Hayao Miyazaki's new work: I can't understand it, but I'm shocked?

Last week, Hayao Miyazaki's

What kind of life do you want to live?

held its Chinese premiere. Ghibli at the helm

Hayao Miyazaki is the only victim of his comeback

Toshio Suzuki came to Shanghai on behalf of Studio Ghibli, and while stepping on Totoro slippers, he shouted "four pots" to the panda schoolbag, which made the fans so cute.

Toshio Suzuki's trip to China

Source: The official account of the movie "What kind of life do you want to live".

However, among the first batch of audiences, some people also said that this is a work with "thresholds" and "I don't understand it". On April 3rd, the movie will be released nationwide, so before you walk into the theater, you might as well "preview" it!

The following 5 keywords will take you to understand the stories in front of and behind the scenes, and may also dispel your worries about watching movies. (Safe to take, no spoilers!)

2013's "The Wind Rises" was once regarded as a work of retirement. A full 10 years have passed, and Miyazaki has lived up to expectations by "slapping his face" and returning with "What kind of life do you want to live".

Interestingly, after his last retirement, he changed the way his name was written from Miyazaki to Miyaji. In other words, "What kind of life do you want to live" is really the first work of Gong "﨑" Jun.

Poster for the release in Japan

After this new work is released in Japan in July 2023, it has won the Japan Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Annie Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Academy Awards, and has also become the fastest Miyazaki work to land in Chinese mainland theaters. It is worth noting that the film previously used the translation of "The Boy and the Heron", and only used the original Japanese name (君たちはどう生きるか) when it was released in Chinese mainland.

Poster released in Chinese mainland

At the Shanghai premiere, Toshio Suzuki deliberately explained that when it was released in Europe and the United States, many people felt that the title was too difficult to understand. "But the Chinese audience told me that the original title was better, and I was very happy, [because] we always wanted to keep the original title. ”

Hayao Miyazaki, who is 80 years old, has paid unprecedented effort for "What kind of life do you want to live". He said, "

I'm ready to die before it's done. "The entire film was hand-drawn by 60 animators, frame by frame.

Only 1 minute of footage can be made in 1 month. It was originally planned to be completed in 3 years, but it was postponed again and again, and it took 7 years in the end.

Documentary "No Myth: Hayao Miyazaki"

Source: Bilibili

It was also an uneventful 7 years. War and disease have quietly changed people's habitual lives. On the other hand, the partners he had worked with for decades had also passed away: animation color designers

Michiyo Hoda, Ghibli's Bole

Yasuo Otsuka.....

And the biggest blow to Miyazaki is none other than his predecessor and best friend

The departure of Isao Takahata.

Toshio Suzuki revealed that this almost changed the direction of the story of "What kind of life do you want to live". Hayao Miyazaki has not been able to lift his pen to paint for nearly 1 time.

Documentary "No Myth: Hayao Miyazaki"

Source: Bilibili

When Hayao Miyazaki announced the title of the film in 2017, some industry colleagues directly complained that it was "too old-fashioned". The name is taken from the Japanese writer and thinker

Genzaburo Yoshino's novel "What kind of life do you want to live" is a classic that was born more than 80 years ago.

Even his old partner Toshio Suzuki hesitated: "Is it really appropriate to throw the question 'What kind of life do you want to live' to the audience in the title of the film?" Miyazaki tried to dispel public opinion: "Telling this book is of great significance to the protagonist." ”

Hayao Miyazaki announced the title of his new work

Source: Japanese media

As the production progressed, Toshio Suzuki dispelled his concerns. "When I came back to my senses, I realized that we were in a time when everyone was eager to know how to live. Once again, turning your attention to Genzaburo Yoshino's "What kind of life do you want to live" is also a rebellion against this modern society. ”

The novel "What kind of life do you want to live" appeared in the movie

Source: Douban

Genzaburo Yoshino wrote: "[We must] hope in young boys and girls, and protect them as much as possible from the bad effects of the cruel times." To this end, he wrote this novel. Decades later, Miyazaki said, "Conveying to children that the world is worth living is the foundation of my work." ”

In the face of a disordered world, the two artists transcend time and space and connect with each other.

In addition to the title, in many ways, "What kind of life do you want to live" is a "willful" work. With so many acclaimed and acclaimed films, how could Ghibli not know what the audience likes to watch? This time, Miyazaki is going against the current. He said:

The protagonist of "What kind of life do you want to live" Mu Zhenren

Source: Douban

"I made some cheerful, sunny and positive teenagers...... But actually, I've always thought that the teenage years should be more real and full of all kinds of complex emotions.

"We're going to survive the struggle, let's make that public. I want to create a protagonist who is not only a slow runner, but also has a lot of unspeakable shame in his heart. Only by asking him to do his best to overcome these problems can he accept himself as he has these problems. ”

So, in "What kind of life do you want to live", innocence and magic are hidden, the world no longer hides its malice, and the melancholy teenager timidly appears.

Shepherds and Herons

Source: Douban

Toshio Suzuki, who is in charge of Ghibli's "money bag", also decided to be willful: "I told them [the partners] from the beginning that the film would not make a lot of money. This was the last time Miyazaki made an animated feature film, and I wanted him to play to his heart's content. ”

A devastated world, a depressed and confused teenager, and a heron who is also an enemy and friend..... "What kind of life do you want to live" is full of metaphors and hides Miyazaki's exclusive memories. Genzaburo Yoshino's novel may be the key to deciphering this new "semi-autobiographical" film.

Above: In the novel, the illustrations that made Hayao Miyazaki unforgettable from childhood

Below: Illustrations rendered in the film

In the movie, the book is a gift from a deceased mother to a real person. When the real person opens the book with tears in his eyes, the entrance to another world also quietly opens. And the structure of the film seems to echo the novel:

It's the same as a teenage hero.

(Real person / Junichi Honda)

，

The same loss of loved ones

(Mother/Father)

, also in the company of a mentor

(苍鹭/舅舅)

to embark on a journey to rediscover the world.

A real person who found his mother's relics

Source: Little Red Book

From reading "What kind of life do you want to live" when I was in elementary school, to using it to name the movie, and then to using it as an important prop for the film...... Hayao Miyazaki has a penchant for this novel.

He specially brought the book to the studio and suggested that the young production team read it. He said, "

This book conveys the belief that no matter how difficult and cruel the times are, to live like a real person. ”

What is intriguing is that the protagonist of the movie is precisely called "real person".

What kind of life do you want to live?

Hayao Miyazaki wrote down his answer.

Is that your answer too?

Welcome to the cinema,