No, Not Every Cozy Fantasy is "Just Like That One Studio Ghibli Movie".
taking a closer look at the use of tropes to sell media.
I’m no stranger to the phenomena of comparing books to specific movies within the book community. It’s not uncommon to use this marketing tactic in order to drive up interest or to help the poster better summarize the feelings, vibes, and tropes that were brought up while reading. Now, I don’t necessarily see this as a problem or tactic that needs to stop, as there’s often no harm in it. But what I have noticed is something that makes my left eye twitch: comparing every cozy fantasy to a Studio Ghibli film.
I have seen a rise in the amount of “if you enjoyed this cozy fantasy, you’ll enjoy Howl’s Moving Castle or My Neighbor Totoro” posts, that on the surface might not raise any questions, but when you take a step back to look at the themes within these movies are not actually “cozy” at all. This essay (I feel a bit pretentious saying that) is my attempt at getting readers to take a step back in order to view the very serious themes of most of, if not all Hayao Miyazaki’s films. As well as working through the use of the word “cozy” and unpacking the way we use tropes to reduce storytelling to “just vibes”.
There’s really only one way to start this essay and that is by taking a quick glance at Hayao Miyazaki himself and his inspirations behind his creations. Hayao Miyazaki, born in 1941, is a Japanese artist, writer, and animator. He’s probably best known as one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, the studio behind favorites such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.
Miyazaki’s stories are charming and full of life. His works have become beacons of light and vessels for the imagination for many people around the world with his ability to invoke a sense of childlike wonderment within his stories. Which makes sense, as he has cited the way children’s view the world as one of his core inspirations, “I look at them and try to see things as they do. If I can do that, I can create universal appeal. The relationship is two-way. We get strength and encouragement from watching children. I consider it a blessing to be able to do that, and to make movies in this chaotic, testing world” (Bose, 2023). But an aspect of Hayao Miyazaki’s stories that often goes unmentioned and is the core of why I wanted to write this essay, are his political views and intentions with his stories.
Miyazaki has never shied away from his leftist beliefs, as well as important and serious topics, using them as the foundation in the movies he helps to create. Let’s take a closer look at some examples:
- Environmentalism, Nature, and eco-terrosim (Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Pom Poko, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind),
- War and Anti-imperialism (Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, Nausicaä, Porco Roso),
- Grief and Loss (Up From Poppy Hill, Grave of the Fireflies, The Boy and the Heron, Princess Mononoke)
- Kindness of Human Nature and the Hopes for a Better Future (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Wind Rises)
Not every one of these films delivers us these themes and concepts on a silver platter for the audience to easily spot or pick apart, but they are nonetheless present and very much intentional on the part of Miyazaki and his team. In some cases these themes can be harder to spot, such as in My Neighbor Totoro. You may not initially notice that this film is not just a wholesome tale, but is also about the loss of childhood, growing u p too fast, and the importance of respectful nature. These themes are crucial to the plot and characterization.
Similarly you cannot ignore the message highlighting the evils of war and imperialism from Howl’s Moving Castle without drastically changing or ignoring the meaning of the film. Miyazaki himself stated that the film was a response to the rage he felt about the Iraq war. He “decided to make a film that he felt would be poorly received in the United States” (Miyazaki, 2014). The titular character, Howl, becomes increasingly enraged and distressed by the evil of war and we see this reflected in his physical appearance as he turns from handsome man to a monster, who can only be saved by being shown the compassion, kindness, and love of Sophie.
As my friend Rachael pointed out, Miyazaki provides moments depicting peace and hope to keep nihilism at bay. Love exists in the world even when it is dark and scary. We should embrace those moments but ultimately they mean nothing if we ignore or don’t understand the broader themes at play.
