Metaphor in the Boy and the Heron ~ The Meaning of Ghibli ~

[@Nailfut]

Something I haven't seen many people discuss is Mahito's mother farewell. He asks her to come with him, but she knows she must return to her timeline, so Mahito reminds her that that road will lead to her death, so, she gives the most honest and heart-breaking answer possible, which, to me, is the true meaning of the movie:"Giving birth to you will be my greatest joy". Miyazaki is telling us that he has finally found the answer, he's overcome that internal struggle that's been plaguing his soul for decades:"In spite of all the ups and downs, all that matters is the joy of giving life, to art, to a son etc., because it will be worthy enough". Miyazaki isn't reflecting on his legacy nor he's obsessed with finding a successor. He's telling us do go and create, to give life as he has done all this time, with no fear for what will come next, because it will all be worthy regardless of the consequences. That's why, to me, this is the most sincere and positive movie he's ever done.

[@00Julian00]

He's also reminding.Japanese male youth to be careful about romanticizing USA culture, as that is to forget about its absolutely destructive foreign policy. There are scenes that are clearly depicting america in a very negative way. Essentially showing through the artwork , a symbolic american flag , which later dropa bombs of fury on innocent child , which are represented by the puffy cute things. He even criticizes Jewish influence in his Representation of the bird man,. The bird represents so many things that. Each interpretation of the bird Leads you on a different story, With a similar overarching message But also different lessons. Bird as jews, The bird man who is drawn like a Japanese cartoon version of a jewish person/ tengu , With the nose. = Criticism of israel But he humanizes jewish people Bird as hope. Remember the bird tells the boy that his mother is alive when she is dead. Any childhood who loses his mother knows what this feels like. i assume he assumes this. Hope is what drives you but hope can make you believe in false things. Yet miyazaki Is capable of Humanizing all characters as individuals and this is clearly reflected in some of the scenes. Even transgender peoplem.The fact is this type of visual art must be seen.That's half of the story. He is not a novelist.Novelists are the supreme Artists with the highest I q.

[@volcaniccheese4874]

Valid interpretation but I think current events are influencing that opinion a bit too much. Not every person with a big nose is a jewish caricature. Please rethink that. Free palestine ​@00Julian00

[@volcaniccheese4874]

The anti american stuff is true, grave of the fireflies also did similiar.

[@noirspiderman44]

Her choosing to go back felt like it'd be obvious but I guess it was a fast sequence. That last interaction meant so much to me

[@SWOTHDRA]

​@@00Julian00the anti semitism is strong with this one 🤡

[@Holyfishsticksironman]

“Create beautiful worlds untouched by malice” reminds me of the line from Princess Mononoke “see with eyes unclouded by hate.”

[@Eyes_Unclouded]

❤

[@menacingjefferson8304]

Agreed! Lots of moments in this movie reminded me of other Ghibli films

[@dr97236]

This phrase appears in two different scenes in the film, with slightly different wording and meaning. • Kumori no nai manako de monogoto wo misadameru nara: If you see things with unclouded eyes. This is what the wise woman says to Ashitaka at the beginning of the film, as a condition for finding a way to end his curse. • Kumori naki manako de misadame, kimeru: I will see with unclouded eyes, and determine. This is what Ashitaka says to Lady Eboshi in Irontown, as his answer to her question about his purpose.

[@andrewkohler3707]

@@menacingjefferson8304 I'd missed that particular reference to Princess Mononoke (!!), but noted the other connections to other Ghibli (forgot to bring my bingo card to the theater, alas): Grave of the Fireflies - the opening 😭 My Neighbor Totoro - child with absent mother going into the countryside The Cat Returns - toxic anthropomorphic king Spirited Away - should be self-explanatory ;-) Howl's Moving Castle - magical doors and fire imagery, plus commentary about war The Wind Rises - father's job When Marnie Was There - can't say or it would be a spoiler, also central role of a tower There's not as much flight by humans as I'd have expected, but we still lots of flying birds. Magical creatures in...well, most of them. Childhood perspective in almost all of them to some extent. Dead or absent parent is pervasive as well (Disney started a trend there?) Warawara are most like the little figures in Princess Mononoke, but also soot spirits in Spirited Away/My Neighbor Totoro Grannies are in My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Ponyo, one beginning of Princess Mononoke, one in My Neighbors the Yamadas (maybe even the mother in The Tale of Princess Kaguya could count) Edit: HOW did I forget the usual Ghibli trope of the antagonistic figure becoming a friend or otherwise more sympathetic??

[@kuma477]

It is hard to see with those eyes

[@ideatorx]

I like to remember that the universe has been around for 13.8 billion years and I was lucky enough to be here to experience all that Miyazaki offered us, because once he's gone it will never return again. Its a perfect moment in time. A truly blessed space to be in and something the boy and the heron recognizes and deals with sincerely. How lucky are we all to experience his 13 blocks, and its our duty to live through his work, to bring heart and sincerity and wonder to our world through ourselves.

[@bobbyc912]

Well said

[@haresmahmood]

That's a beautiful way to put it

[@BBeu-i6t]

I agree. We are the lucky ones. Truly blessed! A mind that has no parellel imho. One of the most creative and beautiful films I have seen!

[@BBeu-i6t]

Also thank you to the whole team

[@jorgegonzalez-larramendi5491]

you *rock* "Arjuna: I am talent in man" < bhgvdgt as-it-is : )

[@enas7547]

That scene when Mahito notes the blocks are made of the same marble used for graves instead of wood that he objects to & the great uncle’s remark on his observation is one of my fav parts of the film. The great uncle only knows how to destroy himself in a world that is consuming itself by trapping himself in a dream world that shelters him from real life where he cannot find true sustenance; love found in real connections with others. The inhabitants of the other world only consume into their void & therefore create imbalance. Kiriko sustains herself by the tiny statues she appoints by her bedchamber through memory & uses it to protect Mahito similarly to how Haku tells Chihiro to consume food from the world she is in so she doesn’t disappear or needs to remember her real name in order to get back to her own real world. In order not to be consumed by a void you must create balance by having a real connection to the world you’re in. If Tahata’s approach to film making is laced in death, grief & loss, Miyazaki’s approach is laced in life & sustainability. Miyazaki’s last name literally means a shrine, which in a way laments itself in the metaphors he uses as spiritual conduits such as the tower throughout his films.

[@thegreata3565]

This video essay was more than an explanation of the art, but rather a work of art itself. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this, and I hope you keep this going.

[@densetsumedia]

That's so tremendously kind of you! Thank you so much! I'm not 100% sure I'll make more essays, as I'm far more active on twitch than youtube, and if I were to make more essays, they wouldn't be about new upcoming anime (unless Miyazaki finishes his next one in like a month haha) - so I wouldn't know how to promote them exactly. But if you want to chat more or see my art being created, I implore you to follow me on twitch.tv/densetsuvii - I stream mostly toward the end of the week and some weekends around noon PST, and we'd love to see you there!

[@tobyjohnson2771]

This comment was not a comment on a work of art but art itself

[@Bowblaxian_Tricknology]

🙄

[@lamplighter39]

I agree wholeheartedly

[@yura2258]

Couldn't agree more

[@Oppurtunafish]

Interesting to note that Future boy Conan was being exhibited at the Ghibli Museum from May 2023, not long before Boy and the Heron was released in Japan. No doubt the studio wanted people to reflect on, and if they hadn't seen it, discover, Miyazakis directorial debut

[@t.rae.storyteller]

Okay I'm crying now. This is one of those rare video essays that is art within itself. Ghibli films have offered so much inspiration to me as an aspiring writer, and the boy and the heron is no different. So much of it seems to speak on the overlap of creativity and grief, or at least that was my takeaway. I want to watch it again now, with all your interpretations in mind. Thank you.

[@theinformedvegan6758]

second this!

