Is Miyazaki overrated?

[Ark]

Now before you bite my head off I'm not saying that his films are aweful. It's just that lately I've been watching some old (relatively) American animated films that I hadn't seen in a while and by comparison what Miyazaki has put out doesn't stand up particularly well at all. Now that's no big issue except that in the western media he's always presented as the be all and end all of modern animation.

I have a feeling that the praise he gets in the west is partly due to the fact that in terms of animated films the U.S. is only really making CGI comedies now. In other words he's still making the films that America isn't making anymore.

Personally, the only one that really succeeds is Totoro and I think the reason for that is that it isn't aiming too high in terms of plot development. The others consistantly build up these huge stories that then just kind of fizzle out in the end.

Anyone have any views on this?

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Yes. I hated my Neighbor Totoro. Spoilers:

Nothing happens. No one grows up or develops. Nothing is learned, nothing is gained or lost. There's very little peril or anything incredibly thrilling. there's some parts at the end where I'm like "All right, everyone is dying," but no one dies. I can't even imagine preteens liking this, maybe you had to be 5 years old to enjoy it. It's like Azumanga Daioh but without that scene where the weird teacher shows up at the locker room and randomly starts shouting.


And just like Quinten Tarantino, Miyazaki has to interject his fetishes into his movies. There's a scene that has no impact on the plot in which the girls get their feet dirty, and the camera zooms right in some little girl feet for like five hours. Diaper panties and upskirts are showcased at every turn, and the catbus has testicles for some reason.

Kiki's delivery service had this even worse because there's a scene where a little girl strips down and then gets her feet licked by a cow.

I think Roman Polanski is the least of our worries.

[old hat]

See now that's how trolling is done.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Yeah I was trolling, but that's actually how I really do feel about the movie. I sat there for an hour and a half wondering why people like this movie so much.

It's like when people call the Wicker Man a horror movie and I'm just like "Uh..."

[Arnold]

Now before you bite my head off I'm not saying that his films are aweful. It's just that lately I've been watching some old (relatively) American animated films that I hadn't seen in a while and by comparison what Miyazaki has put out doesn't stand up particularly well at all. Now that's no big issue except that in the western media he's always presented as the be all and end all of modern animation.

Funny thing is, it's not just the critics but also Disney animators from the 80s and 90s who basically consider him a god. So depending on how old the movies that you're talking about are, they may have been created by people who consider him in a league of his own.

And it isn't just the west, as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away were blockbusters in Japan and won the Japanese equivalent of the Best Picture Oscar.

For me, I think it's three things: his visual imagination is boundless, he animates the "little things"- tics and gestures that other animators might pass up, and he has the remarkable ability to say a lot with very little. And the sense of motion he can display is exhilarating, so make that four things.

Take Princess Mononoke for example. The sight of that boar god in the beginning is just amazing- nothing I've seen quite like it before, nothing after. It's something that can only be done by an animator, and a great one at that. Or in Totoro- there's a shot of an empty soda bottle tossed in the lake. Nothing else needed to be said about pollution, or the environment, or whatever. Just that shot was enough.

And as far as action and exhilaration goes- I think scenes like this are pretty sweet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW949aZ2N0E&NR=1

[Kizoku Keenan]

hmmm...no!

[KabukiSaMuRaI]

This label always seems to rear its head when a person gets a lot of press or exposure.

His works have an extensive fan base in Japan and (hell yeah) the United States. It is natural for people to use terms like "overrated" in order to try bring him down a notch. He just puts out what he likes and his vision of certain things translate well on the big screen. He is mindful of his fans but does not do anything that could be considered fan service. He is true to himself yet is able to turn out works that speak to people of different ages.

The only thing that was a mild disappointment to me was Ponyo.

[doraemon]

I,m not going to get into a big debate about this,as it is all down to personal taste but my sig sums up my opinion on the matter,but Miyazaki is not overrated considering the bulk of work he has done even before starting studio ghibli,from working on the lupin the 3rd tv series and his work on the World Masterpiece Theater to the masterpiece Future Boy Conan and Sherlock Hound and many more projects,no one deserves God-like status but Miyazaki deserves every accolade he gets,he might not be a god but he is a genius and all his movies a work of art,and as far as Ponyo goes i think it is an amazing movie,Miyazaki was trying to capture the feel of Totoro in a different enviroment and i personally think he done a great job in doing so,to this day Totoro is still the ultimate family movie especially in japan and i think for a lot of young children worldwide Ponyo will have that same impact.

[loplop]

Yes, I think he is. I find the works of Kon Satoshi, Oshii Mamoru and Watanabe Shin'ichiro to be much more relevant to my tastes and to modern society.

