#the main inspiration/reference for this was howls moving castle!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beanswrites · 2 years

Text

The Arcana Wikipedia Trivia Facts, Asra

Okay but have any of you ever read the trivia facts on Wikipedia for the Main 6?? Because they are golden material for headcanons. And they are so awfully but yet amazingly random. I love them. So here are those facts as comments on them and headcanons in a little series, this time for Asra.

Gender neutral MC!

masterlist | rules for requesting | prompts list

"Although referred to with he/him pronouns in-game, Asra is canonically non-binary"

Yes, Wikipedia, I'm pretty sure every single Asra simp knew that.

"Hey, Asra, can I ask you something?" Asra, MC's master and partner smiled, lovingly looking in their eyes. "Sure, My Star, what is it?" Stopping for a second, MC continued. "What do you identify as? I mean, i know that you present masculine and use he/they pronouns. I'm sorry if that's too personal or-" He cut MC off. "No, no, it's alright My Love. I guess that gender was always just an aspect for me, something I didn't want to oblige to. It felt too.. Too restricting, you know? And, as a magician, restrictions were never an option for me"

Some inspiration for him came from Howl Jenkins and Yoshitaka Amano’s art for Vampire Hunter D.

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD-

calling all artists of all kinds of fanart: ASRA AS HOWL. ASRA AS FUCKING HOWL. That's it. Thank you.

Asra Jenkins, the famous magician, the thief of hearts. He travelled around in his famous moving castle, with Faust - a powerful demon cursed by him, his friend. Every girl and every man has dreamed of him, but warned every time about the danger that the magician is. And everyone was scared, terrified to not be the next feast of the heart-eating man. But not MC, no - they loved Asra, traveling with him and his castle to all sorts of places. And sure, the crowds could be scared - not even knowing what a sweetheart he is behind closed doors.

The name Asra is of Arabic origin, which means "travel at night".

Yep, accurate. They do seem like they travel most of the time during the night.

"Asra? Why can't we leave now?" He shook his head, not taking his eyes of the bag he was packing. "No, my love, we can't. We must wait for sundown, okay? It is easier to travel at night" MC looked at them confused. Wasn't he the one to always worn about dangers that could happen? "But, Asra.. There are more monsters at night, besides, it's colder" Without a word, he came over to his lover and placed his scarf around their shoulders. "There, now you won't be cold, my star. I know that it's pretty dangerous at night, but it's also when the stars are active! And stars help me know where to go"

He is known to have unusual tastes in food. Among his less eccentric favourites are rainbow sorbet and blue raspberries.

How "unusual" are we talking?? Like, fries dipped in ice cream kind of unusual or a hot-dog dipped in vanilla pudding (don't ask) kind of unusual?

"I- Ehrm.. Babe? Why are you eating raisins like that?" MC asked, stunned at his strange appetite. "What, can I not eat them?' He asked back, offended and stubborn. "N-no, it's not that.. What I meant was why are you eating your raisins with mustard and ketchup??"

"Want some, my moolight?" They asked, handing MC a bowl of the strange ice cream. They huffed out, unsure of how it would taste. "Uhh.. Sure" To not hurt their partner's feelings, MC took a spoonful in their mouth. Surprisingly, it wasn't awful. "Mmm, Asra, these raspberries go great with the sorbet!" He smiled wide, offering them more. "I knew you would like it, my star"

Julian is the most impulsive thing that he has ever done.

They DID NOT.

Okay whoever wrote these is my favorite person ever

"Hey, Asra, you seem like a put-together person, with a plan. Have you ever done something stupid or impulsive that you regret?" MC asked in the tavern, having a drinking night with their friends. Asra, a bit dozed off himself, smirked. "Well, the most impulsive thing I have ever done is doctor Devorak over here" Poor Julian chocked on his drink, not believing what his ex admitted. To make him ever more flustered, Asra smiled his Chershire Cat grin and added: "But I certaintly don't regret it!" And just like that, Julian was a blushing, stuttering mess.

His favorite season is Spring.

Yeah, seems legit. His whole vibe and general aura is kind of like that - flower-y and spring-y.

"Don't you just love the spring, MC?" He asked them, in absolute awe of the newly greened trees. "I didn't pay much attention to it before, but you've shown me how beautiful spring can be! So, now, I do love it!" MC admitted, tightening their hold on Asra's hand. "Not as beautiful as you, but you do remind me of spring. You shine so bright, and you have so much energy and kindness, that you are just bursting with love and life. Just like spring"

He knows how to do cool showy knife tricks.

Mhm. Can confirm. And he probably shows them any chance he gets, like he is constantly trying to find a reason to do those tricks.

"Hey, look MC!" The magician's partner laughed, continuing what they were doing. "I know, love, I know. You've shown me that trick at least a million times!" They kind of slumped at that, but quickly regained their vibe. "But look, I learned a new one!" MC watched as he twisted the sharp dagger between his fingers, making cool little spins and twists. "One day, you're gonna lose a finger" MC laughed, pressing a kiss on his cheek.

He speaks three languages.

Three?? Just three?? I thought he spoke more! Not that I'm bashing him, three is still a lot, but I thought he knew many from how much he travels around!

"Asra.. Honey, please.. You can't just talk in a language I don't understand when we're fighting! How do I know that you're not insulting me all the time?!" MC was fed up with him and his behavior. Little did they know, the things Asra said while speaking like that weren't mean nor insulting. It actually ment: "My Sun, I love you more than you'll ever know, and I hate fighting with you"

He has an airy, intimate voice.

do NOT do this to me I am very weak-

The way Asra spoke sent shivers down MC's spine. Not particularly because of his sweet words, but because of his even sweeter voice. It wasn't particularly low or high, nothing like they've ever heard before. The way they talked was soft, hushed, intimate and gleaming with the aura only they could master so beautifully. But MC was sure that his voice sounded the best when whispering those three little words they loved so much. "I love you.."

He has very soft hair.

As I said before in my fluff headcanons, this is correct. He just looks like he has clouds for hair

For this headcanon, click here

His sleeping habits are 'predictably unpredictable'.

They really do, indeed, seem like they have a pretty messed up sleep-schedule. Because they travel a lot, they don't sleep that consistently.

"Asra, it's 3 in the morning! You need sleep!" He grunted, unhappy and clearly trying to concentrate. "I can't now, baby. I'm trying to figure out how to make this potion work..." MC left the room, with an unsatisfied "Okay, do what you want, but don't complain to me when you can't keep your eyes open tommorow!"

Tommorow night, Asra was out cold at 7:30, when Nadia and Portia came over for a cup of tea. "And Asra? Where is he? Off to some adventure, I suppose?" Nadia asked, sipping on her tea. "No, no, they're here. The idiot stayed up all night last night for some project of his, so he's already asleep!"

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about these crazy, random facts. Love you!!

#the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana visual novel #requests are open #asra the arcana #asra alnazar #the arcana wikipedia trivia facts #asra alnazar headcanons #asra x apprentice #asra x mc #asra x gn! reader #headcanons #the arcana headcanons

144 notes · View notes

redsilkstudies · 1 year

Text

moodboard 19/01/2023

Today I used ShotDeck to assemble a moodboard of inspiration for my short animation (does it count as a short film if it's <10 seconds long?).

ShotDeck is "the world’s largest fully searchable cinematic image database" according to their website, used by filmmakers of all sorts in all stages of pre- to post-production for reference and inspiration. ShotDeck does require a subscription, but I was able to use a free trial (without giving any payment information up front) to use the database.

The main drawback of ShotDeck is the natural limitation of a still-growing database: limited information. While it has over 2,500 titles it does not have every film. I was not able to include any shots from Your Name ("Kimi No Na Wa"), 2016, because the database doesn't have any images from it.

Still, this was a useful endeavour. I have found that Life of Pi (2012) could be an excellent film to watch for research (a young man is stranded with a tiger on a small lifeboat). Embrace of the Serpent (2015) is not quite so directly applicable, but looks to have some wonderful hallucinatory sequences, including a shot of a bright orange pinwheel reminiscent of the 1580s comets I looked at previously. Looking at Fantasia 2000 (1999) could also be interesting.

Titles (Not In Order): Embrace Of The Serpent; Howl’s Moving Castle; Don’t Look Up; Fantasia 2000; Troop Zero; Life Of Pi; Luca; Silence; The Insider; In The Heart Of The Sea; Oceans; The Truman Show; The Suicide Squad; Captain Phillips; The Lighthouse; La La Land; The Fountain; Waves; The Bad Batch; Coraline; Ex Machina; The Notebook; Beyond The Black Rainbow; National Lampoons Christmas Vacation; Wall-E; Spirited Away; Princess Mononoke; Ghost In The Shell; Ben-Hur; All Is Lost

#y1s2

2 notes · View notes

angeliqueshelleyartist · 8 days

Text

Major Study: Pre-Production

Post # 4

Character Research

Dark Solar Nomad

Dark Solar Nomad's have a waspish defensive spirit mecha companion. Their area of expertise will be geared toward survival and spiritualism. They will be able to free, defeat or tame the spirit bots with greater ease. Dark Solar Nomads will have resistance in these storms as well as a spiritual power buff.

I want to use a predominantly triangular shape language as it feels magical and athletic. They will have a blend of scavenged and natural items to denote their connection to nature. Destiny 2 Hunter class comes to mind.

Hunter Class Costume Designs, Destiny 2, Bungie, 2017.

Their companion could possibly look lie a wasp with solar wings.

European Paper Wasp , MSU, n/d.

Frontier Engineer

Frontier Engineers are accompanied by a movable workshop robot companion equipped with early advance sensors. Their specialist skills will involve crafting, including weaponry, and optimising solar output.

Frontier Engineers will have a square shape language to show their structured approach to problem solving and reliability, as well as their slower and robust physique.

Examples of inspirations for this character are the main protagonist from Dead Space with his ingenuity at crafting weapons with unconventional components.

Engineers gain experience toward unique unlocks if they are able to safely observe the storm.

Crafted weapon from Dead Space 3, Visceral Games, 2013.

