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Makoto Shinkai movies are the easiest ticket to having a surreal experience that is both otherworldly and something that hits too close to home at the same time. From Your Name to Suzume, his movies have left an indelible mark on fans, who often shed tears at the mere mention of the movies. This impact is a result of stories that beautifully bring together two individuals and interweave their lives with each other.
Taki and Mitsuha | Credits: CoMix Wave FilmsAlong with the romance, Shinkai’s portrayal of nature’s wrath and its impact on human lives is both authentic and heart wrenching. Despite creating a category that’s definitive of his unique style, Shikai is never spared from being compared with his past self or other legendary figures of the industry, like Hayao Miyazaki.
Makoto Shinkai on Constant Comparison with Miyazaki
Both Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai have garnered widespread attention from international audiences. When someone proves their talent and solidifies it further with subsequent works or achievements, they become the standard that everyone else gets compared to. Miyazaki has become one such figure for his directorial vision. As a result of being exposed to the same audience and coming from the same industry, Shinkai is often compared to Miyazaki.
A still from My Neighbor Totoro | Credits: Studio Ghibli Not just Miyazaki, but everything that he creates is measured against the popularity, success, and quality of his most popular work, Your Name. So, even if his works are not related to one another, they are never being perceived for their individual appeal. During an interview with Business Insider, Shinkai spoke about the constant comparison that fans draw between him and Miyazaki.
And as flattered and honored as I am to hear those comparisons, I think a part of me is almost a little exhausted from hearing it as well. Because in my mind, as a huge admirer of Miyazaki’s work, I feel what he does is something only he can do.
Shinkai put the main problem with the comparisons perfectly into words. Both his works and Miyazaki’s should be evaluated for what they offer individually as they are not even attempting to do the same thing. If they were falling under the same category or genre, it would make more sense for them to be pitted against each other.
Even then, it shouldn’t be so hard for two beautiful works of fiction to co-exist and achieve great success alongside one another. However, as things are at present, the comparisons just end up undermining what they are individually trying to achieve with their works.
Here’s How Makoto Shinkai Movies are different from Miyazaki’s Works
Howl and Sophie | Credits: Studio Ghibli Speaking of their distinct appeal, there are some common themes but they are tackled very differently by both the directors. For instance, Princess Mononoke shows the relationship between humanity and the environment. That is something present in all of Shinkai’s works. Yet the portrayal of similar themes is worlds apart.
Studio Ghibli’s distinct art style and Shinkai’s breathtaking sceneries and fierce demonstration of natural disasters are unnerving, but in completely different ways. Miyazaki’s romance is grounded in reality and we catch the love in glimpses of daily lives, whereas Shinkai’s portrayal is grand. His characters share a special connection that ends up impacting the world.
Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume | Credits: CoMix Wave FilmsIt’s hard to say if Souta and Suzume’s efforts to save the world are more impactful, or Howl and Sophie pushing each other to overcome their inhibitions. And that’s the point, both Shinkai and Miyazaki strive to provide an experience that’s uniquely theirs, and it should remain that way.
Suzume and Ghibli Films are available to stream on Netflix.
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