7 Reasons Why People Should Love Studio Ghibli More

I don’t think anime gets enough credit in the West. I shouldn’t be surprised, having already written an article on the subject, but it’s true: anime doesn’t get the respect it deserves. It’s usually frowned on at best and discriminated against at worst, and it was once referred to homourously-but-not-humourously as “those Chinese fuckin' things” by an Academy voter during last year’s Oscars. More specifically, the individual was referring to The Tale of Princess Kaguya in that context, which leads me to…

I’m that predictable.

Anyway, it’s somewhat interesting how Studio Ghibli fits into this anti-anime "epidemic". On one hand, the studio’s more mainstream than most other anime, thanks largely to Disney, which means that people have at least heard of them. On the other hand, it’s not frequently brought up. In my personal experience I’ve even had to prod conversation, in which case one or two people would exclaim, “I know them, they made (insert title here)!” before going back to discussing the latest development in Game of Thrones. It’s discouraging, as I really think there’s more to Studio Ghibli, particularly as an entry to anime, that makes their filmography easily accessible.

Ergo, here are 7 reasons why I think Studio Ghibli deserves a lot more public attention:

1. They make movies, not TV shows.

This first point seems kind of moot: they make movies, so what? However, if you stop to think it over, it’s not really irrelevant. Most anime is televised, meaning it follows the rules of a show. This means 12-26 episodes on average of content, sometimes even more. At roughly 20 minutes per episode, minus the openings and endings, you’re looking at anywhere from 4 to 8.5 hours of story for a single series, and even more for genres like Shonen. That’s a lot of material, and a pretty big commitment, for one anime.

In contrast, Studio Ghibli makes anime movies. Due to time and budget constraints, the average Studio Ghibli movie is roughly 2 hours long. If you want to be technical, most aren’t even that. They’re, therefore, less of a commitment to watch by default. Plus, they’re usually tightly-written, and you can extrapolate everything you need in a short period of time. Add in that there’s a lot of depth packed in these movies, and you have more incentive to re-watch them several times.

Ultimately, the advantage here is time. If I were to watch, say, Fullmetal Alchemist in its entirety, I’d be spending close to 17 hours. For that amount of time, I could watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, my four favourite Studio Ghibli films, back-to-back and still have time remaining. If you want to be technical again, I’d could marathon them in little more half the time it’d take to finish that one show. Therefore, it’s not only more feasible to watch Studio Ghibli over most anime shows, it’s more feasible to watch Studio Ghibli over most shows period.

2. They’re great for kids…mostly.

When you think “anime”, chances are the words “family friendly” don’t come to mind; after all, the West associates that with their animation, but anime fans know how adult it can be. Not only is it responsible for some really graphic violence, sexuality and mature situations, but even its more kid-friendly stuff is gutsier than the West is used to. It seems like the two sides of the Pacific exist in two, totally separate worlds, with our side being more childish and Japan’s side, um…less so. And, to an extent, that’s true, especially given the history of the two hemispheres and their approach to the medium.

Which makes it more appropriate that Studio Ghibli, the bridge between the two worlds, would have a lot of movies geared to families. It sounds weird saying that, but, save Princess Mononoke and maybe Grave of the Fireflies, none of the studio’s twenty-one entries are really objectionable for kids. And even the aforementioned exceptions I can see older kids watching if they’re mature enough. And honestly, Studio Ghibli’s biggest strength is appealing to kids. Why else are movies like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away are so well-loved?

Of course, the question then becomes if this is a good way to introduce kids to anime. To that, I’d say yes. Because while anime is often more graphic than this, at the same time it gives kids a great primer into Japanese culture. And it does so subtly, as none of the Japanese elements are too foreign for kids to grasp without some pretty basic explanations. It’s something to remember the next time your children can’t quite get past the Pokémon stage.

3. They’re great for girls.

This point in particular is especially important for all you ladies. Far too often in entertainment, it seems like girls are shafted in favour of their male counterparts. They’re either relegated to love interests, side characters, damsels in distress or flat-out sex appeal, and all in the name of making boys look better. For a gender that comprises more than half of the world’s population, this is distressing, no? And yet, while not as bad as it once was, the issue hasn’t gone away.

All the more reason why Studio Ghibli is great. Of the twenty-one films in their repertoire, fourteen star girls. Of the remaining seven, five of them feature girls in roles that rival their male counterparts. In general, they all feature competent girls in some capacity. They’re not damsels in distress, pointless love interests, wasted side characters or sex appeal, they’re characters with actual depth. And they usually pass The Bechdel Test too, as a side-note.

It’s great because girls deserve to be interesting alongside men, and not second-tier to them. It’s a mantra that studio founder Hayao Miyazaki has espoused on several occasions, but it’s a lesson the West could stand to learn. It doesn’t matter age, gender or background, women matter. They matter enough to be represented in media fairly. So the next time you want to introduce your daughter, sister, girlfriend, mother, wife, grandmother or even female friend to anime, start with Studio Ghibli. They’ll thank you for it, trust me!

4. There’s something for everyone.

This is the most-general of the points so far, but it might also be the most specific. Despite being family-centric, Studio Ghibli has a lot of cross-appeal. They’re a lot like Nintendo in that regard, as, despite their catalogue, there’s something for pretty much anyone in the animation house’s library. You can search back to 1984, when their first film was released, and find something to your liking. Don’t believe me?


