Catalogue

Focus Film:

Item 1: When Marnie Was There (2014, Hiromasa Yonebayashi)

The reason I chose this as my focus film is because the two main female characters, Anna and Marnie are both represented very differently. Anna is represented as a “tomboy” who appearance is androgynous and is shown to be uncomfortable with being feminine. She struggles with her identity which I think makes her more realistic and relatable to the audience regardless of their gender. On the other hand, Marnie is very traditionally feminine in both her appearance and actions. She is caring and gentle yet adventuress. Although both characters are either more feminine or masculine, they both have non-traditional traits. Although there isn’t as much secondary research for this film, I think the contrasting female characters gives me enough to talk about.

 

Secondary Films:

 

Item 2: Princess Mononoke (1997, Hayao Miyazaki)
I chose Princess Mononoke as one of my secondary films is because of the character San or Princess Mononoke. Unlike the females in When Marnie Was There, San is much more aggressive and willing to fight to protect what she cares about. Her appearance is more masculine and she’s much more brutal compared to other female characters shown in Studio Ghibli which I think makes this film more interesting because she is very different to any other character. Despite her aggressiveness, I think she is still portrayed positively. She is regarded to be one of Studio Ghibli’s best examples of strong female’s characters.

 

Item 3: Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
I chose this film as one of my secondary films because of the main protagonist Chihiro. Chihiro is portayed as quite childish and adventuress, yet she is very determined to save her parents despite the challenges she faces. I think she is a good example of Studio Ghibli’s strong female characters because although she does get help from a male, she is capable of being independent and defending herself; she isn’t a “damsel in distress”. Also, her appearance is more feminine but she has both feminine and masculine characteristics.

Books:

 

Item 4:

Blanc, M.L., Odell, C. and Books, K. (2016) Studio Ghibli. Available at: http://www.kamerabooks.co.uk/studio-ghibli (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

 

 

Websites:

 

Item 5: When Marnie Was There review: is this Studio Ghibli's last-ever movie?-Sam Byford on May 22, 2015

 

This article makes some statements that are useful to my research about the female protagonists. For example, it talks about Anna’s androgynous appearance and how she dislikes being called “pretty” and her insecure she is about the colour of her eyes.

 

Byford, S. (2015) When Marnie was there review: Is this studio Ghibli’s last-ever movie? Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/22/8643009/when-marnie-was-there-review (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 6: When Marnie Was There will leave you sobbing-Robbie Collin

 9 June 2016

 

 

Collin, R. (2016) When Marnie was there will leave you sobbing - review. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/09/when-marnie-was-there-will-leave-you-sobbing---review/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 7:

Eggert, B. (2010) The Definitives - Princess Mononoke (1997). Available at: http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/princessmononoke.asp (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 8:
Gatti, T. (2014) Animating principle: The wind rises and the genius of Miyazaki. Available at: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/animating-principle-wind-rises-and-genius-miyazaki (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

Item 9:
The Guardian (2002) The magic of Manga. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/oct/12/artsfeatures1 (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 10:
Jao, C. (2016) [VIDEO] the feminism of studio Ghibli. Available at: http://www.themarysue.com/feminism-of-studio-ghibli/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

Item 11:
JOLIN, D. (2011) Miyazaki on Miyazaki: The animation genius on his movies. Available at: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/hayao-miyazaki/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

Item 12:
Jones, S.F. (2014) Hayao Miyazaki: The great feminist filmmaker of his time. Available at: http://screenrobot.com/hayao-miyazaki-great-feminist-filmmaker-time/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

Item 13:
Koerner, A. (2015) Geena Davis talks ‘when Marnie was there’ & studio Ghibli’s ‘brilliant use of female characters’. Available at: https://www.bustle.com/articles/87809-geena-davis-talks-when-marnie-was-there-studio-ghiblis-brilliant-use-of-female-characters (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 14:

Martin, I. (2014) A deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki’s nature | the Japan times. Available at: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/08/02/books/book-reviews/deeper-look-hayao-miyazakis-nature/#.V-0sSE2V_Gg (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 15:
McDonnell, B. (2016) ‘When Marnie was there’ and wondering where the female animated characters will be now. Available at: http://awfj.org/week-in-women/2015/07/26/when-marnie-was-there-and-wondering-where-the-female-animated-characters-will-be-now/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 16:
Rathke, Edward J. (2015) 30 years of Ghibli: Princess Mononoke. Available at: http://entropymag.org/30-years-of-ghibli-princess-mononoke/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

Item 17:
Rose, S. (2011) Studio Ghibli: Leave the boys behind. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jul/14/studio-ghibli-arrietty-heroines (Accessed: 6 October 2016).

