Dang, that hit kinda hard at the end sir. Can I ask you a question, do you think there's any chance for the Japanese animation industry to change with the introduction of AI? It's still a tech that is in its infancy, but I'd be interested to hear you opinions, and if there's any redemption for a tech that is (rightly or wrongly) despised by many artists.
@@fishfingers4548 it likley won't help at all and the jobs it would be trained to do is in-betweens which is already a kinda invisible and outsourced labour. It could make things worse tbh if a studio decide to stop hiring in-betweeners and then the animation directors now have a ton more labour to clean up and they have to make the machine into something useable
I have a friend who actually was an animator on Kiki's Delivery Service and has a horror story of one head artist he worked with getting screamed at over the phone by Miyazaki.
I still admire Miyazaki as artist. His creative vision give birth to beautiful scenery. Now, as person I found him awful, specially how the way he treated his son, Goro. Must be the balance of nature: "soft on one side and sharp in the other".
Yoshifumi Kondo's tragic death says it best: There is no glory in suffering. Only loss, pain, and wasted potential. He would have been able to continue living with his family and friends and accomplish so much more, had he been allowed to take care of himself. I love animation myself, and I would love to work in the animation industry some day, but stories like these always give me hesitation. It's so sad to learn that this is, just, the standard for the industry.
You can always make your own animations on Your own time, I can't say if the industry is much better these days but you can also pick and choice, doing one cut vs 2 years production may vary your aftermath
You got to do what video games are kind of trying to transition back to, which is like small indie studios that kind of work on games as a side project and their spouses support them, and they hope it pops off and then they get to repay the favor. And there's a lot of failures in that, but the successes are so much more meaningful. Like does it matter to anybody that they worked on elements or the Pixar movie about the Italian sea creatures like what who even cares.
Yeah, that's why I'm trying to learn animation as part of a hobby and to play around with some animation software from time-to-time. These industries (like many, many other industries) can be very messed-up, but at least with enjoying animation for it's own sake and not as part of a job, it could be fun! ^^
I don't think you should let the horror stories stop you from becoming an animator if that's something you really want. It’s true that there are a lot of predatory studios and bad productions out there, but they are not impossible to avoid, and there are many studios that build their business around the well-being of their artists. However, I'd completely understand if you’d prefer to just animate for fun. Not all passions need to be monetized
Princess Mononoke gives me such mixed feelings, on one hand it is one of my top 3 Ghibli films, but it also killed the director of my favourite Ghibli film.
It wasn't just Mononoke. It was the system, it was decades of insane hard work and no necessary care for his health. It's far from any single factor, but a combination of many.
its not the movie, but damn, like youcould have that good dark movie with just being good :(, and miyazaki is toonot holding himselfback from falling into it.
@@Angel-Otk It seems this reply thread is sorely lacking the wisdom of Norm MacDonald. "He's dead? I didn't even know he was sick...!" "Cancer doesn't kill you... I'd rather like to think it ended in a draw."
Princess Mononoke is, in my opinion, one of the greatest movies ever created. It so perfectly encapsulates the truth of human existence, and the irony of its messages projected against Miyazaki's values is not lost on me. How different are the Ghibli studios from the inner workings of Irontown? Lady Eboshi creates guns and material wealth at the cost of nature and the forest spirit, while Ghibli produces films at the cost of compassion and the human spirit. And how does one write a story about the dangers of anger and egocentrism when so steeped in those delusions? I think the true answer is that the ideas of Princess Mononoke are not Ghibli's, are not Miyazaki's. They are beyond them, because that wisdom belongs to no one, and neither party would dare to admit that. It just saddens me so much that in the creation of such a beautiful movie, its producers forgot what it meant to see the world with eyes unclouded by hate.
Itsbaffling how little impot there is. itsalwaysgood having imput from others,even if annoying. iknow ovrworkgoes usually in,butwith that few collaberation, i get a vision but damn, there have tobe pragmatism tooan coopration.
I feel like I'm the only person in the world who (Yes, I understand the irony( that absolutely hated thid movie. I found it brow beating, obnoxious, and sickening. I'm tired of watching movies that sh!t on humanbeings. I thought it was a really nasty movie, especially with how the women were treating the men. Idk why people just brush that off. It bothers me to me core. It's demented in my opinion.
@@tessmcneil9944 I think I may be interpreting parts of the movie a bit differently. First off, I don't think Princess Mononoke was anti-human, rather, it is a movie about showing the dangers of hatred.The biggest misconception people have about the movie is the idea that the animal gods are the "good guys" or are morally correct. Far from it; they are only the opposite side of the same coin Irontown is on. Because of their anger and hatred for humanity, they destroy themselves. They never had enough respect to look upon humanity as equals. Had they simply talked to the humans with respect with their problems, they probably would have listened. Hell, Lady Eboshi, despite her issues, is one of the most compassionate characters in the movie. But because of their prejudice, they saw them as parasitical, which eventually brought their downfall. Second, on the point about the way the women treat the men in Irontown, I have a couple interpretations. First, it's very possible that way of acting is just a developed cultural strangeness in Irontown; we may perceive it as toxic, but perhaps the way they show respect is different than the way we do. Second, if the women really do treat the men badly, I certainly don't think the film endorses it. There aren't "good guys" in Princess Mononoke. This might even be a subtle example the movie uses to exemplify how quietly hatred can pervade a culture or a person's behavior. I don't think your perspective of the movie is wrong, there is no such thing as wrong perspectives. Just wanna give some things to think about.
I never understood why people are willing to ignore his abusive treatment of his employees while also acting horrified by the treatment of animators in Hollywood. It’s all bad, people! Doesn’t matter that you prefer one product over the other! Humans shouldn’t suffer for a movie!
Sure it's all bad, but I mean if you live in any developed country your entire lifestyle is built of the exploitation of labour from different countries, people get used to ignoring that.
@@StevemI don't think it's easier to buy what's needed without the same exploitation in poorer countries though. They don't buy things made differently just because they themselves are more exploited, it's a mistake to assume greater guilt due to our consumption habits rather than our better quality of life and worker rights legislation /conditions.
@@siginotmylastname3969well it's not say they don't have the same issues, but I'm not going to talk about an experience I don't have. I know a couple people who are pretty proactive of doing their best to secure their own food locally or at home from around the world. Although I feel the term no ethical consumption under capitalism is kinda important in that entire discussion
@@Stevem Not at all! Just a question : why 'developed' countries are developed? Because of hard work. Why Japan is developed now? Because of hard work, why Algeria is not developed while they have oil ressources? Why Nagasaki and Hiroshima are beautiful towns now? How Korean stand in the top 10 most richest country in the world now? BECAUSE of hard work. Developed coutries are like that because of guys like Miyasaki.. How many economic asset Japan have now with the ryse of tha animation industry? How many lives are now better than 60 years ago with the economic jump? It's so easy to speak about the 'problem' of hard work when you act like a little King in a developed country where lot of your ancestors dies during their work before your birth..
It’s sad to me how mistreatment and crunch at prestige studios also contributes to the same and worse at smaller outfits, who can use it as an example of “what it takes” even though you can be assured there are no accolades or bonuses at the end of those productions.
@@konstantinriumin2657There was also that Sausage Party incident, so it happens in the U.S. too. There's also a lot of crunch on the video game industry. Usually when there's crunch time the quality will be sacrificed. But some studios in Japan won't compromise anything for a project.
Apparently the only time Ghibli didn’t experience crunch was this new movie which didn’t have set deadline, I saw some news article saying staff at Ghibli suddenly started feeling good lol
To those who might think that you cannot catch lightning in a bottle without sacrifice : It is worth mentioning that you can do wonderful work in animation and also be a director that is pleasant to work with. I think I remember seing in some video (was that yours STEVEM? Maybe) that Oshii and Shinichiro Watanabe are well known in the industry for being considerate and concerned for their staff
I don't recall saying that, I'm not sure really the productions for Watanabe sounded kinda rough at times such is tv anime but he goes give said animators the ability to shine, bones has a pretty good rep these days but it's also made of several different studios
Yeah, I'm sure there can be ways that people can make art/media and be able to have a business without having to loose their mental health and livelihood in the process. At least, that's what I hope is possible... 0_0 Some of the damaging effects of people being overworked isn't just poor mental health, it's also something that chases away new artists that could be creating amazing things without many people knowing it. I know in my experience in college before I graduated, it discouraged me from applying my drawing skills into a business setting. It didn't stop me from drawing/making art after I graduated, but the most I'll probably ever sell off my artwork is probably a slow-going Etsy and Ko-Fi shop. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@Scarshadow666 A lot of people complain about the artist’s method but it’s the old outdated system of capitalism that’s causing so many problems across the globe in all fields. Miyazaki refused to compromise his art because of that system (that’s noble) … But he had to make a deal with the devil to do it.