Merchant

The Merchant class has a huge hauler and refinery mecha companion. Their special skills will include trade, exploration, connections and optimised routes. The main objective of the Merchant is to create a bustling trade network that navigates the decentralised aspect of self-governing settlements. Being equipped with a hauler, their carrying capacity is larger than the other classes and so they are able to gather larger resources more efficiently and refine them en-route.

The merchant will be designed with a round shape language to denote wealth and connection. The inspiration for the subtle application of this shape language is Madam Kahina from Anno 1800, who has soft, rounded features accentuated by her round turban.

Madame Kahina from Anno 1800, Ubisoft, 2019.

An idea for a round hauler bot:

Round robot cyborg Stock Illustration, Adobe Stock, n/d.

But I prefer the mixture of rounded and flattened planes in this character design from 86 Eighty-Six, A-1 Pictures, 2021.

This miniature is a great example for a hauler with it's electo-magnetic crane.

Boromite Hauler, Warlord Games, n/d.

Spirit Creature Mecha & Particle Design

As explored earlier, the electromagnetic “spirits” descending from the Aurora Borealis take over machinery in an aggressive and combative way. I want their core aesthetic to be a slightly grotesque patchwork of sorts, as if they are unsure of what form they wish to take, similar to the outlandish design of Howl’s Moving Castle by Studio Ghibli, this also brings in some more elements for the ScrapPunk angle.

Perhaps some of the spirit mecha can have more bio areas and shapes similar to the aliens in Edge of Tomorrow:

Edge of Tomorrow, Warner Bros., 2014

Howl’s Moving Castle, Ghibli, 2004

For the spirit’s particle design, I want to keep the core shape language and behaviour of the aurora, but as if the aurora was a hive of particles reminiscent of fireflies. Their movement will be take the form of waves rather than swarms as they slowly disperse upwards, changing from violet to green after being freed by the player.

Green wave-like particles. John_Walker., n/d.

Some whisp-ish particle designs, Lee, 2015.

Greenparticle cloud effect, Pikbest, n/d.

References

Adobe Stock. (n/d). Round robot cyborg Stock Illustration. [Online]. . Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/round-robot-cyborg/557625360 [Accessed 23 April 2024].

John_Walker. (n/d). 3D abstract digital technology animated green light particles on green background. [Online]. Motion Elements. Available at: https://www.motionelements.com/stock-video-28044172-3d-abstract-digital-technology-animated-green-light-particles-on-green-background [Accessed 23 April 2024].

Lee, K. (2015). ELIXIA™ | Typeface. [Online]. . Available at: Lee, K. (2015). ELIXIA™ | Typeface. [Online]. . Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/32544505/ELIXIA-Typeface?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cfuturistic&l=109 [Accessed 23 April 2024].[Accessed 23 April 2024].

Michigan State University. (n/d). European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominulus). [Online]. . Available at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/european-paper-wasp [Accessed 23 April 2024].

Pikbest. (n/d). Particle Glow Green Glowing Particles In A 3d Abstracted Render On Black Background. [Online]. Available at: https://pikbest.com/backgrounds/particle-glow-green-glowing-particles-in-a-3d-abstracted-render-on-black-background_9633883.html [Accessed 23 April 2024].

Warlord Games. (n/d). Boromite Hauler. [Online]. Available at: https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/vendors?q=Warlord%20Games [Accessed 23 April 2024].

#practice 2 #MS Pre-Production

0 notes

heckolve · 11 months

Note

1, 8, 13, 14 AGT?

1.) how would you describe the world your story takes place in?

8.) what inspired your world building, if anything?

1 & 8 are pretty similar for agt... i usually describe agt as a mix between howl's moving castle and a tale of two cities for lack of a better easy description lol. howl's for the visual aesthetics and magic system and totc for the kind of extended cast and political commentary.

early on agt's visual aesthetic was very influenced by the russian monarchy, hence some of the character's naming conventions. now its more generally and vaguely inspired by a combination of 19th century southwestern european, middle eastern, and some far eastern sensibilities... though there's a heavy amount of fantasy filler and whatever-i-feel-like lol. the culture is something i have yet to flesh out though i dont think it'll be anything too unique or important to the story... esceynia is a melting pot country with a loose polytheistic & philosophical approach to religion and customs. the relationship between magic and technology through the industrial revolution is heavily inspired by hmc. i think that many stories with a magical setting tend to forego modern technology and technological advancements because of the use of magic but thinking about the two together is absolutely fascinating to me and i want to delve deeper into it <3

13.) how long have you been working on this project? what has changed from the outset?

im gonna say.... 8 years. though the current revamped version of it is only about 2 or so. so much has changed since then 😭 theres been sort of 4 versions of it so far... to be 100% frank it used to just be a harry potter rip off. not getting into it. yuck. the entire setting and plot has been overhauled since then. and the magic context has changed from like modern witchcraft to more of a high fantasy one. but anyways in terms of characters i scrapped the main character charlotte (though may bring him back as a side character...). yara ozerov was essentially the big bad but now they're just a minor villain. blaire was a one-off side character/villain and now he's one of the main protagonists lol. and arrakis was simply a shallow dead mother character and while she's still dead the current story practically entirely revolves around her past actions and choices...

14.) whats your favorite part of this story/project?

how many characters there are and how they're all deeply interconnected <3 it makes my head ache sometimes (the Timeline.......) but theres just so much to work with it makes me so happy and excited. its the reason i reference totc... and in some ways les mis. those books really reminded me of agt because of their dense cast list and how they all become interconnected through the events of the story. makes my brain happy :^]

#ask #anon #agt

0 notes

jasonblaze72 · 1 year

Link

0 notes

andthebeanstalk · 2 years

Text

Late night autistic art ramblings.

IT STANDS TO REASON that if I can create character sheets for future reference, knowing that some of these sheets have to be useful to me quite possibly years down the line, then I could theoretically create future reference sheets that are not for human characters but for building styles.

And, theoretically, I should be able to learn how to draw different styles of architecture in the same way that I can learn how to draw in different art styles and then apply that style to different shapes and sizes of subject. There will be some shapes that each style prefers, but ultimately, it seems a similar concept.

And since the architecture in my graphic novel is usually me combining two or more specific city's architecture designs, I would indeed need a reference sheet made specifically for me by me.

It may make sense to seek out or else build reference sheets for each town/country and THEN work on the combinations from there.

Some combos featured in season 1 of my graphic novel, which is a road trip arc so I have to (or well, really really want to) make each place feel rich and unique!

New Orleans, USA + 1980s Liverpool, England

Guatapé, Colombia + Havana, Cuba + San Juan, Puerto Rico (main question: how would Colombian architecture change on a small tropical island community?)

What if Frankenstein and Reanimator had a baby and that baby was a town in a medieval fantasy?? (Answer: it sure wouldn't be a fun place to get stuck for like a month and a half! Undead creatures notwithstanding.)

Christmas Town from Nightmare Before Christmas, that one town from the movie Klaus, plus what if fucking ANY people of color were there?? (Otherwise great movies but GAWDS it is like, literally so easy ffs)

This one sleep podcast on the headspace app + Howl's Moving Castle

Jessica Fletcher's hometown but make it fall-themed because this is the 'autumn vibes' episode

A totally normal village + a mountain + a mountain god + a woman who fucks that mountain god + her demigod son + a recently developed problem involving a mop and a demonic poltergeist

oops all horrors (on a train!)

A capital city that I'm just now realizing is going to need a lot more fleshing out! All I got so far is "big" and "class divide," but I have no doubt I'll manage to make it harder for myself don't you worry

A pirate ship + but put that shit in the sky

Okay so maybe only two settings so far are super solid but I have been awake for 100000 hours so

Hey you I hope you're doing well, reader. I'm okay. I will make every place they go in my graphic novel so very beautiful.

Or at least cool as fuck.

Eat shit, Violet Evergarden. My backgrounds will be... not nearly as good as yours! But they will be so beautiful for the work of one person rather than a team! And MY character isn't going to fuck off and marry her [REDACTED] in the last episode and taint all the beautiful backgrounds forever! YOU FUCKING DIPS.

I suppose I ought to go looking for other beautiful and interesting places to inspire my work. With the exception of a couple places that need to be unappealing but should nevertheless be interesting, I mostly choose settings based on what is prettiest because when I draw stuff, I feel like I'm there, and I only want to spend time in nice places when I can.

Life is hard enough without stomping down on my saturated colors for the sake of realism.

Anyway this whole thing has been brought to you by me spending most of my life learning to draw and only recently realizing I don't know how to draw backgrounds, edibles, autism, and of course the MVP insomnia

If you've read this far, you've fallen right into my trap! and now you have to try and think something neutral or good about yourself. Unless you don't want to. But otherwise, I'm afraid you must. I think you are doing your best. I think you are trying your hardest. I believe that. I am too. Your body is taking in oxygen and keeping you alive and that is enough for now. Goodnight, neighbor, goodnight

#original #diary #i am so sleeeepy .#but my brain is like but noooooo #baah

0 notes

eggskie · 2 years

Text

[Image ID in alt text]

DannyMay Day 1: new genre/style! I simply think it'd be neat if he was in a Ghibli movie :3

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dannymay2022 #dannymay #studio ghibli #art tag #the main inspiration/reference for this was howls moving castle!!#anyways this was supposed to be something quick and fun. its been like 6 hours and my back hurts #dannymay 2022

609 notes · View notes

h4chi · 2 years

Text

SOMEDAY

summary yn is a famous musician who has always dreamt of having her own castle to explore, no school to attend and a simple life. prince park sunghoon, on the other hand, would rather see the world from a stage than staying inside of his family’s enormous castle, being obliged to attend important, royal meetings. eventually, yn is invited one day at the park’s castle to meet the royal family before performing at the annual Hybe beneficial concert, and that’s where she meets sunghoon, who has finally convinced his parents to let him attend the famous “HAC”. but the next thing they know is that they’re in the other’s body.

pairing prince sunghoon x rock star, female reader

genre “strangers” to friends to lovers, young adult, speculative romance, social media au + short written chapters, crack (if i’m funny enough for your standards), fiction

featuring enhypen, lee chaeyeon and kim minju (ex iz*one), ningning (aespa), yangyang (nct), ive, bahiyyih (kep1er), txt, loona

warnings swearing, probably angst, slow burn romance, mentions of food, suggestive jokes, sometimes using seulgi pics for reference, more will be added

status COMPLETED

start jan 27 2022 end mar 31 2022

taglist CLOSED! send an ask to be added : @abdiitcryy @lunaflvms @msxflower @rionah @certainyouthpeanut @blxckcatner0 @tadpoltail @qghosty @papiibuprofen @wonieleles @jjklvr00 @sophhloaff @arizejkt19 @reallyraesn @nishmrriki @rrvvby @soobin-chois @jiawji (italics couldn’t be tagged)

disclaimers english is not my first language. this work is inspired by makoto shinkai’s your name and barbie’s princess & the popstar. this story is purely fiction, anything that also happened in real life is just a coincidence. the character’s behavior does not necessarily reflect the idol’s one in real life.

profiles rock stars | royals | others

01. cause you’re a Slay!

