Rewind: My Neighbor Totoro

Little Mei knows that fantastic things can be found in
small, ordinary places. It's a perspective I hope to maintain
no matter how old I grow.

For the first time since last Friday, I have some breathing room between homework and work. When I came back to my room after class, I collapsed, exhausted and teary, unsure if I'd be able to get a Rewind post up. I knew ya'll would understand if I couldn't.

A short nap made me feel a little better, and so here I am, fingers posed to type about a comfort food anime, one most of you are probably familiar with: My Neighbor Totoro.

Actually, I brought Totoro to school with me, and it's conveniently kept under my bed. I''m surprised to find that it's still in its plastic wrap. I guess I haven't watched it since I got a copy for my birthday. I was saving it for a rainy day, I suppose... today's a perfect time to watch it. The Japanese theme plays and opening credits roll, putting a small smile on my weary face.

It case you are new around these parts, let me fill you in: My Neighbor Totoro is an animated movie from Studio Ghibli, directed by the talented Miyazaki Hayao. It's from 1988 and set in rural Japan. The combined date and location are enough to put me in a very different world, the world of "once upon a time, in a land far, far away." Then the fantasy pieces are gently introduced, and I'm truly on a beautiful adventure away from my normal life.

Yet it is very easy to relate to. When I tell people about My Neighbor Totoro, I always talk about the portrayal of childhood. There are so many precious moments, it's hard to choose just one. I suppose one of the most potent parts in my memory is the children, Satsuki and Mei, as they explore their new home in the first fifteen minutes.

Satsuki exclaims, "It's a wreck," and "It's all rotten!" From an older mouth, those words would likely be complaints. But she announces the house's neglected state with a wide smile and a gleam in her eye, and her little sister copies her. They've moved to the countryside to live in a wreck of a haunted house. What an adventure!

"It's going to fall down!" the children yell. They run around and and laugh and screech for no reason except that their house is old, and they're happy. And they haven't even gone inside yet!

When they do enter the house, they discover little black fuzzies that scatter into hiding the moment they enter a room. They yell at them, not with fright, but with the determination of young adventurers, as if to say, "We're coming in. So there!"

Their father calls the creatures dust bunnies, giving them actual words to shout during the next segment of their exploration. "Come out, Dust Bunnies!" they yell. I wish I could take a screenshot of this next part, but 'twould appear they've designed the tech so I can't. This is the picture I remember best: little Mei crawling up the dimly lit attic stairs after her sister. Her legs are shorter and chubbier, but she has more than enough determination to make up for it.

We haven't even met Totoro yet, and there are already so many precious moments. This isn't some grand action or fairy tale. If you come into it with expectations for an American-style, action-packed epic, you'll be disappointed. You have to slow down and let the children show you how to enjoy the little things in life. Even with the fantasy and elements of Shintoism, this movie holds truth. It reminds me to keep my eyes open for the acorns and creeks, the hidden creatures and the towering trees. There's so much beauty and adventure in Creation. I want to make a point to appreciate it with eyes as wide open as Satsuki's and Mei's.

Rewind: Spirited Away

This “Rewind” post goes far back, to a movie I haven’t seen in seven and a half years.

I call Naruto my first anime. In truth, I first watched anime over three years before the orange-clad ninja ever crossed my screen. I just didn’t know it.

I was at my friend’s house for her thirteenth birthday party, along with a few other girls. Looking back, it makes sense that she’d like Miyazaki’s films. From my perspective, our middle school didn’t have the stereotypical social ladder, but we were definitely one of the fringe groups. I bet that a couple of my friends were into anime and manga, but I was neither observant enough or close enough to realize it. 

My friend turned on a movie I’d never heard of before, called Spirited Away. It was weird, and a little creepy. A girl got separated from her parents, who I think turned into pigs for a while. Instead of the tourist spot they were supposed to be at, she found herself in a much darker place with strange creatures. There was a really odd, scary old lady with a huge head. Her creepy baby was gigantic, much bigger than any adult. There were also some oppressed-looking people working in a hot, big, windowless place with water. 

From what I recall, it was like a dark Alice in Wonderland with even weirder creatures and an Asian twist.

Remember, when I watched this, I didn’t know it was from Japan. I didn’t know who Miyazaki Hayao was, or even what anime was. I was unfamiliar with Japanese culture, and I wouldn’t have recognized Japanese bathhouses, let alone the influence of Japanese folklore. My understanding of Japan was limited to lower level history classes, which covered the samurai and mentioned atomic bombs. I hadn’t even seen Nickelodeon's Avatar the Last Airbender, which would have at least prepared me a little for the spirit world in Spirited Away. 

As a result, I really didn’t like the movie. I didn’t enjoy it, and I wasn’t mature enough or informed enough to appreciate it as an art.

Two years later, in ninth grade, I attended a tiny home school co-op. A couple of the other girls were really into Miyazaki’s films. They even declared Tuesday to be “Totoro Tuesday,” and would bring a stuffed Totoro to class. But, since I disliked Spirited Away, they didn’t think I’d like My Neighbor Totoro or Howl’s Moving Castle. I wasn’t eager to try those movies anyway. So, when they watched Howl’s Moving Castle during lunch time, I sat on the other side of our only classroom, doing my own thing. I still didn’t really know what anime was. 