The contrast of growing up with fantastical stories, and being an adult finding out the various studio's behind them are awful. Is really interesting both literally and metaphorically. A child's surface level awareness and an adults grasp of the reality behind the finished product. I wonder if this is what changed Miyazaki's personal political leanings.
No human being deserves to be exploited or abused. Every human deserves to be treated with respect and given the autonomy to take care of themselves: physically, mentally, and socially. Not doing that is akin to abuse, and such avoidable suffering should not be normalized.
This shouldn't be happening, but it's also how a lot of anime is produced. Every time I hear about production problems, I feel sick. For now, this is the reality, but this needs to change. Great video, as always. This type of insight needs more exposure.
I'm guessing other people have said but the newest ghibli Miyazaki movie had no crunch hence why it was in production for like five years with no production committee
@@Stevem I'm hoping that is true. Latest films have been taking up to seven years, with his newest film, "The boy and the heron", taking about that much. I really hope that the more lax production time allows for a healthier working environment.
CORRECTIONS: The Inbetweener on the cut I showed for the demon boar was Tsuruoka Koujirou, they spent 6 weeks on it, I'm confirming the situation with Omura now. The animator in the motorcycle crash was Yoshida Ken'Ichi not Yoshio I mixed those two up.
I've been drawing ever since I was a kid in the 80's, Miyazaki and Ghibli have been my heroes ever since I've been a student in animation (Mononoke was actually the movie that inspired me to take on that path), and fast forward 20+ years, I've been now working in the animation industry for over a decade and half, while having been on a 8 years hiatus because my first 6 years of professional experience of working in Taiwan for over 14h per day without weekends during a crunchtime where I was working on both a TV series AND a feature film for 2 years completely broke me. I vowed to never pick up a pencil ever again, and took on photography, my other passion, as a safety buoy. Now more or less accidentally back in the animation industry, but all the more wiser, the heroes of my youth appear under a much darker light, where both Miyazaki had been infamous to be the biggest T-Rex of the Japanese industry, while the recent infamous article from Vulture showcased how absolutely gruesome the working conditions were on Across the Spiderverse, the movie that I initally called the best animated movie of all times (while my previous one was... well, Princess Mononoke ! Full circle !). Thank you, Phil Lord and Amy Pascal for showing to the world how much of an ass you could get ! Never meet our heroes !
And by the way, thank you for the quality reporting about the entire situation. Is don't usually watch 30+ minutes vids on youtube, but yours just went by in a flash ! It was well paced, heartfelt, and despites the heaviness of the topic, still very entertaining. It shows that you were every bit as soul crushed as I am by discovering all this, and that only speaks volume on how you initially (and still) loves this movie and studio. I'm particularly interested in the No Cuts sword urban legend. If it wasn't as exaggerated as I've heard, I'm wondering who conflated the story (I'm guessing Suzuki, but Weinstein would have denied it by then) ?
@@jjstarrprod yeah, i understand the situation is systemic and i'll talk a bit more of business side next time and their philosophy i dont agree with the sentiment but i understand the how that happens, and i've had my own personal injuries based on overworking a project that have stayed with me 3 years and prior ive had some minor heart stress ones too that were a wake up call about how my body can only take so much
@@Stevem Damn... It kinda sounds like animation truly is a field that is not age-friendly. You can only do it for a certain set of time before your body just starts screaming at you for the abuse.
This reminds me of the infamous "Bioware Magic", a term minimizing how the teams at Bioware studios are crunched and how their games would only start to find some cohesion in the final development days or hours, because of a clear lack of initial global vision and direction for their project. That's bad management, pure and simple.
Yeah, in reading the howls moving castle production diary i cant help but sympathetic to the production desk, they're a constant fear that the production will end up like spirited away again and theyre trying to wrangle it, but theres just issue with the format. They've been given a shorter schedule than spirited away, despite a shorter run time the movie will need more drawings, something they notice half way through when per cut the drawing number is higher. The stop start process between new boards, to layouts to keys to corrections. That movie literally couldn't hit deadline, they had to move it back to the winter. I don't have much hope for ponyo either since even at a shorter length than prior movies it has more drawings than mononoke, spirited away and howls.
Watching this video and watching other videos detailing crunch in the videogame industry, it brings something to mind: project management. The setting of realistic goals: the final deadline, factoring in how much the staff can accomplish each day, what resources they have, put in elasticity to deal with problems as they appear, etc. Crunch comes from a lot of things I'm sure but it seems to me that the biggest cause is how rare good project management skills are. I'm stunned that Ghibli made Mononoke in 2 years; I would have imagined 4 or 5 years for such a product and that would still probably have crunch. But the real issue seems to lay with the fact that these studio leads don't know how to create such a schedule and don't think about how much a person can actually accomplish in a day, they just set a deadline and think "oh it'll work out." But a good project manager takes all of these qualities into account, estimates the ability of his staff, and then he sets a realistic deadline based off that, not the thing he wants to be true. Bioware did this for several games in a row and it has completely gutted their videogame development studio. They've lost dozens of employees who don't want to put up with that behavior. Now their fate hangs in the balance with the success of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. But it took them ruining Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Anthem, and Mass Effect: Andromeda before they realized something had to change. Now they're on the edge of a cliff because of it. And it looks like with Ghibli, Miyazaki has not learned a single thing. Project management is not a sexy thing to talk about but it such a vital skill for enduring success. Ghibli will probably not survive Miyazaki's passing and its all because he didn't stop to master this kind of skill or didn't hire on someone who could do it for him.
Here's the biggest problem with that factor, absolutely project management is really hard to come by, especially with an animation project with no plan basically. I feel this is the biggest issue, it's hard to actually plan a project like this when the boards aren't 100% done until 5 months beforehand. In Miyazaki's own words he can't make it without doing this, usually you wouldnt start production until you have the whole boards planned out. The other issue then is Miyazaki basically then taking on these three roles at the same time: director, storyboarder and animation director. When really those tasks should be deferred to some degree. On the newest movie it's said there's no crunch & the work was denser, they had 60 key animators opposed to 30ish. They had no set deadline , left the office at 8pm and weekends off. The animation director actually did that job opposed to being miyazakis assistant and he focused on boarding and direction. Wouldnt you know it people were looking more human and had energy throughout.
So true, also that's why we should talk more about people who proved that you CAN deliver the product in humane working environment, like Supergiant games or Kyoto animation!
I'd also like to add that the human toll that comes from crunch and poorly planned projects impoverishes the artform tremendously. The depth of institutional knowledge / talent pool are reduced via attrition and artists with otherwise high potential are dissuaded from perusing a career in the medium because of quality of life concerns. This is obviously a pretty general comment that applies to other media production industries as well, but it's my gut feeling that the overall quality of product across games/film/television/animation could be much higher if working in those fields allowed for a more sustainable and humane lifestyle.
Miyazaki and everyone at Ghibli are passionate artists. That's admirable, but they also take it way too far, and no artist should have to die for their art (a lesson that comes from Whisper Of The Heart). And yet, Princess Mononoke is not an isolated case when it comes to these grand and ambitious productions that thrived against all odds, though not without insane strain on everyone. Random thing: I was half expecting Disney to be mentioned in two moments of the video: when you talked about how few studios could undertake a project of this magnitude without outsourcing, and about digital recompositing, and how things used to work with cels. The Disney of the late 30s and early 40s, before the strike, had over 1000 employees. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney's greatest animators, talk in the book Illusion Of Life about how grueling it was, and yet how passionate and committed they were to it, to take animation to the next level, no money spared. Like how the Ave Maria sequence of Fantasia finished shooting hours before the premiere! It proved to not be sustainable, and it almost killed Disney. On cels and layers, I thought you were gonna mention the Disney multiplane camera, as it was the most advanced device for such, before digital.
Generally I'd prefer to keep the discussion to the japan side for the most part because the structure of the American industry and japanese Industry are quite different ghibli has about 36 credited key animators give or take on Mononoke. Same with multiplane in Japan they don't have the same kinda multiplane set up they have something a little more basic, here through digital they are creating their own digital multiplane for sure
@@StevemNevertheless, I find interesting the contrast of how american and japanese animation developed. American animation flourished in theatrical shorts, in the medium of cinema. And the rise of TV would bring its decline, as theatrical animated shorts had their budgets slashed, eventually pretty much ceasing to exist. TV cartoons had insanely small budgets and schedule, leading to the 1960s-1980s being called the Dark Age Of American Animation. It was also when outsourcing truly became the rule. And outsourcing remains pretty common to this day, even with the Renaissance of american animation in the late 80s (sparked by Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and beyond. Japanese animation, on the other hand, flourished while being forged from the start by the insane demands of TV. Osama Tezuka used a lot of Hanna-Barbera's methods in the Astro Boy anime. And it was also insanely grueling, forging the anime industry to this day. Tezuka was a machine, and everyone also had to be so. The preference of so much anime to emphasize insanely detailed backgrounds and designs over movement owes a lot to this, and it's one of the big divides between classic american animation and anime.