[@deokchillin]

I finished the movie an hour ago and was bawling throughout. While I interpreted the movie as a reflection on death and grief, and there was this catharsis throughout the ‘rescuing’ scene of himi where mahito gets a chance to be able to do what he always wanted to do. When he referred to his scar and pointed towards his head, I thought he was referring to the mental pain but the 13 blocks and the gutting of the fish were some of the many points which I couldn’t add in. This perspective makes a lot more sense! Truly truly enjoyed your video!

[@densetsumedia]

Wonderful to hear you got something out of this! Remember, as Barthes said, there is no one correct interpretation, and I think the grief/death angle is one of the more popular readings of the film as of yet. The allusions to Dante definitely support this (although I find it interesting that the gate referenced not the more famous line about 'abandon all hope' but a line about 'creation'.) and I think there's plenty to be gleaned from that idea. The takes which most resonate and heighten the film for you are the ones that are right! But so so grateful to hear your enjoyed the video! Thank you so much for watching!

[@grmgt]

This is certainly another layer of the movie! It's anchored in Mahito's relationship to his mother's death and to Miyazaki's reflection on (most likely) being close to dying since he is approaching 90 years of age. Truly one of the emotional cores alongside the creator angle (reflection on life).

[@wienerfotograf]

@@densetsumedia I think the reason why it says „fecemi la divina potestate“ is because it is the entrance to the tower (or the stone inside of it), which came to earth by a meteorite. So it means that the tower which symbolizes art and creativity itself and miyazakis/takahatas art is something magical and that all of his art is not his work but inspired by a higher force of nature. That is also the reason why his films all include nature and environmental topics as well as being curious and open for magical things (like art and philosophy).

[@MarshyMarsh9]

Not gonna lie, this video made me cry. Miyazaki and his films have inspired me so much, especially when I create art. And to see him at the end of his era, reflecting on his career through one of his most beautiful films (I've seen The Boy and the Heron 3 times now because the images are just stuck in my brain lol) legit brought me to tears.

[@crazydave507]

I saw it last night with a friend. That opening shot of the city was mesmerizing.

[@ionutalex5529]

even if you never make another video this channel deserves to live on forever

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you for the kind words! The reception of this video has been very encouraging, so I am considering a video in this style on a different topic for the future. But I am most active on www.twitch.tv/densetsuvii if you'd ever like to chat or peruse my art! Cheers~

[@wienerfotograf]

I totally agree! Many of the aspects discussed match also with my interpretation. Its really good seeing someone interpreting this film in this direction, because in my view that is exactly what Miyazaki wanted to say with this film. I would add to the interpretation, that addition to being a double-autobiographical film (young miyazaki/takahata and old miyazaki) the film shows us as mahito from the beginning if you really pay attention. We are Mahito and I’ll explain why: He is showing us (mahito) how we grow up with all the difficulties of life, reflect on life (maybe by reading a book like „how do you life?“) discover his art (as he references all his films) beginning with totoro, then being captured by its beauty and getting lost in his dream world, also getting inspired, until finally we meet the granduncle (which represents himself asking us to continue his work in this film, so the entire film is a self reference on all his ghibli films including this one), where he asks us to continue his work. And even after that we (as mahito) go back to our real lives after watching „the boy and the heron“ and becoming the person that we are and with that inspiration making the world a better place, this is the last part of the film showing that mahito after all those ghibli adventures goes back to his life, in his room, and is inspired to live life by all the ghibli films and especially „the boy and the heron“. This is what makes this film an absolute masterpiece, and the best studio ghibli movie of all of them, as it is the one ghibli movie where miyazaki not only tells us how to life through stories, but directly speaks to us and asks us to continue his dream, live our life based on love, based on philosophy and art, and take ghibli films as our guide. (that is actually what the heron stands for. it stands for his movies) Remember: „let me be your guide“

[@thirzel]

Wow, this is the best film critiques I have ever heard. How elaborated, well documented, how well delivered and what a sensitivity in presenting it in this way. Thank you. I enjoyed every moment of it.

[@fremendruin]

As someone who lost his ex, his dad, and his grandparents to illness in the last 5 years, the Boy and the Heron really brought out emotions. The backgrounds were also very impressive in referencing surrealism and Impressionism styles. Definitely, it’s one of Miyazaki’s best works.

[@theinformedvegan6758]

I can't speak to your prowess in animation but certainly my whole family can speak to your incredible video essay skills. I watched this video last night after going to see the movie with friends and family, and sat down my whole family tonight to show them this video essay. We are all left with such a grounded, momentous feeling. Thank you for creating this video essay and I'll continue to share it with everyone I know!

[@densetsumedia]

What a heartwarming sentiment! I never imagined it as entertainment for the whole family per se, but I am overjoyed to hear it could be enriching for all of you! Thank you so much for sharing this experience back with me! If you are curious about my animation, particularly for the whole family, I would recommend this piece I made awhile back - an original pilot concept called... Duccaneers, a tale of pirate ducks! vimeo.com/625872149 And of course, if you're interested, I regularly stream my artmaking process at www.twitch.tv/densetsuvii Happy holidays to you and yours!

[@mollyluise]

Sobbing (again). While your opening essay has me questioning my need to find the “true” meaning of symbolism and metaphor, your final explanation is exactly how I had interpreted the film. I think I’ve cried more after the movie than during. As an artist myself, and someone who has experienced the loss of a parent as a child, and as an enthusiastic lover of Miyazaki films, this move moved me to my core. I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Thank you so much for this beautiful explanation. It was exactly what I needed to help process my feelings.

[@nikolasgarcianikomanga]

When I watched the wind rises I thought "This can't be H.M. Last movie, is too plain", and when I watched The Boy and The Heron everything came to clarity, this movie is a farewel, is a tribute to Ghibli and specificaly to the legacy of one of the most beloved artist of the last centtury. Saying good bye to people is hard but opposite to Mahito, we wont forget the memories we had with the art and stories from Master Miyasaki.

[@yohanalexander2850]

I had the same notion when I finished watching the movie. I see the great uncle as Miyazaki himself trying to find a successor and failed. Realizing no one could or will succeed him, he finally relented and advised Mahito (us?) to move on. When I saw the tower crumbled I don't know why my thoughts and feelings went to the Studio Ghibli itself crumbling or at least crumbling in Myazaki's eyes or even just his fear. I personally think Ghibli is not over yet. It will take only one genius person to revive Studio Ghibli in the future which we cannot see now because of the blinding light of the sun that is Miyazaki himself over there.

[@voightkampffchamp]

The spirit of Studio Ghibli lives on in each of us. The company itself will be just a shell

[@whitedragoness23]

I thought maybe he was concerned that he couldn’t find a successor and he hopes his grandkid will take on the role. I didn’t get why hime couldn’t of taken on the role as she is family. And why not the aunt/hime’s sister or her unborn child. I figured because I heard the movie was made for his grandkid. He wanted his grandkid to take over. I have to agree with yohanalexander that Miyazaki just had to accept that he had to find peace of no successor

[@chiri-theoden4264]

What a wonderful analysis. Something I noticed that lines up with your reading of Grand Uncle as Miyazaki and the tower world being the world of Ghibli is that when the animals are brought into the world by the uncle, they transform into these magical, spirit-like beings that Ghibli/Miyazaki are known for -- and by the same token, they turn back to normal once they've left his world, showing how his creative power transforms ordinary things into beings of pure fantasy. Also, and this might be a stretch, but they very faithfully animated bird poop in the real world scenes, while I don't recall any bird poop in the "ghibli world" scenes. If I'm correct in that observation, it could be another small touch to show how Ghibli/Miyazaki have tried to create an idyllic world through their films. (Probably explaining that horribly, but hopefully you get the gist!) I hope you have more videos like this! I love the way you view media; especially when you started dropping Sontag quotes and correcting the record on what Death of the Author really means. Keep it up!