 

Item 18:
Woon, M. (2016) Studio Ghibli’s 11 greatest girl heroes | fashion magazine | news. Fashion. Beauty. Music. Available at: http://www.oystermag.com/studio-ghiblis-eleven-greatest-girl-heroes (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

 

 

Source details – Use Harvard referencing, or equivalent for moving image sources (include page numbers etc)	Primary or Secondary?	Summary of its content in about 5 lines – key points in your own words (you could copy and paste original for the blog)	How you hope to use it – relevance to your investigation?	Use or reject? You may fill this in later.
Gatti, T. (2014) Animating principle: The wind rises and the genius of Miyazaki. Available at: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/animating-principle-wind-rises-and-genius-miyazaki (Accessed: 6 October 2016).	Secondary	This article talks about a variety of Studio Ghilbi films, though it doesn’t focus much on Princess Mononoke, it does reference it a few times and comments on Princess Mononoke female protagonist’s strength and appearance as well as comparing her to Disney's Brave female protagonists.     "strong female characters who are not tied in to fairy-tale narratives"   “Appears on the poster not in an hourglass dress but with a knife in her hand and blood staining her mouth.”	I'm considering comparing Disney and Studio Ghibli's female protagnists as a part of my research. Although it isn't directly related to my title, I think it might be useful to support Studio Ghibli's representation of femininity.
( Rose, S. (2011, Jul 15). Film & music: Leave the boys behind: You have to go a long way to see animations in which a girl takes the lead - to japan, in fact. steve rose looks at studio ghibli's alternative to hollywood's love of heroes. The Guardian Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/876927924?accountid=15712 )	Secondary	This article comments on the lack of female roles in Pixar and Disney. Also, it talks about how the female protagonists are represented and there female qualities       "almost all of them led by strong, intelligent, independent-minded girls"      "They are adventurous and active, but also compassionate, communicative, pacifist and virtuous. Their "female" qualities and childish innocence are often what resolve the crisis at hand and bridge conflicting worlds"       "Helen McCarthy, a British author who has written extensively on Miyazaki and Japanese animation. "By making the hero a girl, he took all that macho stuff out of the equation and that gave him the freedom to examine heroism. His career has been a very beautiful building of an idea that the feminine doesn't preclude the heroic."	This article makes a few good points about studio ghibli protagonists and which I may use to talk about how their feminie qualities are portrayed and how they’re strong characters still.

Research findings

From my (secondary) research, I have found it difficult to find articles focusing on femininity in Studio Ghibli films. I found this surprising because I have always thought that other people would recognise how progressive and unique the characters are. I have found one article that is comparing Studio Ghibli's female protagonists to Disney princess's  which I thought was interesting and will most likely use for my script.

Secondary Research

I am making a list of articles I may use quotes from to help support my coursework.




This article makes a good point about the female protagonists in Studio Ghibli's films compared to popular western animation studios like Pixar and Disney.


"strong female characters who are not tied in to fairy-tale narratives" (A quote I particularly like)


http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/animating-principle-wind-rises-and-genius-miyazaki






Gatti, T. (2014) Animating principle: The wind rises and the genius of Miyazaki. Available at: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/animating-principle-wind-rises-and-genius-miyazaki (Accessed: 6 October 2016).










http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/698539fe-2974-11da-8a5e-00000e2511c8.html?ft_site=falcon&desktop=true


Andrews, N. (2005) Japan’s visionary of innocence and apocalypse. Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/698539fe-2974-11da-8a5e-00000e2511c8.html?ft_site=falcon&desktop=true (Accessed: 6 October 2016).
















"almost all of them led by strong, intelligent, independent-minded girls"


"They are adventurous and active, but also compassionate, communicative, pacifist and virtuous. Their "female" qualities and childish innocence are often what resolve the crisis at hand and bridge conflicting worlds"


 "Helen McCarthy, a British author who has written extensively on Miyazaki and Japanese animation. "By making the hero a girl, he took all that macho stuff out of the equation and that gave him the freedom to examine heroism. His career has been a very beautiful building of an idea that the feminine doesn't preclude the heroic."




https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jul/14/studio-ghibli-arrietty-heroines

( Rose, S. (2011, Jul 15). Film & music: Leave the boys behind: You have to go a long way to see animations in which a girl takes the lead - to japan, in fact. steve rose looks at studio ghibli's alternative to hollywood's love of heroes. The Guardian Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/876927924?accountid=15712 )








https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/oct/12/artsfeatures1


http://www.oystermag.com/studio-ghiblis-eleven-greatest-girl-heroes
Woon, M. (2016) Studio Ghibli’s 11 greatest girl heroes | fashion magazine | news. Fashion. Beauty. Music. Available at: http://www.oystermag.com/studio-ghiblis-eleven-greatest-girl-heroes (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

"Even though she's mega-fearless and often short-tempered, she also has a soft side, and is probably the best example of the complexities inherent in all of Ghibli's female heroes."

