In the world
of anime, animation and cinema, Hayao Miyazaki ,
director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, stands
out . Like many big names in the creative industry, there's always a bit of
controversy, but fortunately, Miyazaki's negative comments don't hurt anyone or
damage his reputation as a creator. At his worst, Hayao Miyazaki is the
man who openly shared his disdain for the highly successful medium of anime.
Anime
fans are familiar with the “ Anime Was A Mistake ” meme, which
cites Hayao Miyazaki as the source of the phrase. The quote itself is not far
from what Miyazaki actually said, but there is much more detail and history
associated with criticizing him. His general commentary has been broken down
separately and, unfortunately, leaves out Miyazaki's crucial experience with
anime. In short, these are the reasons why he feels the way he does
about the anime industry, and he really isn't wrong.
One of
the main problems that Miyazaki points out is mass production. Nowadays, anime has become
infamous for the large number of series produced and their routine schedule;
basically, there is never a moment of rest for anime. This idea of a regular
series is not new and has been a source of debate for anime since the
1960s. Miyazaki shared his thoughts on the changing practices in the
animation industry through an excerpt he wrote in 1988. .
“ Mass
production has changed the situation ,” says Miyazaki. With the gradual push and
demand for anime series, 30 television series were being made per week in the
1980s. The Ghibli director explains that, to meet this growing demand,
major changes were made to the animation. The new short form of
animation is why Miyazaki is frustrated with the anime.
Miyazaki
also criticizes the trend of quantity over quality in the anime industry. He notes that animation has
changed to a more limited and less detailed form, replacing natural human
expressions and body language. Additionally, he criticizes the lack of genuine
emotion in the characters and the tendency toward excessive escapism. For
Miyazaki, the problem is that anime creators have little experience in the real
world and are obsessed with escaping reality rather than faithfully portraying
it.
Another
important aspect of Miyazaki's criticism is the representation of female
characters in anime. Throughout her career, Miyazaki has stressed the
importance of creating strong, independent female characters, in contrast to
the tendency in some anime to treat women as objects or pets.
Finally,
Miyazaki also addresses the exploitation of artists in the anime industry,
noting that even in the 1980s, animators struggled with overwork and low wages. Although Studio Ghibli has
managed to improve working conditions for animators, Miyazaki remains critical
of the industry in general and advocates a change towards a more equitable and
respectful approach towards artists.
Source: ComicBookResources
