GORO MIYAZAKI INTERVIEW: LAWSON opened their special LAWSON Gedo Senki website which has some interesting stuff like an interview with Goro Miyazaki. The original can be found over here, but my Japanese friend Nanashi and I made a translation which you can read below:



This summer Studio Ghibli’s long-awaited new movie will be released! Together with "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" "Tales from Earthsea" belongs to the three major fantasy stories in the world. It's now been made into a movie and will be the director’s debut of Miyazaki Goro who also happens to be the son of the well-known director Hayao Miyazaki.

I aimed at not to be precise, but simple and powerful

Q: You have chosen fantasy masterpiece "Tales from Earthsea" to be the work for your director’s debut. Which parts have been taken up in your movie?

The third volume of the books has been used for the center of the story. Volume 1 shows the story of Ged as a boy growing up, it's a masterpiece which describes the complications in his inner mind. However, there were a lot of novels and movies that were already based on Vol.1, so I thought that we shouldn't do that now. Following is Volume 2, which describes the complications in the girl's mind, but is mostly staged directly in a cave. This makes it difficult to turn it into a movie (laughing). After that I chose to use Volume 3. In Volume 3 Ged, who has already grown old and became a large wise man (Lord Archmage), and Arren travel the world where the balance of the world begins to collapse. I was charmed with it.

Q: Indeed. This movie is your debut as a director. What kind of images did you have in mind making this movie?

I think that the entire world of images, not only of animation, becomes more precise. People developed it in a precise direction because they aim for high quality works. In addition to that there also is development of new technologies like CG. However, drawing detail to every nook and cranny of a picture is very exhausting and isn’t the most important.



Q: So you think that details of an picture isn't the essence of animation…

I’m not saying that it isn't the essence. But, if the volume of information increases too much, people become busy with only seeing and they will not understand the dialog easily. I think that will result into reactions like "What was the story about?". "Tales from Earthsea" is a conversational play originally. Therefore, I thought that what they say in this movie was very important. Because of that we made the characters as simple as we could. And we aimed at a simple, powerful one. The background art is the same as well. Because animation is a picture, I wanted to show more freedom as a picture, without relying on precision. It's to relate to the content of this movie.

I fell in love with Therru’s voice which sounded unsteady, clearly and at ease

Q: the song "Song of Therru" which can be heard in the trailer is impressive, don’t you think so?

The estimation of the song seems to be very good.

Q: The lyrics for the song were written by Goro, weren’t they?

Yes. Producer Suzuki passed me the anthology of "Hagiwara Sakutarou” and told me "Write the lyrics, Goro-kun. This serves as a reference." Then, I consented and wrote them.

Q: Can you write something like that at once? The song was sung by Teteaoi Aoi. Please tell me where the decision for her to sing the song came from.

I listened to the demo tape on which Teteaoi Aoi’s singing was recorded. This wasn’t "love at first sight", but "love at first hearing". I thought if only this kind of singing voice existed (laughing). First of all, the charm of her voice was wonderful. An unstable sound that one can only have a certain age. It's sadly, clearly and feel at ease. The impression that a kind of loneliness lurks in youthful.



Q: Teshima is also taking charge of the voice of the heroine Therru.

In the movie there is a scene where the girl sings. The song to be used has been decided to be "Song of Therru". Because Teshima sang in a very good voice, I wanted her to do the voice of the heroine as well. And, she took the test. When she took it, she was very good. Her atmosphere just fitted Therru the heroine.

What is living decently now?

Q: , it probably means that some kind of theme is included in this work?

This time, I thought while making this movie. It's "What is living decently now."

Q: What is it, concretely?

A decade ago, "looking for me myself" has appeared, you know? I think that the influence is very large. People think that "I of now am not me". It is as like as this. "It must not be these kind of things that I do" or "The place where I am must not be such a place" People go after the shadow not seen, then they are gone after reversely by the shadow. And, I think that they are embarrassed because their true appearance and their really important thing disappeared. There are a lot of information. They are denied the fact to be experiencing actually, and they believe the fact that they have not seen really. In such a world, to live without becoming a mental instability I thought what I had to do.

Q: How should one live, Mr. Goro?

That is to "live decently". I eat, work, and value the surrounding people. I only keep valuing the day every day. If I don't think it to be true, I wouldn't be able to live decently. I do not request something not seen, I want to value now that I can see. Of course, it is not a lot of money or goods even if I said that I can see. I think that I might have to value daily life that my body lives.

Q: When the movie is released, a lot of people will receive that message.

When you say so, I think a little, because I am not much honorable alive. Most importantly, if people will be able to enjoy this movie, I'm really glad.

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1967, born in Tokyo. After graduating from Shinshu University Department of Forestry, he engaged in planning and designing parks and city tree planting as a construction consultant. After that he handled the total design of the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka no Mori in 1998. From 2001 to June 2005 he was the director of the same museum and in 2004 was awarded the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists by the minister of education.