[@densetsumedia]

Well what a lovely comment, thank you! I believe that you're right on the money as far as the relation between things in the otherworld and things in ours. One can read into film and media in general as a heightening of our world, seen through a subjective and sometimes sugarcoated lens. I particularly loved how the film made clear that the otherworld wasn't a figment of Mahito's imagination but something that had tangible effects on even the characters who weren't involved deeply, as culture affects even those who absorb it passively. One thing I realized in making the essay is that the filmic metaphor really can be applying to all kinds of details of the piece, and especially once a streamable/blu-ray version is out, I think that the rough framework I've described here should give folks lots of room to dive deeper into the metaphor just like you have! So glad you were able to engage with it! Still not 100% sure if I'll make more of these essays, though I'm very glad you liked them! If you feel like seeing the art I make (and certainly having similar discussions to this) I do stream very regularly at twitch.tv/densetsuvii, and we'd love to have you there! Thanks so much for leaving a comment!

[@chiri-theoden4264]

@@densetsumedia I spent most of last night after the movie telling the people I went with how much I couldn't wait to have digital copy of this to rewatch and really sink my teeth into from a literary analysis standpoint haha. I definitely look forward to seeing just how deep these themes run within the film. Whether you make more of these essays or not, know that the one you did make was extremely well-made, and clearly comes from a well-developed understanding of critical analysis. It's solidified my understanding of the film and also opened my eyes to different readings that I hadn't considered before seeing this. I'm happy the film moved you enough to push you into what seems like a new world of your own, in terms of content, though. Especially because, as you've laid out, creators inspiring other creators to try something new is (in some ways) what the movie is all about! I'll definitely make an effort to check out your twitch streams! Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks again for such a thoughtful essay about a truly sincere and beautiful piece of art.

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@densetsumediaI think the Grand Uncle is actually meant to be the late Isao Takahata . Hayao Miyazaki was still developing the movie when his friend and co-founder passed away. I think it reads much better as Grand Uncle = Isao Takahata. Especially since it’s obvious his death hit Miyazaki very hard and it’s only natural he would use his movie to work through his own struggles with mortality.

[@zaphyy]

Absolutely incredible video. I admit that when I first left the theatre I was deeply confused but I think the mystery of finding out what the film means to us is one part of its beauty. I plan to rewatch it with some friends later in the week. The final message/conclusion you had was beautiful and really resonates with what I've experienced in my life the past few years. In a way, Miyazaki is showing us one way in regards to how to live.

[@AdlersShadows]

11:30 I have the exact same Epiphany but not due to my own thinking. I am not smart like that. My 4-year-old son doesn't talk much. He is autistic. I didn't even know if he understood that we were going to go see another "Ghibli film". But Totoro ponyo and spirited away are his favorite. When they were crawling to the tower my son said MAMA they're going to find Mae. I am tearing up writing this because I realize how much my little boy sees things and make connections. For so long I thought there wasn't much going on in there but recently it's been moments like this where I have found my little boy is constantly observing and viewing the world and making connections. He saw the connection before I did before I even understood!. He has always been doing this he just might not have to words to tell me yet ❤️

[@hatchlingsgames]

This was a remarkable video essay and I’m in tears at your final interpretation. I build fantastical worlds every day as part of my career, but being in a creative industry with dwindling integrity has taken its toll on me this year. I hope I can keep creating beautiful games despite being surrounded by insincerity.

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you for your kind words! I've also moved into games in these last few years, albeit as an indie dev, I'm happily able to try my best to connect to my sense of beauty, but on my own dime. I think it's always possible to reconnect with that sense, and as you know, many a AAA dev has left the industry to pursue works in a more intimate space. Biased though I am, I truly believe that avenue will always be available to you! Best of luck to us both in this new year and thank you once again for watching!

[@Jxudo]

I've gone to see this film twice. I was not expecting any of this, I can't get over the emotions this film gave me. I knew it was going to be amazing because it's his, but I wasn't expecting everything else. I cried more at this movie than any other I've ever seen. Miyazaki has been a part of my life for 28 years. This film was like a very dear old friend saying goodbye.

[@serenedaoud]

wow, bravo! I've watched a few reviews of the Boy and the Heron and yours is by far the most astute. I'm an animation film-maker who held Miyazaki as my mentor, without ever having met him, though I tried. I grew up watching Future Boy Conan but dubbed in Arabic, I was 8 years old when it aired in Saudi Arabia, after i saw the entire series, I had chosen my future career. I could draw exceptionally well, but I was also a story-teller, and created entire worlds with my drawing. Miyazaki layed out a clear path for me as young artist and film-maker, so I followed it as best I could, and went on to work both professionally and independently. I directed films at the NFB (Canada) and after left to make a film on tiny budget at home with only what I had to work with, and dreamt of having my own studio like Ghibli's some day. My short film made at home didn't get into any film festivals, but went to screen at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. I created many more stories, all features, storyboarded them and nurtured their evolution. I was following Miyazaki's example as best I could...Until life got in the way, and i got pregnant with my son, who is now 12. I became a single mother, and had to put my dreams of starting my own Ghibli-esque studio aside in order to raise my son. But Miyazaki's ethos on life has been foundational for me even when not envisioning films. I went to see the B&H two days ago, and cried nearly throughout the film, without really understanding why, though I'm very good at ascertaining metaphor and meaning in films. Your review helped articulate some things i understood on a more emotional level when watching the film, so thank you for your in depth work here! I have one remark: you say that lady Himi cannot create, but I disagree. She's Mahito's mother. She created him in a way. One last observation: " Create beautiful worlds untainted by malice" struck me as sounding like what Ashitaka says to Lady Eboshi in Mononoke Hime: "To see with eyes unclouded." thanks again, i'm glad other people out there see the value of Miyazaki's true contributions.

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you so much for this thoughtful and heartfelt comment! Your perspective is really fascinating to me, as I knew Conan had more of a presence outside the states, but I didn't know anyone outside of Japan for whom it was 'foundational'. I glanced at the videos you put on your channel and I can see the influence he has on you. While it's far beyond the scope of this video, I do believe that the industry as it presently exists, inside and outside Japan, no longer allows the approach Miyazaki took to result in a Miyazaki-like rise in career. That's been my experience at least - it's as much about luck, charisma, connections, and having one particularly acceptable personality type as it is about talent, spirit and passion sometimes. But I at least have come to feel that his message ultimately is to focus on sincerity, and I certainly plan to. I think your perspective as a mother probably influences your take on Himi and Natsuko in ways I couldn't truly appreciate. I bet you could create a more in-depth analysis from that perspective if you wanted to! I certainly came to realize that even just my own perspective could be taken to a ludicrous degree of detail in analyzing each character, but I think I'm even more satisfied if I can give people enough of a start to begin their own more detailed, even slightly different analyses. Thanks for sharing this angle! I've always felt the line 'seeing with eyes unclouded' hit a little bit too distantly, too abstractly. But I might have to revisit and see if I agree with your take here. But certainly both advocate for a purity of purpose that I've found very rejuvenating. Thank you again for your thoughtful reply, and the time you took to watch the video!

[@serenedaoud]

🍉🍓@@densetsumedia thank you for this! and for checking out my film. The Miyazaki approach is for sure not the norm in the North American animation industry, but that's how ambitious I was at the time, I wanted to bring his approach to Canadian and US animated TV shows, i almost got one foot in the door and pitched a series idea, based in feudal Japan, to a producer at Cartoon Network in 2008, but I was told i'd have to change my story's heroine to a male hero because a female protagonist would not 'sell well'; and these are the people who brought us the Powerpuff Girls! You're right in that my being a mother shaped my reflections on Himi, but the film world, especially that of animation, is largely male-dominated, as its story-telling and perspective. I'm not a fan of the 'woke-feminism' approach that plagues much of commercial films right now, especially Disney, but rather a reality that is there for all female film-makers and artists to contend with. I've always loved Miyazaki for his genuinely feminist spirit in that he treats his female characters with the same depth and complexity as his male ones without having to turn them into Gladiator-Warriors. He gives space for female characters to be feminine, which is rare. Thank you and looking forward to your ext video essay! cheers, P.S.: the Arabic version of Future Boy Conan, which was a huge success in the Middle East, was titled: "Adnan wa Leena.", should you want to look it up.

