Sorry again for the late post. My computer went out of commission because of a blown battery - don't worry, we're all good now.
On Monday, we discussed the double-function that the film Totoro seems to serve.
On one hand, as many of you mentioned, a harmless and fun adventure; a good childhood memory.
On the other hand, there is a more desperate, sinister current (as shown through Miyazaki's chilling interview here) that implies that even the creation of the film Totoro is a sort of escapism for adults.
Questions!
1) How could Totoro possibly be escapist for adults?
2) Regarding your answer to (1), what are the implications of that idea on the integrity of the film, for you? As in... does that make the film more meaningful, or more
Also, we talked about fantasy and reality, the overlay between the two worlds and if that's portrayed as a positive thing or not.
3) What do you think about the mesh between the fantasy and real worlds?
4) How does spirituality factor in? As a crutch, or as something that is necessary, beneficial, and essential to growing up? (or, as we discussed, the concept of childish belief in providence or "good things" to solve real problems?)
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This week, we'll be doing Kiki's Delivery Service. disclaimer: I know that I crow over it but seriously don't feel pressure to *love* it. I don't want people to feel obliged to praise any of the films if they don't feel that way - that's the point of the class, to understand people's differing opinions about the issues that Miyazaki raises.
Read this before class:
.: Miyazaki's foreword to the 1989 魔女の宅急便 (Witch's Delivery Service - Kiki's Delivery Service) Artbook
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/kiki_foreword.html
(This is actually really interesting, since 1989-90 is exactly when the Japanese economic bubble crashed in a very similar situation to the one that we are in now.)
" In this era, poverty is not so much material as spiritual... In an era when leaving the security of one's home is no longer anything special, and living among strangers means nothing more than going to a convenience store for anything you need, it might be more difficult than ever to achieve a real sense of independence since you must go through the process of discovering your own talents and expressing yourself."
.: An excerpt from a book called "Unmasking Japan Today: The Impact of Traditional Values On Modern Japanese Society," written in 1996 in collaboration of a Japanese and non-Japanese woman. I don't necessarily agree with the reasoning behind all of the statements made, but I definitely think it's indicative of the kind of struggles that people thought 90's youth in Japan were facing. Hopefully we can get some input from our classmates :)
Book excerpt here
Please read the section from bottom of page 75 - 82, from Junior High to High school students.
I don't usually assign reading but I'd like you guys to take a look at it before class. It's interesting and very short stuff, so don't be lazy please! (Even though it took me till Saturday to post this....)
20 comments:
I think that Totoro can be escapist for adults in that it probably reminds them of their childhood and the purity and innocence it entails. Even if they didn't grow up with Totoro, they can still relate to its depiction of two girls growing up in a world that can be magical and frightening at the same time. Because this is how most audiences will view Totoro, it may seem like there isn't much more to the film than to be heartwarming and make the audience feel good, but that would be doing a disservice to Totoro. Behind the feel-good exterior is the message to retain the innocence and purity of youth to the best of one's ability while at the same time embracing the growth and maturity that comes with age.
Although it often feels like a balancing act that we can't keep up forever, it is important to just remember the pros and cons of both innocence and maturity. This actually serves as a useful parallel to the dual fantasy and real worlds depicted in the film. While the world of Totoro corresponds to the innocence and purity of childhood, the real world represents the harsh reality that we often must face as we grow up and mature. This doesn't necessarily mean that to retain the purity of one's childhood is to stunt his or her growth, but rather that to indulge in either world is to miss out on what the other one has to offer.
Here is where spirituality factors in. Whether one views it as a crutch or as a component to growing up isn't as important as recognizing that it plays an integral role in all of our interpretations. As a crutch, spirituality has the power to delude us and to prevent us from prospering in the real world, while as something essential to growing up, it helps us cope with the harsh realities of the world that we live in and trust in something that we know to have a strength that we don't possess.
