The first time I stepped foot into this place was in the autumn of 2012.
Is this okay? That one isn't here. Ah, thank you. Excuse me. Is that guy here today? Huh? I can't copy it. If I move it like this, I can do it. From now on, you'll be able to do it properly.
His name is Hayao Miyazaki. Mr. Miyazaki arrives at exactly 11:00 in the morning and puts down his pencil at sharp 9:00 at night. That pace never falters a single day.
I don't want to make such plans.
Next to him is Miyoshi from production management. He mainly manages the schedule. So to speak, he's the chief of staff.
I'm busy. That's done. What's next? Next is checking? Ah, is it this? Yes, yes, this. Now, let's do this.
What are they saying we should do? By putting this kind of thing in the table of contents, they want to explain why this was included.
Ah, the other side is open. Write it like this.
That's right, that's right.
His name is Toshio Suzuki. People call him Suzuki-san or Producer.
Yes, I see. Just that isn't enough, let me think about it. When is the deadline for this?
Well, Shinchosha isn't in a hurry, but Gakken is in a rush.
Why are they in such a hurry?
Suzuki, who was once told he was cut out to be a detective, receives various people bringing him projects.
This is it, right? What's up? Well, it's full of earthly desires. They want to compile and publish our original works.
He is Nonaka-san. Because he's in legal affairs, he's the only one at Ghibli who wears a suit.
Let's drop it. That's fine, right? I'll go talk to Miya-san. It'll be faster.
Well, first of all, he hasn't permitted publishing the original works.
Yes, so we have to do that properly. It's been a long time, this is Suzuki from Studio Ghibli. Regarding the magazine feature... That's completely different. It can't be helped, it leaves a bad taste. What's next?
Next is the digital edition of Bunshun.
According to Nonaka-san, their history dates back 35 years. At that time, Suzuki-san was working at a publishing company called Tokuma Shoten. One day, he was suddenly tasked with the impossible mission of launching an animation magazine in just three weeks. With zero knowledge of animation, Suzuki-san desperately gathered information and ended up finding Miyazaki-san, who was working on 'Future Boy Conan.' Eventually, after Miyazaki-san made his theatrical directorial debut with 'Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro,' Suzuki-san asked him to serialize a manga. That became 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' which was later made into a film.
She is Ushiko, who has lived at Ghibli for many years. Even Ushiko-senpai, who roams freely around the studio, doesn't approach the place where Miyazaki-san creates animation. Especially now, with the new film slated for next year. Let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes.
Why does someone over 70 have to do this here? I'm already using 5B pencils. When I was a kid, 5B pencils would break immediately. Even 5B feels hard sometimes, so I use 6B.
Nearly 400 people work at Ghibli, including the museum, and over 100 staff members are involved just in 'The Wind Rises.'
It's a more fun company than I expected. Rather than a company, it's like a school. I don't know if I should say this, but from the exercise routines... One, two, five, six. Stretch.
Isn't this radio calisthenics number two? I can't do number two. Five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six.
Spread your arms wide from front to side and bend forward.
Well then, Ima-kun, as usual, please.
Yes. Even though it was a year with no movie releases, character sales have been strong.
Next, pouches, clasped purses, and recently merchandise from 'Spirited Away' has been selling very well.
What has become of the character merchandising business these days?
Character merchandising isn't doing well right now overall.
I see. Can you tell it's not doing well from the numbers?
The creators seem to be making things for children. But today, it's adults who are driving it. Looking at what's lined up with that in mind, I wonder if this really meets customer needs.
Regarding Ghibli calendars, Totoro has returned to the number one spot.
Hayao Miyazaki has to go home.
For overseas markets, most countries have returned to almost pre-disaster levels, but South Korea has only recovered to about half the numbers compared to before.
Hello everyone in Koganei. I am Naoto Kan. I am speaking before you today. Taking a short moment in front of this park, I'd like to share my appeal with you. Exactly one year and seven months have passed since the nuclear accident. What do you all think about the Fukushima nuclear plant?
The 21st century has clearly shown its face. I'm a person of the 20th century and don't really want to deal with the 21st century, but there are so many 21st-century children out there. Right now, there are 24 of them over there.
Miyazaki-san reportedly makes it a daily morning routine to wave to the children in the in-house daycare.
Other than studio staff and directors, people visit, sometimes two or three groups. A crew usually consists of about four people. Look, a genius of doodling was here.