@@matheus5230you're missing about 50 years of japanese animated film, there was also a world before astro including Toei whose movie projects start in 58 with Miyazaki joining in 62, further back we also have momotaro which was definitely important or nobu ofuji pioneering work throughout the 30s to the 50s
@@StevemI admit I'm totally ignorant about japanese animation before the 1950s or 1960s. I admit I'm limited by the common narrative about japanese animation, perhaps with too much emphasis being put on Tezuka and his inspiration from the Golden Age american cartoons from Disney and Fleischer. Wow, that's a very interesting topic. Do you have any video about it which I have forgotten? Japanese animation way before Tezuka?
The extent to which the culture around Ghibli and what the Studio means in the public eye was a deliberate ideation of Suzuki is insane. He created this aura of authenticity and authorialism around Miyazaki which is unparalled in the industry, and it is what drives the mainstream appeal of Ghibli as a whole, a Studio which became for most just the "Miyazaki Studio", because that's what the narrative was always going to be like. But truth is that Ghibli is dying because of that, depriving itself of the possibility of having a successor to the man himself, who is in a perpetual state between work and retirement. It doesnt then surprise that a Studio like PONOC's, which is spiritually and practically Ghibli's successor, isn't getting that same kind of regard by the audience nor by the critics: they don't have a Suzuki to construct a marketing ploy which fundamentally changed the perception of the anime industry forever. Now, Suzuki made another gamble: no trailers or any kind of advertisement for Miyazaki's "How Do You Live?", and it might seem foolish, but it is perfectly coherent with the kind of story Suzuki wants to tell. "Ghibli as the paragon of virtue in the animation industry, lead by the genius Miyazaki, the sole creator of his artpieces", and with these premises, how could you ever think thay Ghibli would submit to the corrosive capitalist culture of *trailers* and *advertisement*? I wonder if this ploy will have the expected outcome, but the result will eventually be the same: what will happen to Ghibli once Miyazaki has to actually retire? And what will happen once Miyazaki dies? You can only pretend he's the author of every single piece of each Ghibli movie until he's alive, so I fear that the Studio itself will retire with him.
Here's the problem with this assertion this isn't the first time Suzuki has done media blackout and ponoc does have a head producer who came from ghibli, their approach is different but they're still fresh and Suzuki has not ever been able to market anyone but Miyazaki it could even be argued by the time of howl's moving castle a movie with no press he didn't really need to market Miyazaki people knew him so well they'll show up regardless
It might work in Japan cause everyone knows Ghibli and miyazaki , word of mouth would be enough. But I suspect they will release a poster and a trailer for the international release.
@Stevem I didn't want to imply that Suzuki made Miyazaki the figure he is today, since he was well known for his work even before Ghibli started being the powerhouse it is today, but I think that it's fair to say that a lot of the mythos behind Ghibli as Miyazaki's child was deliberately created by Suzuki. When it comes to PONOC though, I feel like people still either don't know them, or they don't perceive them as Ghibli's successor, when they undoubtedly are; I think that has a lot to do with how author-centric Suzuki's marketing is, pulling all the attention towards Miyazaki as a director rather than all of the team behind Ghibli. Of course, it doesn't help that PONOC has yet to release something truly original and that doesn't feel like a reheated version of other Ghibli movies, but still, I very much root for them and I feel like they are not as much in the spotlight as they deserve to.
@@riccardomazzaro1901 well the movies are that way because a large portion of the staff worked at ghibli for a decades, like the thing with ponoc is it's so early yet, and currently the products they've created are successes within their own boundaries another film is on the way so time will tell, but being a functional studio over the biggest studio is fine
Fun thing is I noticed that a lot of those "gifted" people be it artists, inventors and so aren't really so much gifted as they are obsessed. Look at Miyazaki here, at Jobs life, at Musk now and many many others that excel in their field to the point people with no interest in it know their names. The one quality they all seem to share is obsession. Such obsession with their work it becomes their life, blood and air they breathe in, it seems to morhp into their skin the longer they do it and makes them unable to live without it, to a point where one starts to believe that if said person were to part with their professional obsession it would kill them. The artists are always the most extreme on this, outperforming all other "gifted" people by a longshot, and funnily enough I kind of get it. I'm a hobbyst but on the rare occasion I get that feeling that this is it, this is the project, man I will die if i have to but IT WILL get done. I can only imagine how amplified that feeling gets when it's your actual job and you have the resources to fuel it into insanity.
"Studio Ghibli breaks labour laws and makes its staff work even days a week, no breaks, no nothing." So that's why Misyazaki is sometimes called the Walt Disney of japan.
Man STEVEM, you have got to be one of my all time favorite anime RUclips content creators. Every time I get a notification for one of your videos I just know I'm in for something special. Your animations are spot on and add a real sense of professionalism and high production values are unmatched by your contemporaries in the RUclips anime community. Your videos are a pure joy to watch. Keep up all the brilliant work you are doing my man. Your work is impressive.
I mean, everything said, this movie is still one of the most amazing out there. The work, the effort and the story shine through. You can only market garbage so much, this movie is gold.
I do absolutely love this movie. It's my favorite Ghibli movie and up there for my favorite movie of all time, i just hate that the production was such a shit show. This movie still holds up so well, the women are written with as much respect and realism as the men, the characters are compelling and the plot is still relevant, and the art work is literally just so striking and breathtaking. I dont think the bad production takes away from the meaning of the film, but it definitely puts a bad taste in your mouth when thinking of Miyazaki.
Most production at Ghibli are that bad really and somewhat true of the entire industry to varying degrees but ghibli does have a special kinda issue inherent to the start stop process of not having all the boards done before production.
It’s incredible what’s required to make these types of movies. There’s a real and unfortunate drama going on, and you tell it so well. I’m only a viewer and have I idea what it takes to make such films. I love all the films. Is it worth it for the employees to sacrifice so much - as though it was a war? I don’t know only those involved do. All I can say is that the artistry and story telling are beautiful.
very glad this segment ended on a suitably dour note. it's too easy for these retrospectives to catalogue all the misery that happened, but then punctuate it with "but then it was a massive success and a great piece of art" no piece of art is good enough to be worth human lives
That sigh at the end was poignant. Great essay, thanks for putting it together and shedding light on the crazy story that is the making of Princess Mononoke.
I was injured at Pixar working on Toy Story 2. Many of us were - many of us injured permanently. It ended my career, and that of my best friend. There's an expectation that if you are passionate about your job, or if that job is meaningful, that you should suffer greatly for it.
I'm sorry to hear that, I injured my wrist back about three years ago while it's better than it was I don't think it will ever be the same again, I can feel the difference
Miyazaki probably keeps "retiring" because of this kind of work schedule, I wonder if the regular staffers have the luxury of such extended breaks to charge their batteries for another go. I doubt it.
Generally it's 1 month off on August and you'll get a couple weeks after the production. Where Miyazaki usually needs 6 months to get back to health after each film & you're probs not wrong there.
Good lord, the work atmosphere at ghibli feels like a Giger painting : the staff has to fuse with the craft, with their machinery and miyazaki is both the heart and nerves of the whole system. Cause once you're part of the body of animators, you have to keep up with its pulse O_O)
This isn't "content", this is comprehensive documentary making. It feels personal and up close. Feels very much like People Make Games' approach which I also adore. Keep it up Steve!
I had the fortune of being in Japan when this movie dropped. It was amazing to see it in the Japanese theater. The level of detail leave only a handful of movies in its class I didnt know the production litterally killed people. So sad. Nothing is worth working that hard.
Damn the fact that not only they got away with it, but also ended being rewarded by the market doesn't helps the situation either, plus the movie was good too, so you can't help but hate to see it, while begrudgingly admitting that the success was well deserved, and you know for what it is worth, i don't think it actually got enough success Still like Nausicaa more, but this is my second on e when it comes to Miyazaki movies
A lot of criticism here misses the context. Japan from the time Miyazaki began working up to the time Mononoke was made had similar work ethic. You have to put Ghibli in its cultural context.
