When their father asks them to open the kitchen, the sisters find the room filled with tiny black creatures which run into hiding. It is clear from the very first moment that the sisters share a great bond as we see Mei (Chika Sakamoto) following her older sister Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka) everywhere and repeating her last spoken words with the same enthusiasm. They quickly discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by magical spirits of the forest. My Neighbor Totoro is a story about two sisters who move to the countryside with their father (Shigesato Itoi) in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother (Sumi Shimamoto). In this film, Miyazaki establishes his writing style, characters, and themes such as humanityвЂ™s relationship with nature, the use of magic, and the intergenerational relationships and friendships that become a part of his characterвЂ™s journeys. As his career progresses, his characters venture further and further from the bounds of his protectiveness, letting them grow as a child does. My Neighbor Totoro is Hayao MiyazakiвЂ™s second feature with Studio Ghibli and we can see clearly how he becomes like a parent protecting his children with these characters. One of these movies is Hayao MiyazakiвЂ™s My Neighbor Totoro, which transports you back to your childhood, to a time when your imagination knew no bounds. There are only a few movies I can name which I revisit every now and again- whether it is for comfort, to feel joy, or to just to let the day pass by. The magic behind every Studio Ghibli Film is how they transport us inside their world for those few hours, making everything seem possible. IsnвЂ™t it fun to see things that way? Feels like you could go somewhere far beyond. Suddenly, there is your humdrum town is a magical movie. When you look from above, so many things reveal themselves to you. If you could walk the cable, you could see the other side. вЂќWhat if you leapt onto the next rooftop, dashed over that blue and green wall, jumped up and climbed up the pipe, ran across the roof and jumped to the next. He explains how the man has no idea they are watching him and then points out another house with a rooftop, asking, During its final moments, Hayao Miyazaki calls for the director of the documentary to look outside the window at a man watering his plants.

Please sing up for our newsletter to receive updates.A few weeks ago, I watched the documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. In the next post, we will discuss ambiguity and Japanese traditional architecture exhibited in вЂњMy Neighbor Totoro,вЂќ and how it shaped the way people interacted with nature. (by the way, all of those examples appear in вЂњMy Neighbor TotoroвЂќ)Д®xistences like Totoro is more than just imaginary or superstitions they were the mediators who could tell people where the fine lines were in order to avoid disturbing nature, or to what extent they could reap its blessings. Shrines were surrounded by thick wood, rice fields were вЂњprotectedвЂќ by small gods made of stone, and houses could be inhibited by some sort of ghosts or spirits. Old architecture would make sure to leave some room for such ambiguities. They belong to this ambiguous area in-between nature and humansвЂ™ world, and play subtle but critical roles to connect the two.

We became selective.Д«oth cat-bus and Totoro could be a representation of the devices or channels old Japanese used to place in-between them and nature, to better communicate with it. We have become smart enough to extract only good things, while aggressively eliminating bad things, so we donвЂ™t have to deal with them. With a variety of powerful architecture, humans managed to develop ways to separate blessings and threats.

вЂњArchitectureвЂќ included buildings and infrastructure, but could also include any system that fundamentally changed how we relate with nature вЂ“ such as agriculture or language/science. Our ancestors loved and dreaded nature at the same time вЂ“ it was so powerful and overwhelming in many ways that they had to worship it.Д«ut as humans became civilized and modernized, they invented effective вЂњarchitectureвЂќ to place between nature and humans, to вЂњtameвЂќ nature and alter the power balance between the two. While it is beautiful and a blessing, nature can suddenly become the cruelest beast with deadly fangs. Nature is something that gives us good things and bad things at the same time. Humans live and survive surrounded by nature, first by reaping what it provides, and then by protecting themselves from the threats it poses.

My neighbor totoro mei