Annotated Bibliography
1. Thesis
Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli)
Born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan
Director of many popular animated feature films
Film director, screenwriter, and character designer
Voted one of most influential Asians of past 60 years by Time Magazine
Co-founder of Studio Ghibli
- Animation studio and production company
- Previously subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. (publisher in Japan established in 1954; company one of largest entertainment publishers until the 1990s)
- Became independent again in 2005
Claim: The use of art as expression, mainly through film and media. Although artists such as Hayao Miyazaki remain unknown in the mainstream culture of the West, artists such as he pave ways for new styles of art – animation. As a cofounder of Studio Ghibli (alongside Isao Takahata), the theory behind the name of the corporation was that it was blowing a “new wind” into the Japanese anime industry. Hayao Miyazaki, although gaining success with his films, sees himself only fortunate to have all the creative control when it came to his artistic endeavors.
2. Evidence
Miyazaki's films incorporate common themes
- Humanity's relationship to nature and technology
- Difficulty of maintaining pacifist ethic
- Protagonists of his films often strong, independent girls or young women
Miyazaki (family life) as inspiration
- World War II: Father Katsuji was director of Miyazaki Airplane (made rudders for A6M Zero fighter planes), owned by brother (Hayao Miyazaki's uncle)
- During this time: Miyazaki drew airplanes and developed a lifelong fascination with aviation (later manifested as a recurring theme in his films)
- Miyazaki's mother: avid reader who often questioned socially accepted norms
- Miyazaki later said that inherited questioning and skeptical mind from her
- Attended Toyotama High School
- Third year there saw film Hakujaden, described as "the first-ever Japanese feature length color anime"
- Interest in animation began in this period
- However in order to become animator, had to learn to draw human figure (prior work had been limited to airplanes and battleships)
3. Purpose
Use art to make claims about every day life. Through film and animation, directors like Hayao Miyazaki are dedicated to their craft. Animation films with interesting plots that question the relationship humans have with nature and the world around them. Miyazaki uses his films to portray themes such as good and evil, environmentalism, anti-war, and in politics (early interest in Marxism; although abandoned while creating Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind manga).
4. Audience
Open to general audience – films however widely popular mainly in Japan. English versions later released in the U.S. by Disney. Hayao Miyazaki does not target a certain aged audience, while most of his stories feature young female protagonists. Animation is also appealing to mostly the younger generations, although it is not limited to be seen only by young people – those of older generations can enjoy Miyazaki’s films as well.
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5 comments:
i think graffiti art sounds really interesting, as a topic, and it is also good that it starts to move into the direction of puclic and coutnerpublic... i am curious about all the artists you mention. banksy is english and ashd is from singapore? are you also interested in local graffiti or is it more international or through these artists? the berlin wall graffiti is also a really interesting and particular phenonmenon. any of these directions would be interesting to go in. the issue of the legality of graffiti is also part of what makes it so compelling i am sure. i like that you talk about it as "personal expression"--personal expression but it matters that it happens in a public way... i actually think you will find tons and tons of material on graffiti art and it might help to find a small concrete place to begin and move outwards from. might you find a particular artist/image/place and do an AB on that?
To be honest, I am still unsure if graffiti art will be my research paper topic. I was told that it was among those on the list of topic suggestions provided on the HC website, and I would prefer to do something more original. However I learned this only after doing my initial AB. I have other topics going through my head, but I still remain unsure.
I was thinking either a film? Crash (2004), Hayao Miyazaki films? (however there is not blatant public/counterpublic, just the film and story as a type of art), or even certain anime where the storyline goes along with the idea of public/counterpublic (dorky i know, but oh well)
x)
btw, that was me, kristine commenting x) melanie was logged onto my computer previously.
i think any of these things are interesting. the anime is interesting, and it does not necessarily have to have explicit public/counterpublic themes. miyazaki is the one who did kiki's delivery service and also the other, more famous one? about the girl and boy... anyhow, he's interesting, and it is also interesting because of the studio ghibli production partnership with disney (right)?
alright, well i finally decided to do the research paper on Hayao x) i did an AB on it as well. I guess I will just turn that in Week 7?
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