Looking back, I can’t believe how oblivious I was. I had no idea that my friends were standing on the edge of such a vibrant subculture. I hadn’t made the connection between what they watched and the manga-style drawings my cousin showed me a couple years before. My past ignorance almost amazes me. 

I want to re-watch Spirited Away. I think I’d like it, now that I’ve watched and loved a few of Miyazaki’s other movies. I wonder if our library has it... even if they don’t, I’ll return to school soon. Someone in my dorm is bound to have a copy.

Are you a fan of Miyazaki? Are there any anime that would have weirded you out in the past, but that you enjoy now? 

Miyazaki, Dubs, and a Car Crash

Hi there, everyone! 

I had an exciting weekend. I finally watched two of Miyazaki’s acclaimed works, I discovered that good dubs do indeed exist, and, last but not least, I crashed my car. All within the space of twenty four hours. 

As absurd as it may sound, I spent my two years of anime fandom without finishing a single anime directed by the famous Miyazaki Hayao. Sure, I watched Spirited Away about six years ago, but that doesn’t count. Back then, I had no idea what anime was. I just thought Spirited Away was a little weird. 

Then, when I was researching anime for “Anime 101” during my first year of anime watching, I tried Princess Mononoke. I didn’t fully appreciate it and ended up stopping midway.

Only recently did my interest in Miyazaki’s work surface. On Saturday evening, I watched Howl’s Moving Castle with my dear friend. It was amazing! The art, the music, the creativity and plot, and even the English dubs were great! Howl quickly made his way to my favorite anime guy list. Granted, he’s not nearly as cool as Brandon Heat from Gungrave, but still; Howl is pretty high up there.

After my friend left, leaving me alone with the dogs I was watching for the weekend, I found myself craving more Miyazaki. Thankfully, she’d lent me My Neighbor Totoro as well. While I didn’t love Totoro as much as Howl’s Moving Castle, I still liked it. It contained many of the same things that I enjoyed so much in Howl – from the art to the music to the story. I watched it in the original Japanese, and I found the children’s voices slightly annoying, but it was still good.

Then Sunday rolled along. It started well. I woke up to hungry dogs, fed them, and wrapped up my house sitting job. I considered sticking around to meet one of the owners, but wanted to make sure I was home before dark. I live almost three hours away from the place I was house sitting, and I still had to get gas.

So I wrote a note, packed up my car, found a gas station, and headed home. I blasted the soundtrack from Pixar’s Cars, like I always do on long road trips. Scenes from the anime Initial D flashed through my mind as I drove down the highway. Again, it was a typical road trip. I always think about Initial D when I make that drive. I’m not near as reckless as those fictional street racers, but I enjoy thinking about them as I round highway curves.

When I was about a half hour away from home, I drove around a right hand curve. The steering wheel jerked the opposite direction, but I was able to regain control and thought nothing of it. Looking back, I really, really wish I’d taken better note of the way my car was acting.

A minute, maybe two, after I’d noticed that little quirk, I encountered another right hand curve, a larger one this time. I approached it faster than the suggested speed, though still within legal limits. I repeat, that was nothing atypical. Before that day, I’d never had any trouble with rounding those corners.

As I began following the curve to the right, the steering wheel decided to go against my wishes. It jerked again to the left. This time, I couldn’t direct it back on course. My car veered across the empty passing lane, across the opposing traffic lane, and off the other side of the road. From the angle my car landed in, you’d think I was coming from the opposite direction.

A very rough diagram of the crash site

At some point in the crashing process, it looked like the passenger side of the car banged against a boulder. I think that’s what resulted in the greatest amount of damage. Either way, when I first crashed, I didn’t particularly care. The engine died when I crashed off the side of the road. My imagination went wild with images of exploding vehicles. With such thoughts in mind, I hurriedly left the car and stood a few feet away.

Some men, I’m guessing in their late twenties or early thirties, pulled off the road about a dozen yards away. They called the police, lent me a jacket and a water bottle, and stayed with me until my parents and the tow truck came. I only learned two of their names, but I am very thankful for each of them. I needed adult support and company, and they provided it (yes, I’m technically an adult, but still).

The police didn’t come, but an officer on the phone gave me the number for the tow truck company Mom wanted. Everyone involved – the police on the phone, the men who stopped their van and suburban to help, the paramedic in training who came right before my parents and checked on me, and even the tow truck man – was very helpful and kind.

It took almost exactly twenty four hours to get over the shock of it all. I got what I can best describe as an annoying seatbelt burn on my right arm, and my ankles are slightly bruised where the knobby parts knocked together. I woke up sore and with very minor whiplash. But overall, I’m fine. The car, on the other hand, could very well be totaled.

So, that’s what’s been going on with me. I watched Howl’s Moving Castle a second time to help recover from the shock. By the time I finished that and the latest Naruto Shippuden filler, I felt mentally all better.

To sum this blog post up: Miyazaki is cool, great English dubs actually exist, and car crashes aren’t fun.