I adore the sketchy animations when featuring certain people's quotes. It kept me engaged and adds artistic flair. Just wanted to mention it in case you curious of viewer reactions. Just shared this link with my friends; thanks
It amazes me about how these beautiful films were directed/produced by someone with the personality of bitter black coffee that would in turn get thrown in the animators faces if they didn't work fast or hard enough for him. What a tyrant.
I loved this video, I didn’t think I’d sit through all of it, but your storytelling is incredibly entertaining and well done. Princess Mononoke is probably my favorite movie, among a few other Ghibli films, and I have been a Ghibli fan since I was a child, so watching this puts the whole thing in an incredibly interesting perspective. Would love to see more videos about Ghibli films from you!
Thank you ! I've done a fair few on ghibli I should have a playlist somewhere, the one I did prior to this is on Nausicaa and the next is on spirited away !
I noticed the colors looked less vibrant in the final product compared to the cels. I feel like this another big problem with digital color matching, especially in Japanese studios at the time.
@@TsubasaAnimations I tried to deal with copyright issues prior but the system didn't catch it twice or three times so I guess I now wait until they do or if they do
Everhone's already said it better than me, but I just wanted to thank you for another wonderfully made video. Your conversational but educational style is my favorite.
another extremely powerful and well made video. Miyazakis movies are genuinely part of me. Ive grown up with them, and his films are my favourite movies period, however hearing about the production of his movies does put things into a different light. Whilst a brilliant creative, its clear that he gets so immersed into his worlds that finishing his vision becomes the only thing that matters to him, which explains his ruthless behaviour. His character has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. His movies portray happy families, and inspirational dads, yet he was a pretty terrible one. Kindness seems to be at the heart of all of his movies, yet to produce his movies the workplace seems to be far from kind. Im not sure what im really getting at here. I suppose its quite weird to see how perfect and beautiful pieces of media are produced by a far from perfect and beautiful process. I wonder if its necessary. Sure, miyazaki could take more time, or conform to a more standard production method, yet if that were to happen we may have not got as many movies by him, and I doubt they would have the fluidity and soul that movies under his very fluid and changing process have. He may have not inspired the amount of people that he has. Its not an easy question to answer, but I hope in the optimistic spirit of his movies, the answer is no. I really hope under future visionaries, that the treatment of staff will be far better on these sorts of projects.
The new movie under miyazaki is reported to not have crunched it also didnt involve a production committee who would likely be one factor in said crunch. It's an unfortunate side effect of a money focused industry who put profits over health and that isnt just ghibli most studios are stuck in the process. It's unlikely if miyazaki were to attempt any project again it would turn out the same since so much is dependent on schedule and the staff, those two will really define the direction in the end.
@@Stevem ah, thats really good to hear. Cant wait for it to release in cinemas internationally so I can watch it. Yeah, crunch definitely exists virtually everywhere in the creative sector now days, in and out of the anime industry. Its really sad. Anyways, thanks for responding, and once again, a fantastically made video. I really do look forward to your uploads. You always make the topics and people you are talking about super interesting.
I had seen the video of Myasaki's crew eating together, and I was quite surprised to see people felicitating him for feeding his employees instead of wondering why they weren't home with their children. I really think that he's celebrated like a god, and people purposely close their eyes when presented evidence of why his actions are terrible
So working at Ghibli is like working at a high end restaurant. It's not a normal job. You really have to want it to succeed no matter what. Otherwise you'll be highly depressed.
He's finally here! Performing for you! Its the best member of the anituber crew! Put your hands together , if you wanna clap! As he takes you through this development rap! On a serious note, I had always known the development of this movie was a nightmare (mainly learned about it courtesy of Steve Alpert), but I didn't know it was to this extent. I'm glad we got a masterpiece movie, and it broke records, but damn I feel bad for the people who worked on it. Everyone involved seems to have gone through hell and back for this movie. I just hope its true the studio improved after both this, and the tragedy that was Kondo's death. Amazing video as usual, Stevem.
I really appreciate you putting your Patreon sponsors in the middle of your video instead of as an end tag. It's a nice touch that shows appreciations and something I don't think I've seen any other creator do.
@@Stevem You honestly should, I think that is a good way to thank your patrons, putting it at the start or end of the video makes people just skip it. (I do that a lot) having it worked in somewhere in the middle gives people time to process the amount of info that's been given throughout a video and at the same time making people better recognize that without them the videos themselves may not even be of this quality.
Its almost impossible to balance. Like the crunch culture in game development. Taking longer angers the fans and can completey kill the release. New tools are seen as shady and corner cutting, even from the staff. I dont think there will ever be a perfect solution.
The better solution is not to crunch, there are absolutely game studios that apply to said method such as supergiant and Nintendo, while has a questionable past is pretty good with that, fan anger is whatever it's best not to put down unrealistic goals if you don't want to postpone or no date entirely, the anger side doesn't really apply here either to ghibli
Yeah I mostly agree. I hope these "prestigious" studios can stick around as the whole culture is kinda changing. And people continue to treat them that way, rather then demand more more more.
I don't think that taking longer necessarily angers the fans and can kill a game, I think it depends on the fans and their relationship to the company and the IP. Tears of the Kingdom took 6 years to make and while yes, of course we were impatient and wanted it to come out already, we would rather they take their time and end up with a game as highly regarded as TOTK is. We understand that God work takes time, and world rather they keep the same preciousness they regard Zelda with than rush them or and be less fantastic.
Brilliant video as always, albeit quite depressing. The amount of work you put into your videos to make them as engaging as possible never ceases to amaze me. Great work!
I'm at the part where you talk about signature parts of Miyazaki's work being defined by other people, and I can't help but stop and comment that Miyazaki was literally a Marxist in his youth and that makes all of this so much worse -- Miyazaki is not just an often abusive employer whose entire legacy is built upon so much work from people whose names are never mentioned alongside these works, but he is 100% aware of this dynamic, completely aware of the problem, and he just doesn't care. He's clearly a genius, and I love his and his staffs work. But in a just world, Miyazaki would have AT LEAST been forced to learn to respect and value his staff or spend his life making manga alone. Not every genius deserves a staff to fulfill their vision, regardless of how talented they are.
Not every genius does...... Miyazaki was a lucky sprout that found the right time and people to make his dreams come true. As an Artist I wholeheartedly praise him, but as a person he can go eat ass
For his industry is Miyazaki the worst or pretty average considering the environment back then? I’m curious to know if it is a Miyazaki problem or a systemic issue?
Man I feel like i'm actually in the studio with this video.Stevem really breaks down the process so well. I've learned so much about Anime with his videos.
And it’s still hapening not only in Japan, as we can see now with Spiderman Across the spiderverse. At least, Miyazaki didn’t throw away completed sequences… Still, I can’t help myself to think a masterpiece as Monomoke couldn’t be done without crunch in those times. The animation is so perfect, it won’t ever age, even in a million years. Was it the case for Akira too? In the end, more than Suzuki or any producer, the fans cherish the narrative that their beloved director or creator should be a flawless god. But Miyazaki is only human and he will always be one of my heroes. My grandpa was a baker, the sweetest person I knowed, and his bakery was really famous in our town: when I used to visit him at work, he was always yelling at his employes, and he was himself working from 4 in the morning to 10pm every day except Sunday. He started working when he was 9 years old. Différent people from different times, so it’s really hard to judge them and what they dedicated their life to: The idea that quality has a cost to pay.
Productions can be done without crunch or at least with better work environments, crunch makes staff sloppy it's the outsourced studios that then end having to focus on the cleanup then. If that be telecom or the chunk of other animation studios credited.
This is a really incredible documentary 😮 feel like I learned so much & I've always been interested in Ghibli's history with CGI - I've actually got some DVDs in my cart 🛒
That look at the end, I felt that man. Thank you for this splash of reality that isn't really talked about, especially in the west. We consume all this foreign media without giving a second thought to the trail of blood, sweat, and tears in it's wake...
@@Stevem it was such a great video, and so insightful!! I loved how in depth you went into the production of the cells and that whole story!! i did delete but it basically said this over two different comments :)
@@robbiecathro4146 no problem just checking because i was getting some glitches in the comments elsewhere and wanted to make sure it wasnt hitting you too!
Thanks, I love your videos. Especially the ones about Ghibli. I'd like to add that there's also a 6,5hrs long documentary about this subject called "Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece".
28:02 Although I think Kanada’s style is entirely too different from the rest of the fighting in the movie, I still think it makes sense in setting that the third party fighting monks fight quite a bit differently then the other characters.
