Miyazaki Hayao, a reputable Japanese director, has influenced the world of animation and brought forth fresh, surreal, and fantastical concepts to life through meticulous hand-drawn animation. He is well-known for his award-winning films Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and a select few others that have garnered popularity and inspiration throughout the animation industry. (Ray M, 2009)
His journey toward a creative field began during the transition from his completed studies in economics to an entry-level animator position in Toei animation, finding a lifelong friend, Takahata Isao, and his future wife, Ota Akemi.
Miyazaki's distinctive style seeped into Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, a manga strip he published for Animage monthly. The story is built upon the premise of Naushika, a princess and struggling guard, on her journey to stop two warring forces within an ecologically challenged world.
A film of the same name was released several years later in response to the narrative's success, and encouraged Miyazaki and Takahata Isao, a fellow animator, to establish a permanent partnership through their now renowned studio. (Bauer P, 2019)
The name "Ghibli" has garnered a few theories within the community. Some believe the name was coined by Miyazaki from a regia areonautica airplane as he had an interest for planes from his father's career. It is an Italian noun based on the Libyan Arabic name for 'hot desert wind', the idea being that the studio would "blow a new wind through the animation industry". (Northrup N, 2022)
Miyazaki has been granted several awards for his feature films, from Annie Awards and Academy Prizes, to his famous Academy Award and Golden Bear for the incredible Spirited Away. Most of his films have reached multiple awards and nominations.
In 1985, he opens Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. His first film for the animation studio is Castle in the Sky, 1966, achieving several awards across Japan. Just two years later, Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro debuted alongside Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies in 1988. While both films were well received, the financial success of the studio was secured by the phenomenal sale of Totoro merchandise.
Walt Disney Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Studio Ghibli library in 1996, with Disney re-dubbing all previously dubbed films, causing Miyazaki's animations to leak into the rest of the world and thrive. Its kind reputation only grew when Spirited Away was released in 2001, with critics, audiences, and animators alike influenced by the film. (The Studio Ghibli Collection, 2023)
His career has spanned over 60 years, continuing to release memorable and nostalgic films that are implemented into animation history.
Hayao Miyazaki accepting his honorary Oscar in Los Angeles, November 2015
The world of Ghibli and its approach is made distinctive by its attention to detail, hand-drawn animations, and richly crafted worlds. Visually, it features lush and vibrant environments that are both impressively realistic and childlike. It seamlessly combines mundane settings with magical and extraordinary elements. Concept artwork for Ghibli scenery is often displayed in soft watercolor, whilst more refined concepts are similar to bold pastels.
Their films star complex characters, often accompanied by young protagonists who embark on journeys that foster self-discovery and personal growth. Conflicts and challenges are universally recognized, accentuated by love, loss, and the duality of human nature. Their tear-jerking music is beautifully composed by Ghibli's Joe Hisaishi, which enhances the intense climaxes presented in their animations. Storyboard artists and animators use Japanese ink brushes and cotton watercolor paper to create compelling and natural work. (Animation Obsessive, 2022)
There's a particular film that I find fantastic with its scenery and characters. Kiki's Delivery Service, released in 1989, is a fantasy film that follows a young witch named Kiki and her cat Jiji as she starts a flying courier service.
The movie is a delightful tale that focuses on character and texture rather than a plot, offering a fresh, serene experience. Heart-warming, light, and airy-- it's a wonderfully quiet narrative to unwind.
What appealed to me most were the visuals and floaty animation. As a witch, Kiki is often seen gliding through the air on her broom, creating a gorgeous bird's eye view that moves smoothly below her. The clean world-building and how the environment fits together snugly add to the consistent tranquility.
Each scene, from the bakery to the town, and the lively nature, is orchestrated with such care and love poured into the production.
https://forms.gle/SqzMUe57qeqWAXTM7 - original form
Markiplier attending the sixth biennial Stand Up To Cancer.
