Last Saturday marked the first time I've seen a Miyazaki film since returning home from a two year stint in Japan. The result? An unexpected nostalgia.
The quality of animation, character design, layout, scoring, etc. has been discussed at length already and by folks who are far better at articulating these points than I. So, I'm simply going to comment on the nostalgic charm I've found in Miyazaki's films, namely
Ponyo and another favorite of mine,
My Neighbor Totorro.
One thing Miyazaki is a master of, which many Americans may or may not fully appreciate, is capturing rural Japan in his layouts and backgrounds.
Kannari-cho, my 'hometown' in Miyagi-ken, is a spitting image of the small town in which
Totorro takes place, complete with rice fields, moss-drenched forests, rickety buses, half-hidden stone statues, a single-car red train and cat-bus.
Okay, well, I wish the last one was true but you get the idea.
About an hour west of Kannari was the coastal town of Matsushima known for it's wind-worn islands and shrinking pines. Having ventured out to the islands several times, I'd be tempted to say this is where
Ponyo's story plays out (although I'm certain it takes place somewhere further south).
Many people describe Miyazaki's films as 'magical', further mentioning Japanese folktales and mythology as heavy influences. I guess as 'Westerners', it's only natural that we find ourselves so intrigued by the East. Why is anime so popular? Because it's foreign to us. And this only heightens the sense of mysticism.
Yes, there is something VERY magical about this setting.
But there's also something VERY real about it. Japan actually looks like this. It's Elementary Schools, Senior Centers and bus stops actually look like that.
But to most Americans, these settings are foreign, yet welcoming and therefore, 'magical'. When I first saw Spirited Away, I was in love with the 'magic' of it. Watching it now, I'm still 'in love'. But there's a fondness mixed in now, a longing to be back there surrounded by that 'magic'.
I worked in 'that' Elementary School, I visited 'that' Senior Center, I lived near that house. The foreign became familiar and now I miss it. It's a strange feeling and one that I honestly don't know how best to describe.
They could tell I was around by my signature 'Cherry Red' bike, passed on to me by the previous ALT. Lately, I've been day-dreaming about getting myself a bike here in Brooklyn. I think I'll try for one with working breaks and gears this time.
Arriving in the parking lot. Out in the inaka, folks are big fans of scarecrows. If you've ever seen a Japanese crow, you'd understand why.
The Mine Park has it's own little mascot. This Astro Boy look-alike greets you as you enter. His mouth is suppose to move to the audio, announcing the beginning of your journey to the center of the Earth, it's jammed over the years.
It's hard to tell (low light and all), but this long, surprisingly scary tunnel is decorated by tin lanterns hammered out by little kids which just seems to make it even more creepy.
This somewhat unsettling scene is the first thing to greet your eyes as they adjust to the darkness.
Yes, those are Japanese animatronics.
And yes, they were just as creepy then as they are now.
At this point, the temperature dropped an ominous 10 degrees, signaling what in my mind was the 'Point of No Return'. We were about to delve deep into the Japanese interpretation of how the Earth was formed.
In this version, God is replaced by Lava Baby.
My poor memory mixed with poor image quality leads me to guess this was a picture of said Lava Baby's effects on the Earth.
This part I didn't get. All the lava stuff disappeared and turned into a 'Pan For Gold' station. The weirdest part about this section was that it was manned by two employees of the park who's day is apparently comprised of sitting by themselves some 1000ft below the Earth's surface waiting for folks to come by and hopefully pay the 500YEN to sift through a pan of mud.
After that, it was back to the history lesson with murals further depicting Earth's past.
That's right all you logic-impaired people, the Japanese 'believe' in dinosaurs. Than again, it could just be some 'mech' deposited there by an elite group of teenagers chosen to save the world.
Not really sure about this part but at least it was getting warmer by now.
Really not sure about this part- I'm guessing the plants are suppose to signal that we're heading towards the surface-world.
Oh, now it makes sense. This must be where those teens get the power to run their 'mechs'.
And finally, the end. I was somewhat relieved to see they hadn't locked in; we arrived 20mins before closing.