I think Totoro can be considered escapist for adults in that it provides a kind of "revisionist" way of looking back at childhood. For most people, childhood is an idyllic time where things are considered simpler, where one's perspective is limited to family and school. This perspective is corrupted often through traumatic events, such as feelings of abandonment, divorce, death of a family member, or just the belief that the world is a cruel place. In watching Totoro, adults can forget the effects of these memories and relive their childhood through a scripted, deliberate plot that deals with these traumas (the threat of Satsuki's mom dying, raising a sibling) and add fantasy to help alleviate the sensitivities of these topicss. We can forget what we've been through and take the movie's childhood as our own for a brief moment. Miyazaki said in one of the readings that making his movies amounted to struggling with himself, that it's easier said than done to praise life in all its difficulties, and through Totoro, we can suspend reality and revise our childhoods but not take as much responsibility for who we are now and how our childhood has constructed that.
In looking at the integrity of the film, I think it affects how I perceive adults who watch Totoro later in life and why they enjoy watching it, whether it's this revisionist attitude or for the pure aesthetics of the film, one where the division between good and evil is less polarized. I personally enjoy the latter, since films often verge between a defined good and evil that makes them oversimplified. While the film may provide lessons for youth who are the same age as the main characters in how to be patient, how to enjoy the world outside and to be active, I think its lessons for adults, especially those who haven't grown up with the film, may be more subversive.
1) I think Totoro could serve as desire to escaping to simpler childhood life for adults. With adults always caught up in work, finances, raising children, and many other adult responsibilities, they might yearn for their youth where life required less responsibilities and they could just play all day.
2) I think it does make the film more meaningful because it provides a momentary sense of nostalgia in older viewers that people need every once in awhile. It doesn’t lessen the integrity because one of the main purposes of movies is to provide escapism.
3) I think the mesh is very creative in that the spiritual world seems to have physical effects on the real world. Everyday occurrences in the real world like a strong gust of wind is actually caused by the Catbus in the spiritual world rushing by.
4) I think spirituality keeps our hopes up and keeps us optimistic for the future. Spirituality, especially with religion, always calls for us to pull through bad times because the good times are just around corner. Spirituality also humbles us and makes us realize that the world does not revolve around us. Traits like optimism and selflessness are important to growing up.
Totoro can be escapist for adults because it takes them back to childhood or a time when they are not plagued with the responsibilities of adulthood. Miyazaki mentioned in one of his interviews that adults seem to have their hopes dashed more than children. Thus, I think that the movie can also be motivating as well as inspirational for adults. Because of this, the movie is more meaningful. Also, I think that the audience is meant to take something meaningful with them so that the feeling of escapism last even after the movie is over.
As for the mesh between the fantasy and real world, I think that it is very creative and necessary. Sometimes we get so caught up in the real world and our own problems that we forget to step back and reflect. Hence, the mesh between fantasy and reality is a nice balance.
Furthermore, I think that spirituality is important here because it helps keep the balance in our lives. It motivates us and gets us through difficult times. The good thing about spirituality is that one doesn't necessarily have to be very religious to be spiritual. It can come in different forms whether we are conscious of it or not.
1. I think Totoro is escapist for adults to the extent that it depicts an earlier stage of life--childhood--which is impossible for adults to reinhabit. Even if an adult acts or thinks with a child's sensibilities, s/he still carries the life experiences (the good and bad) that most children don't know yet. The idyllic world portrayed in Totoro (and other movies like it) allow its adult audience to revisit a time that is lost to them.
2. Personally, I'm fine with escapism in movies (and literature!) in moderation. I feel that it's helpful to step back from the "real world" for a short while and re-evaluate our relationship with it--which is what Totoro does for me. Actually, the movie itself limits how far you can escape into it. Real-world concerns are looming over the characters even as they're playing around, so the adult that lives vicariously through the children must experience the fear and anxiety that they feel, as well.
Miyazaki's combination of fantasy and reality seems flawless in My Neighbor Totoro. Without some of these fantastical events, things in reality wouldn't have occurred. They exist in the same realm at the same time; to interact with each other. That however, I feel, is a bit of a problem in the movie. In this way, the spirituality factor is used as a crutch. The belief in Totoro definitely helped the girls in this situation, but maybe in another it can provide no solace for them. I really want to believe in the spiritual and fantasy factors of life, but there is a boundary. Satsuki and Mei cross the boundary and rely too heavily on it. At some point this fantastical belief won't be able to hold up against their problems. If Totoro didn't solve their problems for them with his magical powers, and acted more as an imaginary friend, I would be able to accept the mesh of reality and fantasy. But because certain things only happened because of spiritual factors, it makes me question things. I understand these kids are going through a lot and it's all very difficult to process, trusting that this spirit will provide an answer is not the best option. Trusting that a spirit will help you overcome something in an emotional and spiritual way seems the better alternative. However, in the movie, it is a necessity that the girls have a strong spiritual belief.