Who drew this? Sankichi did. That production manager Sankichi is quite rare.
Rare?
Yeah. Nobody gets that deeply involved in the work. He's not intimidating, so I can't find him intimidating. He was the master of ceremonies at my wedding.
It's fine, because he tries to be an ally to the film.
No, an ally to the film is the film itself.
Whose voice is that? It talked. It's not electricity from a nuclear plant, so it's okay.
Miyazaki-san does not write screenplays. Instead, storyboards fulfill that role. But animation begins more than a year before the storyboards are finished, so not a single staff member knows the ending of the movie.
Isn't it completely crazy? A lot of people will say they don't understand this. Some people even pride themselves on not understanding. Don't you agonize immensely when editing?
Right? You lose track of what to do. Especially if you're told to fit it into a set length, that's impossible. I don't have a scenario either. I'm really not doing this based on a fixed plan. What kind of film this will turn into—I don't know that myself.
It's like you're being made to create it by the film itself.
Yes, exactly. If it doesn't become a film, we're in trouble. It sounds foolish, but I was once told that they didn't understand the world of this work. When making 'Spirited Away,' I said, 'I don't understand it either.' In the end, they probably won't understand it. How much do you actually understand about this real world? Back then, we belonged to Tokuma Shoten, and they didn't know what kind of company Tokuma Shoten was anyway. If they're fine not knowing that, why do they care so much about the world of a movie? Do they think the world is so simple that it can be explained in words? You can feel years of accumulated anger, can't you?
And then women ask, 'Why do men understand a woman's feelings? How can you understand?' That's a crisis feeling. But isn't it plainly obvious?
Why is it okay for Jiji not to speak at the end?
At times like that, they stop speaking. Afterward, in the ending, they're together, right? If he spoke there, it would be weird.
He didn't speak there, did he?
Yes, but he came back properly.
What would he say if he came back?
Like, the magic was restored.
The magic became even deeper. If Jiji said, 'Without me, you'd be in trouble,' people would be satisfied, right? That's annoying, isn't it? Shut up. When you gain something, you lose something else. That sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Stop talking to cats forever.
Can I really make a film and draw storyboards while chatting like this? My brain is working somewhere completely different, so it's fine. It ended up with a completely different ending, didn't it? A film is a living thing.
As the sun begins to set, Suzuki-san heads to his workspace in central Tokyo and continues meeting people. Meanwhile, Miyazaki-san and his animators go up to the rooftop and gaze at the sky.
Every day, I prepare my own stage: I get a massage, do calisthenics, take a shower, go pick up trash, go drink coffee, and then come back to eat a meal. That takes about three hours. That is the foundation of my life. I judge the world within the scope of what I observe there. I look at how the town is changing, wonder what's going on with someone, or check what prices are doing. Just with my naked eyes.
Having finished his work, Miyazaki-san returns to his atelier near the studio.
I take the most time off—I only rest on Sundays. And Sundays are extremely busy. In the morning, cleaning the river every week... Oh no, I left the goat out today. That's bad. It's completely visible.
This was an exhibit from the Heidi exhibition at the museum. I felt sorry for it being put into storage, so I had it brought here. Thanks for your hard work.
I lack endurance, so it's no good. This was four years ago, in 2008, the year after the Lehman shock. I photographed how the Great Recession appeared in my neighborhood. This is the river we clean. Look, the goat is happy, right? The nursery school children—I think they've all graduated by now. This is my place.
No, this is the barbershop I've been going to for 40 years. I'm just photographing things I normally look at. I tried to capture ordinary days because I sensed something was coming. Even when March 11 happened and the nuclear disaster occurred, I thought, 'So it comes like this,' but I wasn't that surprised. From the end of that year before March, the sky was unusually beautiful, making me wonder if something was wrong. Even now, that trend continues. People don't realize it. Look, I wrote it down: 'Fourth year of the Great Recession. Amount of deficit-covering government bonds, interest to be paid this year. March 11 Great Earthquake.' This was from last year too. It said the starting year was March 1, 2011, so I wrote it down. That was about a year ago, from the radiation explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant. This is a photo from before the radiation. I never expected it would turn out like this, though.
For a child to emerge into this world means sitting on someone else's chair, eating from someone else's bowl, and sleeping in someone else's bed. That's the only way to create your own place.
Director, why did you decide to get married?