[@densetsumedia]

@@serenedaoud The fact that the Powerpuff people would tell a woman that 'women won't sell' is a little funny in just how sad it is. All in all, this kind of approach has pushed me away from the animation industry personally, and in the past couple years in particular, I've moved into Indie Games where I feel like there's more space for individual-driven works. I hope you've also found a creative direction which keeps your creative muscles flexing. There's certainly been a lot of encouragement for me to make more essays, but I'm not sure if it would be especially viable since most of the success of this essay can be attributed to how it released just as Boy and the Heron did (something I endeavored to make happen, but that wouldn't be replicatable in the future, especially for projects about older movies). But I do stream frequently at www.twitch.tv/densetsuvii - I know not everyone here is on twitch, but it's an art-focused stream and if you want to follow me there, I'm sure you'd have a cozy time watching along! I usually stream around noon PST, something like 4 days a week. Many thanks again for this conversation! And I saw something about the adaptation on Wikipedia, and how they changed some names, but since I don't speak Arabic, I'm not sure how much I could appreciate watching that adaptation haha! Thank you again for this perspective!

[@majorzipf8947]

This had me crying at the end. I adore your interpretation of this. To my core. I allowed myself to leave my art behind for almost a decade and I’m just dipping my toes in again. And, although I found Studio Ghibli later in life, these stories quickly became a cornerstone in my world of inspiration. Sharing my art has become a key part of my healing journey and Ghibli is a key part of my art. It’s scary and makes me feel so vulnerable but it also is fulfilling in a way nothing else ever has been.

[@marianacavalcante6348]

After watching many many reviews and explanations I came to the same conclusion as you did and IM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT BEING SAID IN A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND REAL WAY!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!!!!!!

[@lmackenzie89]

The spiral patterns of the wada wada are left handed helices, like DNA 🧬

[@wienerfotograf]

that should symbolize the good, youth, new ideas and birth I guess, as the warawara stand for the good, new life, children, and societal progress.

[@Catniklau]

Not to forget the multiple dimensions through doors, you can see howls moving castles dimension circle and the colors inside of the tower.

[@stygiann]

What an absolutely stunning video. Thank you for sharing - I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out as soon as I realized that the 13 towers the Great Uncle mentioned really were his 13 films.

[@nautilume7114]

28:30 I think going off of this beautiful metaphor you’ve illustrated, Fire can also represent the act of creation that turns raw creativity into something to be shared and consumed. I think that’s why Himi embraces, uses, and is destroyed by fire, and why Mahito has been so harmed and afraid of fire, because he’s watched his coworkers overwork themselves to injury and death. I think it represents how artists fear the act of creating because they fear *burnout.* Absolutely wonderful essay by the way, I had no idea what was going on in the film until this essay but now I appreciate it even more. You deserve much *much* more subs Edit: And Himi is Mahito conversing with his younger mother through the act of creation that is her book to Mahito, as she literally takes him from the cutting board to a better place through her fire, just like how fond memories take people from difficult situations to a place of improved wellbeing. Also I think this intertwines with the granny dolls at his bedside metaphor and how the memory of their unconditional attentiveness and fondness for Mahito “protects him” somehow? Also earlier I felt like the rearranging of the blocks was interpreting his movies and the meaning you derive from Ghibli when you rearrange the connections between movies, as an example for rearranging experiences to create a better or worse world through your outlook? There’s something there about interpretation and deriving meaning in your block metaphor Seriously the algorithm needs to get its stuff together this is beautifully written, presented, and read c’mon KZbin

[@densetsumedia]

Love these interpretations! I think the fire-angle can definitely be examined more, as you have, since it's so intertwined with creativity. And I certainly don't mean for my video to be the last word on any of it. As to the rearrangement, I do believe that it's mostly about the continuation of the legacy, although I could see the idea that reinterpretation IS a form of continuation. It may benefit from more thought! And thank you - I'm just glad you're here! I'll be making another video in the next couple weeks, we'll see if the algorithm sees fit to carry that one to fine folks like yourself!

[@alexisgonzalezvenegas91]

This video moved me to the very core. You have an amazing undestanding of Studio Ghibli, its history and Miyazaki's ouvre. You really grasped what his whole work amounts to and for that, for sharing this understanding with us, I truly thank you. Keep up the good work and let's create beautiful worlds untainted by malice as well, as spiritual disciples of the great master.

[@lamplighter39]

Amen - I share this sentiment

[@wingcap1448]

Reviewing many of Miyazaki‘s films in these last couple of weeks, I couldn't help but remember Dostoevsky‘s famous words, 'Beauty will save the world.' Especially coming from a human being like Miyazaki, who is deeply conflicted, struggling with the state of the world, our role in it, and his own guilt - often described as 'grumpy' and 'cynical.' However, he channels all that to give rise to these dazzling pieces of art that have touched so many people in different phases of life. Personally, I frequently have to hold back tears at the sheer beauty of his creations, even before considering all the meaning and symbolism layered on top of it. He has a unique sensitivity that allows him to speak directly to the human soul, which is also why the films can be appreciated across all age groups. And this most recent film outright tells us to create beautiful worlds untainted with malice! While it acknowledges and warns us that we all carry the seed of malice within us (the scar Mahito inflicted on himself), it also shows us that we have the potential (the stone Mahito keeps in the end) to overcome the darkness within our nature to make the world a better place. Woven in within this overarching statement are so many timeless human themes: Loss, grief, guilt, war, death, opportunism, consumerism, environmentalism (wouldn‘t be a Miyazaki film otherwise), love, transition, succession, legacy, responsibility, compassion. It is truly one of the most remarkable things I have seen. Maybe beauty will save the world after all! Calling this sentiment naive is a failure to understand the full scope of what beauty can mean. Of course, we will fail to create a world without malice because we are all malicious. But the more people strive to do so, the closer we can get!

[@Devilm00n]

I think this video is the best interpretation of the boy and the heron I've seen - possibly because it does resonate with some of my own ideas, but I've found it to be much, much more profound than the other analysis videos I've found here on KZbin, which almost inevitably stop at a "superficial" reading of it. Thank you for making this, and I hope you'll continue to create - for now you've gained a new subscriber.

[@pasty609]

I can't believe I picked up on references to totoro, spirited away, cagliostro, porco rosso, and howls moving castle and just dismissed it as coincidence. Love this movie even more with the full context. Great video

[@jonahnesmith7004]

No wonder you thought Miyazaki was talking to you. Your mind is as beautiful as his. You’d be worthy of taking the torch. I never would have understood this movie without your help

[@Seedling132]

This is a fantastic exploration, credit for a wonderful and detailed essay. I would throw in my two cents, that's what forums are for anyway. I see Mahito as Goro. We know how viciously strained their relationship was around the release of Witch and the Earwig, Hayao walking out and saying he is not ready. Goro has to fight and survive against the parakeets (dumb, loud audiences who will parrot whatever is said at them, seems a suitably cynical position for Hayao to take), the pelicans (critics, reviewers, industry people who must tear apart and devour the dreams and work of others to put food on their own tables, who did not ask to be in this position), and the parakeet king who wishes to see the continuation of the kingdom not for any grand purpose but simply for its own sake. Mahito is fighting these battles in order to save his father's lover, whom he has not accepted. Much like Hayaos obsession with animation and filmmaking, which must have kept him trafically distant from his son, and who his son never found his own love for. But in the end, he shows him the blocks, the 13 upon hundreds of millions of other ideas, discarded because they were tainted with malice and came from impure places. Hayao must look at his son, who will not take the mantle, and find love and acceptance for him before it is too late to say it. Furthermore, Hayao has to accept that his son will never carry on his legacy. Any film he made would be out of obligation, and tainted with malice, and it is unfair to ask his son to turn the tower into a hateful abomination simply for the sake of carrying a legacy. He looks to his son, he watches his tower fall to ash, and accepts that his son will go on to live a life outside the tower, simply so that he may live and find his own friends and love and passion. Hayao also picturing himself as a dottery old man who simply sits in a room stacking the same blocks together over and over again every 3 days just for the sake of it, seems like something he would say about himself in the creative process near the end of his life. I put myself in the shoes of Mahito, as Goro, as the son of one of the worlds most celebrated artists, whose father finally accepted that love is more important than legacy, and committed his final piece of his heart to saying "I'm sorry, live your own life, whatever it may be".