Let’s say you’re a fan of epic fantasy? Well, you have Princess Mononoke to keep you busy. Light fantasy? My Neighbor Totoro, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and The Secret World of Arrietty say hi. How about witches? Kiki’s Delivery Service. Coming of age stories? Do I even need to list the number of coming of age films?

There’s even an example of cheap laughs, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and how not to make a movie, Tales from Earthsea, in the studio’s repertoire. So they have you covered in every regard. It doesn’t matter if it’s a kid’s sleepover, movie night with your significant other, or something to analyze in film class, Studio Ghibli has something for you. It’s one of the reasons why I regularly return to their films, after all! And if you still don’t believe me, well…why not prove me wrong by watching them for yourself?

5. They tackle themes and ideas not normally discussed in Western animation.

One of the downsides to animation being a kid’s medium in the West is that many films, even the great ones, rarely tackle heavy themes. They might touch on them, but when the going gets tough, well…you know. Because of this, a lot of heavy, and often serious, subjects that are important for children to be aware of are never explored. It’s a shame, because kids aren’t stupid. They deserve to be challenged more than we’d like to admit, and not doing so poses a great disservice to not only them, but also adults who don’t normally stop and think about these issues. It’s one of the problems I have with Disney movies, but it can be extended to other studios too.

All the more reason why Studio Ghibli is so vital, as they touch on these topics. Environmentalism, for example, is handled masterfully in Princess Mononoke, while mental illness and abandonment issues are at the forefront of When Marnie Was There. Even The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Grave of the Fireflies, two of the most-haunting films I’ve ever seen, tackle societal expectations and how they can negatively impact youth, which is something an animated movie over here would never dream of discussing! It’s these types of bold choices that generates discussion, which is why I’m glad someone out there cares enough to initiate conversation at all.

Now, does this mean Studio Ghibli is open to everything? No. Their LGBT representation is surprisingly scarce, so much so that their only film to attempt it, When Marnie Was There, somewhat cops-out on addressing it. Conversely, their sole attempt at incest, From Up on Poppy Hill, falls to the wayside in favour of something more standard. But that they even attempted those two topics at all is pretty impressive, so kudos! And kudos to you should you ever decide to watch these films.

6. They’re great at introducing Japanese culture to the West.

I touched on this somewhat earlier, but it deserves elaboration because it’s such a crucial, and also bizarre, point to make. The world of anime is weird, complete with so many Japan-isms that it can be scary to the uninitiated. (Take it from experience, I’m well-aware of this myself.) After all, there’s so much about anime, and Japanese culture, that’d never fully translate with a Western audience (and vice versa,) so tackling it head-on is like wrestling a hungry lion. Where do you begin, and how do you begin it?

The answer to both questions, I believe, is with Studio Ghibli. As anyone who’s read my Beginner’s Guide on the company knows, what sets the studio apart is how un-Japanese it feels while still revelling in its own culture. True, elements like the education system, how people eat, nursery rhymes, festivals and such are a strong part of the Studio Ghibli experience, but the trick is how uniquely subtle they’re used in relation to other anime. They’re not forced down your throat, they’re not bizarrely ambiguous, no riddles or confusion at all! They’re simply presented at face-value, and that’s that.

And yet, you learn a lot about Japan through them! Like how the Emishi people were the Japanese-equivalent of the Incas (aka Princess Mononoke.) Or how Japanese, public high schools are like our private schools (as explored in Whisper of the Heart.) Or how Japanese people congregate in bathhouses en masse (it’s a focal point in Spirited Away.) Or how Japanese people are huge on food culture, etiquette and presentation (as seen in various Studio Ghibli films.) These and more are all shown without feeling preachy or cryptic, making them excellent insights on a microcosmic level.

7. They’re relatively easy to find.

But let’s say everything I mentioned prior doesn’t matter to you. You don’t care about length. You’re not interested in family-friendly content. You don’t care about female leads. You’re not interested in inclusivity. You’re not interested in thematic difference. You’re not even interested in Japanese culture. Well, what else would make Studio Ghibli worthwhile?

Simple: their repertoire's pretty easy to find. I remember HMV would always carry the latest Studio Ghibli films in bulk in their anime department, and sometimes in their Disney/family-friendly departments. Every time I went in there and looked, there was a movie I’d never seen before. Even some Disney stores, Toys-R-Us stores and general video stores had Studio Ghibli films! And when that failed? Well, there was always Amazon.

I credit that for helping me with my anime fix, as I have no intentions of engaging in a hobby that’s too difficult to keep up with. Not to mention, they’re pretty reasonably-priced compared to anime series, so I can afford them on a dirt-cheap budget. Which is great, since I live at home and am unemployed. Which is even greater because I’m not burning through my savings as fast as if I were buying other anime films and shows alike. Bottom-line: that they’re affordable and easy to find means that, at the end of the day, there’s no excuse to not check their films out (unless you’re lazy, in which case shame on you.)

Overall, there are plenty of reasons for Studio Ghibli to receive more attention than they already do (which, considering the internet, is a fair bit.) Therefore, the next time your friends talk Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, you can bring up Grave of the Fireflies in return; in fact, you can even suggest they watch it, only to realize what a mistake that was when they stop talking to you next week! (But seriously, if that’s enough to lose a friend over, then that person wasn’t a good friend anyway.)