I can't say Totoro makes me feel all that nostalgic when I watch it. This isn't because I didn't have an overactive imagination when I was a kid (still do in fact). More that Totoro was something that Mai and Satsuki directly experience, while my fantasies were never something I starred in as the main character.
What I mean by this is that Mai and Satsuki actually see Totoro and go on adventures with him. If I ever fantasized about anything, I was not the person experiencing it directly. Rather, these things always happened to other people rather then myself. If I ever existed in these stories, I tended to be a supporting character at most, someone watching on the sidelines where my presence could be directly felt as little as possible.
This is not to say I never inserted myself in a daydream or fantasy. Just that when it came to something of the flavor/scope of Totoro, it was something that I never imagined myself directly being involved in.
I think that Miyazaki brilliantly meshed the real world and fantasy within My Neighbor Totoro. We enter the film with this family having to move, their mother in the hospital, and their father working at a University through most of the day. It is the reality which most people live in - that parents cannot always be home, that nothing is ever permanent, and that our loved ones can get sick. All of these things are very hard for children to deal with, much less adults. This is where Totoro becomes the hope and "escapist" portion of the story. Although the children are the only ones that can see and interact with Totoro, Mei and Satsuki's parents are just as involved in encouraging their imagination and belief in the forest spirit. This gives the parents happiness and joy to see their children interacting with the spirituality of nature - that their kids can enjoy their childhood! Although Totoro is an imaginary character, and therefore unrealistic, the creativity and unwavering belief of the children in something bigger than themselves is something I can understand and comprehend. Overall, I think Miyazaki did a wonderful job balancing the innocence/imagination of the children with mature, real-life situations.
I think that Totoro can be used as an escape for adults because it allows for one to forget about the harsh world and remember childhood with heartwarming, fun nostalgia. I think that the beginning of the film kind of establishes this in a sense because the family is 'escaping' from the hustle and bustle as well as the worries due to the war of the city and enter the 'sanctuary' of the countryside where they don't have to worry. Everyone is so happy in the move to the countryside. I also think that the countryside portrays such a calm relaxing landscape, even though there are people working out in the fields. And the children portray innocence not marred by 'reality', although Satsuki shows a bit of realization of the harsh world and the possibility of death of her mother. The kids remind adults of childhood fun. That in itself can be used an an escape.
As for spirituality, that is used as a component for growing up, I think not just for the kids. In the movie, the concept of Totoro and friends not only involves the kids, but also the adults. It helps the adults communicate with the kids and for the kids it allows for hope. The kids end up relying on totoro and friends and they are opened up into a world in which they may be relieved because they can rely on totoro.
Even if the film is escapist, this doesn’t mean that the film is any less deep or full of multiple layers of understanding. For example, you can discuss the question of whether Totoro is real or a coping mechanism for the girls to deal with a sick mother. Or, examine the different ways children and adults view the world around them. Being transported back to childhood can even open a person up to self reflection, a person can see how they have changed from a carefree child to an over stressed and over worked adult. One other thing, escapist films can also provide the benefit of losing your, of simply enjoying the moment—often not done enough in adulthood. Any movie that is considered escapist can have subtext which is extrapolated and discussed if a person is looking hard enough. Escapist is not a synonym for simple. Totoro is an escapist movie that portrays the openness of a child’s mind and a world wanting to accept such crazy notions of giant furry creatures.
1) totoro can possibly be an escapist for adults in the sense that it would serve as a nice reminiscing stimulus of their childhood. Unless the person had a terrible childhood, this film would definitely serve as a call back to when they were children, and the times that they enjoyed when they were younger.
2) In that respect, yes, I do believe that it does serve to make things more meaningful when viewed as an adult. Having experienced more events as an adult, it allows the person to compare and contrast these different points of time in their lives. Whether it stirs up nostalgia or discomfort would once again depend on the type of childhood this person underwent.
