A Love Letter To Studio Ghibli

36 things we can take away from Ghibli movies

On June 15 2021, Studio Ghibli celebrated its 36th anniversary. 36 years of glorious cinema, filled with love, fantasy and a dose of reality. I will forever be thankful to Miyazaki Hayao-Sensei, Takahata Isao-Sensei, Yoshifumi Kondou-Sensei, Yoshio-Suzuki-Sensei the producer at Ghibli, and the team of brilliant animators along with one of the most amazing creators in the animation business who worked at the studio for several projects. We share deep love and emotion with the studio and there is nothing but praise for what they have presented to us in the span of 36 years.

Here are the 36 key takeaways from Ghibli movies:

Unconditional Love: Love, as portraited in Ghibli movies, is the best kind of love showcased in movies. It is unconditional, love like that makes you want to share it with the world. The kindness we see along with the humility of the characters which are sometimes flawed makes feel relatable to most of these characters. Like Sophie and Howl who are the best anime couple, just of thoughts.

Adapting and Evolving: The way the characters from a Ghibli movie adapt to new and unknown conditions is soo realistic no matter how strange or fantastical their situations are they are still utterly realistic. Many of us grow up, leave our places and get on with our lives, we can find comfort and strength by learning from these characters that adapting and eventually evolving are the only way to keep moving ahead. Characters like Chihiro from Spirited away, Sophie from Howl’s moving castle, Tanukis from Pom Poko there are way too many to name.

Value Friendship: Friends make lives easier, they make us feel welcomed and they sometimes become a shoulder to cry on. Friends make life worth living. Don’t worry if you don’t have a friend let these movies be your window to friendship. However, if you’ve got any friends, treasure them, they make the troubles times a bit easier to survive. Like Haku, Lin, Boh, and Chihiro, Anna and Marnie, Tombo, Ursula, Jiji, and Kiki, Sophie, Calcifer, Markl, Kakashi no kabu, and Howl, Sheeta and Pazu, if you are a Ghibli fan you know how friendships are portraited in a simple yet refreshing manner.

The balance between Nature and Humankind: The co-existence of humans and nature together has been a constant theme of Ghibli movies. Being thankful for nature and the life that we have given as humans on this planet we tend to forget that we are not the only souls walking on earth there are billions more. We take many things for granted and we forget we are a tinnie tiny part of the big universe, let’s not be complacent and share our gratitude more often. Be respectful towards nature, be kind to the lives around you, express your love for nature. Don’t trash anywhere. The conflict between Humans and Nature have been showcased in films like Pom Poko, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, My neighbour Totoro, Nausicaa of the valley of the wind just to name a few of Ghibli movies, we see a lot of hints of environmentalism constantly in Ghibli movies, Miyazaki-Sensei has always been an active environmentalist.

Accept the Present: We read about adaptation and evolving but the way it occurs is only through acceptance of the present scenario. You can’t change unless you accept things as they are and try to find a way out. It is never easy to accept the worst-case scenario but if you want to move ahead there is no other way but to accept the situation and make the next move accordingly. There are soo many examples to give from Ghibli moves whether it being Howl, Sophie, Chihiro, Paz, Kiki, Seita, Sheeta just to name a very very few of the characters from the huge list of characters from the Ghibli verse.

Creativity and Imagination: Ghibli has provided us with worlds that we never could've thought would exist. It doesn't matter whether they are real or not you have already been to those beautiful yet sometimes scary places with Ghibli and its wide variety of characters, Ponyo, Porco Rosso, Secret World of Arriety and My neighbour Totoro are my personal favourites when it comes to creating more than enough space from Imagination. Many of us also love the world from Spirited Away, Howls moving castle the is list goes on. The point is to never let go of the creativity and endless power of Imagination.

Moving Ahead: You accepted the present, made changes, adapted, and evolved now you have to move ahead without worrying about the past things that you’ve done. I love the scene from Spirited Away where Chihiro is sort of tempted to look behind but she does not and she walks straight ahead, indicating she is going ahead now. Keep moving ahead that's the only way out.

Hope And Happiness: The evident message we receive from all the Ghibli movies is that we must carry hope in our hearts and find our own peace and happiness. Happiness is required to live to the fullest, it is not something that we can toss off the list. Hope is what makes us work for our happiness.

Courage Teamed Up With Spirit: Life is not easy and it requires courage to live life as per our intended way. Courage along with Spirit to achieve the goal no matter how big or small requires a lot of work. We must not shy away from showing courage to achieve the dream.

Never Forget The Roots: Studio Ghibli movies are visually stunning and we have seen them go from a European lifestyle to more of a Japanese lifestyle depicting it is important to never forget the roots, the place where we come from. We also we the hints of Japanese folktales, spirits, mythology set in the movies effortlessly that even the Non-Japanese people can connect to the stories without any difficulty.

Set Out Into The Unknown: Yes, the world outside our comfort is scary and trust me it is even more scary and crazy with the spread of corona. It is a whole different world now but we cannot do anything but embrace it. Set out in this world of uncertainty, create reels, show your art and basically do whatever you wanted to do. At the comfort of your own home, you can create an entire world of your fantasy and share it with the world. Try new things at the ease and comfort of your own home. Join that online class and finish that calligraphy course you always wanted to do.

Be A Child At Heart: There is a child in all of us and we need to get that child out more often because that is how we can remain sane in the crazy world of ‘mature’ adults. Don’t let go of that child-like innocence, imagination, creativity, curiosity, and unbiased nature that we all had but are losing it as time passes.

Believe In Magic: Magic is not something that has some tricks and kicks, but the power to create miracles. We all work hard hoping to make it big, a lot of things can potentially go wrong but a lot of things go can right as well given that the wrong is done right, believe in that miracle, believe that you have that magic in you to change the world around you, believe in the miracles of life.

