I am a big fan of the Studio Ghibli collection and many other anime films and television series. Reading through the article by Boyd and Nishimura (2004) and their description of Spirited Away in relation to Shinto perspectives offered some unique information I had never considered before. I've watched Spirited Away and many other Studio Ghibli films more times than I can count, but until reading this article, I never gave much thought to some of the recurring themes in these movies. The idea of kokoro ("aesthetically pure and cheerful heart/mind... an emotional, mental and volitional condition that is not easily attained" Boyd & Nishimura, 2004)), that this part of our personality can become unclean and tainted, I believe, is a strident theme in all of Miyazaki's films. Many characters go through the act of cleaning and refining in these films and on the other side, they emerge with stronger character and with greater "sincerity". Or as I've noticed, the theme of order and chaos crops up in Miyazaki's films and I believe this represents the struggle of attaining kokoro.
It would take too much time to describe each of the films, so I'll list some of the scenes in a few Ghibli movies as examples. In Howl's Moving Castle, the main character, Sophie, transformed from a young woman into a 90 year old goes through the process of cleaning an entire "castle" and eventually emerges as a more self-confident and willful woman which leads to her falling in love. In Kiki's Delivery Service, a young witch arrives in a new town and stays with a baker. Kiki cleans up the room lent to her. I see this as a brief cleaning of the soul to acquire more confidence and sincerity as she begins to know which direction she wants her future to move in. In My Neighbour Totoro, a father and his two daughters arrive at a new house and go through the process of cleaning it up. Their willingness and excitement at the prospect of cleaning up their new house mean they've already achieved kokoro. Contrary to other films, the two little girls already have a fire in their eyes and with pure and free personalities, have no trouble seeing the spirits of the house and the forest. In From up on Poppy Hill, the most recent film by Miyazaki, the protagonist, Umi a high school student, maintains her large house and keeps it in beautiful condition. She also cooks for her family and those renting rooms. She does everything with sincerity and a smile and has no trouble making friends and falling in love.
There are more scenes of "cleansing" in these films and also the theme of chaos and order, which I believe, reflects the struggle for kokoro. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, explores the chaos of a poisonous forest and the order of human society. The movie ends up combining the two, order and chaos, into the idea of new life: kokoro. Princess Mononoke illustrates a war between the spirits of the forest and the humans (I'm actually not sure which is order and which is chaos). Eventually the two are combined somewhat in the humans' realisation of their mistakes against nature. Laputa shows the chaos of a storm and the order of the floating castle within, and this eventually dissipates, combining the two once again in the attainment of kokoro. I believe each of these represents the internal struggles of the characters within the films. Nausicaa is a princess of humans but has a love of the poisonous forest. Yet she must protect her people from its dangers. San, a girl raised by wolves and young man, Ashitaka, who loves her, eventually unite the spirits and the humans (a delicate relationship represented by San's inability to live with Ashitaka at the end of the film). Finally, in Laputa, Sheeta, a princess from a long-line is released from her burden of protecting the wealth of Laputa, a floating castle, as the castle itself is destroyed and the remnants float away.
These are all extremely brief mentions of the complexity of the plot found in every film but the common themes are clear. The idea of kokoro seems to exist in all Studio Ghibli films whether it be a literal cleaning of the soul, or the representation of that cleaning through the discourse of order and chaos.
References:
Boyd, J. W., & Nishimura, T. (2004). Shinto perspectives in Miyazaki's anime film "Spirited Away". The Journal of Religion and Film, 8.
Picture: http://pixabay.com/en/building-glass-people-person-30554/
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