MORAL NARRATIVES OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI SC #1

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 Nausicaä (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 enjoin nonjudgment and perseverance in everyday life.