Power of food: We all love eating amazing dishes that are freshly cooked with great value especially when eaten with friends and family. I have made soo many friends over a lunch break, it is simple and small talks about stuff but we remain friends, never neglect the power of food. We must value what we eat and what we have on our plates. Ghibli movies are packed with powerful cooking scenes and crazy eating scenes, they are just as pleasing as the whole feature film.

Surviving: The ultimate message we receive from Ghibli movies is to survive and live life, life is hard and sometimes it is barely possible to fulfil basic requirements yet it is worth living. We strongly see this message in the Ghibli movies that no matter what the characters thrive for survival, they just want to survive no matter whether they are cursed or normal people. We see this again and again through movies like Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke among others.

Cleaning: Keep yourself and your surroundings clean. There is a phrase, ‘Cleanliness is to godliness’, and yes it is. When the place where you work is clean and organised, it is easier to get access to things and is good for your health. Less dust leads to fewer allergies.

Don’t be afraid to fly: We see multiple aircraft, planes, spaceships, witches brooms, helicopters, everything and anything that can fly up high in the sky. I see it as a metaphor for being able to do our best to be better at things that we do whatever they may be. Fly above and beyond, do things that make sense to you, live to the fullest. Yes, sometimes these flights crash and that's okay because you get to build a new one.

Obstacles are bound to happen: There will be a time when you’ll find yourself troubled and getting out might seem impossible but remember that there is no growth without overcoming obstacles. No matter how big or small your problem might be remember that there is always a solution you just have to look for it. Like in Kikis delivery service, Kiki losses her magic for a while but seeing Tombo in trouble she quickly grabs a broom and focuses all her energy to be able to fly again and save Tombo, the message is that the magic lies within, learn to channel it at required places.

Create Your Own World: Invoke the power of creativity and imagination, go daydream, write, sketch, create things of your own in this wide world of possibilities.

Romance Is Alive: In today's day and age, it is easier to think that there is no point in romance, it is boring, it is old-school among other stuff but what need to realise is that romance is just as relevant. Romance will never go out of fashion. Romance is what keeps our hearts fluttering.

Carry The Memories: We forget a lot of things as we move on ahead in life but carry those old memories with ourselves as they are the ones that help us shape our lives.

Cry Out Loud: Nothing wrong with expressing sadness, we feel like crying makes us seem vulnerable but that is not the case, cry out loud, let those emotions out. We are creatures with emotions and we’ve got multiple of those express them without any shame.

Adventure: Have little adventures of your own with your friends, family or simply by yourself. Get out into the unknown, have a little time in the woods, mountains, sea-side any place you want. Try a new hobby, I recently got into calligraphy and let me tell you it is extremely relaxing.

Never Tell The Same Story: Explore yourself and try to learn about yourself never be the same. You’ll see a whole new side of yourself, discover talents you never thought you had. Share your experiences.

Your Experiences Make You: It is said that your experiences make you and it is true. You can’t understand what you haven't experienced. That’s why experiencing things is important.

Being An Individual Is Not Easy: We all want to be individuals and it is fine but we must realise it is not easy being an individual. Individuality is around these days quite a lot as many people live alone but humans have always been social animals and do need each other to get through life. Co-operation, communication, and the connection is the key.

Reality Is Harsh: The real world is cruel and we cannot do anything about it. All there is to do is adapt and move ahead. Reality might be harsh but it is not the end of everything, start slow but make sure to put in your efforts towards your goals.

Fight For Your Believes: Stand for what you believe in, it can be hard for people to understand you but it is important to make our thoughts be heard. Your thoughts matter make sure that they are known to people around you.

Hone Your Skills And Techniques: Developing skills is required and is important to be the best at what you do. No matter what sort of work you do it is necessary to improve and give your best work forward. Talent isn’t everything you have to work to get better at your craft. Get to the desk and start working. All the best.

Add Music: Music is the most important medicine to have ever existed. Add great music to the playlist, listen to the musicians you love and support. Music makes everything better. Joe Hisaishi has provided us with mesmerisingly calming tracks to listen to when in stress.

Details In The Background: The background we generally forget to pay attention to is focused so well under the Studio Ghibli Production it is beyond words. It teaches us that we should try to observe things that are generally missed by many, the backgrounds deserved to be seen as a part of our daily lives too. Observe the trees, look at people, be observant of your surroundings.

Create Your Own Life: The choices we make in our younger years affect our latter lives, be wise with the kind of choices you make and if it isn’t yours try to adapt and create a path for your own sake. Ask for help when required and don’t be stuck in one place.

Getting Lost Sometimes Is Good: Wanna live in the woods, get lost in a big city or just be lost in a long dream sequence, you can do that. Sometimes it is important to lose yourself in mindless thoughts, creating a small space is good for your mental well being. To be sane sometimes you have to see the insane side of your own imagination. If you can get out of the house the neighbourhood or go hiking, do try something new.

Respect The Time And Art Of The Creators: The amount of work that goes into making something like these movies is mind-numbing. But the time and hours are all worth it when the final product is this beautiful. Take a moment to appreciate their work and acknowledge it by sharing it amongst your peers.

Understanding and Feeling: Many times it is better to feel things than to understand them. Feelings leave you with lasting impact, they become memories whereas understanding is just based on theories and speculations which isn’t too bad either. It is good to understand stuff but it is better and greater to feel them. We don’t understand emotions, we feel them.

These are the 36 things I’ve learnt through the Ghibli movies. If you’d like to add your feelings, thoughts, lessons you’ve learnt through Ghibli movies please free to do so. Thank you for reading.

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