In My Ghibli Era

my summer 2024 virtual commonplace book: film edition

Hello, and welcome to Under the Pine Tree! My name is Jess. I’m a Catholic wife and mother in my late twenties currently in the process of writing the second draft of my first book of a series of fantasy novels ever so dear to my heart that I hope you will be able to enjoy someday. Until that day comes, however, here on Substack, I primarily document the ups and downs of that journey, hopefully offering encouragement and in-the-trenches kinds of advice to anyone out there who may benefit from it it. Especially if they’re crazy enough to attempt writing novels with a young child in the house like me. Thanks for stopping by, subscribe if you like this post, and God bless you now and always!

Moving on to another medium…

In case you missed last month’s version of this post, one thread I intend to maintain going forward on this Substack is something of a virtual commonplace book — for my own memory of what I’ve read and watched and loved, to point others toward others’ wonderful work, and to keep myself humble.

(And I will say for sure, last month’s post was quite humbling, in a good way of course, but having my most popular post on this Substack be the one that’s a round-up of other’s work rather than my own… yeah, that’s just humbling. So thank you for that, dear readers. It’s always a good to be reminded when one is very much at the beginning of her writing journey.)

Today, we’ll be doing something similar, but with a bit of a different flavor.

I of course love reading articles (last month’s commonplace) and books (next month’s commonplace) and all of those sorts of things… I have a deep, deep love for visual forms of storytelling like film and television and animation.

Now, I have actually turned my attention more towards books than movies and such as of late. For reasons ranging from motherhood restricting my free time — in general, but especially to expose myself to any stories that demand maturity and discernment beyond a toddler’s haha — to wanting to improve my writing ability through more exposure to the written word. And that has been wonderful.

But I still love the movies.

And so I have stolen some time to keep visual storytelling in my life. Today’s post collects some of my favorites from this summer.

As the title suggests, there’s going to be a lot of Ghibli.

Actually… it’s going to be all Ghibli.

I will admit to watching plenty of Curious George and Bluey this summer, along with some nature documentaries and Star Wars, but in the interest of keeping things focused today, we’re going to stick to the Ghibli movies.

For those who are unfamiliar, Studio Ghibli is an acclaimed Japanese animation studio, responsible for some of the most beloved anime films of all time. And for the longest time, I facetiously called myself a bad anime fan for barely having watched any Ghibli films in spite of watching as much anime as I did back in college.¹

This summer, I’ve been remedying that.

We’ve got four today, and in addition to the quote and my quick thoughts on each movie, I will of course be including some screenshots from the films, because when talking animation, the art is an essential part of the story’s soul and it would be a shame to not give it its due.

I’ll likely be continuing this Ghibli collection in coming months, FYI.

But let’s go!

My Neighbor Totoro

“I also believe that you met the King of the Forest, Mei, and meeting him is a sign of good luck. But there's no guarantee that you'll see him all the time.”

My Neighbor Totoro is the story of two young girls and their father moving into the picturesque Japanese countryside (which is as beautiful as the movie makes it look mind you, now having been once) while their mother recovers from illness in the hospital. A story about finding wonder and beauty in nature and change alike, both of which can be frightening, both of which are often life-giving. Especially when accompanied by a big fuzzy spirit of the forest.

I love Totoro’s representation of family life and whimsy and wonder and play, particularly as the mother of a toddler. This is very much a movie that helps you see the world like a child does, and it’s a very special one for that.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

“Stop trying. Take long walks. Look at scenery. Doze off at noon. Don't even think about flying. And then, pretty soon, you'll be flying again.”

The story of a thirteen year old girl going out on her own to practice her magic as an (almost) adult with little more than her broomstick and her cat, this is very much a story about growing up — finding one’s own way in the world, dealing with mistakes and successes alike, and discovering support in others who love you. Complete with some lovely reflections on art and generosity and hard work and resilience, it’s a lovely movie!

I also love how this movie portrays women, particularly the role kind and competent older women can play in helping a young girl come into her own. We’ve got a very pregnant mom running a bakery with her husband who takes Kiki in, a slightly feral artist who lives in the woods who helps Kiki out of a rut, and some really cool old ladies Kiki goes the extra mile in assisting, only to find more support from them in turn. I adore them all.

Howl’s Moving Castle

A heart’s a heavy burden.

Ahh, I have such mixed feelings on Howl’s Moving Castle. I love it, but it’s also a bit of a mess sometimes. Is first and second halves feel like different movies, largely due to movie Howl’s inconsistent characterization. His choices to proactively fight against his kingdom’s war, even early on in the film, make his vanity and self-proclaimed cowardice ring a little hollow. In the book, they are much more substantially entrenched in his character, making everything about our very talented, rather foppish titular wizard make more sense, his choices more rewarding.

But this movie is sweeping and magical and wondrous all the same. I love Sophie and Howl and Calcifer. I feel for them, and their adventures are enrapturing. There are some really cool original concepts and ideas in the film, and I love getting a visual representation of the ever-shifting aging spell on Sophie. And bird Howl is cool, okay?

I actually had seen Howl’s Moving Castle before, and now having read the book, I prefer Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl vastly and would pay a pretty penny to get a film adaptation of it. But I actually appreciate the film more having read it, because it makes subtle nods to the book I did not previously appreciate… and there’s an ambition to this movie — quite aptly, a heart — that I cannot help but still greatly respect.

Spirited Away

Once you do something, you never forget. Even if you can't remember.

Spirited Away is weird, and to be perfectly honest, when I first watched it 5-10 years ago, I didn’t quite understand why it was as renowned as it was and is. Rewatching it this past week, however, I think I’ve had a bit of a C.S. Lewis “you’ll be able to read fairy tales again when you’re older” kind of moment with it.

A major thread in my life recently — connecting reading and writing, motherhood and nature, faith and study — has been leaning into the wondrous and ineffable parts of existence. There has always been such a large part of me that has wanted to get things, to grasp them in their totality without leaving room for further questions, to know who is right and wrong in story and in reality, and to settle comfortably in my knowledge of a thing. Maturity has taught me that is all too often beyond us… so do baffling fairy tales.

Spirited Away is one such fairy tale.

It’s an excellently made, beautifully animated film, with lovely characters and an entrancing world… but its dreamlike oddity and lack of adherence to many conventions about how conflict works in modern stories that left me a bit cold on it a decade ago are now precisely the things that are leaving me loving it.

Sometimes things just are.

But how do you choose to live and press on in a world you understand so little?

Because you have to. That changes you.

That’s all for today my friends!

I hope you enjoyed getting a little bit of a glimpse into the stories that are inspiring me nowadays, and I look forward to continuing to share all of these things with you going forward.

Two questions to wrap things up today.

1. What are some good movies or tv series or video games you’ve seen recently?

2. And if you too are a Ghibli fan, what would you recommend watching next?

But yeah, thanks as always for reading! God bless you, I’ll be praying for you, and I hope you have a lovely week!

See you soon.

Jess.

1. Dear reader, it was a lot.