Is Miyazaki overrated?

Ark · October 10th, 2009, 02:55 PM

Now before you bite my head off I'm not saying that his films are aweful. It's just that lately I've been watching some old (relatively) American animated films that I hadn't seen in a while and by comparison what Miyazaki has put out doesn't stand up particularly well at all. Now that's no big issue except that in the western media he's always presented as the be all and end all of modern animation.

I have a feeling that the praise he gets in the west is partly due to the fact that in terms of animated films the U.S. is only really making CGI comedies now. In other words he's still making the films that America isn't making anymore.

Personally, the only one that really succeeds is Totoro and I think the reason for that is that it isn't aiming too high in terms of plot development. The others consistantly build up these huge stories that then just kind of fizzle out in the end.

Anyone have any views on this?

The Million Dollar Prons · October 10th, 2009, 04:19 PM

Yes. I hated my Neighbor Totoro. Spoilers:

Nothing happens. No one grows up or develops. Nothing is learned, nothing is gained or lost. There's very little peril or anything incredibly thrilling. there's some parts at the end where I'm like "All right, everyone is dying," but no one dies. I can't even imagine preteens liking this, maybe you had to be 5 years old to enjoy it. It's like Azumanga Daioh but without that scene where the weird teacher shows up at the locker room and randomly starts shouting.

And just like Quinten Tarantino, Miyazaki has to interject his fetishes into his movies. There's a scene that has no impact on the plot in which the girls get their feet dirty, and the camera zooms right in some little girl feet for like five hours. Diaper panties and upskirts are showcased at every turn, and the catbus has testicles for some reason.

Kiki's delivery service had this even worse because there's a scene where a little girl strips down and then gets her feet licked by a cow.

I think Roman Polanski is the least of our worries.

old hat · October 10th, 2009, 05:00 PM

See now that's how trolling is done.

The Million Dollar Prons · October 10th, 2009, 05:11 PM

Yeah I was trolling, but that's actually how I really do feel about the movie. I sat there for an hour and a half wondering why people like this movie so much.

It's like when people call the Wicker Man a horror movie and I'm just like "Uh..."

Arnold · October 13th, 2009, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ark

Now before you bite my head off I'm not saying that his films are aweful. It's just that lately I've been watching some old (relatively) American animated films that I hadn't seen in a while and by comparison what Miyazaki has put out doesn't stand up particularly well at all. Now that's no big issue except that in the western media he's always presented as the be all and end all of modern animation.

Funny thing is, it's not just the critics but also Disney animators from the 80s and 90s who basically consider him a god. So depending on how old the movies that you're talking about are, they may have been created by people who consider him in a league of his own.

And it isn't just the west, as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away were blockbusters in Japan and won the Japanese equivalent of the Best Picture Oscar.

For me, I think it's three things: his visual imagination is boundless, he animates the "little things"- tics and gestures that other animators might pass up, and he has the remarkable ability to say a lot with very little. And the sense of motion he can display is exhilarating, so make that four things.

Take Princess Mononoke for example. The sight of that boar god in the beginning is just amazing- nothing I've seen quite like it before, nothing after. It's something that can only be done by an animator, and a great one at that. Or in Totoro- there's a shot of an empty soda bottle tossed in the lake. Nothing else needed to be said about pollution, or the environment, or whatever. Just that shot was enough.

And as far as action and exhilaration goes- I think scenes like this are pretty sweet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW949aZ2N0E&NR=1

Kizoku Keenan · November 6th, 2009, 12:36 PM

hmmm...no!

KabukiSaMuRaI · November 13th, 2009, 02:57 PM

This label always seems to rear its head when a person gets a lot of press or exposure.

His works have an extensive fan base in Japan and (hell yeah) the United States. It is natural for people to use terms like "overrated" in order to try bring him down a notch. He just puts out what he likes and his vision of certain things translate well on the big screen. He is mindful of his fans but does not do anything that could be considered fan service. He is true to himself yet is able to turn out works that speak to people of different ages.

