Studio Ghibli: Animation Powerhouse

The film's box art

I've heard Studio Ghibli called the Disney of Asia.  While I agree with the high praise, I don't really think that this is a like-for-like comparison.  Diseny makes films for children and the "children in all of us."  Studio Ghibli makes films for general audiences that just happen to be animated.  During the studio's genesis in the 1980's, Studio Ghibli blazed a trail later followed by Pixar, focusing on inventive, original stories.  Gone are the "royals" who have their every wish granted.  These animated films focus on normal people thrust into extraordinary situations.  Studio Ghibli made movies that appealed to children, but had enough ideas and themes for adults.  This formula kept families coming back for more, and made Studio Ghibli critical, though not commercial, darlings in America.

And you thought your
commute was crazy

Last week I watched the classic Spirited Away.  Warning: I wouldn't recommend this film for children under ten years old.  It contains many scary images including the protagonist's parents transforming into pigs and a faceless demon who eats a few of the film's supporting characters.  Not exactly Disney material; unless you count the Black Cauldron.  Yes, Disney killed Bambi's mother and traumatized a generation of children, but death is a natural part of life.  A faceless demon that gobbles up anthropomorphic spa workers will likely cause many nightmares and sleepless nights for anyone under the age of seven.  Also, the film's serious tone contrasts with most American produced animated films that rely on humor to advance the story.  I don't remember laughing once during Spirited Away.  It's the only animated film I've seen that surpasses the vast majority of live-action adventure flicks.  This film tells a story with a tone more like a live-action film than a goofball cartoon.  

The cover lets you know
this won't be a happy film

Earlier this week I watched the Studio Ghibli classic Grave of the Fireflies.  Set in the final days of World War II, the story chronicles a brother and sister's struggle to survive after their mother dies in a firebombing.  The DVD contained an interview with Roger Ebert about the film.  In it, Ebert noted the that using animation, rather than real actor's, increased the emotional impact of the film.  Instead of the audience focusing on a young actress playing a starving child in the film, the animation allowed audiences to focus on the experiences of the characters and ideas of the story.  An interesting idea that might explain why movies like Toy Story 3 pack so much emotional punch.  I would not recommend this film for kids unless you are looking to scar your children for life.  In the opening 15 minutes, you see the children's mother burned, dying, and covered in bandages like a mummy.  The DVD case might say ages 3 and up, but there is no way I am showing this film to my kids.

Children in terrifying situations 

Grave of the Fireflies will tear your heart out.  It's amazing how Studio Ghibli puts so much emotion into its animation cells.  Not only would I call this one of the greatest animated films ever, it's also one of the greatest war films.  The film focuses on an aspect of the war sadly, largely forgotten.  The film shows us what war did to families and the pain it inflicted on the civilian population.  Despite a number of films focusing on German civilians garnering commercial and critical acclaim in America, films focusing on the Japanese remain conspicuously absent.  This only makes Grave of the Fireflies more culturally and historically significant.  I plan on watching more of Studio Ghibli's movies over the next few weeks.  Anyone who enjoys animated films should certainly checkout their catalog.  Most of the films aren't well known in the United States, so tell your friends.




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The Xi Jinping Era: Cheng Li's New Reference Book for Chinese Politics

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Anyone interested in China has probably gotten their hands on this book.  A good deal of fanfare accompanied its release, and several of my favorite podcasts featured recommendations of the book.  So, does it live up to the hype?  Yes.  However, unless you're a serious China watcher, I wouldn't pick this one up.

This book is dense.  Like really dense.  It took me a long time to get through it.  In hindsight, I should have read all of the book's conclusion sections first, and then just read the chapters that interested me.  Much of the book's content consists of information about the composition of committees and governing bodies in the PRC.  Other than the noteworthy individuals, most of the names went in one ear and out the other.  However, the extensive profiling of politicians will make it possible to refer back to this book.  I expect to use this book when the next party congress happens.  This is the best reference book for Chinese politics.  The names of politicians, committees, and departments are indexed, making it easy to find information.  

The book's author

Cheng Li insists his approach to studying Chinese is quantitative because he uses numbers and charts.  Like many "social scientists," he cloaks his work in the cloth of science, even though nothing about it is scientific.  Adding charts and a large about of statistics, while useful, does not make something scientific.  

In the decades to come, prior generations will likely view this book as a great snapshot of foreign understanding of the inner workings of Chinese politics.  Xi Jinping's consolidation of power has revolutionized Chinese politics, and I must give great credit to Cheng Li for trying to make sense of post-collective leadership in China.  I must give him even greater credit for not shying away from the fact that Xi's revolution poses great dangers to the established orders both inside and outside China.