Ask John: Why Does Neil Gaiman Steal Ideas From Studio Ghibli?

Question:
Why does Neil Gaiman have to plunder ideas from Ghibli? He’s had a successful career as a graphic novel creator and artist long before Miyazaki; and yet he clearly swiped scenes from Laputa and Howl’s Moving Castle for Stardust. Now, it appears he’s doing the same with Coraline, by incorporating material from Spirited Away. Is this some sort of payback for having to take flack from fans for his questionable English adaptation of Princess Mononoke? Or does he genuinely love the studio, and is simply trying to pay tribute to it?

Answer:
I’ll have to address this question on tiptoes because I’m not extensively familiar with Mr. Neil Gaiman’s work; I haven’t watched the Stardust movie, and no one has yet seen the animated film Coraline. While I’m not an avid follower of Mr. Gaiman’s work, I do respect his creative talent and intelligence, so I’d like to propose that any similarities between his work and Studio Ghibli anime is a matter of coincidental circumstances rather than malicious intent.

Mr. Gaiman did achieve relative celebrity status in America’s comic book and fantasy fan community prior to the popularization of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli anime in America, but Mr. Miyazaki is the more veteran creator. Miyazaki took his first professional job in the anime production industry when Neil Gaiman was 3 years old. But more importantly, it’s necessary to recognize that Hayao Miyazaki’s creations are not entirely original themselves. For example, the idea for Laputa was drawn from Jonathan Swift’s 1726 novel Gulliver’s Travels, and Howl’s Moving Castle was adapted from Diana Wynne Jones’s 1986 novel of the same name.

Neil Gaiman’s public association with anime and manga began in 1999 when he wrote the Sandman: Dream Hunters novella, which was illustrated by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. Also that year Gaiman wrote the English language script for the American release of Hayao Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke. Considering Mr. Gaiman’s interest in comics and fantasy, it should come as no surprise that he’s interested in anime and manga. Furthermore, as an artist, it shouldn’t be surprising to see Mr. Gaiman absorb and process influences into his own work. Without knowing the exact examples you’re thinking of as examples, I can’t say whether similarities to Ghibli anime in Mr. Gaiman’s writing are intentional homage or unconscious influence, but I’d like to trust that they’re not disrespectful plagiarism.

Originality is attractive and respectable in creative art, but it can’t be an absolute measurement because all human beings are constantly absorbing information and influences, and artists are especially prone to recycling their own experiences and knowledge into new forms and creations. Based on my passing familiarity with Neil Gaiman and his work, I believe that Mr. Gaiman has enough integrity and personal creativity to avoid consciously, selfishly stealing ideas from other artists. Similarities between elements in his work and that of Studio Ghibli may be interesting points for academic and critical analysis, but I doubt that they’re justification for dismissing or lambasting Mr. Gaiman’s works.