The only thing that was a mild disappointment to me was Ponyo.

doraemon · November 14th, 2009, 04:24 AM

I,m not going to get into a big debate about this,as it is all down to personal taste but my sig sums up my opinion on the matter,but Miyazaki is not overrated considering the bulk of work he has done even before starting studio ghibli,from working on the lupin the 3rd tv series and his work on the World Masterpiece Theater to the masterpiece Future Boy Conan and Sherlock Hound and many more projects,no one deserves God-like status but Miyazaki deserves every accolade he gets,he might not be a god but he is a genius and all his movies a work of art,and as far as Ponyo goes i think it is an amazing movie,Miyazaki was trying to capture the feel of Totoro in a different enviroment and i personally think he done a great job in doing so,to this day Totoro is still the ultimate family movie especially in japan and i think for a lot of young children worldwide Ponyo will have that same impact.

loplop · November 14th, 2009, 05:56 AM

Yes, I think he is. I find the works of Kon Satoshi, Oshii Mamoru and Watanabe Shin'ichiro to be much more relevant to my tastes and to modern society.

I treat the corporate works of Studio Ghibi (& Miyazaki) the same I treat the works coming from Disney . . . as something to be avoided regardless of what the fanboys and fangirls say.

Rei · November 17th, 2009, 10:49 AM

No, I hardly hear anything about him being overrated.

Soluzar · November 17th, 2009, 11:00 AM

Honestly, I'd say so. He's the sacred cow of anime, ya can't criticise his work without being considered weird. Personally I find most of his movies to be dull, they won't even hold my attention. Some of them have cool elements, but they don't work for me as a whole. The only one I can really sit through is Spirited Away.

Grimhouse Diva · December 31st, 2009, 09:08 PM

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. That is my favourite Miyazaki film. It baffles me how it never gets mentioned when Miyazaki's name comes up nowadays. Instead, all I hear about is Spirited Away, Spirited Away, Spirited damn Away. That is probably the single-most overrated Anime film. I saw it once and thought it was good, but nowhere nearly did I feel that it was this 'masterpiece' that so many people seemed to rave about. The same applies to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke.

Till · December 31st, 2009, 09:41 PM

Anyone who send's a sword to a foreign film studio with some childish gibberish about "no cuts....or the knife!" has to be somewhat overrated, and or full of themselve on some level.

Gray_Knight · March 15th, 2010, 03:18 PM

He is a good director, but highly overrated.

American audiences especially credit him with being the best anime director ever.

While his films are fun, they often lack substance. Instead they go for the happy hopeful feel.

Other anime directors make films with much more food for thought.

I have found that any Mamarou Oshi films beats any Miyazaki film. That is just my opinion of course.

They have different goals

Miyazaki wants to entertain children and give them hope. Such was the case with Spirited Away or Totoro

Oshi wants to disillusion people and show them the possible dangers of technological growth. Such was the case with Ghost in the Shell or Patlabor.

They both see problems in society and deal with it in different ways through their art. There is nothing wrong with either of these things.

It just so happens that Oshi makes denser and more intelligent films. Miyazaki shows more conventional "fun."

Overall, Miyazaki does not deserve all the praise he receives. I was really sore when Ponyo got awarded over Sky Crawlers.

I still enjoy Miyazaki films very much, but people need to pull back and analyze the guy much more.

♣♥Kitten♠♦ · March 21st, 2010, 06:48 PM

I think the hype for him is overrated, Which is the fault of a lot of marketing on both sides.

Are there a lot of directors that should be showcased a lot more? Hell yeah.

Will they get their time? Sadly no, Not in the mainstream sense here in the states.