02. that’s P, i guess [written]

03. i’m not using the restroom today

04. girlbossing. or should i say boybossing [written]

05. u don’t see shit 😂 [written]

06. that dog from the russia meme [written]

07. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7-Eleven

08. i was just messing w you silly !

09. cray-cray-crazy

10. why did i wake up to my hair looking like this ???

11. cara revenge vengeance

12. did u think it would be funny

13. do we act like we know each other [written]

14. sofia the first kinnie

15. butterfly by loona [written]

16. he doesn’t even know me

17. get in loser we’re going shopping

18. monster high fright song

19. you’re so sexy /j

20. yo no hablo español

21. oh back when i was younger [written]

22. smule karaoke [written]

23. the real sofia shady

24. is this my breakdown week

25. 어떡해 [written]

26. 7 rings [written]

27. run2u

28. pay me the rent 💛💛

29. no twilight slander

30. it happened.

31. main dancer material

32. sumin autograph

33. darari challenge

34. in my dreams (you love me back) [written]

35. the internet is setting them up

36. oh i see how it is

37. another one

38. we don’t talk about brunaur

39. friendly my ass

40. just confess already

41. it’s the real sofia shady

42. howl’s moving castle [written]

43. (epilogue) no more dream

bonus chapters

good days in my mind

#park sunghoon #sunghoon #sunghoon x y/n #sunghoon x reader #sunghoon x you #enhyphen #enhypen x y/n #enhypen x female reader #enhypen x you #enhypen x reader #kpop smau #smau #enhypen smau #kpop bg #kpopidol #kpop #Spotify

705 notes · View notes

readerinsertfanfiction · 3 years

Note

Hello, dearest Nemo. Inspired by a matter you're probably aware of, here I come, to ask you for certain opinion, although perhaps in form of HeadCanons... Let's say we have Ghibli Movies and the Warlords. Which movie would be each warlord's favourite? What do you think?

Ooooh, lil'Lorei remembers my obsession with Studio Ghibli movies, I see. (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Characters: All - Kanetsugu because idk I can’t find shit on him only that he is a tsun.

Prompt: The warlords and studio Ghibli movies. Disclaimer: I only listed the movies I have watched, which is a fair amount but by no means all.

To sit on the couch with a Sengoku warlord felt strange. No, it was definitely weird! All the more so when you put up a Studio Ghibli movie. Just any, because you felt like it. Little did you know that the warlord would take so well to it. He had been rather apprehensive at first, after all, moving pictures and that strange sound? But after a while the movies won him over. After all, who could resist the peaceful charm of Studio Ghibli, dreaming away at the romance of everyday life set in a beautiful landscape far away from all worry and chaos?

Nobunaga Oda: Spirited away

“The soot sprites have good taste,” the Oda leader pronounced, a proud smile etched on his face as he enjoyed the movie playing. On the screen the little black balls could be seen carrying off the konpeito, dancing around the little girl that had just lost her name to Yubaba, a move that Nobunaga had heartily laughed at. “I should consider doing this myself,” he had exclaimed, eyes glistening in mischief, “but I would rename them,” and to this remark you could only feel yourself sweatdrop, recalling the animal-inspired nicknames he tended to give his vassals.

Ieyasu Tokugawa: When Marnie was there

Something about the movie triggered something within him. The themes of loneliness, and constantly being moved around, but most of all, the trope of a found family and the concept of home. They resonated with his own childhood that he had resented so much. The past in which he was treated kindly, but also at times cruelly. All of these stories consolidated into one movie and two girls. “Marnie was weak,” he would later say, “good for Anna,” was his end review, but you could see the tears in the corner of his eyes. The movie had touched him.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi: Tales from Earthsea

A story of guilt and servitude? Prince Arren and the shadow that chases him? An inner fear, but yet a strong resolve to sacrifice all to reach ones goal? Hideyoshi is sold. The promise in the end is what gives that extra edge needed as Hideyoshi is weeping at the end of it all. “I will return to you, lord Nobunaga. I will repay all of my sins!” he wails and you know that he means it. Strangely enough, you have a feeling that Nobunaga would like the concept of ‘True Name’

Masamune Date: The wind rises

The story of a young boy whose dreams are shattered because of his weaknesses and then overcoming them? That’s his boy! Masamune has been cheering Jiro on since the opening of the movie and never stopped. Not until halfway through the movie and a frown settles on his face until the man has to gulp audibly to keep himself in check. All that chasing after a dream and the sacrifices made. It definitely hits a snare with the man who is quiet after the movie. He will need a cuddle or two.

Mitsuhide Akechi: Kiki’s delivery service

“There is just something about watching a little mouse grow up, isn’t there?” Mitsuhide teases with that lilting smile of his ever-present. But between the affectionate nickname and watching the movie there is something wistful about the man who sees the peaceful coming-of-age and finding identity and inspiration for live and passion within the little girl on her broom. He doesn’t say it, but he hopes that children in the future can grow up in such peace as Kiki does, able to adventure and a home to return to.

Kyubei: Whisper of the heart

Two kids chasing after their dreams, one set and the other just learning about it and a very capable cat that guides them. Kyubei enjoys the relationship that develops and the romance that comes with it, finding the fantasy element adorable. “I have a favourite person as well,” he tells you later with a mystifying smile, referring to the poster advertising the movie. A favourite person and a dream, he realises, which he hadn’t before.

Mitsunari Ishida: The secret world of Arrietty

“How very inventive!” the man constantly exclaims as he watches the little Arrietty move around in the garden. When she is fighting off bugs her own size Mitsunari clasps his hands together, as he rattles off on the many efficiencies they can make use of the bugs and employ the garden and the doll house. In the end Mitsunari feels only a little sad about Arrietty’s departure, though he has all faith that the friends will meet again, “is there a sequel,” he asks you for that, eager and beaming.

Keiji Maeda: Howl’s moving castle

Of course Howl’s theatrical ways are what enraptured the man at first, accompanied with Sophie’s determination and go-getters attitude. “That is no dull woman!” he exclaims happily as he watches the older sister fall to the curse cast by the witch. And though it is only vaguely implied Keiji comes to understand that it was something about the heart, just as Howl transforms because of his own heart. ‘A heart is a heavy burden.’ Sophie’s line catches him and Keiji agrees that Sophie’s hair is like starlight. He turns to you, however and tells you that you’re his starlight.

Ranmaru Mori: The cat returns

The cats, Baron the gentleman cat that just looks super cook and a whole slew of shenanigans about to happen. Secretly Ranmaru sees Kennyo in Baron, dreaming away watching his master be the cool hero that he was always meant to be. A little mysterious, totally awesome and can kick ass. Yes, that’s his favourite person!

Kennyo: My neighbour Totoro

There is something homely about the strange giant figure with its creepy smile and silent gestures. In fact, the whole movie endears the man. Two girls surrounded by the beauty of nature, growing up in peace and afraid of soot, catbus riding them to their mother. Kennyo can’t help but smile at the outrageousness of it all, finding it all very endearing. Secretly he thinks himself as Totoro, hiding in the forests and watching over the innocents.

Kenshin Uesugi: Princess Mononoke

A story about rulership, about how humanity ruins life eventually, about destruction and a lot of fighting. Kenshin loves it, especially for the last part. But as a former monk himself with a good appreciation for the gods and nature Kenshin relates to lady Eboshi who is willing to fight all if it means keeping her people safe and San, who fights to protect what she holds dear. He understands that and he relates to that.

Shingen Takeda: The tale of the princess Kaguya

A classic he is familiar with turned into an animation he has never experienced! Shingen loves it. Though he has to admit that he likes the story versions better he has a good appreciation for the artistry and the interpretation of the story, along with the pain of forgetting and leaving.

Yukimura Sanada: Porco Rosso

His favourite nickname turned into a character! Yukimura was flabbergasted at first, but then he came to understand that this was a spell of sorts, just as the movie itself was a trick of magic called science. But alas, that’s not why Yukimura was so in awe with the movie, it was the cool zeal in which the main character flies for his convictions. And somewhere deep down, though he will never admit such, the main character reminds him of Shingen.

Sasuke Sarutobi: Grave of the fireflies

Ah, the classic on which a whole generation was cruelly introduced to Studio Ghibli’s magic, the movie that started it all and above all: made everyone cry. Some may find him a bit of a weirdo to choose this as his favourite movie, after all it is such a sad movie. But it is the history, the message behind it, the themes dealt with and at last the pain and love of the siblings bereft by war. Sasuke’s heart is beaming just at the thought of the entire movie as his eyes start to tear up, dryly.

Kichou: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

There is no movie that quite agrees with him that the world is set out for doom than Nausicaä. The world is destroyed by humanity in a war, humans are still at war, but not only amongst each other for their greed but also with nature. Nature is trying to kill them for the sins committed by man. It all comes together and shows how the blight of this world truly is men and how the future that you come from is just an illusionary peace.

Yoshimoto Imagawa: Ocean Waves

Modern life poured into an artistic expression of young love. There is nothing quite more artistic than that in Yoshimoto’s opinion. The art is pretty, the story is enjoyable and not too riddled with all ugly traits and reminders of chaos and war and he gets to observe the modern world and its beauty a little more. Yes, Yoshimoto is indeed trying to forget about all the ugliness back in the Sengoku.