Hayao Miyazaki’s movies are allegories that use color, stylistic simplicity and magical elements to coat the bitter pill that is the message within. In fact, many of his movies become less fantastical and easy to watch as you grow up, because you see what he is saying about the world. His films are classics not only because they’re well made, but because the messages and themes are unfortunately timeless and show history repeats itself. You cannot watch the scene in Howl’s Moving Castle where the military drops flyers that order evacuation of an entire town with the threat of military violence without thinking of the same thing happening in Palestine. You cannot sit and witness the destruction of forests and their inhabitants in order to make room for modern civilization in Princess Mononoke without seeing mass movements of deforestation across the world. How do you watch any Studio Ghibli movie and come to the conclusion that it is “cozy?”
I think the answer to that is twofold: not understanding what the term “cozy” actually means and lack of media literacy especially when it comes to animated media. Let’s take a look at the definition of the word “cozy”: “enjoying or affording warmth and ease”, “marked by or providing contentment or comfort” (Merriam-Webster). When the book community talks about books that fit into the category of “cozy literature” or “cozy fiction”, typically we are discussing books that have little to no actual serious plot that could be considered stressful or difficult to experience.
Neither of the definitions I listed above are words that I would use to describe any of the Studio Ghibli films, nor the themes that they tackle. There is a distinct difference between a movie containing scenes that are happy or cozy, and a movie being cozy. Perhaps a better term to use to categorize many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films would be “magic realism”, though that is another identifier that tends to be misused as well. What is Magic Realism?
According to Britanicca, it is “A chiefly Latin-American narrative strategy that is characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly realistic fiction”. In my opinion this much better suits what Miyazaki does with his stories, especially if you agree with scholars that, “magic realism is a natural outcome of postcolonial writing, which must make sense of at least two separate realities—the reality of the conquerors as well as that of the conquered” (Britanicca, 2024).
As mentioned in my early section, Miyazaki's movies are inherently political messages carefully crafted to be palatable and long lasting. His films tell the stories of the conquerors as well as the conquered even when they do not explicitly outline the villain for you.
When we improperly categorize films such as Howl’s Moving Castle or Ponyo or even The Boy and the Heron as “simply cozy fantasy” we are reducing the content of these stories to movies of comfort and “vibes” while completely failing to engage with the topics and themes being presented to you. You are failing to critically analyze and learn what is being taught to you. Which defeats the purpose of the work behind the films themselves and makes me wonder how you are engaging with other forms of media.
There have been many discussions within the book community about the use of tropes to market books and if there is active harm in reducing an entire text to a handful of words. For the most part I sit comfortably in the middle, because what is this except a new way of marketing in the same vein as comparing a new novel to an established piece of popular media? I don’t fault publishers or agents for trying their best to gain traction and attention nor do I necessarily fault readers for falling into this same tactic with their reviews. But the rise of comparisons and tropes in place of actual reviews, or worse, in place of actually digesting and absorbing the content that you read does concern me. So much of what we read or watch can’t and shouldn’t be tossed into one category, nor should we be so quick to label something aesthetically cute and whimsical as “unserious”. It’s a dismissive action that renders powerful work as nothing more than a shell of what it actually is.
I won’t sit here and say that you absolutely need to engage with actual cozy, light hearted books with a harsh, critical lens. There is a time and place for stories that require little emotional or mental exercise. But with that being said, you do need to be discerning of what you say falls into that category and look inward at yourself as a consumer of media to evaluate what you’re engaging with. Look to others who may share a different perspective, look to what the creator of that movie or author of that book says about their work and see if you can find it reflected in the media.
As Hayao Miyazaki once said about the use of animation to tell his stories, “Anime may depict fictional worlds, but I nonetheless believe that at its core it must have a certain realism.” (Kahn 2022). Do not allow the blinders of aesthetics and tropes to stop you from seeing the real world messages being shared.
Sources and Additional Reading
Kahn, J. (2022, June 9). Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki reveals his inspiration. Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-inspiration/
Bose, S. D. (2023, June 30). Why Hayao Miyazaki hates Hollywood movies. Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hayao-miyazaki-hates-hollywood-movies/
Miyazaki, Hayao (2014). Turning Point: 1997–2008. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-6090-8.
Additional reading/viewing:
Miyazaki’s Cinema by Luca Dobry (essay)
The Kingdoms of Dreams and Madness (documentary)