I really liked Goro’s films.
I have heard from many random internet people that
is difficult to work with and in general is described as a stubborn, grumpy old man.I don’t think I can blame him for that, considering the copy of a copy of a copy otaku-pandering trash that dominates much of the entertainment industry around him.
The extended translation of what he said rings true for me: anime can (and should) be about lived experiences and insights into those experiences made into animated art, and when it’s just otaku making otaku-pandering slop for other otaku, the copy of a copy of a copy blandness is exhausting (but profitable, to a point).
What’s concerning is whether they’ll let Ghibli die once Miyazaki is gone, either shutting down the studio, or being OK with letting other creatives tell their own stories, or if they’ll try to keep making Miyazaki copies with none of the heart just to keep making money.
Do we know anything about Goro’s politics?
One thing that stands out about Miyazaki is that he has ideological beliefs, deeply held ones, that he puts into his works with absolute belief and confidence in them. The man was a communist and I do not believe for a second that he lost much of the things he believed in about humanity, equality and justice, even if he might have fallen out with calling himself a communist when the trauma of the end of the ussr happened.
Goro’s work while whimsical and having an essence of Ghibli in it has never struck me as having this. There’s no confidently held politics or ideological message in his work that I’ve seen.