October 10th, 2009, 02:55 PM	#1
Ark Bear Costume!!! Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 392	Is Miyazaki overrated? Now before you bite my head off I'm not saying that his films are aweful. It's just that lately I've been watching some old (relatively) American animated films that I hadn't seen in a while and by comparison what Miyazaki has put out doesn't stand up particularly well at all. Now that's no big issue except that in the western media he's always presented as the be all and end all of modern animation. I have a feeling that the praise he gets in the west is partly due to the fact that in terms of animated films the U.S. is only really making CGI comedies now. In other words he's still making the films that America isn't making anymore. Personally, the only one that really succeeds is Totoro and I think the reason for that is that it isn't aiming too high in terms of plot development. The others consistantly build up these huge stories that then just kind of fizzle out in the end. Anyone have any views on this? __________________ Winamp, it really wips the Lama's ***. "Matt Damon!" -Matt Damon, Team America: World Police

October 10th, 2009, 05:00 PM	#3
old hat Cure Shouty! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The fairy tale land of Aztlan. Posts: 14,511 Blog Entries: 160	See now that's how trolling is done. __________________ http://myanimelist.net/animelist/oldhat "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." -George Washington

November 6th, 2009, 12:36 PM	#6
Kizoku Keenan ばか =) Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: West Blue Posts: 534	hmmm...no! __________________ The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on Avatar: Roranoa Zoro One Piece Facebook MyAnimeList

November 13th, 2009, 02:57 PM	#7
KabukiSaMuRaI De(CON)struction Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: この世界 Posts: 1,772	Is he? This label always seems to rear its head when a person gets a lot of press or exposure. His works have an extensive fan base in Japan and (hell yeah) the United States. It is natural for people to use terms like "overrated" in order to try bring him down a notch. He just puts out what he likes and his vision of certain things translate well on the big screen. He is mindful of his fans but does not do anything that could be considered fan service. He is true to himself yet is able to turn out works that speak to people of different ages. The only thing that was a mild disappointment to me was Ponyo. __________________ ACHIEVEMENT: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have VISION, DETERMINATION and and endless supply of EXPENDABLE LABOR. À coeur vaillant rien d'impossible --Jia-- By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail. --Benjamin Franklin-- I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas and he washed my mouth out with soap.

November 14th, 2009, 04:24 AM	#8
doraemon Ghibli Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Glasgow/Scotland Posts: 745	I,m not going to get into a big debate about this,as it is all down to personal taste but my sig sums up my opinion on the matter,but Miyazaki is not overrated considering the bulk of work he has done even before starting studio ghibli,from working on the lupin the 3rd tv series and his work on the World Masterpiece Theater to the masterpiece Future Boy Conan and Sherlock Hound and many more projects,no one deserves God-like status but Miyazaki deserves every accolade he gets,he might not be a god but he is a genius and all his movies a work of art,and as far as Ponyo goes i think it is an amazing movie,Miyazaki was trying to capture the feel of Totoro in a different enviroment and i personally think he done a great job in doing so,to this day Totoro is still the ultimate family movie especially in japan and i think for a lot of young children worldwide Ponyo will have that same impact. __________________ Akira Kurosawas views on Totoro and Miyazaki San-anyone who can make a movie as honest,beautiful as My Neighbour Totoro must be cherished,because movies like this are rare,even rarer in the animation world,Miyazaki is one of the few contempoary makers of animation who truly respects his audience,his material,and his medium. Last edited by doraemon; November 14th, 2009 at 04:40 AM.

October 10th, 2009, 04:19 PM	#2
The Million Dollar Prons Wild Like a Snorlax Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The Mellon Colony of Haruhi Suzumiya. Posts: 13,051 Blog Entries: 17	Yes. I hated my Neighbor Totoro. Spoilers: Nothing happens. No one grows up or develops. Nothing is learned, nothing is gained or lost. There's very little peril or anything incredibly thrilling. there's some parts at the end where I'm like "All right, everyone is dying," but no one dies. I can't even imagine preteens liking this, maybe you had to be 5 years old to enjoy it. It's like Azumanga Daioh but without that scene where the weird teacher shows up at the locker room and randomly starts shouting. And just like Quinten Tarantino, Miyazaki has to interject his fetishes into his movies. There's a scene that has no impact on the plot in which the girls get their feet dirty, and the camera zooms right in some little girl feet for like five hours. Diaper panties and upskirts are showcased at every turn, and the catbus has testicles for some reason. Kiki's delivery service had this even worse because there's a scene where a little girl strips down and then gets her feet licked by a cow. I think Roman Polanski is the least of our worries.