I think the mesh between fantasy and the real world is fine, because I like to think that everything has a little tint of magic everywhere (childish, I know). But at the same time, I do not think the fantasy world should be so overwhelming that one cannot decipher the difference between what is real and what is not. My Neighbor Totoro is a good balance between both the fantasy world and the real world. The world of Totoro never slipped into Mei and Satsuki's real world(more Satsuki's than Mei's), but in my opinion ran parallel with the actualities of their live. Totoro provided a imaginative playground for the girls, but never took them away from where they were suppose to be. The only time I can think of Totoro spilling into the girls' actualities is as the end of the movie, when Totoro helped Sarsuki find Mei. But in that aspect, the Totoro world only helped assisted the girl, and because of that, I can hardly see that as hurtful. In my opinion, whether it was real or not, Totoro provided a balance there girls need to live in the new world they were placed in. I guess the only time it would be harmful if these girls grew up not realizing what is reality and what might not be.
4) I think spirituality in My Neighbor Totoro was really hopefully, and positively depicted. I personally think that spirituality affects children very much not only in positive way but also in negative way. For example, in negative way, we can believe the ghost or some scary things conceptually when we are young, and this can affect our mind seriously. But this is just the extreme example. In Totoro, the spirituality and was described as beneficial and good things for growing up for children. For example, when the father introduces the big tree and explains about the spirituality and something else, the two sisters can have some respect for the nature and siprits. And this affects them as positively. They also believed Totoro naturally, and belief in Totoro could make them to solve the real problem( finding the younger sister at night). For me, at least, they all looked happy and bright (becuase of the belief in spirituality).
I think Totoro could be escapist for (older) adults. The vivid depiction of the Showa era surely reminds these people of their childhood. Unlike many movies out there, we don't see much of action going on in Totoro. The story is peaceful and relieving, and for the time we're watching, we can immerse ourselves into the movie.
They say you will always have new findings every time you watch one of the Miyazaki's movies, because sometimes the storyline is too complicated or sometimes you notice on a very small thing that you just didn't see before. But to me Totoro is somewhat different. The movie seems different as I watch it over time. I don't remember how old I was when I first saw the movie, but I was pretty little. I would only watch it for fun, no sense of nostalgia. But when I watch it now, I cannot connect to the character as much as I used to. Rather, I watch from the adult's point of view, inevitably feeling nostalgia. Although Totoro is said to be made for kids, I believe Totoro is truly for just about everyone, no matter how old they are.
I think that the mesh between the fantasy and real world in Totoro is great; in a sense that I was confused if the Totoro was real or not when I first watched it. I think the moment you questioned to yourself ‘was it a real?’ it proves that the distinction between both world were not really distinctive but rather existed at the same time. Is this making sense? In the movie, Totoro looked so real to Mai and Satsuki, but none could actually see Totoro except two girls. However, in Mai and Satsuki’s world, Totoro was a real friend of them. From here, I think that Miyazaki portrayed the coexistence of real world and the fantasy world impressively.
And.. this is just my thought..
I can’t agree with how Totoro could be escapist for adult. Many answered that Totoro can be escapist for adult because they can be nostalgic about their childhood once again, but I could never imagine the childhood from this movie. My childhood was never like Mai or Satsuki. I mean I imagined and dreamed about fantasy and I still do. However, Totoro’s setting was too rural, and I never could imagine being in that kind of area and be adventurous like Mai or Satsuki. How could adults from now days, like my parents, understand what Mai and Satsuki were experiencing? Maybe if someone came from farming industry, it could be possible. That is certainly not my family’s case.
1) How could Totoro possibly be escapist for adults?
First of all, Totoro itself is kind of the unrealistic existance so that makes people feel something different from the real world. Also, Totoro's cute appearance would be the one of the reason, too. Second point is the world which is drawn in Totoro makes people look for nostalgia. People in this contemporary world see the Totoro's slow and peaceful country side and they hope they could get it to their busy life even though it is impossible. However, seeking for the something diffrent from the world they live leads to escapist. Therefore, the world in Totoro is filled with the things which don't exist in the usual life. These points are the reason why Totoro could possibly be escapist for adults.
