Hayao Miyazaki is god-like throughout the worldwide film community. In Japan, he may straight-up be a god. Full stop.
His films on behalf of his animation studio, Studio Ghibli, are considered the gold standard of the artform. “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” and “Princess Mononoke” are just a few of his works celebrated for their compelling story and magnanimous artistry, but really everything the filmmaker has put forth throughout his career could be used as an example of his true mastery.
So what if you were in a meeting with the man, the myth, the living legend that is Hayao Miyazaki and he said this about your work:
I strongly feel this is an insult to life itself.
You would really only have three options in life at that point:
- Curl into the fetal position on the floor and cry
- Quit the entertainment industry forever
- Dive through the nearest window and end your dishonorable life with an honorable death
To be honest, I don’t even believe any single one of those is enough to save face. I think after hearing such a truly devastating response from Miyazaki, you’d have to do all three, in order, just to satisfy the film gods (or at least the Japanese film god himself).
Be sure to watch the featured video above for one of the most gut-churning meetings you’ll ever see and spread this post on social media because this footage NEEDS to be seen by everyone in the world.
