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Guided by Miyazaki and his fellow co-founder, the late Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli’s astonishing Japanese backdrops and landscapes are the result of direct studies in the field – from the farmlands of Only Yesterday (1991) to the wilderness explorations that informed Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Princess Mononoke (1997). Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away, 2001, film still.
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It’s startling to find real-life architectural counterparts to filmic references: Notoya Ryokan, for instance, which served as inspiration for the otherwise-otherworldly bathhouse in Spirited Away (2003). There is always some reference point in reality or, at least, in some genuine historical belief.
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Yet, there is something worth examining in the assertion by Studio Ghibli co-founder and anime titan Hayao Miyazaki that: ‘The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos.’ There is no shortage of apparent chaos in the films’ strange locations, rituals and creatures but from what or where do the fragments derive? Quintessentially Japanese, the films delve deep into the country’s history, folklore, superstitions (the Operation Yōkai ghost parade of Pom Poko, 1994, for instance) and stories – whether of fiction or memory. Courtesy: Studio GhibliĪttempting to explain why their films resonate so much goes against the poetic spirit of Studio Ghibli, where enigmatic space is continually left for the audience’s imaginations to roam. Hayao Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle, 2004, film still. Their form of magic realism places great importance on the realism side, as much as it captivates with the spectacle of magic. Their emotions, however sentimental, frequently have a tinge of melancholy, longing or, at least, incompleteness. Their dreams, however fantastical, are always anchored rather than untethered. This is partly because Studio Ghibli made an entire, enchanting film around that precise image ( Laputa: Castle in the Sky, 1986) but also because Thoreau’s view underlines one of the central reasons behind the animation house’s appeal. Now put the foundations under them.’įollowing the news that Studio Ghibli’s back catalogue will become available on Netflix (released in batches from now until April), I sat down to watch and rewatch the Japanese anime classics and found Thoreau’s words ringing in my ears. The key chant to the story, “Leetay Latuparita Ulus Aria Los Balu Netoreel“ or “save me and revive the eternal light” in the Laputan language, is inscribed on the caseback.While writing Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau rejected the idea that the spiritual and the practical were opposites: ‘If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost that is where they should be. The watch is offered in a special presentation box with an illustration of Laputa and carries a card message from the film’s director, Hayao Miyazaki. The watch will be available as a limited edition of 1,200 at the Seiko Boutiques and selected retailers worldwide in July 2021. The exhibition case back reveals the fine finishing of the movement, and the watch is 10 bar water resistant. The crystal glass is a dual-curved sapphire and is treated with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface that delivers high legibility from any angle. Like Caliber 6R35, the movement delivers a power reserve of 70 hours and shares the same performance attributes, but without a date window. The watch houses a new version of Seiko’s high-performance 6R35 movement, Caliber 6R31. The roman numerals, inner ring, retro hands and stitched leather strap complete the nostalgic atmosphere of this magical and evocative limited edition. The crest on the mystical levitation crystal of the heroine’s pendant is reproduced on the enamel dial, made by master craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa and his colleagues, while the castle in the sky is illustrated on the caseback just the way it was in the picture taken by the protagonist’s father when he caught sight of the city.Īround the castle are engraved the words of the chant that is central to the story. This new Seiko Presage watch captures many of the key elements of the animation in every corner of its design. Seiko has launched a new Presage timepiece by the now-classic fantasy-adventure Japanese animation film “Castle In The Sky.” This is the first animation feature from the world-renowned Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, whose works have won the favor of animation fans worldwide for their imaginative, other-worldly settings, distinctive visuals and masterful storytelling.