Motonari Mouri: Castle in the sky

Sky pirates, raiding a precious city, chaos overall and a booming ending? Sign him up. Motonari doesn’t really care for the main characters, finding them too sweet and innocent, but he has noticed that this is an overall trend within Studio Ghibli movies. Do, tell him more about the sky pirates, however and he definitely needs one of those flying machines.

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen headcanons #ikesen nobunaga #ikesen masamune #ikesen ieyasu #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen hideyoshi #ikesen mitsunari #ikesen keiji #ikesen yukimura #ikesen shingen #ikesen kenshin #ikesen kennyo #ikesen sasuke #ikesen ranmaru #ikesen yoshimoto #ikesen motonari #ikesen kichou

105 notes · View notes

missanthropicprinciple · 3 years

Text

A Tale of Elio and My Fixation with Lovable Androids

TL;DR Feel free to scroll past this unless you’re keen to read my ramblings about androids, Neoclassical art, children’s lit, and bad science fiction movies.

Since the late 1990s one of my favourite books has been A Tale of Time City (1989) by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s a mildly confusing story but engaging, with memorable characters, including the android Elio, pictured above - my own fan art from a few years ago. Studio Ghibli really needs to make this film if no one does a live-action version, seeing as they brought Jones’ novel Howl’s Moving Castle to life. Here’s a scan of my favourite edition with mesmerizing cover art by Richard Bober.

This book inspired me so much I’ve done research on it. I wasn’t in a class in grad school that allowed me to write about it so I took it on as a casual independent project in 2019. Two days after my dad died of cancer I was scheduled to present my paper on Elio from ATOTC. Needless to say I was not able to finish writing the essay. I told the department coordinator I would likely not attend but I would let him know. He was seriously surprised that I showed up. I must have looked like a ghost - wearing a nice top, skirt, tights, and short heels. I was still in total shock but I thought I might as well press on. My paper’s working tile remains as it was: Elio: Android Autonomy and the Personification of the Sun God. I presented a long bullet point list of working ideas and research done up until that point. My work is still on the broad side because it’s an intersection of young adult fiction, Neoclassic art, and android autonomy; I have some narrowing to do. Here are my main arguments thus far:

Firstly, the android character Elio’s physical characteristics and personality are inspired by Helios, the Hellenistic Greek god and personification of the sun. Apparently, Elio is a Spanish name meaning sun and also an Italian given name referring to the element helium, originally derived from the Greek name of the sun-god Helios.

Secondly, Elio and Helios share more than an etymological connection and the comparison of Elio to Helios can be articulated in two distinct ways: the aesthetic comparison, and that Elio possesses some of the qualities Helios is known for. Jones’ work repeatedly associates Elio with sunlight and golden hues, aspects which are exemplified in the 1765 Neoclassical painting Helios as the Personification of Midday by Anton Raphael Mengs. (I vaguely remember translating a couple passages from a large art book written in German when I was studying Neoclassical art.)

This work is considered an unusual depiction of Helios. Mengs uses a motif of the glowing arrow which is interpreted by François-Xavier Fabre as a symbol of the midday heat and the sun's rays which penetrate and give light to the earth. The representation of the sun in this way is considered unusual for the 18th century because it goes against Classical and Baroque iconography which portrays Helios riding a chariot. Ironically, Jones references this. Elio proclaims his fondness for films, particularly the chariot race from Ben Hur. Elio, like Mengs’ depiction of Helios, lacks a chariot but retains his beauty and powers.

As for Elio possessing some of the qualities of Helios, the god is often referred to as “all seeing” or “Zeus’s eye.” Similarly, Elio has the ability to anticipate problems and see what humans do not, but not because he’s a god, but because he’s a servant. However, this is where his self governing comes into play when he uses his observations to take action beyond any directives he has been given. His physical strength, like Helios, exceeds that of humans. Elio himself says, “my utmost is more than twice that of a born-human” (Jones, 211).

Thirdly, Elio’s self awareness allows him to use both his powers of observation and superior physical strength independent from humans. He does not always wait to be told how to use his power; he wields it. Not only does he play a part equal to that of humans in Jones’ plot, he specifically controls the fates of certain human characters. For example, he doesn’t always utilize his speed when he’s at the beck and call of his master, Sempitern. He makes choices not to fully comply with the demands made of him.

My fourth point, which I can’t quite articulate well, is that the most significant dynamic of this comparison is the body of Elio and how his physicality interacts with his autonomy. Elio acts as an individual who contributes to a wider mythology just as Helios does. Yet, while Elio is superior to humans in many ways, his quasi-humanity allows him to act in ways which align with Helios’ qualities.

For example, Elio makes personal choices and exhibits emotions not necessary for him, as an android, to function. He confesses a desire to harm another android out of annoyance where a passionate opinion would not be expected from an android. This human failing is indicative of the same autonomy which allows him to act as Helios does. Elio has been constructed as a superhuman body in terms of his abilities, however, the human qualities which contribute to his Helios-like powers undermine his intended purpose.

Ultimately, Elio ascends the usefulness of his “owned” body by acting independently from the humans who utilize him. His human qualities make him vulnerable and therefore he loses some of his godlike powers. Elio, while only an assistant to his human owners, utilizes his own physical and mental powers to maintain his autonomy. Conversely, his god-like qualities make Elio more human rather than affirming his android identity.

This is a very complex subject and I don’t really know where I’m going with it and have possibly made some suppositional errors. TL;DR: What I do know is that Elio presents a paradox: being idealized for his abilities allows him to be autonomous while being autonomous disrupts the servitude of his body.

I am in the process of determining what lens I will use to analyze Elio’s experience and functionality of being an android. I’m thinking about using Alan Turning’s 1950 work Computing Machinery and Intelligence. I’m still navigating the literary theory aspect, or indeed philosophical aspect, of this area of study.

This brings me to something I came across later that relates to Elio and ATOTC.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The closest depiction of an android that I’ve seen to Elio other than Data is from a terrible and somewhat forgotten science fiction film from 1989. “Byron”, (played by pre-Jurassic Park-fame Bob Peck) the android in the painfully awful film Slipstream comes very close to Elio in terms of tone, attitude, and characterization. Despite the embarrassingly bad script and dialogue, Peck does a bang-up job, seemingly acting in a wonderful film running parallel to the absolute trash his co-stars were apparently “acting” in. Yes, I rewatched this film just to write this analysis. (The secondhand embarrassment is off the charts and I had it playing at a low volume most of the time Byron was not on the screen.)

When you first see Byron he’s acting out autonomy but you’re not aware he’s an android. The audience is told he’s an escaped fugitive, a murderer, and that’s all we know for over half the film. Yet there are several clues. When you first see him he’s running over rugged terrain in a suit which was kind of a big hint but nothing makes sense in this film so I just thought that it was a weird costume choice. Then he’s literally shot with a grappling hook. He doesn’t seem to be in pain even though he’s shocked by it, and then is pulled down by a bounty hunter named Tasker (Mark Hamill) and hits the ground from a great height and doesn’t die. He just quotes what I think is John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s "High Flight”: “I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth….and touched the face of God.” Next time you see him, he’s in handcuffs, looking super depressed, and apparently not bleeding out from the now absent grapple hook that’s gone through his forearm.

He eventually quotes Lord Byron to cryptically indicate his name which is lost on Bill Paxton’s character, Matt. “Byron” essentially means cowshed. It’s ironic because Byron the android is in many ways a receptacle of knowledge. Matt even says sarcastically, “Well aren’t you a walking storeroom of information,” and Byron responds cheerfully, “Yes.”

Byron breaks out of his handcuffs saying they’d “become rather superfluous.” You think he’s just showing off but once you know he’s an android you know he’s just honest all the time. He then heals a blind child and paraphrases Psalm 127:3. Matt says, “I didn’t know you were a healer.” Apparently Byron can perform cataract surgery in less than five minutes. Along their journey together (Bill is set on collecting the bounty on Byron’s head before Tasker can catch up) they camp out. Byron sleeps with his eyes open. (Even if he is an android wouldn’t his eyes need to be “cleaned” in the same way humans need to close our eyes and blink?) Matt wakes up to find Byron seemingly strangling him. “I was feeling your carotid pulse,” he explains. “I was just checking for arrhythmia and episodes of ventricular tachycardia.” At this point you realize he’s not so much a spiritual healer as a doctor who philosophizes a lot.

Byron’s miraculous behavior and pontificating is called into question by a nomadic spiritual community which has been torn apart by an attack on their village. As he lays dying, Ben Kingsley’s character calls Byron a “false prophet” but his faith in this stranger is somewhat restored when he says, “all that will be left of me is bits of gold in the sand. You have a soul, do not abandon it in death.”

Another character says, “The stranger is no mortal man.” Therefore it is clear that Byron likely isn’t human. We don’t find out he’s an android until 46 minutes into the film. Once that’s cleared up, other concepts arise in the script. While not well executed, they are really interesting; emotion both positive and negative, free will, perfection, A.I. slavery, and murder are all addressed throughout the second half of the film. Byron says he doesn’t understand “hate” in context of his “master” to whom he was nurse, brother, father, mentor, and friend, but he admits he was more of a slave than anything else.

The character Ariel takes an interest in him for a variety of reasons, especially romantically. In one very evocative moment we see Byron in a museum exhibit, a false garden of Eden, full of fake vegetation and taxidermies, full body mounts. So we’ve got an android having an Adam experience. Whether or not he experiences “original sin” with Ariel or if he’s “fully functional” is never acknowledged. Although one woman says, “Amanda slept with a robot?!” (who the f**k is Amanda?!) and a man says to another sitting next to him, “I hear they’re rather mechanical in the saddle.”

Byron is less concerned with consummation and more excited about love, sleep, and dreaming. When he is with Ariel he doesn’t quite know how to act in terms of sexual play and then apologizes: “I’m not accustomed to being loved.” We see him closing his eyes when he’s cuddled up with Ariel; the next day he is certainly very pleased that he fell asleep with his eyes closed and had a dream.