[@Seedling132]

I can only imagine the guilt Hayao must have felt offering this to his son, because he cannot even put himself in the position of his father. He was too busy to be the man to raise him, too obsessed with his own worlds, and so he is a biological ancestor, but an estranged and impossibly distant relative.

[@densetsumedia]

This is a very compelling articulation of the father-son read! Thank you for presenting your thoughts here~

[@Sorayaclark1271]

I watched a video where Naomi Klein and Ash from Novara Media were talking about a range of political topics and one of the things that Naomi kept coming back to was how we've become so egotistical and narcissistic as a culture. I think this is partly why we experience such profound and deep catharsis from The Boy and the Heron. It's devoid of ego. It's meant to be mystical, you aren't meant to understand it, you're meant to experience it. And that's what makes it beautiful.

[@linmonPIE]

Thank you for putting the pieces together for us so we can better appreciate this masterpiece. I love that Miyazaki never gives in to malice and is always genuine and pure with his work. He doesn’t care about the sort of things most studios today seem to care about (money, deadlines, merchandise, reviews, awards, etc.). He understands that once you start caring more about that stuff than the art itself then the tower will start to crumble. Disney, take note!

[@jp-ratsratsrats]

Fantastic analysis! Going into「君たちはどう生きるか」("The Boy and the Heron") with the idea that this would be Miyazaki's last film, I expected a very complicated but beautiful personal narrative; and while the film certainly delivered on this front, I still left stunned with how introspective it was. This film truly respects your attention. My initial readings into our main players were the granduncle represents the current Miyazaki and through Mahito he was able to speak to himself, his son and as well to us. The other characters serving as both symbols and emotional outlets for Miyazaki's current worldviews. However with the movie being somewhat autobiographical thanks for pointing out to me the reading of the heron and the granduncle as representing Suzuki and Takahata. Although I don't think it is all too interesting to read the film solely this way, it is clever just how well this movie doubles as an ode to the organism that is Studio Ghibli. With "The Boy and the Heron" Miyazaki in one stroke gives thanks to his life/work and those around him but also show us the crucial lessons he has picked up along. For the music side of things also see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/en3LenuAncmZia8si=9igDcwo6yjX7qXFI ------------------------------------------------------------- Symbolism/metaphor is a tour de force in making this masterpiece. Throughout Miyazaki's filmography he tackles a breath of social issues plaguing society and seems to be decisive in what he thinks about them. His films are very personal in that way. The beauty in this film is just how well it speaks to humanity at large. So much so I believe this is ironically the most objective Miyazaki has ever been. Despite how fantastical everything was, the ideas being expressed were quite grounded in our reality. For instance in viewing I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was one of the parakeets -- judging/consuming (his) creations through my own ego. Miyakazi reminds us that we all view the world with our own lens, calling into question our sense of morality -- how do we know what is right and what is wrong? "The boy and the heron" finds Miyazaki lamenting on the fact that the world is chaotic. What may seem like a simple solution may cause a big amount of grief elsewhere -- a point reflected with the pelicans starving in order to fully preserve the warawara. He realizes good and bad as an ecosystem itself a balance akin to the saying "no good deed goes unpunished". There was a bit of a depressing air to the film as when I think about the people who died to build granduncle's tower I am reminded that not everyone's creativity is realized. This point is stated quite bluntly in the film and is cemented by having even the granduncle's creations destroyed after his death seemingly to be forgotten. I also really liked how the 'old grandma' Kiriko seemed so silly but she was actually a serious badass in her youth who played an important role in her society. At first it seems Miyazaki is being just being old and cynical but this is not the case. As Miyazaki looks back at his life he explores the purpose of his existence and questions the purpose of his creations. And I think the answer is to promote growth. He is building the understanding that existence, as a function of time, is chaotic and forcing your methods/mediums for creativity onto a successor is not effective in promoting growth. Miyazaki never went on to be the head of a plane manufacturer like his father. In fact to continue the physical work of his father, Miyazaki would have had to find himself contributing to the production of war machines which is obviously counter to his desires for the world. Rather what his father's creations instilled in him was a desire to understand the world from a bird's eye view. To me this point is portrayed by the Heron who, representing Mahito's curiosity, guided him to different truths about the world around him sparking his creative impetus. Viewing the Heron this way also makes our initial eerie introduction symbolically more magnificent especially as that eerie nature to him begins to shed. (Sidenote: I feel as if some of these facts only became clear to him after trying to force his own son to spearhead Ghibli, which we all know how that turned out.) Furthermore, even if our physical creations/expressions will eventually fade with time, their power lies in the ability to inspire others to create/express something themselves. This is highlighted by Mahito being left with a blank stone. I think Miyazaki is saying that what matters is how our existence/creations help those around us to grow so that they too can do the same for others. In this Miyazaki recognizes the universe as a balance -- we grow then die to help others grow then die. Our lives promoting growth. Our deaths allowing the space for others to continue growing. In the end it is a cycle that promotes the continued growth of humanity at large. To elucidate these ideas, Miyazaki plays with the concept of time by allowing the different stages of the lives of the characters to coexist. Other than the pairing of old/young Kiriko, I also think about Mahito's mother being displayed as a child (just like Mahito) and this being juxtaposed with Mahito finally realizing his stepmother as a mother. I feel like Miyazaki is calling into question the complex notions of family we build for ourselves. More abstractly, he seems to be saying the onus of us all is to recognize that biology and family are different concepts -- your family are those around you who care about you. You'll know who they are by understanding the ways in which they help you grow. Ultimately Kiriko, Mahito's mother, Miyazaki and all of us and our achievements, failures and life will begin to fade and be forgotten. But in the wake of their deaths springs life/creation around us. Our reality is very much based on notions of give and take -- and once we have accepted that fact only then can we begin to love. And it is only once we begin to love can we begin to grow. I think this is how Miyazaki feels today as our granduncle.

[@densetsumedia]

A poetic and well thought-out exploration! Thanks so much for this!

[@jittery...]

I didn't cry watching the movie but I did cry watching this. Wonderful execution, every word had intent and meaning. Thank you for putting this interpretation out there.

[@DanCreaMundos]

As a writer, I've found this video and this analysis very interesting and rich in powerful messages. I really loved your video, it proves how much cna be extracted from the mind and soul of a genius like Miyazaki.

[@YoshiMario69]

What I felt as the meaning was Miyasaki telling us: We DON´T HAVE TO perpetuate the world our ancestors have built, everything ends, and that the past will be forgotten with time.

[@kaakachan]

i watched this film 2 days in a row, and im just so overwhelmed. i did not realize id be feeling all the ways he's been reaching to us who grew up with his stories. i feel this one, though, has a message from his heart directly to ours in the most piercing way ive ever felt. i can't help but cry. ive always wanted to work in animation but just couldnt manage to pursue it directly and settled for studying something else in the creative field, but i know where my heart belongs. i dont want to settle though... this film is telling me the world is full of us that have that creative will and sincerity, and we can make this place worthwhile and beauitful despite all the obstacles and destruction we must face. we are living in the direct impact that Miyazaki's life works has on the world. we must carry on with sincerity and heart for him and our sake. (typed through tears)

[@trxdsh]

I’ve just come from the theatre, cried several times there and now I’m sobbing after watching this amazing video essay! Oh my….what a precious world of ours.

[@whoisrune]

Maybe im just overly emotional but when you tied together the titles with the 13 blocks, tears started to form. This movie is so profound, and i feel as though i understood it through the lens of grief and death. it never was an indescript movie, the signs were always there. What a pleasure to have been able to experience it and thank you for this beautiful video♡

[@LeonBes]

Watched this video shortly after finally seeing the movie, now I've cried several times today. Thank you so much for this wonderful essay and your beautiful interpretation.