If your employers are abusing you, complain. I don't want to give my money to people who mistreat their employees. I stopped playing Warcraft because of their shitty abuse I personally have recieved since I started playing in 2014. The recent scandals were my breaking point. I also activly encouraged friends that if they're going to watch Sausage Party, don't pay to see it.
The issue is that ethical consumption isnt really a thing, like you will find zero animation studios without some form of exploitation in built, or where the actual animators get royalties off the work. This is also 1990s Japan you can complain, but what good will it do you. The expectation of most corporate structures are more extreme than Ghibli's default, the labour law breaking was usually done by the animators themselves who wanted to finish the film, the murky world of manufactured consent for you. Complaining is also a good way to get blacklisted. There are some studios that treat staff better than others, people at ghibli have even said i much prefer being here than working on the tv animation world, but it's all a systemic issues. Your wallet can't fix it.
@@Stevem other than the two ladies I went with (who both passed out drunk) it was.. almost religious? We all gasped at the same time, there was laughter and cries of "Oh!" at appropriate moments ^^
I'm watching (or rather, listening) to this documentary as I'm working on my indie game that I hope to release in October. I'm tediously working on the tiles that are for the backgrounds for our 2D shooter. It's long, hard work, and I'm just listening to how Ghibli was difficult for the animators. At least I don't have a Miyazaki breathing down my neck.
Amazed me how much the new one, How for they live, took to make and how little animation per week they did.Only 12 minutes completed per year and over 6 years production 😮😮
It's my spouse's favorite. We were fortunate enough to be the final bidder on a animation cel auction and got a beautiful Ashitaka cel used in that film. Our home still has it framed and displayed in our hallway. Makes me gitty walking by it in our hallway. My favorite is, 'Castle in the Sky' though I do appreciate the messages in Mononoke. Particularly the man and nature subject. Superb video, I'll share it with my spouse.
I watched this movie for the first time only a month or two ago and I personally didn’t think it lived up to the hype. It’s almost like the horrible reality of the crunch times destroyed the “life” of the film. Artistically the movie is beautiful but the human characters felt “dead” and ironically the animal characters felt most alive and human to me. I’m so saddened to learn that someone lost their life through the stress of making this film. Thankyou for shedding light on this all.
Kondo's life ending while likley relates to all the pressure, but it goes far beyond just one film, it's years and years of build up and an unfortunate condition
Miyazaki's masterpiece. Another beautiful video, Stevem. What's notable is that Kurosawa and Miyazaki met during the production of Mononoke-there's a full NHK special on it. It's also worth saying during Mononoke's production, Ghibli are also assisting Studio Gainax in in-between works for Evangelion. Including, ironically, the film that Princess Mononoke would open a week after...End of Evangelion.
Personally I see Nausicaa as his masterpiece. Both movies have deus-ex-machina endings, but where Nausicaa's ending feels like exactly what was called for, Mononoke doesn't really earn it's ending for me. Yes, they mention the god, but that doesn't make his deus-ex-machina "nature takes over, corruption dissapears, everyone lives happily" feel earned. At least, in my opinion. Feels like a sloppy way to wrap up the story with what limited screen-time budget they had remaining.
@@murdockfiles9406 nausicaa isn't a god but the fated prophet which is set up first thing in the movie. It's also a deus ex machina ending, but for me it seems much more believable that one individual who's consistently playing both sides the whole movie might influence both sides at the end. Mononoke's ending just didn't feel earned to me, which is why I've always dislike it
I remember This Flim at my grandma's, Place Wehn i was 5 years Old, When i wacthed it... I saw the Blood, On my own Eyes. I also like San, the Wolf Girl.
I remember my old school student self wanting to be an animator at disney or japan. However, i became an infectious diseases physician. I still dream of having the magic that osamu tezuka had to be a doctor and a mangaka. It would be interesting to compare disney vs anime making
If you keep up drawing from time to time you might be able to get some little animation down, it doesn't need to be fancy. The Japanese approach is likely better to start since it's comes from the limited animation school, so less drawings needed. Maybe one day ill make a video about the philosophy of what makes anime, anime.
Anime industry as a whole is pretty fucked. Mostly because of production committees. Most of the Studios have to pick so many projects. But barely some of them progress as a studio and to get control of their situation slowly (with some exceptions ofc)
Production committees aren't good but before hand the problems all still existed, like even outside the production committee like the recent chainsaw man which was self funded, the production on that was fucked
@@Stevem Probably because some of the overlapping staff with JJK. or how Heavy the content was. Episode 8 looks like it had 6 months to work on but it still was tight. But it wasn't definitely nearly as fucked as like wonder Egg priority. Mappa overall is progressing as a studio unlike Something like A-1 and cloverworks who are stuck in ANIPLEX jail, can't make money on themselves while they have so many projects, can't expand their departments and won't invest in in-house talent and even invest in their own projects. Great video btw❤️. You do have a lot of Knowledge
@@Stevem prod committees while animes makes a ridicilous amount of money nowdays. They won't increase the budget of Show Today and its Workers. They just pump out more animes. A few of them are good overall
@@A1000-b9sthe cost of shows has tripled in the last decade give or take, salary increase has varied but not the increase it should be at for sure. I'm not so sure mappa has any interest in better conditions for workers overall I've talked to people who have worked with them prior sounded like a complete shit show, their freelance rate is abysmal too. And important to note the most minutes per anime to this day were produced in 2006, late 2010s got close but currently we're past the peak of that
@@Stevem it's still pretty low budget compared to other medias. And yeah they have their better productions for sure (lazarus, alice movie, tondemo skill, DDD, Vinland saga etc..). I mean yeah, the Animation department is progressing slower than their other departments (which is faster than The entire industry, specially CGI). They have like only 30 people if I'm not wrong (in-house KAs). For a new studio (i mean compared to other big studios). The progression is definitely impressive. And yeah you can say some sacrifices was made. They are now investing more in their show after making a lot of shows. They are using that money to expand the Studio and get more talents in-house. One of the best in-house pays too if I'm not wrong. CSM had ridicilously high Standards (maybe the schedule for s1 wasn't good because of it or because of JJK). Till like episode 6 of 7 the production was stable. Even in the latter half, They had episode 8 and 10 (it had some little errors tho). And ofc having gosso recently as in-house staff same with yabuta is a big W. I hope they can make The studio more stable like Pro I.G. The whole industry is fucked but The progression to escape the production committee System seems pretty good for mappa.
No matter how much you base yourself around hating him, the art stands on its own. Beautiful stuff. Youll never be able to erase the feelings of happiness the viewers had and will continue to have.
Screams in joy because you used a clip from Gokudo in a scenario where I didn't have to actually seek out Gokudo so Excitement because Gokudo out in the wild!
@@Stevem underrated little gem of an anime. Gokudo in English, Gokudo-kun Manyuuki in Japanese and Jester El Adventuro in spanish! It's still one of my favorites to this day and very "The Slayers" adjacent
The aneurysm... technically would be Miyazaki's fault & racked up bad karma. And then Miyazaki didn't learn so the break was too short after that movie before the abuse began again.
Human society as a whole has a weird obsession with people on top while completely ignoring people who actually produce what we see and use, often in detriment of said people, making their lives absolute hell exactly because we don't value them as much as people on top. It's like we think that a general alone win the war by himself, and the soldiers are just a chore for him.
You can't make great art without hard work and sacrifice. These people were worked to their limits, but they got to be involved in a piece of work which is magical and timeless. Many people would envy them for this opportunity. It's easy to sit here and criticise their methods with the benefit of hindsight, but they were obviously doing a lot of things right. If you disagree, then I challenge you to make something 1/10th as good as 'Princess Mononoke'.
14:40 The term you are looking for the effect of too many cels, is called fogging. A correction on the traditional method", that's layering the cel on top of the key frames and then inking over them. Xerox was a later invention to cut down production time.
I don't think xerox originally was for that but yeah post 70s it's pretty common, I'm not sure how different the japanese tracing machine is to a standard xerox machine but same principle
Get an exclusive @Surfshark deal! Enter promo code STEVEM for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/stevem
Dang, that hit kinda hard at the end sir. Can I ask you a question, do you think there's any chance for the Japanese animation industry to change with the introduction of AI?
It's still a tech that is in its infancy, but I'd be interested to hear you opinions, and if there's any redemption for a tech that is (rightly or wrongly) despised by many artists.
@@fishfingers4548 it likley won't help at all and the jobs it would be trained to do is in-betweens which is already a kinda invisible and outsourced labour. It could make things worse tbh if a studio decide to stop hiring in-betweeners and then the animation directors now have a ton more labour to clean up and they have to make the machine into something useable
Hey, I don't know if this is rude but there are a lot of moments in this video where the audio is cut short.