In terms of his servitude and autonomy they did not spend an adequate portion of the exposition on it. Matt has a change of heart and says instead of collecting the bounty, he’ll set him free as it’s briefly revealed that Byron killed his “master” upon the man’s request. Naturally, this brings up a lot of confusing feelings for Byron. “Is this what it’s like to be human? I don’t think I’m up to it,” he says. “Can I be trusted with human feelings?” And in a way he cannot. Ariel is brutally shot by Tasker.

Byron is angered over Ariel’s death and follows the bounty hunter to his ship. Instead of taking him in to collect a reward, Tasker tries to run him down with the glider plane. Byron manages to get himself caught in the engine and starts to strangle his assailant. Tasker quotes “touched the face of god” which brings Byron to his senses and he stops killing Luke Skywalker Tasker and tries to save the plane. It looks like he’s going to hot-wire it but then uses the wires like reins (chariot imagery???). They crash into the side of a mountain slope. Tasker dies but Byron survives. Apparently he’s basically indestructible and somewhat godlike. “I’m too dangerous to be human,” Byron tells Matt. In the end, he goes off in search of the place he’d been dreaming about.

Although in terms of physical appearance the two androids are vastly different, they have so much in common. Here are some basic concepts.

Character: Both are stoic, formal, intelligent, honest

Indestructible: Byron is injured with a grappling hook, takes a major fall of about 20 or 30 feet without a scratch: he is somewhat godlike or slave-like, meant to withstand destruction and pain. Elio is less indestructible but easily repaired.

Healer: Byron has the skills to heal people with basic surgery. Elio doesn’t take his own injuries seriously and experiences pain for the first time (Jones, 218-9).

Both think they deserve to be punished: Elio states this quite clearly (Jones, 276) and Byron says the same thing about himself with resigned passivity.

Complex relationship with “human emotions”: Both come to terms with violence, anger, and love.

Autonomy: At the end of the film Byron goes off on his own to look for a promised land. Elio decides his own fate by deciding to accompany the children of the story, stating that Vivian is a “particular favorite” of his (278).

Dreaming and stories: Byron is searching for a place, “where I think I belong,” he says, which is a place he often thinks and dreams about. Dreaming is considered to be a human attribute, a non-essential bi-product to consciousness. Elio enjoys stories and old films (Jones, 180), similarly “human” in nature.

(Peck, seen here waiting for Bill Paxton to learn how to act. Sorry, I’m salty.)

Disclaimer: This is a work in progress! This project is an intersection of niche subjects that interest no one but myself.

Anyway, my point is (yes, I did have a point...or rather several) was that if anyone should adapt A Tale of Time City, Byron from Slipstream is the best example of how Elio should be portrayed in terms of characterization. I feel that Slipstream should have been centered around Byron. The film was kind of like, just about the “we’re both fighting over the bounty of this fugitive” sorta thing. It would have made more sense to focus on Byron as he is arguably the most interesting character and represents many of the conflicts within the story. I would like to combine my research on ATOTC and Slipstream one day. In any case, this is a good start.

Works Cited (WIP)

Jones, Diana W. A Tale of Time City: Knopf, 1987. Print. Perkowitz, Sidney. Digital People: From Bionic Humans to Androids. Washington, D.C: Joseph Henry Press, 2004. Print.

Roettgen, Steffi, and Anton R. Mengs. Anton Raphael Mengs: 1728-1779 Part 2. München: Hirmer, 1999. Print.

Turing, A. M. “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” Mind, vol. 59, no. 236, 1950, pp. 433–460. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2251299. Wilson, Eric. The Melancholy Android: On the Psychology of Sacred Machines. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006. Print

35 notes · View notes

theellana · 3 years

Text

Money can't buy happiness, but it can definitely buy me lots of cool art as a birthday present to myself 😁

... Almost exclusively fandom related, obviously 😊

Look at the prettiiiiiiiies! (now I just need to decide where to put the stickers and wear to hang the prints 😱)

Close-up and details about why I bought each one (as well as credits) under the cut 😄

Unless stated otherwise, I got these from Redbubble :). I'll tag tumblr / link insta / link redbubble (in this order), just in case you want your own

I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me - quote from Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo. I read the book, loved it, and I too want to survive this world, whatever it throws at me. Amazing art by ruiazevedo.

Tattooed Ginny, tattooed Harry, tattooed Sirius. @savysami's beautiful work to imagine which tattoos different characters would get, and how they'd look. Sirius is full on bad boy vibes, but also some gorgeous soft tattoos. Ginny is her awesome badass self. And I couldn't not get Harry 😁. Got those as stickers in 5.5x5.5", cos I couldn't afford more prints, but I'm definitely hanging them up instead of sticking them xD. Bought those off of her website ^^

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing” - quote from Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo. This one isn’t inspirational, I swear xD. It’s just very representative of Kaz, and I love him, sooo... Also, can we talk about the design of this crow’s head cane? It’s just gorgeous! Art by bookishartuk

Ace Planet is a cross stitch I did a very long time ago, but I meant to change where it was display so on the bed it went xD. Pattern bought on etsy from @mathysphere 😊

No Mourner No Funerals sticker by loshimizu. Wanted something for my favorite crows, and this was just perfect. The "if you know, you know" kind of fandom references I love. Also, fits with the other stickers on my laptop, since they're all just black xD

Let Them Rest by @gryzdolnik. You probably wouldn't tell seeing it like this, but those legs belong to Joe and Nicky 😁. But firstly, I know exactly who are those two person enjoying a well-deserved break. Secondly, this drawing radiates peace, and that's much needed right now, imo 😊

We're Meant To Find Each Other, sticker by silentcomedy. Speaking of everyone's favorite incurable romantics... The swords... The quote... Simple, but very efficient design representing them :D

Howl's Moving Castle's scenery by c.detective.momo. Got this as a greeting card cos money, but will definitely display it as a print. I love that it's just pretty... But also taken from my favorite Ghibli movie ever, you know? 😁

Kodamas by ninich. Small but oh so cute. Look at me showing off my love for Princess Mononoke by sticking them everywhere 😇

You've already seen it, the cross stitch-a-long by @mathysphere is done and going up on my wall 😁.

(second picture ;))

The headbonk of looooove. How could I not get a printed version of this art that was done for me by @gryzdolnik? 😁 Headbonks are Joe and Nicky's love language, clearly :D

Red Princess by Onichi. Howl's Moving Castle might be my favorite Ghibli, but Princess Mononoke isn't far behind. I love the paint splatter effect, as well as the three colors theme. Very fierce representation of San 😊

Tattooed Percy and Annabeth, also by @savysami. Do I need to explain? First, the look really really good together. Second their tattoos are gorgeous. Lastly, the meaning behind those tattoos is beautiful. Including Percy getting stick-and-pokes because he's impulsive like that 😁. Also bought directly from her shop.

Allons-y by PasteBaby. Listen. I'm French. Every time the doctor goes "Allons-y", I giggle, and mentally finish the sentence with "Alonzo". Also look at the prettiness of those sweet pea flowers, which according to the design's description represent goodbye. Hm? My eyes? Nah, that's just a bit of dust from moving stuff around

Alex Stern by @oblivionsdream. It's very fitting for this print to be the last in the description, because it also was the last in my cart. I had told myself I was done, no buying anything else, that was enough. But then I saw this representation of Alex Stern, the main character from Ninth House, and I just fell in love. It's both exactly how I imagined her, and even better 😍.

And that's it xD. If anybody's still here, thanks for reading. I tried to make it fun, but I also really wanted to give credit where credit is due, cos this is some pretty amazing art 😍

#rl problems #(well not problems... But real life alright xD)#awesome drawing #very long post #look at what people did!

24 notes · View notes

queen-of-my-goofball-army · 3 years

Text

An Ode To Miyazaki:

Hi everyone! So for my final paper for film, we had to pick our own director of our choosing and talk about them extensively between the attributes that make them special. Our course focused on the narrative and technical styles of directors. For my final project, I have chosen my biggest hero in the world of animation and somebody that drastically changed my life as a young child, Hayao Miyazaki. Learning about him for this project gave me so much insight into not just his films but who he is as a person. I hope that my paper is as interesting for you to read as it was for me to do research for!

1. Hayao Miyazaki, often referred to as the Japanese Walt Disney is the front runner of his animation studio Studio Ghibli. I picked him because I already have sufficient knowledge and love of his films. One of the first memories that my parents love to remind me of is my first time watching Totoro and laughing at the introduction characters. Miyazaki himself stands out for a number of reasons. Over the years, Miyazaki has made a humongous name out of himself, one of his most famous movies Spirited Away became the most popular film to ever be released in Japan and also won the academy award for the best-animated film that year. His most “popular” films (I say popular in air quotes because it is nearly impossible for people to agree on a favorite) remain the aforementioned Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. Beginning his career as a simple animator for Toei animation, he worked as an in-between artist. It was here that he met his future collaborator at Ghibli, Isao Takahata. His first big directorial debut in film before founding Ghibli was a team effort without Takahata was Lupin The Third, The Castle Of Cagliostro. His first successful movie was one that was based upon his own manga Nausicaa of the Valley Of The Wind. The first official Miyazaki movie that was made with Ghibli was one of my personal all-time favorites that had ever been created, Castle In The Sky. For many children, especially ones with parents who are lovers of a film like mine, Miyazaki was one of the first animators that I was introduced to. His films have become classics for every fan of animation, being referenced in culture, specifically back when Disney owned Studio in Toy Story 3, Bonnie has a Totoro.

2. So, this brings up the question, how does one recognize a film by Miyazaki? You can always expect for him to be critically acclaimed, for there to be some element of magic and whimsy in the way that he animates, for there to be something to do with flight (whether it be dealing with airplanes like in Porco Rosso, the idea of flight in Howl’s Moving Castle, or a floating castle up in the sky in Castle In The Sky.), his heroines are always strong-minded and live by their own rules never bowing down to anybody, his love stories are dynamic and fulfilled, a sweeping score by Joe Hizashi, and they have a meaning about nature somewhere, mostly about why it needs to be protected.