1. Childhood in Totoro is filled with discovery and amazement. Unfortunately, adults who see this movie have become too smart and wearied with everyday concerns and real life tragedies. The song “Ring around the Rosy” is a fine example of how children would perceive something different than adults. We adults know that “Ring around the Rosy” is pessimistic and terrible song, yet kids are not burden by daily world matters and they do not fully comprehend the darker meaning of this song. As we grow older, we become more burden of how our world works, yet for a child, they are still discovering and figuring out the world. Totoro allows adults to remember the days when they can laugh and cry without a carefree in the world. Tragically, adults like us know the horrors existing in our world, yet we still hope for something better. (End of Stream of Conscious)
2. The movie was definitely enjoyable, and I remember the days of long ago. I wish I could live a carefree life, such as when I am a child, but myself as an adult has both the means and the ambition to carry out my childhood dreams and make a difference in this world. I see this as the ultimate tradeoff. On one side, you have the innocence of discovery as a child who has limited capabilities to affect the world (except if you have mystical characters). And on the other side, I have gained knowledge and understanding that I can live the dreams of my childhood, yet can no longer live a blissful and carefree life (unless if I chose a path of ignorance) with the knowledge of the suffering of this world. However, it was nice to relive the essence of childhood that I so long lost and treasured.
-Michael Iseri
Totoro can be a source of escapism for adults in its ability to take them away from other people and show them new creatures that don't really communicate the same way nor hold the same mindset. It is an escape from social standards, financial woes, political agendas, and things are just simpler.
Totoro serves as a way to return weeding out the excess in life, and zooming in on what's important: relationships. Totoro makes things so simple: what is important is to take care of and love one another. There really is no need to secure anything for ourselves but to focus on giving and being there for each other. As shown at the end of the film, Totoro just takes the girls to see their mother in the hospital because she would not be able to come home that weekend. Because the girls cannot come home, Totoro simply takes the girls to see her. Simple as that. That is the kind of attitude that is very rare, especially at a time when we like to self-indulge and take money, distance, time and worth into account whenever something intervenes our plans.
Lillian Guo
3.) I thought the mesh between fantasy and real worlds was very fluid in Totoro. Unlike Spirited Away, Miyazaki presented the fantasy world as something inherent and easily fitted into the real world. The manner in which Mei and Satsuki move between their adventures with Totoro and their everyday lives could be attached to Miyazaki's technique of subjective POV filmmaking. However, through their eyes, the fantasy world is just as real as the real world they inhabit. And included in that, Totoro is just as real. The manner in which the supposed imaginary interacts with the supposed real, tangible things within the girls' world really reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes. Hobbes is a stuffed animal when seen through other character's perspective, but when through Calvin's (and the reader's), he's a living, breathing tiger. When asked about whether Calvin's pal Hobbes was real or not, Bill Watterson replied, "When Hobbes is a stuffed toy in one panel and alive in the next, I'm juxtaposing the "grown-up" version of reality with Calvin's version, and inviting the reader to decide which is truer".
4.) Hm, spirituality. I definitely can see spirituality as a crutch, such as Matt said about deluding oneself instead of facing the reality of certain situations. However, I believe spirituality is definitely an essential factor to growing up. Mai and Satsuki's belief in Totoro and the sheer magic he is, is never presented as something they completely depended on nor understood, but rather as a benevolent creature who enriched their lives.
The mesh between the spiritual and real world in Totoro is something a bit lacking of definite clarity. By this, I mean that Miyazaki tends to lead the film in both the direction of the spiritual being seen in the clearer light as merely a fantastic explanation for a banal “real world” event, as well as showing that events that are merely seen as ordinary random circumstances are actually the result of spiritual forces. It is consistently unclear in whether or not the spirit world of Totoro actually exists alongside the real world, exists only for the young (presumably the creative, imaginative, and innocent), or is the only true reality. Indeed, wind is described as a result of the movement of Catbus, and Catbus is described as a result of the movement of the wind. This dichotomy creates a continual discontinuity between the spiritual and real realms, having them meet only occasionally and fleetingly at events like the father seeing Totoro play the flute atop the giant tree or the mother having a vision of her children and Catbus in the tree outside her hospital window.
Spirituality, especially tied with the Shintoist influences of Totoro, is critical to maturation of a sense of the divine in Miyazaki’s films. The spirituality displayed in Totoro is given just enough “real world” credibility to avoid being written off as a crutch—an escapist tactic—that both Mei and Satsuki use to adjust to their change in living situation.
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