[@josieleaks]

i’ve been trying to watch video essays about boy and the heron since watching it to kind of figure out how to deal with what i had seen and what i was feeling and none of them left with this sense of something coming to a close as yours did. i also didn’t cry at the 13 blocks while watching the movie but i sure did while watching this video. wonderful essay and wonderful interpretation that might not resonate with everyone but definitely with people who create. thank you for taking the time to make this video!

[@densetsumedia]

How very kind! Thank you for taking the time to relate your experience! I'm glad the video essay could help you connect to the film in that way. I'm presently making a follow up about Makoto Shinkai's film Suzume from earlier in the year, so if you enjoyed this kind of essay, I hope you will look forward to that as well!

[@AcetaldehydeMoore]

This is such a beautiful tribute to Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. I did not like the movie at first, but when I read the reviews and explanations, I cried. This movie will be my favorite.. I regret that I did not watch this in the cinema during its showing period. That was my last chance to watch Miyazaki's masterpiece. I have always loved the world of Ghibli. It's like an escape from our world. I always find comfort in watching his movies. I will hold it dear in my heart. His movies will be passed on to different generations.

[@mfranvaldivieso]

This video essay is absolutely incredible. I came to the same realization of your interpretation as I watched the film, and for this I had goosebumps all of the remaining day. Lots of details of the movies i couldn’t realize by myself, but the core meaning of Miyasaki giving us the mission to succeed him was clear. Thank you so much for this masterpiece.

[@lmackenzie89]

This is the best video on KZbin about this movie

[@johnwithhair7959]

By far the most beautiful video essay I’ve seen about this movie. Practicing what you preach, you show us show sincerity can move. Even in something like a simple video essay on KZbin. Much love :)

[@itsasquid]

Okay, that not only made me cry a little but really made me really want to watch the film again. I'm also a creative (I'm a 3D artist) but this really spoke to me. I grew up inspired by the worlds of films and games as a kid and I love coming up with stories. Things like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Pixar really inspired me and still do. I saw the film over the weekend and while I enjoyed it, I didn't fully understand it. I still kinda don't. I even described the film as "if Narnia was artistic, unhinged, and had man-eating parakeets". But coming at this from the lenses of a creator and viewing the film as not only Miyazaki's internal reflection of his work and legacy but also a reflection of the creative process as a whole is really eye-opening. Again, I loved it but it didn't impact me as much as I thought it would. I was expecting to personally connect with Mahito's personal tragedy and while I did to an extent, it wasn't as much as I thought it would. It's a weird film and I'm still processing, but I want to thank you for opening my eyes a little more. Sorry if this is rambling and incoherent.

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts here! Honestly, I feel as though I made this essay for people in your situation, who may be left a little in the dark on how to process Boy and the Heron, but are capable of doing so with a little guidance. And I truly hope that if you're able to see it again, that this essay may help the film resonate with you more. I do a bit of 3D art myself, (mostly texturing these days), and I'd love to see what you work on! I do feel like for us creative folks with a childhood connection to Miyazaki, it really does hit different. If I've been able to help you feel that also, then I'm quite satisfied. Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts here - they certainly don't seem incoherent to me! Much love, Denn

[@Stellamarius]

I just watched the Boy and the Heron today and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this video essay. As another commentor said it's a work of art in of itself, and it honestly moved me to tears at it's conclusion, the only video essay I've ever seen that has done so. I think I was one of those leaving the theatre with that first simple interpretation in mind, feeling more disconnected than I have ever been to a Ghibli movie, I knew I was dissatisfied in some way but I couldn't put it into words until I saw your essay. However, the way this video widened my perspective not only on the movie but on creativity and my role as a creator and audience member. It truly touched me and connected me again to that motivation to create beautiful worlds I feel like I've been lacking in lately. Thank you so much 💙

[@densetsumedia]

What a heartfelt comment - thank you kindly! I am so glad the essay can help folks who feel disconnected with the film to enrich their experience, and I'm always touched that my work can be meaningful to those who view it! I have certainly taken the message to heart in the art I've been making, and I look forward to seeing what you make! Thank you again for watching and leaving your kind thoughts!

[@Beth-ux6jn]

What a lovely interpretation, I'm glad you included both Suzuki's thoughts and your own. My partner and I watched this film the other day as it's only just been released here. It was dubbed, so we felt we may have missed some meaning through translation. Although, it was still absolutely breathtaking. I felt myself welling up at times just from the visual artistry and care put into every detail on-screen. Notable for me was how infrequently locations were reused in the tower and, combined with the references to other works, felt like a journey and progression through and between those stories. Your explanation ties that up nicely. Personally, I would interpret the call the create as not only an artistic one. Natsuko, Himi and arguably also Mahito and Kiriko go on to create worlds of their families. Go on to create lives, stories and beauty. Just do your best to not instil malice. I like the detail of having to restack the tower - like you have to find a new way to view and experience your worlds every day for them to be balanced. What a cool message, thanks to this creator and to Miyazaki. Now I feel like crying all over again.

[@densetsumedia]

Thanks so much for your comment! I definitely like this angle you suggest that the act of love and of raising a family is another form of creation - I think just because I'm not a parent myself, I don't have as much standing to represent that take on the film, but it's a marvelous way to incorporate his view on 'creation without malice' as being relevant to all of us! I am very hopeful that the points I've made in the essay serve as a starting point for others who may not have known how to approach to film to make their own interpretations, so thank you for building upon mine!

[@Beth-ux6jn]

@densetsumedia Thank you, how kind! I'm not a parent either but I am estranged from my relatives, so family as a deliberate and therefore creative choice is very appealing to me as a framework for healthy relationships, and I look for evidence of it where I can. A wonderful attribute of Miyazaki's works is that their meanings are simple to sense but difficult to place and prove consistent. You've established some really sound foundational arguments for further interpretation of this film. Thanks for breaking down your understanding that it may inspire myself and others to build on it!

[@nitsuj6555]

Just watched this masterpiece of a movie today. Growing up with Moyazaki and Studio Ghibli, this movie really brought back so much and more. Thank you for being the few, if not ONLY deep dive video essay into this beautiful movie and Miyazaki currently. It's not that I didn't understand or interpret the movie myself, but rather that bittersweet feeling of finishing the movie and wanting more. The editing and recreation of scenes as well as your overall understanding of Miyazaki and Filmography/animation is presented exceptionally well here.

[@SeanOHansen]

Honestly this is similar to the interpretation I arrived at as well, and I find this movie to be my favorite, despite leaving my first screening wondering what the heck I just saw. Miyazaki really laid it all out with this one, and like you said he left us with a direction as to what we should do. All that said this was a lovely video, well done!

[@farahfttn]

You explaining a masterpiece is a masterpiece itself🤯✨

[@Nidhwal8me]

I watched the movie last night, and like everyone else, I felt like I was missing something. I put off watching any video essays until now; I wanted to try to puzzle out what it meant on my own, without someone spoon feeding a meaning to me. I caught some- but not all, of the nods to previous titles, but I couldn’t make sense of the birds, and the father, and so many other details. But as soon as the great uncle asked Mahito to uphold his world it clicked for me; that this is a movie about nobody being able to fill Miyazaki’s shoes. I am one of those creatives that not only grew up with, but was heavily inspired by Miyazaki’s work. As a teen I struggled a lot with creating something that felt definitively my own and not derivative of the ghibli movies I liked (or anything else, for that matter). Over the years I’ve cultivated a semi-successful online presence as an artist and world builder, in no small part thanks to the awe inspired in me by Miyazaki’s immersive worlds. I left the theater with a sense of melancholy, but also an overwhelming urge to go home and create something beautiful. It’s not the first time a ghibli movie has made me feel that way. Though this movie had a heavy air of finality to it, I hope it won’t be the last. Thanks for this analysis, I’m glad to know I wasn’t alone in feeling this way, and was delighted to see how much deeper the metaphor goes.