Mark Edward Fischbach, commonly known online as Markiplier, is an American YouTuber, actor, and filmmaker. He oftentimes uploads Let's Plays and is famous for his playthroughs on most Five Nights at Freddy's games and fan reiterations. (Fandom.com, 2022)
He is a respected and admired YouTuber; with his unique video formatting with his editor LixianTV, creating his original films and interactive simulations, connecting with his audience, and is incredibly clever with his channel's content.
He also created a clothing brand in collaboration with Scott Cawthon's Five Nights at Freddy's and Mojang Studio's Minecraft, named CLOAK.
He has a comedy podcast with friends Wade Barnes and Bob Muyskens called Distractible, where they discuss funny, interesting, and deviant stories and scenarios from everyday life.
He has an upcoming film which he announced its production in 2023 titled Iron Lung, making it his first-ever feature film. It is heavily based on the 2022 submarine horror game with the same title. In the game, players play as a convict tasked with exploring a sea of blood on a remote moon after a cataclysmic event called The Great Rapture, resulting in the disappearance of fit to live in planets and stars. (Szymanski D, 2022)
He has several YouTube films he's orchestrated or participated in, however, his '...with Markiplier' originals are the most recognizable.
https://forms.gle/asifFd7U49foUYwn6 - original form
I had to first decide what kind of character I wanted to make a drawing with. Did I want to proceed with a groggy middle-aged detective or a mythical fantasy creature?
I went with a girl that dons a kimono. Since I'm using Hayao Miyazaki's work as my inspiration and core topic when writing, I wanted her to give off the same bubbly demeanor a Ghibli character provides.
Personality-wise, I designed her to be rather childish with a morbid curiosity for the supernatural. She'd scamper out of home in hopes of catching sight of any legends she would hear from her village.
Instead of being scared, she's instead intrigued and fascinated by the concept of spirits and fantastical beings. She feels genuinely touched to the core when approaching shrines dedicated to deity.
The bottom picture are some silhouettes I created in her image to define her lineart more.
I made her name 'Kokoro', as in Japanese it's the concept of the mind, heart, and soul.
She's emotional and eccentric, however, shows indifference to traditionally scary concepts. Spirits and demons are usually thrown off by her casual attitude towards them.
For the final piece, I had several concepts and ideas to execute with this narrative. The top left depicts her chasing a weak ghost in the middle of the night. The top row consists of interactions with ghosts, however I decided I wanted to branch out with different creatures and yōkai.
The middle concept depicts Ittan-momen or the 'cotton roll yōkai'. They're sinister and wrap around individuals in an attempt to strangle them. I thought this was an interesting one to draw as its posing and movements would be fluid and almost cartoony.
The middle right depicts the notorious kitsune which is a well-known yōkai. They are shape shifters and normally take on the form of a fox. They can possess humans and are known for mischief and evil, however, there are types of kitsune that are kind to good humans.
The bottom left depicts yūrei which is a spirit. How they appear depends on the circumstances of their death, such as bandages coating their fatal injuries or wearing white burial kimonos. They are translucent and their hands hang limply from their wrists. Most of the time they will only haunt where they have died and are unable to rest unless brought to justice or passing on a message for their loved ones.
The bottom middle depicts Ichimokuren, a one-eyed dragon capable of controlling the weather. In his presence, extreme storms and thunder occur, which can topple trees over and knock down homes.
The bottom right depicts Chōchin obake, which are paper lantern ghosts. They are relatively harmless and prefer to surprise and scare humans for their amusement, cackling at people who enter the home.
I decided to go for the bottom left, as I want to draw the yūrei in a cold, desaturated palette, whilst Kokoro will stand out with a warm, bold glow from her lantern.
I began by refining the details and making it look more similar to the Ghibli style with the small nose and mouth as well as rosy cheeks and highlighted pupils.
