Wilmoth 1 Daniel Wilmoth Professor Laura Buchholz English 102 3 February 2014 Analysis of Susan Napier s Confronting Master Narratives: History as Vision in Miyazaki Hayao's Cinema of De-assurance The title and abstract of this article by Susan J. Napier give off the impression that it will compare films by Disney and Hayao Miyazaki and contrast how they portray concepts such as the relationship between humanity and nature and the reinforcement of national identity, particularly regarding the identity of women. In addition, it leads the reader to believe that it will mainly focus on the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke. This is upheld on page 471 of the journal when Napier states her thesis, which is best summarized as follows: The ever-popular Miyazaki films have a tendency to subvert the traditional Japanese identity, especially in the ways they challenge gender roles of women in society. The 1997 hit move Princess Mononoke serves as a prime example of a Studio Ghibli film filled to the brim with these subversions. Miyazaki s Studio Ghibli, despite these unconventional portrayals, has earned a spot in Japanese society akin to Disney s in the West. While the two studios do share some similarities, there exist some fundamental differences between the approaches taken and messages delivered by Ghibli and Disney. Right off the bat two integral parts of an academic essay are blatantly missing. Napier never put in a literature review or a methodology section. However, this was most likely not a result of lazy or sloppy writing. Rather, it is probable that neither section had a relevant place in this essay. There was no survey being conducted. Napier was not writing an article on a scientific experiment she had been
Wilmoth 2 assigned to record. She was not analyzing trends and predicting how they might play out in the future. She was simply interpreting the themes of a movie. It is likely that an extensive amount of articles and books dedicated to the themes of Princess Mononoke had not been released yet in 2001 when her article was published. In addition, the evidence she presents is largely based off of her own intuition and observation. Now, it does require a bit of understanding about Japanese history and society to interpret some of the themes in the movie. For these she does not give much reference as to where her knowledge on the subject came from. Not everything claimed in the essay is assumed to be pulled out of her own head, though. There is indeed a long reference list given at the end. With that in mind, she went into impressive detail not only analyzing this movie, but also explaining the nature of traditional Japanese identity, common anime tropes, history surrounding Studio Ghibli movies, and Disney s experiences with globalization. She began her article with a brief explanation as to how media both affects globalization and represents national identities. She then asks who the major players in media speaking for national identity are. Putting forth an answer, Napier asserts that Disney speaks for the identity of the United States. Disney movies, she states, will often use foreign cultures to create, reinforce, and evangelize American ideals. She then suggests the Japanese animation, called anime can and is used as an alternative method for global expansion. She then briefly explains some common ways anime subverts happy, whimsical Disney tropes with darker, lonelier themes aimed more at young adults. The driving force behind the global expansion of anime, she believes, is Hayao Miyazaki. Her thesis is stated, and she begins listing comparisons between Disney and Studio Ghibli. Both have a unique style. They often portray moral and ideological worldviews through their stories, which often star young protagonists. Their messages are often humanistic and set in fantasy worlds. While aimed at children, their movies are marketed to families. Arguably the most crucial point, though, is that they both take settings and stories from other cultures.
Wilmoth 3 It is here that the differences between the two begin. While they may borrow similar settings from another culture, they handle the source material entirely differently. Disney will often use existing stories as a loose outline for conveying a message that reinforces the American identity. Miyazaki, on the other hand, uses these settings to create an original story which he uses to challenge Japanese identity, particularly regarding female stereotypes. The author then goes on to describe the typical female anime protagonist. She is feminine, innocent, and cute with a hint of sexualization. They may try to stand on their own, but they often need the support of a community. When they do try to control their world, it often backfires on them. Miyazaki writes his women much differently. They are often still feminine, cute, and innocent, but they are also more independent and in control. They re inspirational icons that embody often Western ideals of courage and heroism. They play roles often given to men in anime. On occasion these women were even angry, violent, and aggressive, as is the case in Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke, she says, portrays feminine strength and independence in a much darker light, placing women in major roles for the war between human and nature. It attacks the frequent myth of people coexisting with the rural world. To do this, Miyazaki sets up a historical fiction using his own created history. In a setting that would normally be full of samurai, feudal lords, and peasants, Miyazaki replaces with a small group of people at war with wild gods. The human settlement, Tatara, is rather unconventional too, being a woman-governed iron-mining town that develops guns rather than swords. The emperor of the land, who would normally usher in peace between man and nature, clamors for the head of the god in dominion over the forest, the shishigami. It ends on a bittersweet note, leaving little resolved between the ideological opposite protagonists and with the future of the forest uncertain. The biggest subversions exist within the three main women of the film. The first is Eboshi, the governor of Tatara. While she cares deeply for the sick and needy, she puts equal care and energy into
Wilmoth 4 militarism and conquest of the forest. She rules independently in a manner that would seem like a onesided caricature of the oppressive general had she been played by a man. Her ambiguous status as villain is even overshadowed by her motivations to simply protect the community she s built. The second woman is San, a human who was raised by wolves and developed a hatred for all of humanity. Her first appearance in the film has her covered in fur and bone, her face caked in the blood of the wolf who raised her. This image of San was plastered onto almost all of the promotional material for the film, emphasizing that the princess described in the title was not your averagely depicted princess at all. The third and final example would be Moro, San s mother. While she is wise, brave, and cares for her wolf children and human daughter, she is still a distant and terrifying killer. Her death scene is never played up for sadness. In fact, it hammers her ferocity home when her final act is tearing off one of Eboshi s arms. They portray her death coldly to emphasize the fact that she is just as cold. None of these three women fill traditionally female roles. They are never there to help or console the male protagonist as the woman often does. In fact, each of their spots in the film could be replaced with a man and the script wouldn t need any changing. In addition, Napier says, these roles heavily contrast with the traditional roles throughout cultures of women and nature living together in harmonious beauty. San, the woman living in nature, is bestial and terrifying. Nature and culture are both seen as aggressive and destructive The author concludes by contrasting these themes with those in the Disney films Pocahontas and Tarzan. Pocahontas lives harmoniously with nature, but there are allusions to the eventual destruction of their society by the British Empire as well as the eventual United States. Tarzan depicts a similar ideal of the noble savage living as one with nature. Tarzan s animal parents and friends act in almost completely human ways. When the villain Clayton attacks out of greed, the good humans team up with nature to take down the bad human. The jungle they live in is an unspoiled paradise where Tarzan s mother can gently extend her paw out when San s in would be biting someone s off. It s an
Wilmoth 5 inclusive society rather than an antihuman one. It believes that technology can be ignored, when Mononoke says it must be rooted out. Personally, I find the analysis by Susan Napier to be tremendous. I found after studying her article that I appreciated the movie so much more. If I ever write a paper on the themes in Miyazaki movies, or just specifically the ones in Princess Mononoke, I ll definitely use this as one of my main sources. Some of the references in her notes that stuck out to me the most were ones that dealt with Disney s globalization of American ideals, particularly one called How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic by Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart.
Wilmoth 6 Works Cited Napier, Susan J. "Confronting Master Narratives: History As Vision In Miyazaki Hayao's Cinema Of De- Assurance." Positions 9.2 (2001): 467. Film & Television Literature Index. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.