I treat the corporate works of Studio Ghibi (& Miyazaki) the same I treat the works coming from Disney . . . as something to be avoided regardless of what the fanboys and fangirls say.

[Rei]

No, I hardly hear anything about him being overrated.

[Soluzar]

Honestly, I'd say so. He's the sacred cow of anime, ya can't criticise his work without being considered weird. Personally I find most of his movies to be dull, they won't even hold my attention. Some of them have cool elements, but they don't work for me as a whole. The only one I can really sit through is Spirited Away.

[Thousand Eyes]

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. That is my favourite Miyazaki film. It baffles me how it never gets mentioned when Miyazaki's name comes up nowadays. Instead, all I hear about is Spirited Away, Spirited Away, Spirited damn Away. That is probably the single-most overrated Anime film. I saw it once and thought it was good, but nowhere nearly did I feel that it was this 'masterpiece' that so many people seemed to rave about. The same applies to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke.

[Till]

Anyone who send's a sword to a foreign film studio with some childish gibberish about "no cuts....or the knife!" has to be somewhat overrated, and or full of themselve on some level.

[Gray_Knight]

He is a good director, but highly overrated.

American audiences especially credit him with being the best anime director ever.

While his films are fun, they often lack substance. Instead they go for the happy hopeful feel.

Other anime directors make films with much more food for thought.

I have found that any Mamarou Oshi films beats any Miyazaki film. That is just my opinion of course.



They have different goals

Miyazaki wants to entertain children and give them hope. Such was the case with Spirited Away or Totoro

Oshi wants to disillusion people and show them the possible dangers of technological growth. Such was the case with Ghost in the Shell or Patlabor.

They both see problems in society and deal with it in different ways through their art. There is nothing wrong with either of these things.

It just so happens that Oshi makes denser and more intelligent films. Miyazaki shows more conventional "fun."

Overall, Miyazaki does not deserve all the praise he receives. I was really sore when Ponyo got awarded over Sky Crawlers.

I still enjoy Miyazaki films very much, but people need to pull back and analyze the guy much more.

[♣♥Kitten♠♦]

I think the hype for him is overrated, Which is the fault of a lot of marketing on both sides.

Are there a lot of directors that should be showcased a lot more? Hell yeah.

Will they get their time? Sadly no, Not in the mainstream sense here in the states. :facepalm:

[Caster13]

Nope. One of my favorite anime ever is Nausicaa, definitely in the Top 3. Princess Mononoke was good too, I haven't seen a ton of Ghibli films though. But Nausicaa is awesome. And Nausicaa is a total badass, even moreso in the manga.

However it had one of the worst dubs in history. Damn you New World Pictures, DAMN YOU!!!

[Schadenfreude]

Having Peter Boyle voice Muta in the dub for "The Cat Returns" made me fall in love with that film.

He does well, especially among the demographic he aims his films at, and for those playing the substance card, keep in mind that Miyazaki films are the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney films, which could easily be pinned with the same fate.

[Sora N]

I personally think that Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli movies are way too overrated and I've only liked a few of their movies for example: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (one of the best Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli films in my opinion.)

[Lemina]

I don't see why Miyazaki would be overrated. His films were generally good and they have become more popular with the mainstream. My sister loved Howl's Moving Castle. Personally speaking, I loved Princess Mononoke but I couldn't get into any of his other films. His art direction uses for his stories is unique and that's always something refreshing to see in anime. We need more of it.

[tenshi_a]

I think a lot of Ghibli films are quite boring, but I don't know where the divide lies, who did what for each one.

I like Nausicaa very much, I like some of the others where he's made a film (or TV episode) from someone else's story, but... sometimes they really are a bit pointless.

I mean, it's usually a case of telling the audience: "girls are strong" and "weird things might be friendly, don't be mean or run away" and "be nice to the environment", but once you've seen that once you don't need it hammered through again and again and again.

And aside from those three things, otherwise it's often just a bunch of weird stuff that... if it does have a deep meaning, it fails to get it across.

I like him, but mostly only as long as he doesn't get too Miyazaki-flavoured, if that makes sense.

His art direction is... often astounding but usually a bit too freaky and grotesque to really appreciate. I mean, it's stuff to respect but not so much to enjoy.

I picture a lot of these films as being either for very small children (in which case they are probably excellent... though a bit freaky), or for people in an "I was drunk already and it was on and I was chilled out, it was cool" kind of mood. Which is a mood I'm not usually in, so.... yeah. I'm not sure if he's overrated, or it's just that he's rated on a scale that I don't appreciate.

Some people can make things that are wonderful for both children and adults. Or if you prefer "adults of all ages". I'm not sure with this guy.

[Schadenfreude]

The people who usually claim he's overrated go and watch Cowboy Bebop or Bleach afterwards anyways.

