Interesting.

Over the years, Miyazaki’s political stance about America’s involvement in global conflicts as well as the country’s contribution towards the globalisation of American culture has been unwavering. “Anti-jeans, Anti-bourbon, Anti-burgers, Anti-fried chicken, Anti-cola, Anti-American coffee, Anti-New York, Anti-West Coast,” Miyazaki once said while describing his beliefs.

According to excerpts from multiple interviews, Miyazaki’s dislike for all things American also extends to the realm of cinema.

“Americans shoot things and they blow up and the like, so as you’d expect, they make movies like that,” Miyazaki stated. “If someone is the enemy, it’s okay to kill endless numbers of them. Lord of the Rings is like that. If it’s the enemy, there’s killing without separation between civilians and soldiers. That falls within collateral damage.”

Miyazaki compared the visual politics of large-scale Hollywood productions such as the Lord of the Rings to the country’s international policies. Attacking America’s actions in Afghanistan, Miyazaki claimed that such projects are a dangerous addition to public discourse because they diminish the value of human life by weaponising the audience through cinematic violence.

  • geikei [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Miyazaki has done and said some based and some unbased stuff (personality stuff, way too much military fetishism, some bit misanthropic eco localist positions etc) but at the end of the day he led the first and biggest union and workers movement in the industries history (in Toei in the 60s) , he has made a bunch of films with good messaging, he has helped and participated anti colonial anti-US bases movements in Okinawa even to this day, he refused to attend the Oscars due to the Iraq War . And many more. He is one of the good ones. Also a great director of course. Never really missed

    Shoutout to the late Ghibli co-founder, Miyazaki's best friend and equally based Isao Takahata. One of the most brilliant directors, maybe even more so than Miyazaki. Please go watch Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Pom Poko

      • Quimby [any, any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        for me, that's remember the titans. that movie makes me cry so hard.

    • Kanna [she/her]
      ·
      3 years ago

      I can't watch Grave of the Fireflies again. It's so heartbreaking

      • CheGueBeara [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I went into that one cold, thinking I was going to watch some wholesome anime...

        • Kanna [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Oh no... at least it tells you how it ends lol

              • CheGueBeara [he/him]
                ·
                3 years ago

                It was pretty horrible lol. Spoiler for those who haven't seen it:

                spoiler

                Half way through or so, when the two are in the cave or wherever, subsisting on candy and getting sick, I was still under the impression that it would all work out because this is an animated wholesome chungus movie by Studio Ghibli. It was indeed devastating. I suppose I was probably exactly the right audience for that movie, lol.