I then blocked in the colors with the Add and Overlay filters for a base atmosphere to work on top of. I also gave the canvas a watercolor paper overlay to mimic early Ghibli concept artwork.
I added more texture on the ground and shadows on Kokoro and the yūrei for accurate lighting and more depth.
I filled up the space with airy orbs that represent more spirits, as well as using a grass and fern brush to detail the forest floor.
This is the finished product. I added an overlay of a rich blue to give the surrounding area more contrast against the warm lighting.
I made sure to give her dark, noticeable line art that is present in Ghibli movies. I gave the lantern's light more intensity and provided harsher shading to make her pop out.
I used a pointillism brush to add more atmosphere with dust surrounding the area. The spirits are purposefully more sketchy to orchestrate a translucent and ghostly feel.
I think I did exceptionally well for my character design and the final illustration as it mirrors Miyazaki's style and caters to the watercolor, soft pastel vibe that is prevalent in his work.
For the research, I really enjoyed making forms to gather primary research, however did struggle in creating questions. I'd like to pick a popular individual that has more substance and material to work with next time as I was limited with Markiplier's mostly digital presence, like an actor or author.
I liked explaining both careers and their achievements, projects, and external links. I developed the abilities to collect primary research for all medias and also how to reference films, books, and video games.
I'd probably improve by finding creators that are easier to reference and also take a step further with Miyazaki's style by illustrating a piece that looks like a frame from one of his films rather than concept art.
It would've also been beneficial to research more about Harvard referencing earlier than later.
Animation Obsessive (2022) What Kazuo Oga Thinks About When He Thinks About Backgrounds [Online] animationobsessive.substack.com Available at: https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/what-kazuo-oga-thinks-about-when [Accessed 6 October 2024]
Bauer P. (2019) Studio Ghibli [Online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/money/Studio-Ghibli [Accessed 6 October 2024]
Chang S. (2023) The Art Style of Studio Ghibli (How To) [Online] www.saplingcorp.com Available at: https://www.saplingcorp.com/journals/30/studio-ghibli-art-style [Accessed 6 October 2024]
Northrup N. (2022) What Does The Studio Ghibli Name Mean? [Online] screenrant.com Available at: https://screenrant.com/studio-ghibli-name-meaning/ [Accessed 6 October 2024]
Hayao Miyazaki, Yoji Takeshige (2002) The art of Miyazaki's Spirited away. San Francisco, CA: Viz Communications, Inc. pp.10-11
Ray M. (2009) Miyazaki Hayao [Online] www.britannica.com Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miyazaki-Hayao[Accessed 6 October 2024]
Studio Ghibli (1992) The Art of Ocean Waves Tokyo: Naoya Tanaka pp.7-8
The Studio Ghibli Collection (2023) ABOUT STUDIO GHIBLI [Online] ghiblicollection.com Available at: https://ghiblicollection.com/pages/about-us [Accessed 6 October 2024]
Scott Cawthon, Elley Cooper (2019) Into the Pit Manhattan: Scholastic Inc. pp.38-39.
Scott Cawthon (2014) Five Nights at Freddy's, ScottGames
CLOAK (2018) CLOAK - hidden in plain sight. [Online] Available at: https://cloakbrand.com/ [Accessed 3 October 2024]
Fandom.com (2024) Mark Fischbach. [Online] Available at: Mark Fischbach | Markiplier Wiki | Fandom [Accessed 3 October 2024]
Fischbach M. (2021) “Hair”, Distractible. 43m56s [Podcast] Available at; Distractible | Podcast on Spotify [Accessed 23rd September 2024].
Fischbach M. (2012) YouTube. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/@markiplier/featured [Accessed 3 October 2024]
Szymanski D. (2022) Iron Lung. [Online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1846170/Iron_Lung/ [Accessed 3 October 2024]
id Software (2020) Doom Eternal, Bethesda Softworks
The Edge of Sleep (2024) [Film] West Hollywood, California, U.S.: New Regency.