Let’s start by breaking him down narratively. The thing that is always in every Miyazaki film no matter which one you decide upon watching, is that his female characters are always strong-willed no matter what. In many ways, I think that he writes women better than Disney does. He has gone on record saying “Many of my movies have strong female leads—brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.” Sometimes, this will cause them to come across as reckless, or stupid, but in my opinion, I have always looked up to his female characters and the way that they are portrayed. My personal favorite female character that he has ever brought to life through the screen is Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. She is strong-minded, not willing to put up with any of Howl’s dramatics, kind, an incredible adult figure for Markal, endlessly sympathetic to her friend’s plights (namely Howl and Calcifer), and somebody that I can always look up to. I spent most of my childhood looking up to characters like Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, Chihiro in Spirited Away, or one of my personal favorite underrated girls, Fio in Porco Rosso. All of these female characters are independent and never let themselves be taken advantage of by anybody.

Another trait that can always be found narratively in his films is that Miyazaki is an airplane/ air travel fanatic. He absolutely loves airplanes, even to the point where his latest film, The Wind Rises was based upon the life of one of the first airplane manufacturers in WWII. Almost all of his films will involve something about flying in the air. Even with the ones that he didn’t direct and he just simply wrote. His obsession with flight is something that stemmed from his childhood and he never saw them as a thing to be used for war “airplanes are not tools for war. They are not for making money. Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.” My personal favorite of all of his flight animation is used in Howl’s Moving Castle when Howl and Sophie “fly” over the heads of all the people below them.

Narratively also one of the biggest things that set apart his films from any others is his focus on nature. The idea of protecting the beauty of nature is something that he has always stood by. A lot of the time, America tries to prove that it can make films about nature as well to usually varying results. I think that nobody can sell an environmental message quite like my biggest hero for Japanese animation. One of the main movies that focus on his will to protect nature above all else is Princess Mononoke. He always manages to animate nature in such a beautiful and majestic way no matter where the film is set.

I also think that a narrative trait of his that often gets overlooked is how beautiful the romance in his films can be. He never has a romance between two characters that feels stale or boring. I love the fact that you can pick any number of his films and the chance of there being a romance that you’ll get sucked into is a very large one. Everybody has their personal favorites, I love Howl and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle but my best friend loves Sousuke and Ponyo from Ponyo. He has on record saying that “I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.” Writing romance between two characters can be a very tricky thing which is why it’s always amazing when he can continually pull it off despite everything and how many films that he has made over the years. The beauty of having both a strong and independent male and the female character is that they can both lean on one another for love and support. Probably the biggest supporter of this is Whisper Of The Heart, a film that he wrote instead of directing. The romance is what makes up the entire film. It’s a beautiful love story about how two young teenagers fall in love with each other. The romance is something that continually keeps me coming back for more every time.

Technical style Miyazaki can always be assured to deliver breathtakingly stunning animation. There is a reason why so many people leave his films starving because the food that he draws always looks so good. For me though, it’s the backgrounds that stand out above all else. It’s nearly impossible to have one favorite shot in one of his films but I as a matter of fact do have one. The most breathtaking animation in any Miyazaki film is the scene where Howl takes Sophie to see his secret garden. Everything about this scene never fails to make my breath catch. It’s such a profoundly beautiful moment and how it is animated is something that I haven’t forgotten since my first initial viewing of the film when I was seven.

Another iconic technical trait is that Disney did a fantastic job dubbing the films from their original Japanese language into English. Back when Ghibli films first started to become popular, they needed a way for an American audience to see them. So Pixar’s CFO at the time, John Lassater made a deal with Ghibli that they would dub all the films from their original language for a brand new audience. Growing up, this was how I watched all of Miyazaki’s films. I fell in love with the way that they sounded in English. To this very day, I have yet to see one of his films in any other language. I don’t think that anybody could have dubbed them better. Ever since Ghibli and Disney went their separate ways and they went to GKids the dubs haven’t been the same.

Finally, the last technical trait is that a Miyazaki film will always have a score done by his longtime collaborator Joe Hizashi. The score is such a big part of what makes Miyazaki’s films his own. They are what get you sucked in through their whimsical and magical tones; they always fit the vibes that he’s going through at that moment. There is also the element of sound. Every Miyazaki film has a distinct sound effect that will set it apart from the one before it.

3. The first film that I want to look at is my personal favorite of all his films that he has made so far if you were to force me to pick just one Howl’s Moving Castle. Released in 2004, it was the 9th film that the director came out with. It has an 8.2 out of 10 on IMDB and an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The storyline for the movie follows a young woman named Sophie. She gets a curse set upon her by the Witch of the Waste and when she leaves home she finds the infamous Howl’s Moving Castle. This is the second Ghibli movie voiced by a Batman live action actor. Christian Bale voiced Howl Pendragon after Michael Keaton played the titular Porco Rosso.

Narratively this is definitely a Miyazaki film. From how strong of a female character Sophie is I spent most of my childhood looking up to her as a character. Strong female characters are everywhere in his films and in my opinion, Sophie is one of the strongest. Another strong factor is that flight plays a major part in this film. One of Howl’s main powers is that he has the ability to fly around. This leads to my favorite scene of flight in any Miyazaki film when Howl takes Sophie’s hand and they “fly” over the tops of the city down below them. All of his early films up until the last few were set in someplace other than Japan. This one is set in Europe, and he takes a lot of time while in the cities to show off all the different types of buildings while Sophie tours around the city.

Technically speaking this is also a Miyazaki film and holds all the titular traits of being so. The animation is utterly for lack of a better word, magical and spellbinding. It takes my breath away every time that I rewatch it. The food looks incredible, one scene that most of Miyazaki’s fans always think of when this movie is brought up is Calcifer making the food for Howl, Sophie, and Markal to eat. The dub for this film is also one of Disney’s best dubs for Miyazaki films. It even brings actors to the table that I usually would not like to see in other films like Christian Bale. I haven’t loved him in any other films than this one. Billy Crystal is a stand-out as well as my favorite fire demon Calcifer. The score is done by Joe Hizashi as well. My favorite part of the score is the main theme which has Howl and Sophie floating above the people below. The sound effect that follows throughout this film is the steady creaking of the castle itself.

Princess Mononoke was the first time that Miyazaki ever “retired”. Most of the time, whenever he tries to retire, he always comes back. A lot of his colleague's joke that it’s because he physically can’t stop working. He animated most of this movie by himself. Before Spirited Away it was Japan’s most famous film to date. The story about a young man who is just trying to erase the curse that was set upon him by an angry boar and it leads him to a place called Iron Town is something that never fails to amaze me. While in Iron Town, Ashitaka meets a young woman named San who was taken in by wolves and he finds himself caught between a war involving humans and the gods of the forest.

Narratively this is definitely a Miyazaki film. It has a strong female lead, focusing most of its screen time on how important it is to protect and preserve nature as a whole. The idea of protecting nature is such a moving part of the film, as we see what it does when man takes over the forest. We see how distraught it makes the Gods of this world and how they wish that the humans would just go away. However, you also see it from the point of view of the villain of the film Lady Eboshi, who also regularly helps lepers and people who would often never get work outside of her offering them a home and a family. I have regularly gotten into a debate with my mom over which side is “right” and which side “wrong” over the course of the last few years of me being a massive fan of this movie. She takes the side of the forest while I see Ashitaka’s side that everybody should just get along and interact in peace and harmony. Miyazaki never shoves the idea of nature down your throat. That is not what this film is. It’s instead about the beauty of what we have and learning to appreciate it.

On a technical level, this film is fantastic as well. It blows my mind that Miyazaki-san animated most of it all by himself. The backgrounds are sweeping and utterly gorgeous showing off the time period of the film. The fight sequences which make up the bulk of the film’s running time are engaging, thrilling, and fabulously animated. Mononoke’s score was done by Joe Hizashi as well. Its score is beautiful and I always find myself getting sucked into it, especially for the more dynamic scenes with Ashitaka and San. The sound effect for this film uses nature as a backdrop for brutality. Ashitaka’s arrows don’t just come out of his bow, they screech through the air.

Finally, my last film that we will be focusing on, Kiki’s Delivery Service was made in 1989 a year after his cult phenomena My Neighbor Totoro and was his fifth animated feature. Kiki is a young girl that is hoping to become a young witch in training. However, to do so she has to train a year away from home. She and her cat Jiji find a town by the sea where she learns her true strength and what she can really do to help others. Hayao Miyazaki didn't want to bore the audience during the film's end credits by using just the names. He set it up to be like a mini-sequel so that the audience would leave the theatre feeling happy.

Narratively this has all the traits that one should be familiar with and associate with a Miyazaki film. It has a strong-minded female character at the source of it that young girls can look up to and admire. As a kid, Kiki was my favorite female character of his because I loved her strength and her dedication to what she was good at. She knew that she was still young and had a lot to learn but even though she gets depressed she doesn’t let that stop her in the long run and will still save her love interest Tombo. The romance in this film is by far one of the sweetest. I love the interactions between the characters and the way that they both inspire one another to be better than they are. The idea of flight is basically the focal point of everything. Kiki finds that her best trait is that she flies incredibly well and decides to create her own flying delivery service.

Technically this also has a lot of traits that Miyazaki made a name for himself in doing. The animation is spectacular, especially for Kiki’s flying. I could watch her fly around all day and that was the idea that he was going for while making the film. The sweeping score by Joe Hizashi, especially in my favorite song A Town With An Ocean View, is something that I’ll often listen to outside of the film itself. The sound effects for the film are meant to be calming. From the first sound that you hear of the wind rolling through the reeds while Kiki lies against the grass to the waves when she finally finds a home.

4. Miyazaki as a director has inspired me since I was way too young to even remember. When I was a kid I would pretend to run around my apartment building's front yard imagining that I lived in a big house in front of a camper tree like the one in Totoro. His movies are perfect for children that “suffer” from having an overactive imagination. His movies are everything that is bright and beautiful in the world. The animation never fails to take my breath away, the characters and stories are unforgettable, the soundtracks sweep me away and tell stories themselves. His movies are something that even my parents, who are not anime fans, can watch over and over again. I think that speaks for itself. Miyazaki makes films that are art, not just animated films.