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/hayao-miyazaki/
JOLIN, D. (2011) Miyazaki on Miyazaki: The animation genius on his movies. Available at: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/hayao-miyazaki/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).


"At first I decided, ‘This is something children shouldn’t see,’ but in the end I realised, ‘No, this is something that children must see,’ because adults, they didn’t get it — children understood it"


http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/08/02/books/book-reviews/deeper-look-hayao-miyazakis-nature/#.V-0sSE2V_Gg
Martin, I. (2014) A deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki’s nature | the Japan times. Available at: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/08/02/books/book-reviews/deeper-look-hayao-miyazakis-nature/#.V-0sSE2V_Gg (Accessed: 13 October 2016).


http://entropymag.org/30-years-of-ghibli-princess-mononoke/
rathke, edward J. (2015) 30 years of Ghibli: Princess Mononoke. Available at: http://entropymag.org/30-years-of-ghibli-princess-mononoke/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).


http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/princessmononoke.asp
Eggert, B. (2010) The Definitives - Princess Mononoke (1997). Available at: http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/princessmononoke.asp (Accessed: 13 October 2016).


http://www.kamerabooks.co.uk/studio-ghibli
Blanc, M.L., Odell, C. and Books, K. (2016) Studio Ghibli. Available at: http://www.kamerabooks.co.uk/studio-ghibli (Accessed: 6 October 2016).


http://www.themarysue.com/feminism-of-studio-ghibli/
Jao, C. (2016) [VIDEO] the feminism of studio Ghibli. Available at: http://www.themarysue.com/feminism-of-studio-ghibli/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).


http://screenrobot.com/hayao-miyazaki-great-feminist-filmmaker-time/
Jones, S.F. (2014) Hayao Miyazaki: The great feminist filmmaker of his time. Available at: http://screenrobot.com/hayao-miyazaki-great-feminist-filmmaker-time/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/06/studio-ghibli-yonebayashi-interview-miyazaki
Michael, C. (2016) ‘Women are realistic, men idealistic’: Studio Ghibli on why a director’s gender matters. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/06/studio-ghibli-yonebayashi-interview-miyazaki (Accessed: 6 October 2016).


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/09/when-marnie-was-there-will-leave-you-sobbing---review/
Collin, R. (2016) When Marnie was there will leave you sobbing - review. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/09/when-marnie-was-there-will-leave-you-sobbing---review/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/22/8643009/when-marnie-was-there-review
Byford, S. (2015) When Marnie was there review: Is this studio Ghibli’s last-ever movie? Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/22/8643009/when-marnie-was-there-review (Accessed: 13 October 2016).


http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/when-marnie-was-there-2015
When Marnie was there movie review (2015) (2015) Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Brian Tallerico .


http://awfj.org/week-in-women/2015/07/26/when-marnie-was-there-and-wondering-where-the-female-animated-characters-will-be-now/
McDonnell, B. (2016) ‘When Marnie was there’ and wondering where the female animated characters will be now. Available at: http://awfj.org/week-in-women/2015/07/26/when-marnie-was-there-and-wondering-where-the-female-animated-characters-will-be-now/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
https://www.bustle.com/articles/87809-geena-davis-talks-when-marnie-was-there-studio-ghiblis-brilliant-use-of-female-characters
Koerner, A. (2015) Geena Davis talks ‘when Marnie was there’ & studio Ghibli’s ‘brilliant use of female characters’ — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO. Available at: https://www.bustle.com/articles/87809-geena-davis-talks-when-marnie-was-there-studio-ghiblis-brilliant-use-of-female-characters (Accessed: 13 October 2016).

Context- Gender

I am focusing on Gender for my context area because Ghibli has a good representation of femininity in all their movies. I personally feel that in Ghibli films they make an effort to create strong, non-stereotypical female characters that are relatable whilst keeping the storyline interesting.

Studio Ghibli- Yoshiako Nishimura's "sexist" comment

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/16/studio-ghibli-producer-apologies-sexism-yoshiaki-nishimura


https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/06/studio-ghibli-yonebayashi-interview-miyazaki

Studio Ghibli are known for their strong, leading female characters and fantastic story lines. These films in comparison to other popular animation both inside and outside of Japan present females in a much more realistic way despite the fact the film themselves tend to be fantasy films. However, why aren't there any female directors for these films? Other animations from Japan have successful female directors like, Yamanda Naoko (although she works at Kyoto Animation) has directed animations like K-On. Yoshiako Nishimura's comment, "Women tend to be more realistic and manage day-to-day lives very well. Men on the other hand tend to be more idealistic – and fantasy films need that idealistic" I personally disagree with his statement because one's imagination and ability to be a good director doesn't have anything to do with their gender. Although, I've enjoyed watching these films made a male director, having a female director would only benefit the company more as they would bring in new ideas and a new perspective.

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