1. Analyze: Event - Primary
The Milieu is primary to this graphic novel. Many of the characters are flat and straightforward with one or two defining traits. Like a Miyazaki film, it’s the setting that’s truly fantastic. So much detail goes into every page and panel.
2. Rating: PG
No language or nudity. Since this is a war story, there is a great deal of violence. However, much of it is with monsters and there isn’t much detail put into the dead humans. It’s a Miyazaki movie in a novel!
3. Springboard:
Like man of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, unique aviation is a theme. He’s loved airplanes since he was a child—his father and uncle owned Miyazaki Airplane during World War II and made rudders for planes. Hayao studied and drew planes for years.
My grandfather worked on planes during World War II (We have some great stories from his work on Winston Churchill’s plane…but that’s another story) My family has a bunch of his plane models and plans in our basement. I went down and studied them this past weekend. I was surprised to find all the similarities, actually.
4. Apply:
No matter how fantastic your setting is, it has to have a basis in reality. You want new and exciting flora? Study real botany. If you want some sort of doomsday machine or crazy contraption, it’s important to know how boring, everyday mechanics work. Everything amazing comes from something real!
i actually had no clue about Miyazaki's history with planes... very cool. actually adds a lot more perspective into all of his films for me!
ReplyDeletenow that i think about it - i'm trying to figure out how many Miyazaki films DON'T feature some kind of flying, and if not, if there's a huge difference from the other films he's made...