20 notes · View notes

originofjaehyun · 4 years

Text

Interlude: No More Drama & Prelude: After Story – Omake

Omake’s primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean extra or bonus.

Hi!

Because I wasn’t able to update the next chapter this week (stares directly at my other deadlines) – so I thought of updating you guys with something that is rather different instead! :D

Whenever I write, sometimes I would reach roadblocks, and ideas just wouldn’t come out. Usually by then, I would start to imagine things that most of the time are totally unrelated to the main story (haha).

Anyway! Long story short, these are the character profiles that I imagined when I designed them on my head (lol?)

Friendly reminder that this is a complete fiction!

P.S.: I imagined them during their Neo Zone era, so I wouldn’t talk that much about them physically? Also, you can search on Twitter on their actual perfumes, but I think these brands would suit them very well too (there are some that I took from that reference as well lol).

Read Interlude & Prelude

Jaehyun

Scent: Maison Margiela – Jazz Club, Jo Malone – Myrrh and Tonka

Cigarette brand: Marlboro Red

Carpool karaoke pick: (At first) Lauv – I Like Me Better, Cigarette After Sex, and such, but later he would play Spotify’s This Is Adele playlist

Cocktail pick: Ballatine’s Scotch Whiskey

Food delivery choices: Anything within reach (does not have any preference)

Kinks: This tickles him by a lot, but he likes it when you teased him by playing with his happy trail

Yuta

Scent: Diptyque – Tam Dao, Armani – Code Colonia

Cigarette brand: He used to smoke Camel, but changed to IQOS

Carpool karaoke pick: Depeche Mode, Post Malone, RADWIMPS, sometimes Arashi

Cocktail pick: Cassis Orange, beer

Food delivery choices: Fried chicken (let’s not make him obviously Japanese by making him ordering Ramen every time lol)

Kinks: He loves the sound of skin slapping each other, so expect a lot of spanking

Johnny

Scent: BYREDO – Mojave Ghost (for daily), LE LABO – Santal 33 (for the evening), Tom Ford – Fucking Fabulous (for the special occasions)

Cigarette brand: Dunhill Blonde Blend

Carpool karaoke pick: Daft Punk (for sure), Disclosure, and such

Cocktail pick: Negroni

Food delivery choices: Fast food, preferably burgers

Kinks: He’s sensitive behind his ears, and would go wild whenever you whisper directly to his ears

Doyoung

Scent: Le Labo – Another 13, Chanel – Bleu De Chanel

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: Park Hyo Shin, Daniel Caesar, Celine Dion

Cocktail pick: Gin & Tonic

Food delivery choices: Jajjangmyeon

Kinks: He likes it when you explore his neck, and whenever you kiss his adam’s apple

Mark

Scent: Dior – Eau Savage

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar

Cocktail pick: He prefers dark beer, but would take soju anytime with his hyungs

Food delivery choices: Anything carbs

Kinks: He bites a lot

Taeyong

Scent: Penhaligon – Endymion

Cigarette brand: Raison

Carpool karaoke pick: Jhené Aiko, Kehlani, Justin Bieber

Cocktail pick: Jagerbomb, but he would be the one who suggested Tequila shots

Food delivery choices: Bubble tea

Kinks: He likes the feeling of your nail piercing onto his skin (lol did I just make him slightly masochist)

Haechan

Scent: Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male

Cigarette brand: Lucky Strike Menthol

Carpool karaoke pick: Michael Jackson, Queen, Jason Mraz

Cocktail pick: Soju

Food delivery choices: Fast food, but he would join anyone who’s ordering any food

Kinks: He prefers the room to be bright so he can see you

Jungwoo

Scent: Roses – Chloe

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: Frank Ocean, Dean, NCT (a-ha)

Cocktail pick: He would take a sip of anything tbh

Food delivery choices: Anything but he would often craves for kimbab

Kinks: Jungwoo you’re not allowed to have a kink

Taeil

Scent: Tom Ford – Noir Extreme

Cigarette brand: Camel Filter

Carpool karaoke pick: He owns a playlist called; “Wedding Day Songs”

Cocktail pick: Old Fashioned

Food delivery choices: Ramen (the legit ramen and not the instant ones)

Kinks: He breathes you in, a lot

Winwin

Scent: Aqcua Di Parma – Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo Di Sicilia

Cigarette brand: Mevius One

Carpool karaoke pick: The 1975, Vampire Weekend

Cocktail pick: Ume Highball

Food delivery choices: Jokbal

Kinks: Surprisingly he’s into role play (he loves it when you call him by his code name)

Random Trivia

All Interlude chapters’ quotes are from Jaehyun’s parts on Neo Zone album

Same goes for Prelude, except for Make Your Day (since Yuta wasn’t a part of that song, I replaced it with Jaehyun’s)

You might or might not notice, but I also put Jaehyun’s part(s) on the actual chapter (either on the conversations or the narrations)

Yuta’s yakuza friend, Taka (mentioned briefly), is taken from MIYAVI’s real name (Takamasa Ishihara) – I borrowed his name because Yuta listened to MIYAVI alot (he also followed him on Instagram!)

The music that they listen to on the car ride during Pandora’s Box was Cigarette After Sex’s Apocalypse (because Jaehyun listens to Cigarettes After Sex before going to bed)

The music during the first car ride with Yuta was No Replacing You by Pink Sweat$ (it’s a part of Jaehyun’s playlist – which he revealed on one of his vlive)

The movie that Jaehyun and [Y/N] watched during the rainy day on White Night, The Notebook, is based on Jaehyun’s recommendation on NCT Night Night

I also mentioned this on Pandora’s Box, but the repeated quote between [Y/N] and Jaehyun, “What is the first twenty-four hours if we’re looking back at the past seventy years?” is highly inspired from Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud (And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70) –because Jaehyun is a fan of Ed.

Also, [Y/N] and Jaehyun met when they’re on their mid 20s. The average human lifespan is 79 years —hopefully our [Y/N] and Jaehyun would have a wonderful long life together. That phrase itself means that both of them are willing to spend the rest of their lives together. Though, I don’t know how that becomes their own love language, it just happened as I write the story haha

[Y/N]’s body gel inspiration is actually a body cleanser by Aesop, A Rose By Any Other Name

Jaehyun’s engagement ring pick was Étincelle de Cartier Ring by Cartier

Jaehyun and [Y/N]’s favorite Ghibli movie pick is Howl’s Moving Castle – Jaehyun mentioned on NCT Night Night that he watched Howl’s Moving Castle a lot when he was at school

After the wedding, dark crimson rose was spotted on Nakamoto’s residence. This symbolizes grief and sadness.

On Make Your Day, the flower language meaning for Buttercup is “Your charm dazzles me”. This is why Yuta knows ___ is attracted to her. If you didn’t notice, Yuta already know that she’s the florist during their first encounter at Nonstop. That is because Yuta remembers their first encounter, too

The tune that ___ listen to at the end of Make Your Day is Always With Me (Spirited Away theme song). I personally feel the scene (on my head) fits the song perfectly! If you want to give it a listen, I recommend the piano version

At the end, ___ gave Yuta anthurium, which means hospitality and happiness. Note how I never really specify their relationship status, since I want the readers to have their own interpretation on the continuation of their relationship

Yuta’s haircut was actually not planned, but it fits the transition since he did cut his hair haha

The hardest chapters to write was Pandora’s Box and Not Alone – purely because they’re mostly transition chapters

Out of all chapters, my personal favorite from Interlude would be White Night and Nonstop for Prelude.

In fact, Nonstop would be my favorite chapter. I think I was so immersed with Jaehyun and [Y/N]’s wedding so I kept including TONS of details hahaha (I hope you don’t mind lol)

#jaehyun fic #yuta fic #nct scenario #nct scenarios #NCT 127 #interlude no more drama #prelude after story #omake

7 notes · View notes

the-phoenix-heart · 4 years

Text

10 Favorite Characters

oh no i’ve been noticed @wisteria-lodge tagged me so let’s do this!

(this isn’t in a particular order, also I decided to do one character per fandom.

10. Sophie Hatter (from the Howl’s Movie Castle film, not the book. idk why but I just never got into her like I did her film counterpart)

Oh Sophie my love, crippled by anxiety and insecurity only to be freed of them and show just how spunky and cunning and full of life you are. Honestly my favorite scene in the movie is just when she’s cleaning the whole house because she has so much character and she just makes me feel great. Honestly this whole movie gives me those warm, fuzzy feelings.

(Sidenote, recently rewatched it and damn there are so many details you can miss. Like, Sophie is already starting to throw off the curse and get younger by the time she’s at Howl’s door!)

((Sidenote sidenote, after watching Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke all in the span of two days I realized in Ghibli movies they tend to have side characters state outright that the main leads are in love with each other which? Idk if it actually is a trend but it’s something I just picked up on)

9. Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson Series & Heroes of Olympus...I never could get into Trials of Apollo)

My. First. Love. For a fandom, for a book series that was slightly more adult, for a character. Percy is so badass and also so so loyal and amazing and I love him. I’m hardpressed to actually talk about him because just thinking about him makes me a little incoherent since I’ve loved him for so long.

8. Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug)

For all my beef with Miraculous right now I still love my beautiful daughter. She’s so intelligent and good and badass. Oh my god some of her plans are so smart you wonder why she’s stuck with everyone around her. I’d die for Marinette even if she’d die for me. She’s my girl and I’d follow her to the ends of the earth. I have so many fics for her planned that I will never write. Also I freaking relate to every anxiety attack she ever has and she needs to be appreciated more and treated better. Not by the fandom, by the creators.

7. Lucifer (Lucifer)

A CHARACTER! THAT GOES TO THERAPY! Not just that lol. He’s just so charismatic and nice for all his devilish (literally) qualities. And also I know this shouldn’t factor in but SWEET JESUS TOM ELLIS IS HOT! His face, his body, his hair, his voice, his ass. Also I love every moment he sings and plays the piano. And HE NEEDS TO COME BACK RIGHT NOW! I DON’T CARE THAT DEMONS ARE STUPID AND NEED A KING HE NEEDS TO COME BACK! CHLOE FINALLY SAID SHE LOVES YOU!