@@LM-cc7qz do you have the timecodes i noticed one minor one but for sponsor/copyright reasons i was a bit locked down and couldnt update
@@Stevem I will rewatch and find them if I can quick.
For how Ghibli movies are treated as magical, whimsical and wholesome, seems like working for Miyazaki is hell on Earth.
It's true for a lot of insanely perfectionist artists.
I have a friend who actually was an animator on Kiki's Delivery Service and has a horror story of one head artist he worked with getting screamed at over the phone by Miyazaki.
@@Forysan there's certainly a lot of nasty stories on kiki
I guess that "Hayao Miyazaki VS Junji Ito" was more than just a meme, huh
I still admire Miyazaki as artist. His creative vision give birth to beautiful scenery. Now, as person I found him awful, specially how the way he treated his son, Goro.
Must be the balance of nature: "soft on one side and sharp in the other".
Yoshifumi Kondo's tragic death says it best: There is no glory in suffering. Only loss, pain, and wasted potential. He would have been able to continue living with his family and friends and accomplish so much more, had he been allowed to take care of himself.
I love animation myself, and I would love to work in the animation industry some day, but stories like these always give me hesitation. It's so sad to learn that this is, just, the standard for the industry.
You can always make your own animations on Your own time, I can't say if the industry is much better these days but you can also pick and choice, doing one cut vs 2 years production may vary your aftermath
I couldn't have said it better.
You got to do what video games are kind of trying to transition back to, which is like small indie studios that kind of work on games as a side project and their spouses support them, and they hope it pops off and then they get to repay the favor. And there's a lot of failures in that, but the successes are so much more meaningful. Like does it matter to anybody that they worked on elements or the Pixar movie about the Italian sea creatures like what who even cares.
Yeah, that's why I'm trying to learn animation as part of a hobby and to play around with some animation software from time-to-time. These industries (like many, many other industries) can be very messed-up, but at least with enjoying animation for it's own sake and not as part of a job, it could be fun! ^^
I don't think you should let the horror stories stop you from becoming an animator if that's something you really want. It’s true that there are a lot of predatory studios and bad productions out there, but they are not impossible to avoid, and there are many studios that build their business around the well-being of their artists.
However, I'd completely understand if you’d prefer to just animate for fun. Not all passions need to be monetized
Princess Mononoke gives me such mixed feelings, on one hand it is one of my top 3 Ghibli films, but it also killed the director of my favourite Ghibli film.
It wasn't just Mononoke. It was the system, it was decades of insane hard work and no necessary care for his health. It's far from any single factor, but a combination of many.
No it doesn't.. lol, life kills him
@@Player_468more like death killed him, if anything
its not the movie, but damn, like youcould have that good dark movie with just being good :(, and miyazaki is toonot holding himselfback from falling into it.
@@Angel-Otk It seems this reply thread is sorely lacking the wisdom of Norm MacDonald.
"He's dead? I didn't even know he was sick...!"
"Cancer doesn't kill you... I'd rather like to think it ended in a draw."
Princess Mononoke is, in my opinion, one of the greatest movies ever created. It so perfectly encapsulates the truth of human existence, and the irony of its messages projected against Miyazaki's values is not lost on me.
How different are the Ghibli studios from the inner workings of Irontown? Lady Eboshi creates guns and material wealth at the cost of nature and the forest spirit, while Ghibli produces films at the cost of compassion and the human spirit.
And how does one write a story about the dangers of anger and egocentrism when so steeped in those delusions? I think the true answer is that the ideas of Princess Mononoke are not Ghibli's, are not Miyazaki's. They are beyond them, because that wisdom belongs to no one, and neither party would dare to admit that.
It just saddens me so much that in the creation of such a beautiful movie, its producers forgot what it meant to see the world with eyes unclouded by hate.
do as i say not as i do etc
Well said.
Itsbaffling how little impot there is. itsalwaysgood having imput from others,even if annoying.
iknow ovrworkgoes usually in,butwith that few collaberation, i get a vision but damn, there have tobe pragmatism tooan coopration.
I feel like I'm the only person in the world who (Yes, I understand the irony( that absolutely hated thid movie. I found it brow beating, obnoxious, and sickening. I'm tired of watching movies that sh!t on humanbeings. I thought it was a really nasty movie, especially with how the women were treating the men.
Idk why people just brush that off. It bothers me to me core. It's demented in my opinion.
@@tessmcneil9944 I think I may be interpreting parts of the movie a bit differently.
First off, I don't think Princess Mononoke was anti-human, rather, it is a movie about showing the dangers of hatred.The biggest misconception people have about the movie is the idea that the animal gods are the "good guys" or are morally correct. Far from it; they are only the opposite side of the same coin Irontown is on. Because of their anger and hatred for humanity, they destroy themselves. They never had enough respect to look upon humanity as equals. Had they simply talked to the humans with respect with their problems, they probably would have listened. Hell, Lady Eboshi, despite her issues, is one of the most compassionate characters in the movie. But because of their prejudice, they saw them as parasitical, which eventually brought their downfall.
Second, on the point about the way the women treat the men in Irontown, I have a couple interpretations. First, it's very possible that way of acting is just a developed cultural strangeness in Irontown; we may perceive it as toxic, but perhaps the way they show respect is different than the way we do. Second, if the women really do treat the men badly, I certainly don't think the film endorses it. There aren't "good guys" in Princess Mononoke. This might even be a subtle example the movie uses to exemplify how quietly hatred can pervade a culture or a person's behavior.
I don't think your perspective of the movie is wrong, there is no such thing as wrong perspectives. Just wanna give some things to think about.
I never understood why people are willing to ignore his abusive treatment of his employees while also acting horrified by the treatment of animators in Hollywood. It’s all bad, people! Doesn’t matter that you prefer one product over the other! Humans shouldn’t suffer for a movie!
Sure it's all bad, but I mean if you live in any developed country your entire lifestyle is built of the exploitation of labour from different countries, people get used to ignoring that.
@@StevemI don't think it's easier to buy what's needed without the same exploitation in poorer countries though. They don't buy things made differently just because they themselves are more exploited, it's a mistake to assume greater guilt due to our consumption habits rather than our better quality of life and worker rights legislation /conditions.
@@siginotmylastname3969well it's not say they don't have the same issues, but I'm not going to talk about an experience I don't have. I know a couple people who are pretty proactive of doing their best to secure their own food locally or at home from around the world. Although I feel the term no ethical consumption under capitalism is kinda important in that entire discussion
@@Stevem Not at all! Just a question : why 'developed' countries are developed? Because of hard work. Why Japan is developed now? Because of hard work, why Algeria is not developed while they have oil ressources?
Why Nagasaki and Hiroshima are beautiful towns now?
How Korean stand in the top 10 most richest country in the world now? BECAUSE of hard work.
Developed coutries are like that because of guys like Miyasaki.. How many economic asset Japan have now with the ryse of tha animation industry? How many lives are now better than 60 years ago with the economic jump?
It's so easy to speak about the 'problem' of hard work when you act like a little King in a developed country where lot of your ancestors dies during their work before your birth..
Great art is incredibly hard to make and is born out of pain. It doesn't happen by magic while sitting on a couch consuming Pepsi and Cheetos.
It’s sad to me how mistreatment and crunch at prestige studios also contributes to the same and worse at smaller outfits, who can use it as an example of “what it takes” even though you can be assured there are no accolades or bonuses at the end of those productions.
Japanese animation industry is generally infamous for overworking and underpaying. At least Ghibli pays well lol
@@konstantinriumin2657There was also that Sausage Party incident, so it happens in the U.S. too. There's also a lot of crunch on the video game industry. Usually when there's crunch time the quality will be sacrificed. But some studios in Japan won't compromise anything for a project.
Apparently the only time Ghibli didn’t experience crunch was this new movie which didn’t have set deadline, I saw some news article saying staff at Ghibli suddenly started feeling good lol
@@TheZooropaBaby Miyazaki finally got too old to work like machine
@@mrbanks456what's the sausage party incident? sounds interesting lol
To those who might think that you cannot catch lightning in a bottle without sacrifice : It is worth mentioning that you can do wonderful work in animation and also be a director that is pleasant to work with. I think I remember seing in some video (was that yours STEVEM? Maybe) that Oshii and Shinichiro Watanabe are well known in the industry for being considerate and concerned for their staff
I don't recall saying that, I'm not sure really the productions for Watanabe sounded kinda rough at times such is tv anime but he goes give said animators the ability to shine, bones has a pretty good rep these days but it's also made of several different studios
Yeah, I'm sure there can be ways that people can make art/media and be able to have a business without having to loose their mental health and livelihood in the process. At least, that's what I hope is possible... 0_0
Some of the damaging effects of people being overworked isn't just poor mental health, it's also something that chases away new artists that could be creating amazing things without many people knowing it. I know in my experience in college before I graduated, it discouraged me from applying my drawing skills into a business setting.
