania: Judgment for the Nintendo Wii. He has also become a mentor for several other manga artists, and mangaka.

Death Note illustration by Takeshi Obata

Together with writer Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata created the hit series Death Note. His art style itself is very detail oriented, and is vital in telling the mystery that is Death Note. Death Note is published under the Shonen Jump sub-lable, Shonen Jump Advanced, because of its psychological aspects. It is not the typical shonen manga, as it lacks actual physical action for the most part. Death Note is filled with more of a ‘battle of wits’ storyline. Obata’s style brings each little clue and piece of evidence to life in the battle of L versus Kira.

Death Note is about a top of his class high school boy who finds a supernatural book that allows him to kill anyone just by simply writing the victim’s name in it. The mysterious book called the Deathnote belongs to a Shingami, a god of death. The high school boy, Light Yagami, then decides to use the book for good by killing off horrible criminals. Unfortunately, a detective by the name of L decides that by killing all of these people, that the publically acclaimed murder, Kira, is evil, and begins to hunt him down.

Hajime Isayama

Hajime Isayama was born on August 29, 1986. He is the author and artist of the series Shingeki no Kyojin, or Attack on Titan. His series is jam-packed with fight sequences and gore. It is also very tragic. The series began in 2009,and has 50 chapters to date. The characters and gore are very realistic. Isayama’s love for tragedy really show when he gruesomely shows the characters loved ones half eaten by the titans.

Attack on Titan illustration by Hajime Isayama

Attack on Titan is the tale of humans fighting against horrible giant monsters called Titans. The story mainly follows the journey of Eren and his companions as the fight these Titans to uncover the mystery behind them.