Well, because there was no choice but to get married. Since I already said I'd marry her, I couldn't back out.
Why did you think she was the one?
Why are you so curious about that? That's one of life's mysteries, isn't it? We have to wrap this up quickly.
Airplane designers and machine production designers, no matter how much good they believe they are doing at the time, inevitably become instruments of mechanical civilization within the era's atmosphere, so they don't emerge unscathed. It's a cursed dream. Animation is the same.
Yes, cursed. All of humanity's dreams today are cursed. Most of them are beautifully cursed dreams. Making money and things like that are out of the question. Wanting to become famous is also out of the question—to hell with that. It's not about that. Are movies truly wonderful? You never really know. When you think about it deeply, loving movies is just a hobby. Maybe meaningful films were made in the past, but cinema doesn't inherently hold that value today. It's trivial. Our world is complicated.
It was shortly after arriving here that I noticed the presence of a third person.
This makes it clear. Do you want to put that in there?
I thought it should go here, but do you know where?
If you put this, will it make it easier to understand? I see. Please adjust the size as you like. I'll leave it to you. Thank you.
By the way, Miya-san is fast, isn't he?
He's fast. When deciding poster designs, he picks the artwork in five seconds. That man is fast. The person I'm meeting next is the complete opposite.
After waiting for two hours...
Nishimura, this is hopeless. July 20th...
We finally finished 61 cuts, and tomorrow we have 20 cuts to make 81 cuts. At this concentrated pace...
He is producer Nishimura-san, who visits Suzuki-san from time to time.
Problems are bound to arise. We're holding a press conference. Should we announce them together and delay it later?
Let's stick to July 20th. For today's December announcement... The production staff hasn't been told, and I won't tell anyone, because I still believe we'll make July 20th.
Today, Studio Ghibli's latest works are being unveiled to the press.
We will now begin the press conference for Studio Ghibli's new productions. In the materials in front of you, you'll see information that 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' and 'The Wind Rises' will be released simultaneously. Takahata-san is someone who has never once in his life completed a project within schedule and budget. How old is he now, Nishimura? 35?
He's been working on this project since 2006. During that time, he got married and had two children who are entering elementary school this year. Everyone on staff feels the anticipation that Takahata-san's final and greatest masterpiece might be born.
In short, Miyazaki is portraying Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the Zero fighter plane. It begins with Jiro at age ten, a boy who dreamed of the sky and wanted to fly airplanes. But when he grew up and wanted to work on airplanes, it was an era of war, and what he had to build were carrier-based fighter planes. Born before 1941, he couldn't avoid war. Yet he loved military hardware and lived within that world. Miyazaki himself is torn between two sides: on one hand, weapons of war; on the other, anti-war sentiment. He probably wants to clarify in this film why someone like himself came to be.
Even if they're finished at the same time, you could choose to release them separately. Could you tell us more about why you deliberately paired them?
Studio Ghibli is located in Higashi-Koganei. In the north building, they make Miyazaki's works, and in the south building, they make Takahata's. Takahata is about five years older than Miyazaki. When Miyazaki entered this industry, it was Takahata who selected him for major roles.
About half a century ago, a young man named Takahata began working at an animation company called Toei Doga. Four years later, Miyazaki-san joined the company fresh out of college. Miyazaki-san learned animation while participating in the works of this young director, affectionately known as Paku-san.
In that sense, it was initially a mentor-disciple relationship. But as they started working together as staff on projects, they became comrades. Takahata directed, and Miyazaki drew the pictures. They did this together for 15 years.
Eventually, Paku-san and Miyazaki-san left Toei Doga together. Then, the TV series 'Heidi, Girl of the Alps,' directed by Takahata, was born. The two continued to create animations, but during the production of 'Anne of Green Gables,' Miyazaki-san left Paku-san's side.
The phase of working as partners on 'our works' ended at that point. It entered the next stage. Out of necessity, I started directing.
However, when Miyazaki-san's second film, 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' was greenlit following his directorial debut with 'Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro,' Miyazaki-san asked Paku-san to be his producer. After the simultaneous release of 'My Neighbor Totoro' and 'Grave of the Fireflies,' followed by 'Kiki's Delivery Service,' Ghibli transitioned its staff to regular employees, and Suzuki-san left Tokuma Shoten to officially manage Ghibli.
Write it down because it's starting. We're barely making it, so write it.
Later, Miyazaki-san served as producer for Paku-san's film, and ever since, Suzuki-san has produced the works of both men.