It didn't stop me from drawing/making art after I graduated, but the most I'll probably ever sell off my artwork is probably a slow-going Etsy and Ko-Fi shop. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Two of my artistic heroes are Jim Henson and Guillermo Del Toro - both know for being not only visionary artists but NICE people.
I fart rainbow and cotton candies😂
@@Scarshadow666 A lot of people complain about the artist’s method but it’s the old outdated system of capitalism that’s causing so many problems across the globe in all fields.
Miyazaki refused to compromise his art because of that system (that’s noble) … But he had to make a deal with the devil to do it.
The contrast of growing up with fantastical stories, and being an adult finding out the various studio's behind them are awful. Is really interesting both literally and metaphorically. A child's surface level awareness and an adults grasp of the reality behind the finished product.
I wonder if this is what changed Miyazaki's personal political leanings.
Becoming a rich man Likley did if anything and business owner etc, though he says it was Yugoslavian war
@@Stevemmoney can turn anyone into a hypocrite, I guess.
though i suppose the productions before ghibli were just as bad if not worse too
@@nowhereman6019 USA is the biggest hypocrite. That's the truth
He saw the collapse of communism's largest and most powerful manifestation during his lifetime as well. But let's blame everything on capital.
Learning how we lost Yoshifumi Kondo is very frustrating, as Whisper of the Heart is one of my favorite Ghibli films.
same
@@Stevem It's been confirmed Shochiku Co, made a live action Sequel to Whisper of the Heart.
can you expand on that? Is that related to princess monoke production? Yoshifumi Kondo died in 1998 which is year after the princess monoke release?
@@drawingmaniacsterben7144 I thought the video said that Yoshifimi died during the making of Mononoke.
If I may ask, why? I found it inane and boring myself. I’m genuinely curious what you saw in it
No human being deserves to be exploited or abused. Every human deserves to be treated with respect and given the autonomy to take care of themselves: physically, mentally, and socially. Not doing that is akin to abuse, and such avoidable suffering should not be normalized.
This shouldn't be happening, but it's also how a lot of anime is produced. Every time I hear about production problems, I feel sick. For now, this is the reality, but this needs to change.
Great video, as always. This type of insight needs more exposure.
I'm guessing other people have said but the newest ghibli Miyazaki movie had no crunch hence why it was in production for like five years with no production committee
@@Stevem I'm hoping that is true. Latest films have been taking up to seven years, with his newest film, "The boy and the heron", taking about that much. I really hope that the more lax production time allows for a healthier working environment.
"Miyazaki had a cold so bad that he could hardly smoke."
Helth
CORRECTIONS: The Inbetweener on the cut I showed for the demon boar was Tsuruoka Koujirou, they spent 6 weeks on it, I'm confirming the situation with Omura now.
The animator in the motorcycle crash was Yoshida Ken'Ichi not Yoshio I mixed those two up.
I've been drawing ever since I was a kid in the 80's, Miyazaki and Ghibli have been my heroes ever since I've been a student in animation (Mononoke was actually the movie that inspired me to take on that path), and fast forward 20+ years, I've been now working in the animation industry for over a decade and half, while having been on a 8 years hiatus because my first 6 years of professional experience of working in Taiwan for over 14h per day without weekends during a crunchtime where I was working on both a TV series AND a feature film for 2 years completely broke me.
I vowed to never pick up a pencil ever again, and took on photography, my other passion, as a safety buoy.
Now more or less accidentally back in the animation industry, but all the more wiser, the heroes of my youth appear under a much darker light, where both Miyazaki had been infamous to be the biggest T-Rex of the Japanese industry, while the recent infamous article from Vulture showcased how absolutely gruesome the working conditions were on Across the Spiderverse, the movie that I initally called the best animated movie of all times (while my previous one was... well, Princess Mononoke ! Full circle !). Thank you, Phil Lord and Amy Pascal for showing to the world how much of an ass you could get !
Never meet our heroes !
Small silver lining the newest ghibli films out in Japan tomorrow is reported to have no crunch so there's that at least
@@Stevem ah, at last ! He would have learned.
Although no crunch does not necessarily mean no verbal abuse.
And by the way, thank you for the quality reporting about the entire situation.
Is don't usually watch 30+ minutes vids on youtube, but yours just went by in a flash !
It was well paced, heartfelt, and despites the heaviness of the topic, still very entertaining. It shows that you were every bit as soul crushed as I am by discovering all this, and that only speaks volume on how you initially (and still) loves this movie and studio.
I'm particularly interested in the No Cuts sword urban legend. If it wasn't as exaggerated as I've heard, I'm wondering who conflated the story (I'm guessing Suzuki, but Weinstein would have denied it by then) ?
@@jjstarrprod yeah, i understand the situation is systemic and i'll talk a bit more of business side next time and their philosophy i dont agree with the sentiment but i understand the how that happens, and i've had my own personal injuries based on overworking a project that have stayed with me 3 years and prior ive had some minor heart stress ones too that were a wake up call about how my body can only take so much
@@Stevem Damn... It kinda sounds like animation truly is a field that is not age-friendly. You can only do it for a certain set of time before your body just starts screaming at you for the abuse.
This reminds me of the infamous "Bioware Magic", a term minimizing how the teams at Bioware studios are crunched and how their games would only start to find some cohesion in the final development days or hours, because of a clear lack of initial global vision and direction for their project. That's bad management, pure and simple.
Yeah, in reading the howls moving castle production diary i cant help but sympathetic to the production desk, they're a constant fear that the production will end up like spirited away again and theyre trying to wrangle it, but theres just issue with the format.
They've been given a shorter schedule than spirited away, despite a shorter run time the movie will need more drawings, something they notice half way through when per cut the drawing number is higher. The stop start process between new boards, to layouts to keys to corrections. That movie literally couldn't hit deadline, they had to move it back to the winter. I don't have much hope for ponyo either since even at a shorter length than prior movies it has more drawings than mononoke, spirited away and howls.
Watching this video and watching other videos detailing crunch in the videogame industry, it brings something to mind: project management. The setting of realistic goals: the final deadline, factoring in how much the staff can accomplish each day, what resources they have, put in elasticity to deal with problems as they appear, etc. Crunch comes from a lot of things I'm sure but it seems to me that the biggest cause is how rare good project management skills are. I'm stunned that Ghibli made Mononoke in 2 years; I would have imagined 4 or 5 years for such a product and that would still probably have crunch. But the real issue seems to lay with the fact that these studio leads don't know how to create such a schedule and don't think about how much a person can actually accomplish in a day, they just set a deadline and think "oh it'll work out." But a good project manager takes all of these qualities into account, estimates the ability of his staff, and then he sets a realistic deadline based off that, not the thing he wants to be true.
Bioware did this for several games in a row and it has completely gutted their videogame development studio. They've lost dozens of employees who don't want to put up with that behavior. Now their fate hangs in the balance with the success of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. But it took them ruining Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Anthem, and Mass Effect: Andromeda before they realized something had to change. Now they're on the edge of a cliff because of it. And it looks like with Ghibli, Miyazaki has not learned a single thing.
Project management is not a sexy thing to talk about but it such a vital skill for enduring success. Ghibli will probably not survive Miyazaki's passing and its all because he didn't stop to master this kind of skill or didn't hire on someone who could do it for him.
Here's the biggest problem with that factor, absolutely project management is really hard to come by, especially with an animation project with no plan basically. I feel this is the biggest issue, it's hard to actually plan a project like this when the boards aren't 100% done until 5 months beforehand. In Miyazaki's own words he can't make it without doing this, usually you wouldnt start production until you have the whole boards planned out. The other issue then is Miyazaki basically then taking on these three roles at the same time: director, storyboarder and animation director. When really those tasks should be deferred to some degree. On the newest movie it's said there's no crunch & the work was denser, they had 60 key animators opposed to 30ish. They had no set deadline , left the office at 8pm and weekends off. The animation director actually did that job opposed to being miyazakis assistant and he focused on boarding and direction. Wouldnt you know it people were looking more human and had energy throughout.
So true, also that's why we should talk more about people who proved that you CAN deliver the product in humane working environment, like Supergiant games or Kyoto animation!
