Among the many fascinating questions at my Seed Talks in the West Country was one about the influence of comic art on Studio Ghibli. I’d talked about Takahata’s lifelong passion for French culture and about the many and varied Western influences on Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind, but there’s a limit to how deep you can go into Ghibli’s many influences in one talk.
I was delighted when the question was followed up with a query on BlueSky. But BlueSky too limits what you can say – just a handful of characters isn’t enough to explore how longstanding interest and admiration influences both parties, turns into personal friendships and, in Takahata’s case, is rewarded by a high honour from the French nation.
So I also shared this very useful little article on the mutual admiration between Miyazaki and Moebius, complete with video and further reading.
Enjoy!