They are rivals who hone each other's craft. Having these two films happen at the same time is tremendous for stimulating each other. For me, it's a means to ensure great films are made.
In your remarks, you mentioned Takahata-san's final and greatest work. Will this be Takahata-san's last film?
It is his last.
I didn't know how to handle it either. Physically, it was impossible for me to be involved in making it, because I wouldn't be able to do anything else. Miya-san was furious during 'Totoro.' I would work with Takahata-san until midnight, and since I had to make the magazine, I'd return to Shinbashi where Tokuma Shoten was. Then I'd get a phone call from Takahata-san saying, 'I want to have a meeting now,' and I'd have to go all the way back. That's when I realized he felt neglected. To make Takahata-san's project happen, someone had to stay by his side 24 hours a day. Fortunately, Nishimura stepped up, which made me think we could do it.
The production site will be completely thrown into chaos. When 'My Neighbors the Yamadas' finished, I came back here. I wasn't here during that time—I was wandering in the mountains. When I returned, it was an absolute mess. He doesn't take responsibility for any of that. Paku-san simply doesn't.
Director Miyazaki, you haven't abandoned Director Takahata either, have you?
I have abandoned him. As a director, he can't make films anymore. He acts in ways that prevent the film from getting made.
Yes. He's making 'Kaguya' right now, but he acts as though he doesn't want the film to finish. Don't you think so?
Yes, that's what people say.
Regarding 'Princess Kaguya,' it won't make the deadline. We should make this clear. If a miracle happens, it could be ready by summer. But miracles don't happen.
Giving up on miracles, Suzuki-san set off on a tour across the country with two films.
Their encounter takes place during the Great Kanto Earthquake.
I see. This kind of display won't work. This stand is pointless. Let's write everything on Ghibli posters. Thank you.
His travel companion is Okuda-san from Nippon Television.
You really eat a lot, Okuda-san.
Suzuki-san pays close attention to who, where, and when the completed film is shown. And not just that—who attends, where it's held, what food is eaten, whether to eat before meeting or during, whether to prepare bento boxes or sandwiches. He thinks through every detail.
Even for a single meeting, he considers how people's dynamics change depending on who is present. So the fact that Okuda-san needs to be there is likely a deliberate necessity.
For Miyazaki, during the war, his father ran a company supplying parts for fighter planes called Miyazaki Airplane. In this film, he overlaps his father's image onto Jiro to explore that within himself.
Huh? Have you heard that song somewhere?
Turn, turn, waterwheel, turn. Bring spring, summer, autumn, winter. Bring spring and summer.
That song was the problem—saying 'bring spring, summer, autumn, winter.' Turn and turn... I wished it had stopped at autumn. Takahata-san is there.
For three years, I've looked at nothing but Takahata's eyes. I talk to Takahata-san constantly, always persuading him in my dreams. Everyone wonders if it will really be completed. Nobody believes it. He's that kind of person. Everyone has anxieties about Takahata-san's schedule and actions.
Meanwhile, 'The Wind Rises' was facing a problem: they couldn't settle on a voice for the protagonist.
In terms of image, Jiro's voice feels somewhat thin, but not overly so.
His voice isn't that thin. Intellectuals back then spoke clearly with higher-pitched voices. Simply put, he just speaks few words. He's too smart, so he doesn't say unnecessary things. He's taciturn, isn't he? When asking someone to play that character, you won't find that kind of person easily. Looking at the lineup here, they feel different. They are being asked to do something different.
An amateur might convey the right feeling better.
What kind of amateur from the old days? For example, Anno would be interesting. There's no way we'd have Anno do it... but what if Anno did it?
What about Anno? I'd like to seriously try it. He has a strange voice, after all.
Well, it is a strange voice.
He is very sincere. This character is an extraordinarily sincere man. What would happen if Anno voiced him? It might feel jarring at first, but you'd get used to it as he speaks. If he delivers the lines, it will bring realism. I find it appealing. Let me contact him. I'll give him a call.
Hello? I have an unusual favor to ask today, but please don't think it's a joke—we're serious. Miya-san is making a movie called 'The Wind Rises.' We thought it might be great if you voiced the protagonist. We'd like you to participate in an audition. I'll send the details by email.
He said he'll do it.
The recording is ready, please go ahead.
