The Moral Narratives of Hayao Miyazaki

"Intriguing...I enjoyed it enormously.... An attempt to define or codify Miyazaki's cosmology is fascinating in itself, and tells us as much about what we need Miyazaki to be as what he is. Eric Reinders' book brings us a wide ranging, multifaceted, highly personal and often playful reading of this universe, as though it were viewed through the Hubble Kaleidoscope. In the process it raises as many interesting questions as it answers.”—Helen McCarthy, writer, independent scholar and pioneer of anime history in English.

Widely regarded as Japan's greatest animated director, Hayao Miyazaki creates films lauded for vibrant characters and meaningful narrative themes. Examining the messages of his 10 full-length films--from Nausicaa (1984) to The Wind Rises (2013)--this study analyzes each for its religious, philosophical and ethical implications. Miyazaki's work addresses a coherent set of human concerns, including adolescence, good and evil, our relationship to the past, our place in the natural order, and the problems of living in a complex and ambiguous world. Exhibiting religious influences without religious endorsement, his films urge nonjudgment and perseverance in everyday life.