6. Crowley (Good Omens)

The facts are I love me my sinnamon rolls. I love Crowley because he’s just so damn badass. He’s so smart and resourceful and I LOVE HIS PLANTS! Also I support all the headcanons about all the people over the centuries he inspired. ALSO ALSO I FUCKING RELATE! My best friend/crush rebuffs me and says we aren’t friends and my immediate reaction is to sleep until he needs me to save his dumbass. And he’s David Tennant how can you not love anyone David Tennant.

5. Kenny McCormick (South Park)

I don’t care that I put South Park here it’s my list and I can do what I want! Kenny is frankly just so dynamic and good. Like, Mysterion saving his sister from bullies or getting a job so he buy a doll for her??? And the fact he actually hates dying and the creators actually acknowledge it several times??? Even though it was just supposed to be a funny joke??? And holy crap he’s just a good, pervy, boy.

4. Hermione Granger (The Harry Potter BOOKS not the movies)

I almost didn’t put Hermione because recently I’ve been having very mixed and complicated thoughts on the franchise as a whole but it doesn’t change the fact that Hermione is sharp and ruthless and brilliant. Hermione could kick my ass and I would not thank her but I would tell her she has a mean right hook and that she was very badass. Part of the reason I like her I think is because I literally am Hermione.

(Sidenote don’t you miss when they had Hermione’s hair actually curly and frizzy back in the movies)

((Sidenote Sidenote, in case you’re wondering I was going to put Jareth from The Labyrinth originally))

3. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean-except for Dead Men Tell No Tales that wasn’t Jack Sparrow that was the writers deciding to write Jack Sparrow as nothing but drunk and washed up because they had no idea how to make the new characters shine without dulling Jack Sparrow even though they did it just fine in the first three-)

As this list falls down (reference to Labyrinth ;)) I find myself more hard pressed to find favorite characters. I’m not so good at this as I thought. I either overthink them or just can’t decide. And Jack might be here only because I recently watched all the movies for the first time finally but whatever-I love him. He’s smart, cunning, a badass, and he just gives me feelings whenever he looks out to the sea or at Elizabeth or Will. AND ALSO ALSO he gives me feelings when in Stranger Tides even if I don’t like that movie because he shows he has a heart when he saves the crew and won’t let them die. But also fuck everything with him and Angelica, I didn’t believe for one second there were and had been stirrings between them ESPECIALLY when it all leads up to him leaving her on the island and never seeing her again!

I had...A lot of feelings with those last two movies.

2. Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

OKAY I SAY I HAD TROUBLE BUT REALLY THESE LAST TWO I KNEW IMMEDIATELY I WOULD PUT THEM DOWN. I just wanted to put them as 2nd 1st. Catra is a character who makes cry every time she’s on screen. She never fails to send me spiraling and I love her because she’s so complex and amazing. Catra trying so hard to be bad when really she is a better person than she gives herself credit for moves me and hurts me. I love her

1. Bakugou Katsuki (Boku No Hero Academia)

Anyone who knows me knows he would top this list. My favorite boy. Who ALSO sends me spiraling without fail. My thing for characters who make me spiral might be an indication of my self destructive tendencies. But I love him, he makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he makes me go doki-doki. He’s such a badass and so smart and legit he’s so hot. I have so many fucking headcanons about him and so many fic ideas which I will never post-I just can’t get over him.

(Sidenote there are legit so many good Bakugou gifs...Like I can’t get over how pretty he is!!)

I’m tagging... @queenofthefaces @fiddler-unroofed @bipolarchick18 @apollosukulele @bestprincesslys aaaaand anyone else who sees this!!!

27 notes · View notes

howdoyousayghibli · 4 years

Text

Arrietty: Back to (Incredible) Basics

I didn’t realize this until the opening credits played, but The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) makes four adaptations of written stories in a row from Studio Ghibli — Howl’s Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea, and Ponyo being the other three. I’ll admit that Ponyo is a bit of a stretch, but Hayao Miyazaki has stated that his inspiration was Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, so I’m sticking with it.

Arrietty is an adaptation of Mary Norton’s widely beloved children’s novel, The Borrowers. While it was released as The Borrower Arrietty in Japan, the U.S. and UK releases were titled The Secret World of Arrietty and Arrietty, respectively; I can’t fathom why neither wanted to promote its association with a popular book, but here we are.

These four adaptations make for some interesting comparisons, to the extent that I wonder if there was some sort of strategy meeting held at Ghibli headquarters after Tales from Earthsea squirmed out into the world. That movie, and, to a lesser but still noticeable extent, Howl’s Moving Castle were both stuffed to the brim with mysteries, big ideas, and subplots, and they suffered for it. In contrast, Ponyo and Arrietty are simpler both narratively and thematically, but are astounding in their technical artistic achievements.

Arrietty tells the story of a family of Borrowers, tiny people who live under the floorboards and survive by “borrowing” what they need — such as a cube of sugar, basketball-sized to them — from the full-size humans who live above them. The main focus is on the family’s daughter, Arrietty, who is just old enough to join her father on his borrowing trips. Their comfortable but tenuous existence is disrupted by the arrival of Sean, a sickly young boy who’s been sent to live with his grandmother and her caretaker for some peace and quiet.

These two plot points — the Borrowers’ survival and Sean’s sickness — are really the only plot points of Arrietty. This and the fact that both of these stories are actually addressed and resolved is refreshing after the overcomplicated Howl’s Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea.

Arrietty is a classic Ghibli protagonist — spirited, independent, and curious. Sean is also compelling; his melancholy brings to mind Princess Mononoke’s Prince Ashitaka and makes an engaging counterpoint to Arrietty’s enthusiasm and determination. The two are voiced by Bridget Mendler and David Henrie, whose resumés both largely consist of various Disney Channel shows. Fellow Disney Channel alumnus Moisés Arias (he was also, bizarrely, Bonzo in Ender’s Game) joins the cast as the fun-but-racistly-designed Spiller.

The adults of the cast pulled in a bit more star power — Arrietty’s parents, Pod and Homily, are voiced by Will Arnet and Amy Poehler. It’s easy to hear the Batman in Pod’s gravelly seriousness, but Arnet manages to infuse equal amounts of gravel and affection into Pod’s sparse dialogue. Poehler, meanwhile, gets some of the movie’s best dialogue as the anxious Homily; the character easily could’ve been obnoxious, but, as 6 seasons of Parks and Recreation can attest, Poehler is relentlessly charming and elevates each line she’s given.

There’s great characters and voice acting in Arrietty, but where the film really shines is in the presentation. Studio Ghibli uses the diminutive size of the protagonists as a chance to show off — throughout the movie, details of animation and sound design reinforce the tiny scale of the world we’re viewing.

Visually, these reminders come in two forms: the creative ways that the Borrowers re-purpose (downscale?) the things they borrow, and the details with which the animators pack each shot.

The Borrowers’ ingenuity is a lot of fun to look out for throughout the movie, from stamps as wall art to soda can pop-tabs used to hang soup ladles. I can’t say how many of these were thought up by the Ghibli team and how many are pulled from the novels, but either way, they point to a well-thought-out world and add a great deal of charm.

The animation details, despite everything, blow me away. I feel Studio Ghibli shouldn’t be able to surprise me anymore, but by scaling down the action, they created new opportunities to impress. The premise allows for details like the grain of the wood inside the walls, rough but worn smooth and shiny, or the way water clings together, pouring out of their tea kettle in bulbous fist-sized drops.

The sound design is similarly effective — a ticking clock can thunder across an entire room, and a giant hand can silence the rest of the world as it closes around a Borrower. It’s clear that the team behind this film saw the Borrower’s size as not just a premise, but a challenge, which they met amply.

There’s a YouTube channel called Every Frame a Painting, probably most famous for their “Marvel Symphonic Universe” video. I happen to think that particular video is pretty off-base, but I love the channel as a whole. I bring them up because of their “Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy” video. It’s a great video, which you should watch, but the thrust of it is that the humor in Edgar Wright’s comedies doesn’t rely solely on dialogue like in many other comedies. The video posits that, if all your humor comes from funny dialogue, you’re throwing away the visual aspect of the medium — why not tell the story in a novel, or a podcast, or a stage play?

This is a roundabout way of saying that Arrietty feels like a film that is truly firing on all cylinders. The premise, characters, animation, and sound design all reinforce one another; they feel deliberately interwoven in a way that few films do.

Like many Ghibli movies, in a thematic sense Arrietty didn’t exactly leave me satisfied, but that same dissatisfaction has kept me thinking about the movie weeks after seeing it. (Vague spoilers ->) Sean’s attempts to help the Borrowers largely leave them worse off than before; does that mean he should have done nothing? Or did he just need to be more thoughtful? Are the Borrowers at fault for being too suspicious? It’s hard to agree with that when there’s ample evidence supporting their behavior. (<- End spoilers) These kinds of questions mean that, even the movie lacks a certain catharsis, it inspires further thought in a way that a lot of entertainment doesn’t.

Up Next:

From Up on Poppy Hill! Goro takes a second stab at directing — let’s see if he learned his lesson from Tales from Earthsea, shall we?

Alternate Titles:

Arrietty: Ah, That’s Better

Now You’re Just Showing Off, Mr. Miyazaki

“Arrietty, Kids?” “Aye Aye, Captain!”

Stray Notes

The crow and bird fighting are a great The Cat Returns callback

”can I have some warm milk?” You go sneaky Sean, this kid rules

Has Mr. Ghibli ever seen a boy that wasn’t skin and bones?

*sees raccoon* haha sick Pom Poko reference

Wish I had a Lego Batman dad

And a Leslie Knope mom

DON’T RUN SEAN YOU’RE SICK

Why do they randomly emphasize the T sound in Arrietty sometimes (ARE-ee-eh-dy vs. AIR-ee-EH-tee)

Yooooo Spiller is tsundere AF

TOM HOLLAND voices Sean in the UK version??? And it was his first role in anything ever????

#studio ghibli #the secret world of arrietty #arrietty #karigurashi no arrietty #ghibli #the borrowers

168 notes · View notes