[@sofiastarloveuwu4161]

Your words has touched my soul and filled me with inspiration. This was beautiful, your interpretation and expression of it makes me wanna create art for as long as time allows. I think Miyazaki would be delighted if he watched this

[@lamplighter39]

I have to add to the comments here - this essay is excellent. The movie is powerful. I have seen it twice so far and continue to chew on it. Your essay is fantastic. It brings perspective I hadn’t considered and information I didn’t have. Your essay has left me moved, and inspired, and thankful. I hope as well to use the tools I have been given to create worlds without malice. I feel empowered to tell stories, those fictional and that if my life, that are worth telling. I am confident that others who have watched your video will feel the same. Thank you for using what you have been given to share this with us.

[@JWPanimation]

This was a wonderful analysis of Boy and the Heron, thank you for so much for producing it. I just saw it this evening with my family and we had mixed reactions to the movie. Another Japanese creator, the author Haruki Murakami's novels start off in the mundane waking world before diving into a fantastical dream world filled with metaphor and symbolism. But like a dream, the symbolism is not always easy to interpret and requires work on the part of the viewer. For those wanting to consume something easy to digest, the Boy and the Heron may leave them feeling hungry like the birds in the film. But for those that put themselves in the shoes of Mahito, taking an active role in navigating this dreamscape, hopefully they can find "create" a beautiful world untouched by malice.

[@enwynn8584]

thank you so much for your work. I actually cried too at the end because i understood the end the same way as you did; when i create smt with my art i think at this film. How can my art make this world better, inspire beauty and hope ? Its what miyasaki succeeded to do and I'm so grateful to have grown up with his film. thank you for putting into words this feeling.

[@Thesailmaker94]

It’s been 13 days since this video was uploaded/published and I’m glad I gave it a watch when it should up on my feed. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities/references between certain frames/shots of other Miyazaki films upon my first viewing too but I wanted to understand why that way. Thank you for breaking down and explaining The Boy and The Heron in such detail. Just subscribed to the channel too. 🤩Keep up the good work. 😁👍🏽

[@chan_martin]

I wouldn’t call it his masterpiece, but it certainly felt like a culmination of everything that makes Miyazaki’s filmmaking unique to him. It’s the most ‘Miyazaki’ Miyazaki film he’s ever made.

[@nicolefess7227]

I audibly screamed when you began to reference "Death of the Author" as I had just finished a course in which that was a foundational text. I must say that my initial interpretation of this movie was that there is no way to create a world without malice but you must try and go on anyway. The pelican scene spoke so deeply to me and so I tried piecing that directly together with the line you focus on. I love how we can agree that the line about creating a world about malice is clearly the thesis of the movie (or anti-thesis in my case). I also was so surprised when the sister ended up being his birth mother (I think I may have mixed up names) but this strongly contributed to my interpretation. I really appreciate the break-down and your perspective. Thank you

[@Bboy_OatsnRice]

Phenomenal video, I too interpreted the film as a message to tell the viewer that despite all of life's struggles, it's still worth living. Through the bonds we make, experiences we share, and by standing up to the fire of doubt and uncertainty, we can grow stronger and thus change ourselves and the world for the better. However though I recognized that over-consumption, escapism, and avoidance being bad were themes present in the film, your video made it much more clear through explaining those themes [namely overconsumption] from the perspectives of the birds we see in the film. You also eloquently explained how this is was an autobiographical pic on miyazaki and his co-creators at ghibli, which I was none the wiser about until watching your vid. I thought the autobiographical part came from Mahito's dad's fixation on planes, hahah. Anyways, great essay and I agree that it's more important that the viewer understands the film's message and applies it, than to just simply take it as Miyazaki's autobiography. Great stuff!

[@lincolnnumbers6170]

Just saw the film today and came to KZbin to see, like you talked about, if others saw what I seemed to miss in the movie. Thank you for this video, i found your thoughts incredibly moving and truly without malice, well done 👍🏻

[@tornation5609]

This video was beautiful, incredibly and eye-opening. Whilst I was think that there are some interesting elements that you didn’t mention, I sincerely thank you for making this. May your words inspire many, as Miyazaki has inspired all of us.

[@densetsumedia]

My video is not intended as a comprehensive view of Boy and the Heron, which was to some extent not possible while I was writing it without access to rewatch the film. It was mostly meant to help people who were having trouble with engaging with the film but who wanted to engage, and so if it has had that effect on you, I am quite happy! I encourage everyone to continue where this video essay leaves off in your own discussions and analyze the details I've left out. Thank you for your kind words and for watching!

[@augustmericle6776]

I really liked this video, and was especially drawn in by your feelings in the intro about people not understanding it. When I walked out of the film with my family, my mother said she felt the film was disjointed, and only had an emotional through-line. Though I felt it so powerfully, it took a while and another viewing to explain it with words. I was also struck by your second, more experiential interpretation of the work rather than just the author’s thoughts, as it was very similar to mine upon my second viewing (though much more fleshed out and more personal). I interpreted it as a meditation on hope and the future, and what it means to build a future, and to dream of a better world. This feels similar to your interpretation to me, besides that artistic creativity was more centered (which makes a ton of sense, especially considering this “meditation on hope and the future” was told by the artist).

[@stagelinedpro]

I've watched a few essays in this film and your interpretation is one of the best imo.

[@densetsumedia]

Cheers man - many thanks! I'm glad if it could deepen your appreciation of the film. I just posted a secondary essay on the film Suzume, so if you're interested in that I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks again for watching and for this lovely comment!

[@lizalevai6098]

Gosh, what a beautiful interpretation. you made me cry

[@aprendendocomgames]

This video is just incredible! It's art! I am still trying to understand the whole movie but your views have really helped me a lot! ❤❤❤

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you for the kind words! If you haven't had to analyze a film which doesn't go out of its way to explain itself, it can be a little difficult at first. I hope my video can give some insights into the process and if you find this kind of thing interesting, I encourage you to watch the film Suzume, and my accompanying video about its meaning! Would love to hear your thoughts! Cheers!

[@to0o0ty11]

I cried like a baby when I saw the movie at the theater 😢 truly it was magical and deep

[@wanderinglizzy]

This is such a good analysis. You pieced together all the bits and pieces that have been floating around in my head since I watched the film, and the 13 blocks really brought it all together. Thank you for sharing this!

[@xkfmantm]

This has to be one of the best video essays I’ve ever seen in 36 years of my life and I am so happy to have stumbled upon this video. I wish nothing but great success in your future endeavours and would like to thank you for granting us - lesser informed parakeets - a detailed insight into the great mind of one of the greatest creators of our lifetime.

[@densetsumedia]

Well how very kind of you to say! I'm glad this video could enrich your experience in some way - we are only parakeets so long as we choose not to seek a deeper understanding, in my opinion! If you're keen, I've created a few other video essays in the months since, on the metaphor in Makoto Shinkai's Suzume, and some general thoughts on the Shogun TV series which aired last April, so if you deign to give a look at them, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers!

[@jenny3737]

this is one of the most beautiful and well produced video essays ive ever seen, so well written too! thank you so much for the closed captions as well, i know it must have taken so much time and effort but it was really helpful ❤

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I believe you are the first person to draw attention to the subtitles specifically, and I'm very glad, as I did write them in myself the week after it was clear the video might be seen by more than 100 people. It took almost as long as it took to record the whole thing, but it's wonderful to hear it's helped with your experience!

[@jannikgentsch8214]

Wow!!! I literally teared up watching your video, thank you for this beautiful journey!

[@lilknight4426]

Hands down best video essay I have seen on this platform, the sheer effort and insight is mind boggling, thank you for this beautiful ode to Miyazaki ❤

[@tristanhmusic]

Beautiful essay. Thank you for sharing.

[@densetsumedia]

Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words!

[@stephiwong]

How did a video essay nearly make me cry? Thank you for your contribution.

