Castle in the Sky and Todorov!

The first time I saw Castle in the Sky, I really despised it. I thought the plot was cheesy and the characters bothered me. I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it again because my opinion of it has definitely shifted.

One thing I've noticed with Hayao Miyazaki films is the settings are similar. There's a definitely technologically advanced society, what with complex and inventive flying machines, but there's also an old world, European feel to them. It's this idea that these are complex societies, but they've somehow digressed to the old ways of technological uses. Maybe the society has reached a tipping point where it once was industrialized, but became too expansive and collapsed in on itself.

Todorov's article on The Fantastic was very interesting. It appears that Castle in the Sky would fall under the category of fantastic marvelous. There is never a moment of hesitation where the magical world that the characters live in needs to be justified. It just is the way it is. Of course it's normal that a girl should be slowly floating down from the sky.

Nausicaa Viewing 2

The second time we watched Nausicaa there were some themes that stood out to me compared to the first time.

The theme of color. Nauciscaa wears blue, but has red earrings. The other princess, Lastelle wears a red dress and has blue earrings. This is a mirror type effect which would lead the viewer to believe that these two young women are similar. Also the red/blue theme relates to the Ohmu as well. Red being when they are enraged and blue for when they are passive or friendly.

Another reoccurring theme was the music. The music is normally a sort of techno, electronic sounding, except when the Ohmu are on screen or it is a flashback. The music then has a strummed instrument that sounds somewhat traditional.

Week 3: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This was the first time that I'd seen Nausicaa. I was immediately struck by the visuals. The world that Miyazaki created was so isolating and beautiful. It seems interesting that the Sea of Decay or Toxic Jungle is such an incredibly beautiful place. Also in the very opening scene Master Yupa enters that deserted village and I was immediately reminded of Star Wars. It's possible that Miyazaki was influenced by other sci-fi creations, but after watching the film it is quite evident that more films have been influenced by the creative world of Nausicaa than the other way around.

I also really enjoyed the message of the film. It is a bit heavy handed and quite possibly cheesy, "Blind with rage." but it's done in such a way that it doesn't really bother me. This might have to do with from the very first ten minutes submitting yourself to the film experience. You have to accept this world that he's created and along with that is everything else.

Susan Napier's chapter was great. Having a female shoju character allows some flexibility. Being a female, one can exhibit masculine and feminine qualities without repercussions and is often seen stronger for balancing both attributes. Men are not allowed this luxury. If men show compassion or emotion, which are often seen as feminine, then they are thought weaker for it.