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Draft:Miyazakiworld

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Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art
AuthorSusan J. Napier
GenreReference
PublisherYale University Press
Publication date
2018
Pagesxviii, 303
ISBN978-0-300-22685-0
OCLC1050871101

Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art is a reference work by the American animation scholar Susan J. Napier, published in 2018 by Yale University Press. The book analyzes the filmography of the Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki.

Reception

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The work was generally acclaimed by several reviewing scholars. The author and scriptwriter Jonathan Clements, in a review for Science Fiction Studies, wrote that the book featured a "commendable balance of analysis and insight" but fell short of a comprehensive criticism of Miyazaki's body of work without coverage of his manga and television series.[1] Writing for the Journal of Japanese Studies, the animation scholar Rayna Denison wrote that the book was a compelling reading experience for both general audiences and scholars, a "significant step forward in the nascent field of anime studies", but also felt that the book lacked discussion of Miyazaki's short films and other works.[2] Shiro Yoshioka, a Japanese studies educator, appreciated in a review for The Journal of Asian Studies the contextualization of Miyazaki's animation work within his personal life and the culture of the time.[3]

The book also received praise from magazines and newspapers. The Washington Post's Mark Jenkins appreciated the book's lack of overly academic language,[4] and Shane Healy of the Tokyo Weekender felt that the work offered an informative view into Miyazaki's filmography akin to "taking a peek inside his head".[5] Rhea Rollmann of PopMatters wrote that Miyazakiworld was an "excellent volume", concurring that it was a useful resource for a broad audience.[6] Reactor's Leah Schnelbach appraised Napier's analysis as "masterful", and wrote of the diverse perspectives employed in the work to analyze Miyazaki's animations.[7]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clements 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Denison 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yoshioka 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jenkins 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Healy 2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rollmann 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schnelbach 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Sources

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Noodle zone

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Clements felt that detailed accounts of Studio Ghibli's films existed in Japanese, but were often "compromised by personal connections" due to the studio's network of relations in the Japanese media industry. (Clements 427)

Napier acknowledges Helen McCarthy's Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation (1999), the first full-length critical analysis of Miyazaki's filmography,[citation needed] as an inspiration for her work.[1]

Clements wrote that McCarthy's book laid the groundwork for the academic study of Miyazaki's work, but felt that many writers in the field did not adequately utilize Japanese-language sources, instead recycling information that was already available in to academics and fans. (Clements 427–428)

Napier first came across Miyazaki's work viewing his film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), and became interested in it, as she wrote, due to its "surreal beauty" and subtle exploration of environmental themes. She was also compelled by the intricate morals of the titular character, whom she felt is a reflection of Miyazaki.(Napier xi)

Napier identifies traits of Miyazaki's works as characteristic of his artistry, including

  1. ^ Napier 2018, p. xiv.
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