[@Mmxxaamm]

This is like that Twin Perfect explanation video for the Ghibli fans

[@Morroh]

The end of this essay was the exact message I took from the movie on my first viewing, a call to creatives. Your essay clarified the fact that this movie stands as a monolithic tribute to his creative worlds. This was beautifully made, thank you.

[@densetsumedia]

Glad if it has helped stir your creativity! Thank you for your kind words and your time~

[@randomphantom8275]

That was thoroughly illuminating and a fantastic analysis! I'm glad that I'm not alone in thinking that the movie felt a little self-indulgent and wondering if that was the whole "point". I settled on a slightly different conclusion though - as Mahito aka "real person" chooses to reject inheriting this fantasy world and perpetuate the act of creation, and instead returns back to the real world which is full of warts and bird poop and difficult relationships, and that abrupt end where life is shown to go on for Mahito - for lack of a better term, its like Miyazaki coming to terms with himself, and asking us to go "touch grass" - not stay cooped up in these fantastical worlds - but instead, focus on creating these beautiful, untainted worlds in our real life instead. Of course, like how he brings Kiriko along the journey, we can bring a block back as a memento :D

[@andrewj235]

Thank you for your time and effort in creating this video. I appreciate your interpretation of the symbols and metaphors within the movie. I love Miyazaki’s films: the depth and complexity of his characters. They stay away from an oversimplified view of human nature as being either reductively good or bad. His characters all seem to be on a hero’s journey, wrestling with their own humanity. I walked away from the Boy and the Heron feeling like I had missed some of the more complex themes within the film. So, I truly enjoyed your in-depth perspectives.

[@swarmengine7323]

You absolutely KILLED IT WITH THIS VIDEO MAN! IT'S SO SO GOOD I'M IN AWE!!

[@IAmBetterThanIWasYesterday]

It’s a lovely film I enjoyed it very much. I am pretty sure any man that had a loving mother would want to see her one more time and talk to her. The part where she told her son that he was a good boy brought tears to my eyes. Love, honor and respect your parents, the respect the young boy had in this film (a little rebellious) is lost in today’s society. I will forever cherish and love Studio Ghibli films and I hope the art of storytelling through animation will not be lost for future generations.

[@isaccodiegoli3959]

It is a great work, for which I thank you so much. Your essay gives me the words to say it: the metaphors that are proposed allow a deeper and more profound appreciation of a beatiful piece of art, that otherwise wouldn't have happened in me

[@thatsnice...4846]

I saw the movie just a few hours ago. I could tell there was a lot of depth and metaphor and meaning and it was difficult to try to piece it all together upon my first watch, but this video gave a really interesting and detailed perspective and interpretation. Thank you for all the effort that went into making this.

[@to0o0ty11]

If I could like this video million times, believe me I will

[@johnchiu]

So glad I found your work after watching The Boy and the Heron. Thank you for this beautiful piece of work.

[@OMFGeoff]

I just got out of seeing the movie a few hours ago, and I was looking on KZbin to find some explanation for the themes and imagery in the film. I came across this video essay, and I have to say, your writing, narration, and presentation is stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking, and it really surprised me to find out that it's not something you normally do. I think you definitely have the talent for writing wonderful video essays, and I subscribed to your channel in hopes of receiving more in the future! Of course, if video essays aren't your passion, then you have every right to pursue the artistic creations that you enjoy most. However, I feel that this video is exemplary of your thesis to create beauty untainted by malice. No matter what you choose to do artistically, keep up the great work!

[@densetsumedia]

Many thanks for your kind words! I am in fact preparing a new video video essay, encouraged by the words of viewers like yourself, and anticipate uploading it in the next couple weeks! Until then, I am also very active on Twitch.tv/densetsuvii making art, if you ever feel like dropping by! Thank you once again for watching!

[@timk6181]

Yes. I'm glad I'm not the only one, I think it's his best and I'm convinced that over time it will be recognised as such.

[@wienerfotograf]

It is definitely the one with the most meaning. So yes for me in this sense it is also the best movie, but as his work should be seen as a whole this film is only that great because of all the other films and they belong together. Still it is the most special film of all of them, because it is (a little bit like Totoro but much deeper) the explanation and guide to ghibli (and the meaning of ghibli!) itself.

[@blairguidry3227]

I really loved this, the ending Spoke deeply to me. As someone who found Ghibli movies when I was going through a dark time and found such comfort in them and loved the beauty and peace in them. I loved the way you explained the call for beauty in our own life by the boy and heron. For me as a young adult women who is not very good at art, my heart has a passion for bringing beauty to my home and the lives around me, to make my home a place of peace and comfort for my husband and someday kids. I think in our modern world of all white and marble cold homes we truly miss the beauty and comfort a home can bring. So that was my take from this and yes it touched me deeply and I shed a few tears. I love ghibli films so much. And thank you for the video

[@densetsumedia]

What a lovely sentiment! Thank you for sharing this! A few different comments have also brought this up, but it seems very clear that the call to create beauty is not necessarily a call to art. A different commenter suggested it could be a call to love and to raise a family with warmth, for example, and your interpretation seems very similar. I honestly love this view, because I think the film's meaning can be most resonant when we can all take something from it. There are so many ways to embody the spirit of Miyazaki's beauty and I for one am trying my best to take that mentality forward however I can. I'll be very glad if you feel you can do the same! Thank you again for watching!

[@Wombat118]

There is a level of intelligence that is present here. I'm glad I can appreciate the deeper meaning of such beautiful works. From both Miyazaki and yourself. Thank you.

[@tsukki0]

Thank you so much for this video. Here in Brazil, we just received The Boy and the Heron and as soon as I left the movie theater today I felt the necessity to hear others ideas about this masterpiece. Your video helped a lot to gather all the scattered presumptions fomented by myself as I watched it. Thank you so much for adding so much meaning through all the hails Miyazaki gave us!

[@densetsumedia]

Many thanks for your kind remarks! I am never exactly clear how accessible my work is to viewers outside of English speaking countries, so I'm very happy to hear it could help enrich your experience! I'm working now on a similar video essay about the anime Suzume, so if you'd like to stick around, we'd love to have you! Thank you again for watching!

[@melaniec7043]

Everyone including the creator of the video and the ppl in this comment section are so wholesome 🥹♥️you’re all so lovely and your perspectives reveal how beautiful your hearts are 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

[@TheChronozoan]

This is beautiful, and beautifully delivered. Princess Mononoke was my first non-"cartoon" animated film, and while I did not become an artist, it awoke within me a passion for film, for allegory and symbolism.

[@stuffyrex1842]

I just came from watching the movie, and I understood it in my own sense and it made me cry throughout it with the beauty and emotion and connections to my own life. I really appreciate you making the video essay, and I gained so many new insights and interpretations not only for the movie but looking through the world in a different lense in general. at first I didn't know where you were going with defining metaphors but suddenly I got a wave of reflection. this was really beautiful, thank you so much.

[@derBene]

We don't need to be of Hayao Miyazakis caliber. As long as we try to shape our world like the feelings we get from his movies. To try and achieve the highest goal, walking towards a world where malice doesn't rule. - Thank you for your video essay. 🙏

[@densetsumedia]

Precisely! Thank you for putting into words a nuance I've been feeling myself, that while many commentators see Mahito's "rejection" of the legacy as tantamount to the end of creation, I see it as an admonition that we don't have to be exactly what came before us to have creative worth. Thank you again for your kind words!

[@huwalfadillah]

Man, this video essay is absolutely beautiful. i keep coming back to watch this.

[@Cabinboifussell]

Didn’t think I’d watch the best video or the year this close to the end. Good work man!

[@OVskipping]

I have never watched a video from you, but this was so beauty, so so so beautiful. I received an email regarding an opening to an animation course at my uni, and while listening to you I sent an email to ask a professor how I can better prepare for the course. I don't think I would have done that without this video, at least I would have delayed it. So thank you for making this video, and I hope you learn that you may have supported another artist's growth to animation.