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Anime’s worldwide success wasn’t something that happened overnight. It was a gradual success in which Hayao Miyazaki had a big hand. What the world of anime is now is leaps and bounds ahead of what it was decades ago. Even as such, there were some works that were simply creating a foundation for others to grow.
Spirited Away | Credit: Studio GhibliStudio Ghibli’s movies gathered worldwide recognition and they still remain to be the only films of the medium to have ever won an Oscar not only once but twice. With how much fame these films had gathered, the competition looked rather rudimentary. Up and coming manga and anime may come but the charm and impact Ghibli films hold will remain forevermore.
Hayao Miyazaki’s True Competition
During an interview with Fuji TV (via Sora News 24), Toshio Suzuki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli had much to say about what Hayao Miyazaki felt about Demon Slayer’s rising success. The series, with much credit to Ufotable, reached unimaginable heights. The animation made the storytelling ten times better even after the potential many saw in Koyoharu Gotouge’s work.
Rengoku and Akaza | Credit: Ufotable‘It seems like Kimetsu is a big hit.’ I haven’t actually seen the anime, or read the manga it’s based on, but I’ve heard about it from other people, so I gave him a basic overview of it, and he said, ‘Yeah, an anime like that’ll be a success.’
When Hayao Miyazaki got a whiff of Demon Slayer’s success, as conveyed by his producer, there was a sense of competition forming. He admitted that although he hasn’t familiarized himself with the manga or the anime, its growing popularity is enough to break a sweat. Seeing just how massively the series is still growing, the likeliness of it being seen as a rival isn’t too far-fetched.
The animation/filmmaker acknowledged the impact Demon Slayer has and although unfamiliar with its concept, he doesn’t need to watch it to know just how big it can grow with its pace. In fact, if there were ever a formidable rival to the Ghibli films, it would be Gotouge’s masterpiece.
Demon Slayer Surpassed Spirited Away
While the aforementioned statements pointed to a certain way, it is best to take it with a grain of salt. When Hayao Miyazaki was asked about Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’s rising box office, he seemed the least bit threatened by it. The film is still the highest-grossing Japanese movie worldwide even after The Boy and the Heron took home with it Studio Ghibli’s second Oscar win.
Rengoku | Credit: UfotableI don’t watch TV, I don’t watch movies. I’m a retired old man picking up trash. He added, that sort of thing isn’t worth worrying about. There’s always inflation in the world. Right now, I have to pick up trash…
A reporter approached Hayao Miyazaki while he was picking up trash from the street, addressing the success of the 2020 Demon Slayer film. He first confirmed (via CBR), how he didn’t really feel as if there was something to be missed out on because television and movies weren’t of his interest anyway.
He was more interested in the trash he was picking rather than the competition closing in. He felt the least bit threatened by the movie’s success and felt that in time, it was bound to happen with the way the world was going.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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