Yes. Don't you guys feel sick? Eat this. It's Siberia cake freshly bought from that shop over there. That will quickly become obsolete. The wing load is 120 square meters. We asked Engineer Hirayama from the manufacturing section to come... Ah, sorry. We had Engineer Hirayama come from the manufacturing section.
I got it. That's enough. Come up.
Try it. If he holds it flat, we can improve that, but the quality itself works.
Yes, it works. If Miya-san says so, that's the answer.
Shocking. It's shocking to me too. But Jiro is no ordinary man. There's a kissing scene, but that's fine—there are no lines there. It's not like I'm doing it. It's good that there's an element where you can't tell what he's thinking.
He's elusive. I was getting fed up with professional actors.
Yes. Not voice actors, but actors all talk in a similar manner, constantly trying to show how empathetic they are, pretending to understand, putting on an emotional act of 'look how sensitive I am.' Let's go.
Yes. This has turned into quite a development.
He was young back then. Even now, I remember it clearly. He was sitting in a swivel chair, turned around to look at me, and the very first thing he said was, 'When can you start?' I said, 'Well, I'm still in Osaka, so I can't come right away.'
What was your impression?
An alien arrived. An alien! To think someone like this existed.
Did Miyazaki-san know that Anno-san, who drew the God Warrior in Nausicaä's climax, would eventually become one of Japan's leading film directors?
Thank you. That's fine. If the head bobs up by half while walking, it looks too bouncy, like a cheap extra. I wonder if this is okay. I feel like fixing this person slightly too, but it stands out. Maybe it's fine, maybe it's not. I've never drawn something like this before. I made something foolish like 'Porco Rosso,' but even when I had the chance, I didn't draw this. I didn't want to.
I had been making films for children, so why did this movie end up like this? It's not that I set out wanting to make this kind of thing.
What is happening in the world today is staggering. Also, censorship and restrictions have become quite severe. Starting with NHK, they say, 'You can't do this, you can't do that.' They preemptively tighten restrictions, so when making films or dramas, people avoid touching those issues. And that applies to commercial broadcasting as well. With this, I intend to finish what remains. This is as far as Ghibli can create.
Yes. With this, the 50 years we have worked through have completely come to an end. It has finally begun.
I think we are feeling the same anxiety now that our fathers felt when they were alive—not knowing where things are headed. No one dreamed there would be a war with America. Getting bogged down in the war with China happened gradually while everyone was vacillating. In the end, it drove everyone mad into fighting the entire world. I never understood what people living in such an era felt, but now I realize: this is how they felt. We are heading in that direction. We aren't watching a story where the ending is already known, so no one knows what will happen. But for me, this movie is the end. I can't do any more than this. It is enough.
That cosplay looks just like him.
It might be the fault of the older generation. Young people today seem to view things more pragmatically, don't they?
Yes, it seems young people have largely accepted a sense of resignation.
Well, I don't really know for sure.
Tonight, the work on the storyboards, which had continued for two years, was finally reaching its conclusion.
I put this line of dialogue here. It's finished.
Is it finished?
I'll ring the bell. Everyone, the storyboards are complete, so let's celebrate!
A dud! That was scary.
I wanted a popper that goes bang.
Ah, it turned out like this. Well, I went all the way to the end. Did it turn out as planned? There are no battle scenes. This is it.
Well, there was no other way for it to end. It's quite a clean conclusion.
Yes, that's true.
Reading it from the beginning, I don't know what others think, but it has a very strong anti-war tone.
Yes, it does. I never thought Horikoshi was a militant person. That's certainly true, but there was no other way to make it.
Delicious. Excuse me, thank you. You're lively. You're happy, aren't you?
The final scene of the film ended with the protagonist Jiro reuniting with his wife Nahoko, who died young, and being guided toward her.
'I've been waiting for you to come here.' It's not a waving motion, but more like this. In short, between the afterlife and this world, there are many people who couldn't cross over. They die, and the land of the dead is right here. She says, 'Come.' It's not an ordinary 'come,' but calling from extremely far away. Does Jiro understand that?
In animation, will is muscle. When you express will, to express destiny, you express will. If there were only destiny, it would be so much easier.
To make the tail look thinner, I tried moving this ridge and did various things, but...
In this case, wouldn't it be better if it felt more relaxed? Please keep it like this.
Yes. It's almost over, this.
Everyone finishes too quickly.
Naturally. I want it to end quickly. That one won't start.
Please. Thank you very much.
