Fairy Tales of Time is a manga co-authored by Okamoto hotaru and Yukiko Kone, and later adapted into an animated film by Studio Ghibli.
The protagonist of the film is a 27-year-old girl, Myoko Okajima, who lives and works in Tokyo. In order to experience the rural life in Yamagata Prefecture again, she took a 10-day vacation to experience the rural life she longed for.
On the way back home, Myoko often unconsciously recalls her childhood life: the bits and pieces of being with her family, the wonderful feeling of eating pineapple for the first time, the feeling of acting for the first time, the sweet taste of her first love...
When Myoko arrived in the countryside of Yamagata Prefecture, she happily picked safflowers from the fields with everyone and worked in the garden together to feel the beauty and purity of nature. Myoko, who is somewhat restrained by nature, experienced simple and beautiful happiness during this 10-day holiday, and her smile gradually increased. Gradually, she seems to have discovered what the life she really wants...
The whole movie uses flashbacks to interject Myoko's memories of childhood, which seems to be a bland plot, but it also arouses our thinking about ordinary life.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >01</h1>
In the movie, the protagonist Myoko Okamoto is a girl who has lived an ordinary life since she was a child. At the age of 27, she did a normal job in Tokyo and didn't find a favorite person. If it weren't for this long vacation to live in the countryside, her life would probably have continued in its original direction...
No one is always content with mediocrity, doing similar things every day without any waves. When a person is in the same life mode for a long time, it is difficult for him to jump out of the current pattern and look down on the life pattern he has and has never doubted.
Myoko's 10-day country vacation is a kind of "short escape" from her original life, and only in this way can she see the 27-year-old she has walked through from a new perspective. During this time, various memories of her childhood repeatedly jumped into her mind, prompting her to reflect on her current life choices.
It's exactly the same as traveling, and every time we go to a new place, we do nothing more than eat, drink, and have fun. But people everywhere, because of their different histories and geographical differences, may look at the same thing in a way that is 18,000 miles different from ours.
If we want life to move toward a higher pattern, then a short journey out of the old life through travel will be a starting point for opening a new life.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02. Get out of the shackles of childhood and choose a new life</h1>
The occasional flash of childhood memories in "The Fairy Tale of the Years" reveals the background of Myoko's upbringing and the psychological pressure she endured. Myoko grew up in a typical traditional Japanese family, where her father was the one who was in charge of the family.
When she was a child, Myoko was a cute and simple girl, she was accused of being a picky eater because she only liked to eat the fruit Polo, because she was not good at arithmetic, she was considered stupid by her family, she often wore clothes that her sister could not wear, and even if she had emotions, she would be taught to be sensible...
People always seem to be picking at her faults, without noticing that Myoko is actually simple and cute, her composition is great, and her acting is also very talented, but these are ignored and diluted under the traditional family concept. Therefore, the adult Myoko smile in the movie seems to have an old age that does not match her age, and it is not until she is immersed in rural life that she reveals more innocent smiles.
Between "continuing to work in Tokyo" or "staying in Yamagata Prefecture", Myoko chose the latter at the last minute. Those repressed experiences many years ago, the feeling of being ignored, are like passing away with the wind...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >03. </h1>
Growing up, most people seem to live in the "shadow" of others. When we were young, we always felt that we were forced to study and forced to do things we didn't like; when we grew up, we found a job that looked good according to other people's expectations; we got married, had children, bought a house, and bought a car, but rarely thought about the meaning behind it.
If you continue this life without thinking and being aware, struggling and floating in the sea of life, it is easy to lose your true direction.
"Living bravely" does not mean that we have to leave some rivers and seas to send the rest of our lives, does not mean that we must take a century of adventures, does not mean unrealistic pursuit of dreams, but means that we can get back the initiative in life. Reflect on your life and then make a decision that you are satisfied with.
"Living bravely" means that in the future, you will be fully responsible for your own life, no matter what problems you encounter, you can no longer blame your parents, society, and others, because you must start to take responsibility for yourself.
Myoko,who decided to live in the countryside in the future, will not be smooth sailing in the future, she will still face challenges, laughter, tears, however, she has begun to follow her heart and take a brave step. This is the bravery that ordinary Myoko shows for life, and it is also the bravery that any ordinary person can choose.
Write at the end:
"The Fairy Tale of The Years" tells the story of an ordinary ordinary girl, who is like you and me around us, even if she is not so dazzling, she can make brave changes for the life she likes more.
After watching this movie, are you determined to start living bravely?