October 10th, 2009, 05:11 PM	#4
The Million Dollar Prons Wild Like a Snorlax Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The Mellon Colony of Haruhi Suzumiya. Posts: 13,051 Blog Entries: 17	Yeah I was trolling, but that's actually how I really do feel about the movie. I sat there for an hour and a half wondering why people like this movie so much. It's like when people call the Wicker Man a horror movie and I'm just like "Uh..."

November 14th, 2009, 05:56 AM	#9
loplop has a Anime Milf Fetish Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Some where near Seiroka Posts: 8,754 Blog Entries: 21	Yes, I think he is. I find the works of Kon Satoshi, Oshii Mamoru and Watanabe Shin'ichiro to be much more relevant to my tastes and to modern society. I treat the corporate works of Studio Ghibi (& Miyazaki) the same I treat the works coming from Disney . . . as something to be avoided regardless of what the fanboys and fangirls say. __________________ loplop's Anime List : loplop's Figure Collection : loplop's Pixiv Profile "It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first." -- Ronald Reagan

November 17th, 2009, 10:49 AM	#10
Rei Sexy Beam Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: HFIL Posts: 188	No, I hardly hear anything about him being overrated. __________________ My Life Story

November 17th, 2009, 11:00 AM	#11
Soluzar Double rainbow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: All the way across the sky... Posts: 13,579 Blog Entries: 45	Honestly, I'd say so. He's the sacred cow of anime, ya can't criticise his work without being considered weird. Personally I find most of his movies to be dull, they won't even hold my attention. Some of them have cool elements, but they don't work for me as a whole. The only one I can really sit through is Spirited Away.

December 31st, 2009, 09:08 PM	#12
Grimhouse Diva Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 1,308	Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. That is my favourite Miyazaki film. It baffles me how it never gets mentioned when Miyazaki's name comes up nowadays. Instead, all I hear about is Spirited Away, Spirited Away, Spirited damn Away. That is probably the single-most overrated Anime film. I saw it once and thought it was good, but nowhere nearly did I feel that it was this 'masterpiece' that so many people seemed to rave about. The same applies to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke. Last edited by Grimhouse Diva; December 31st, 2009 at 09:17 PM.

December 31st, 2009, 09:41 PM	#13
Till Tsundere Buster Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: back in Haman's pants Posts: 655	Anyone who send's a sword to a foreign film studio with some childish gibberish about "no cuts....or the knife!" has to be somewhat overrated, and or full of themselve on some level. __________________ http://myanimelist.net/profile/Till0 A man full of grits is a man of peace. http://comicbookdb.com/collection.php?ID=29545 6307. Last edited by Till; December 31st, 2009 at 09:46 PM.

March 15th, 2010, 03:18 PM	#14
Gray_Knight Registered User Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 18	He is a good director, but highly overrated. American audiences especially credit him with being the best anime director ever. While his films are fun, they often lack substance. Instead they go for the happy hopeful feel. Other anime directors make films with much more food for thought. I have found that any Mamarou Oshi films beats any Miyazaki film. That is just my opinion of course. They have different goals Miyazaki wants to entertain children and give them hope. Such was the case with Spirited Away or Totoro Oshi wants to disillusion people and show them the possible dangers of technological growth. Such was the case with Ghost in the Shell or Patlabor. They both see problems in society and deal with it in different ways through their art. There is nothing wrong with either of these things. It just so happens that Oshi makes denser and more intelligent films. Miyazaki shows more conventional "fun." Overall, Miyazaki does not deserve all the praise he receives. I was really sore when Ponyo got awarded over Sky Crawlers. I still enjoy Miyazaki films very much, but people need to pull back and analyze the guy much more. __________________ I'm a ninja..... I'm taking your clothes off

March 21st, 2010, 06:48 PM	#15
♣♥Kitten♠♦ Wandering around Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Wonderland Posts: 192 Blog Entries: 1	I think the hype for him is overrated, Which is the fault of a lot of marketing on both sides. Are there a lot of directors that should be showcased a lot more? Hell yeah. Will they get their time? Sadly no, Not in the mainstream sense here in the states.