[Daishikaze]

I don't think he's overrated, his body of work speaks for itself. Some people don't like his films and thats ok, but it doesn't mean his work is overrated. Sure he's not really been on form since Spirited Away (and even some say he's been off his game even before that, but I disagree there), but his work in the past has generally been very well done, much better than alot of animated features have been in the last 20 years or so IMO.

[Schadenfreude]

Not to mention Ghibli is to Japan as Disney is to America. We grew up watching the Little Mermaid and Cinderella, the Japanese kids grew up watching My Neighbour Totoro and Castle in the Sky.

[xXxJenniferxXx]

I think when people say he is the greatest anime director i think thats a bit overrated
But i like a lot of his works, Spirited Away in paticular ^^

[Levon]

I think when people say he is the greatest anime director i think thats a bit overrated

Then who is? :P

I find that every single anime he directs turns out pretty good, but of course some stand out more than others. (Mononoke is my favorite)

[Animematt]

Kiki's delivery service had this even worse because there's a scene where a little girl strips down and then gets her feet licked by a cow.

I think Roman Polanski is the least of our worries.

ok, I am going to watch Kiki's delivery service now

[xXxJenniferxXx]

Then who is? :P

I find that every single anime he directs turns out pretty good, but of course some stand out more than others. (Mononoke is my favorite)

I love mononoke too :), but i really don't know about that many anime directors but I have seen some anime movies that are better in my opinion than miyazaki's works. Although miyazaki pwns xDD.

[ryogasoul]

I like Miyazaki and Takahata. Miyazaki likes to go for the feelings that all people share. Takahata likes to portray really subtle things like nostalgia or finding your calling. It is the stories, not just the animation that really sells them.

Even saying that, some of the animation is just stellar. Look at the opening 15 minutes of Princess Mononoke again. Look at how the dappled light flows across his face as he rides through the woods, and the clouds streaming through the sky. Amazing.

[masamune31]

Hayao Miyazaki is still one of the most talented animation directors. I really don't think he is overrated. I think Spirited Away and recent his works are totally good but also hyped and Nausicca is too underrated.

And if you want to look for meaningful storytelling or realistic characters or serious human drama, you'll give more credits to Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo and Isao Taakhaka than Miyazaki.

[LuxDeus1]

I absolutely cannot sit through any of Miyazaki's films, especially as far as anime films I grew up watching, stuff like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Roujin Z and such other later films like Metropolis and Steamboy. I tried watching Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke but found them to be quite a snore fest. All that being said, I am definitely gonna say Miyazaki is overrated due to every fan I know that loves and praises his movies like they're plated gold rip's my head off everytime there's a debate about any Miyazaki film.

Googling Hayao Miyazaki proves how overrated he is. His wikipedia speaks for itself as if he is a god. It's one of those "too long, didn't read" type things.

[Levon]

I absolutely cannot sit through any of Miyazaki's films, especially as far as anime films I grew up watching, stuff like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Roujin Z and such other later films like Metropolis and Steamboy. I tried watching Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke but found them to be quite a snore fest. All that being said, I am definitely gonna say Miyazaki is overrated due to every fan I know that loves and praises his movies like they're plated gold rip's my head off everytime there's a debate about any Miyazaki film.

Googling Hayao Miyazaki proves how overrated he is. His wikipedia speaks for itself as if he is a god. It's one of those "too long, didn't read" type things.

Well do you also find Osamu Tezuka's work a snore fest? You probably do, but it doesn't make him any less of a god :P

[Alex Decay]

The only movie of his that I've seen is Spirited Away, and that movie is terrible, but it's legendary. And any terrible movie that's legendary, is overrated. Therefore, by default, I say 'yes.'

[Gray]

The only movie of his that I've seen is Spirited Away, and that movie is terrible, but it's legendary. And any terrible movie that's legendary, is overrated. Therefore, by default, I say 'yes.'

Or your taste in films is just incredibly shallow.

[Mickeymac92]

I was gonna say no, but after reading some of the comments, I can see where they're getting at. I always liked Miyazaki's films for either being strange but fun and visually creative works that are interesting to behold (albeing not exactly stimulating mentally), or because they were more homely, down to earth stories that I can relate to and appreciate. While I'd still say he has a better track record than many other directors as far as my tastes are concerned, he doesn't exactly seem to excel at telling an interesting and compelling storyline (most of the ones I saw relied on simple themes and twisted versions of western works), and it doesn't seem like he really branches out (does he really need to, though?). So yes, I would say he's pretty overrated, even if he will (probably) always be one of my favorite directors.

[old hat]

Or your taste in films is just incredibly shallow.

DING DING DING we have a winner!