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December 13, 2005

NEW GHIBLI PROJECT ANNOUNCED

Ursula K. LeGuin's A WIZARD OF EARTHSEAStudio Ghibli, home of the big animation kahuna himself, Hayao Miyazaki, has updated their official site and announced that their next project (spoken of in rumors) will be an adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin's A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA and it'll be directed by Miyazaki's son, Goro. It's got a July 2006 release date.

Miyazaki has said he doesn't approve of his son directing a movie, and Goro responds on the new site. But it's in Japanese, and I can't read it. Curse them for writing in their native language. Anyone able to translate this?

(Thanks to Nausicaa.net for their fine work in bringing this to everyone's attention, and to Twitch which has more on the story)

December 13, 2005 at 08:42 AM in News | Permalink

Comments

Translation coming right up! (tr: means a translator's note)

Title: Introductory remarks -- My father was against this

My father, Hayao Miyazaki, was against me directing "Ged War Journal" [tr: my guess at a literal translation of the movie's title].

This may sound abrupt. However, first, I would like to make this clear.

Also, to speak truthfully, to open a diary on the Internet and come out in front of everybody was not necessarily my desire. If I had something that I wanted to tell [everyone] with my own voice, that would be, "I want you to watch the work I have completed." That is all.

My desire as a director is to "have people watch 'Ged War Journal' with direct feeling and no idle thoughts," that is all.

However, once the promotion for 'Ged War Journal' begins, for better or worse, the adjective "Hayao Miyazaki's son" will be applied to its director, myself. In response to that, the conclusion that producer Toshio Suzuki reached was, of course, to "respond with the product itself" but also "in order to compete with the product itself, we should acquaint people with Goro Miyazaki as an individual person, not 'Hayao Miyazaki's son.'"

After mulling over all that I too agreed with that view. In short, I decided to try to experiment, even if the order is backwards, to have people watch the work 'Ged War Journal' without preconceptions by expressing what I was thinking as a director through this diary.

I chose the internet as the method [to express my thoughts] because it is the medium that can connect with people most directly. Of course, ideas such as accepting media interviews or press conferences, as has been done before, were also considered. However, I felt that in order to carry out the above-mentioned experiment, I would be able to express my ideas in a more frank manner by not working through the filter of the media.

I will not brashly state here the reason why my father was against [me directing this film] as I stated in the beginning. I think I should reveal that as I describe the path which led me to work as a director and the daily production status.

Finally, there are two reasons why I took on the direction of 'Ged War Journal.' That I felt attraction toward the story of 'Ged War Journal' is the first. The second is that I noticed something in me, that it was difficult to brush away the feelings I had toward animation that I had pretended not to notice until now, for reasons including the relationship with my father.

I don't want to talk specifically about the content of the movie before it is released, but the theme that I wish to express through the movie come out clearly:

"What is it to live honestly these days?"

That is the way of life that I wish I could be like, and it is also the theme of this diary.

Posted by: Adamu | Dec 13, 2005 8:15:25 PM

Thank you, Adamu-

Nicely played.

Posted by: FiveVenoms | Dec 13, 2005 10:26:39 PM

You've got to admire the guy for trying. Still, I find Suzuki's quote that "we should acquaint people with Goro Miyazaki as an individual person, not 'Hayao Miyazaki's son'" to be rather ridiculous. I mean, would Goro be directing the film if he were not "Hayao Miyazaki's son," providing Suzuki with that publicity angle?

And the thing is, the movie will probably bring in more money with Goro at the helm than it would have with a lesser-known (but more qualified) person from within the ranks of Studio Ghibli.

Posted by: Brian | Dec 14, 2005 9:01:40 AM

Thanks a ton, Adam.

Drop me an email over at pandashine@yahoo.com and I'll make sure your efforts are rewarded.

Let no good deed go unnoticed. Let translators rule the world!

Posted by: Grady Hendrix | Dec 14, 2005 9:05:49 AM

Gah...poor guy. I would really hate to be in his position. I don't konw if the title "Miyazaki's son" would actually attract people. Think about it, people are probably going to say, "The only reason why he got in is because he's daddy's little boy." Not because he has any real talent. So if the movie flops, we hate him; if it's good, we love him. There's a lot of stress riding on his first film. It's not like the little guys: make a mistake on the first movie, turn it around with the next. The public will most likely only give him one chance.

I'm rather glad Hayao has a problem with it. I mean, it states the fact that daddy's not supporting him and that this is his own decision. He's going to have to do it all by himself. I know everyone hates it when politics get in because they're parents were once politics (haha, sorry no more Bush references). It's true that it might bring in more money with him as the director, but when you look at it closely...there's no real evidence stating that everyone's going to watch it because his name's backing the film. In fact, more people will probably watch it because it's from Studio Ghibli. It's one of the most renowned studios in the world, I can't think of better reason to watch a film (...and the fact that Miyazaki started Ghibli)

And there's nothing wrong with the small-fry producers. Hey, that's how Hayao started out.

Posted by: Kris | Jan 29, 2006 2:06:32 AM

"I'm rather glad Hayao has a problem with it."

I'm not. Reading Goro's blog it very much seems that Hayao has been a bad father.

He could have supported his son even in this. I don't care if Goro had the chance just because of his father.
It is a Ghibli film and I'm sure that other Ghibli workers were behind the decicion to let Goro direct. Maybe they saw some talent.

Today it is too much about degrees.
One can learn by living in certain surroundings.

Posted by: Ainu | Mar 13, 2006 8:31:02 AM

"It is a Ghibli film and I'm sure that other Ghibli workers were behind the decicion to let Goro direct. Maybe they saw some talent.

Today it is too much about degrees.
One can learn by living in certain surroundings."

Too true. I believe Goro has a fighting chance. Everyone should stop doubting him.

Posted by: kimochi | Apr 22, 2006 8:17:44 PM

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