Studio Ghibli

 I believe, a lot of people have one movie that they love since their childhood days. One of my favorite films, and probably for many Japanese people's, are from Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio headed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The studio have successfully produced various films since 1985 and they are best known for the film, My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli is a well known studio not only in Japan but also around the world. Along with the world known, Disney, it have captured a lot of children's hearts as they created various amusing films.

These are trailers for some Studio Ghibli films:

Among the various films from Studio Ghibli, one of my all time favorites are, My Neighbor Totoro, and, Kiki's Delivery Service. These two films are those that I have been watching for countless times since I was a baby.  I probably liked these two films since it does not really have violent scenes or wicked monsters like some other Studio Ghibli films. Furthermore, both taught me a lot of aspects needed as I grow up. My Neighbor Totoro taught me family bonds and culture of a traditional Japanese village and, Kiki's Delivery Service depicted a struggle of a teenage girl and her development to get her independence.

Along with how Studio Ghibli teaches children human values, it also teaches us traditional Japanese culture. Films from Studio Ghibli often takes place in olden time Japan, especially around the period after the WWII. Character lives in a old house, like the ones in Totoro or the Grave of the Fire flies, and depicts people's usual lives like getting water from a well. It teaches the younger generation how the lives were in the past and gives us an image on how well our lives are right now. Furthermore, the setting often expresses the struggle people were experiencing after Japan surrendered at the end of World War. Knowing this struggle and the ideas people had at that time is important since those ideas are still left as a base of our thoughts, like the relationship with other countries.

In overall, Studio Ghibli is not only a company that shows amusing anime but a film maker that entertains us and teaches us moral values and culture at the same time. Myself being Japanese and growing up in Japan, I have devoted a lot of my childhood time watching their film and they are and will be one of my favorite film makers. Although Hayao Miyazaki is getting older, I hope Studio Ghibli will stay the same and keep on creating amazing anime, so that my generation who watched a lot of their film will be able to show it to our children too!