You see, whether you can draw like this or not, being able to think up this kind of design, it depends on whether or not you can say to yourself, “Oh, yeah, girls like this exist in real life.” If you don’t spend time watching real people, you can’t do this, because you’ve never seen it.
Some people spend their lives interested only in themselves. Almost all Japanese animation is produced with hardly any basis taken from observing real people, you know. It’s produced by humans who can’t stand looking at other humans. And that’s why the industry is full of otaku!
:miyazaki-laugh:
To take things even further I think that the objectification, flanderization, comodification and "othering "of female characters in anime has resulted in it almost exclusively catering incels and otaku that see women (and disturbingly, underage girls) as dolls to fetishise.
Which is frustrating because there is good anime out there that isn't like this, but I can't really say I'm an anime fan without people thinking I'm into moe crap or otakus gatekeeping me because I don't like their moe crap.
I just wanna talk about how cool Full Metal Alchemist is...
It's funny you say that...
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.
As a former marxist who clearly still has materialism and communist beliefs rooted in his core Miyazaki knows exactly what he's saying, even if the wider anime community doesn't really get it or him because his marxism is always glossed over by reactionary western weebs.
You highlight exactly why I don't like this meme, as I said the two paragraph quote is not enough for the whole nuanced take on the subject.
Miyazaki is the western anime "mascot" like Kojima and the gaming industry. Both shit on the west many times in the past but critics keep coming back for more as if his criticism of anime invalidates the medium in support of their own favorite western based form of entertainment. Kojima didn't want to make MGS4 but when the game comes out every critic is circle jerking reviews about how great it was etc without being capable of understanding why MGS4 is a nostalgia trip.
Both Miyazaki and Kojima's critique is also not really totally damning. If it were they would leave the industries. They speak of its ills with extremely harsh critique and displays (Death Stranding) in their art but are also clearly hopeful to hold up that same industry to higher standards. It's a "do better" critique. Two marxists (not really sure I believe miyazaki dropped marxism as it still clearly influences him) at the absolute top of their industries and their political backgrounds are largely ignored in any and all analysis or review of their works.
For example, Kojima critiques america and imperialism relentlessly but it's pretty clear to me that he adores America and wants to believe it will one day live up to its own myth. He seems to view america as a lie but asks it to fight to achieve that lie for real.
This is definitely my reading as well. Kojima feels like a utopian at heart, but one who recognizes how far we are from it.
Them's fightin' words