I'd also like to add that the human toll that comes from crunch and poorly planned projects impoverishes the artform tremendously. The depth of institutional knowledge / talent pool are reduced via attrition and artists with otherwise high potential are dissuaded from perusing a career in the medium because of quality of life concerns. This is obviously a pretty general comment that applies to other media production industries as well, but it's my gut feeling that the overall quality of product across games/film/television/animation could be much higher if working in those fields allowed for a more sustainable and humane lifestyle.
Miyazaki and everyone at Ghibli are passionate artists. That's admirable, but they also take it way too far, and no artist should have to die for their art (a lesson that comes from Whisper Of The Heart). And yet, Princess Mononoke is not an isolated case when it comes to these grand and ambitious productions that thrived against all odds, though not without insane strain on everyone.
Random thing: I was half expecting Disney to be mentioned in two moments of the video: when you talked about how few studios could undertake a project of this magnitude without outsourcing, and about digital recompositing, and how things used to work with cels. The Disney of the late 30s and early 40s, before the strike, had over 1000 employees. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney's greatest animators, talk in the book Illusion Of Life about how grueling it was, and yet how passionate and committed they were to it, to take animation to the next level, no money spared. Like how the Ave Maria sequence of Fantasia finished shooting hours before the premiere! It proved to not be sustainable, and it almost killed Disney. On cels and layers, I thought you were gonna mention the Disney multiplane camera, as it was the most advanced device for such, before digital.
Generally I'd prefer to keep the discussion to the japan side for the most part because the structure of the American industry and japanese Industry are quite different ghibli has about 36 credited key animators give or take on Mononoke. Same with multiplane in Japan they don't have the same kinda multiplane set up they have something a little more basic, here through digital they are creating their own digital multiplane for sure
@@StevemMakes sense. Great video by the way!
@@StevemNevertheless, I find interesting the contrast of how american and japanese animation developed. American animation flourished in theatrical shorts, in the medium of cinema. And the rise of TV would bring its decline, as theatrical animated shorts had their budgets slashed, eventually pretty much ceasing to exist. TV cartoons had insanely small budgets and schedule, leading to the 1960s-1980s being called the Dark Age Of American Animation. It was also when outsourcing truly became the rule. And outsourcing remains pretty common to this day, even with the Renaissance of american animation in the late 80s (sparked by Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and beyond.
Japanese animation, on the other hand, flourished while being forged from the start by the insane demands of TV. Osama Tezuka used a lot of Hanna-Barbera's methods in the Astro Boy anime. And it was also insanely grueling, forging the anime industry to this day. Tezuka was a machine, and everyone also had to be so. The preference of so much anime to emphasize insanely detailed backgrounds and designs over movement owes a lot to this, and it's one of the big divides between classic american animation and anime.
@@matheus5230you're missing about 50 years of japanese animated film, there was also a world before astro including Toei whose movie projects start in 58 with Miyazaki joining in 62, further back we also have momotaro which was definitely important or nobu ofuji pioneering work throughout the 30s to the 50s
@@StevemI admit I'm totally ignorant about japanese animation before the 1950s or 1960s. I admit I'm limited by the common narrative about japanese animation, perhaps with too much emphasis being put on Tezuka and his inspiration from the Golden Age american cartoons from Disney and Fleischer.
Wow, that's a very interesting topic. Do you have any video about it which I have forgotten? Japanese animation way before Tezuka?
The extent to which the culture around Ghibli and what the Studio means in the public eye was a deliberate ideation of Suzuki is insane. He created this aura of authenticity and authorialism around Miyazaki which is unparalled in the industry, and it is what drives the mainstream appeal of Ghibli as a whole, a Studio which became for most just the "Miyazaki Studio", because that's what the narrative was always going to be like. But truth is that Ghibli is dying because of that, depriving itself of the possibility of having a successor to the man himself, who is in a perpetual state between work and retirement.
It doesnt then surprise that a Studio like PONOC's, which is spiritually and practically Ghibli's successor, isn't getting that same kind of regard by the audience nor by the critics: they don't have a Suzuki to construct a marketing ploy which fundamentally changed the perception of the anime industry forever.
Now, Suzuki made another gamble: no trailers or any kind of advertisement for Miyazaki's "How Do You Live?", and it might seem foolish, but it is perfectly coherent with the kind of story Suzuki wants to tell. "Ghibli as the paragon of virtue in the animation industry, lead by the genius Miyazaki, the sole creator of his artpieces", and with these premises, how could you ever think thay Ghibli would submit to the corrosive capitalist culture of *trailers* and *advertisement*? I wonder if this ploy will have the expected outcome, but the result will eventually be the same: what will happen to Ghibli once Miyazaki has to actually retire? And what will happen once Miyazaki dies? You can only pretend he's the author of every single piece of each Ghibli movie until he's alive, so I fear that the Studio itself will retire with him.
Here's the problem with this assertion this isn't the first time Suzuki has done media blackout and ponoc does have a head producer who came from ghibli, their approach is different but they're still fresh and Suzuki has not ever been able to market anyone but Miyazaki it could even be argued by the time of howl's moving castle a movie with no press he didn't really need to market Miyazaki people knew him so well they'll show up regardless
It might work in Japan cause everyone knows Ghibli and miyazaki , word of mouth would be enough.
But I suspect they will release a poster and a trailer for the international release.
@@mohammadzekereya9311 maybe but Suzuki has no control over international advertising outside the basics so it's not their job it will be gkids
@Stevem I didn't want to imply that Suzuki made Miyazaki the figure he is today, since he was well known for his work even before Ghibli started being the powerhouse it is today, but I think that it's fair to say that a lot of the mythos behind Ghibli as Miyazaki's child was deliberately created by Suzuki.
When it comes to PONOC though, I feel like people still either don't know them, or they don't perceive them as Ghibli's successor, when they undoubtedly are; I think that has a lot to do with how author-centric Suzuki's marketing is, pulling all the attention towards Miyazaki as a director rather than all of the team behind Ghibli.
Of course, it doesn't help that PONOC has yet to release something truly original and that doesn't feel like a reheated version of other Ghibli movies, but still, I very much root for them and I feel like they are not as much in the spotlight as they deserve to.
@@riccardomazzaro1901 well the movies are that way because a large portion of the staff worked at ghibli for a decades, like the thing with ponoc is it's so early yet, and currently the products they've created are successes within their own boundaries another film is on the way so time will tell, but being a functional studio over the biggest studio is fine
Fun thing is I noticed that a lot of those "gifted" people be it artists, inventors and so aren't really so much gifted as they are obsessed. Look at Miyazaki here, at Jobs life, at Musk now and many many others that excel in their field to the point people with no interest in it know their names. The one quality they all seem to share is obsession. Such obsession with their work it becomes their life, blood and air they breathe in, it seems to morhp into their skin the longer they do it and makes them unable to live without it, to a point where one starts to believe that if said person were to part with their professional obsession it would kill them. The artists are always the most extreme on this, outperforming all other "gifted" people by a longshot, and funnily enough I kind of get it. I'm a hobbyst but on the rare occasion I get that feeling that this is it, this is the project, man I will die if i have to but IT WILL get done. I can only imagine how amplified that feeling gets when it's your actual job and you have the resources to fuel it into insanity.
"Studio Ghibli breaks labour laws and makes its staff work even days a week, no breaks, no nothing."
So that's why Misyazaki is sometimes called the Walt Disney of japan.
Man STEVEM, you have got to be one of my all time favorite anime RUclips content creators. Every time I get a notification for one of your videos I just know I'm in for something special. Your animations are spot on and add a real sense of professionalism and high production values are unmatched by your contemporaries in the RUclips anime community. Your videos are a pure joy to watch. Keep up all the brilliant work you are doing my man. Your work is impressive.
Thank you for the kind words!
I mean, everything said, this movie is still one of the most amazing out there. The work, the effort and the story shine through. You can only market garbage so much, this movie is gold.
Funny how the film that shows Miyazaki resentment for humanity most clearly comes out of a production like this.
I do absolutely love this movie. It's my favorite Ghibli movie and up there for my favorite movie of all time, i just hate that the production was such a shit show. This movie still holds up so well, the women are written with as much respect and realism as the men, the characters are compelling and the plot is still relevant, and the art work is literally just so striking and breathtaking. I dont think the bad production takes away from the meaning of the film, but it definitely puts a bad taste in your mouth when thinking of Miyazaki.
Most production at Ghibli are that bad really and somewhat true of the entire industry to varying degrees but ghibli does have a special kinda issue inherent to the start stop process of not having all the boards done before production.
It’s incredible what’s required to make these types of movies. There’s a real and unfortunate drama going on, and you tell it so well.
I’m only a viewer and have I idea what it takes to make such films.
I love all the films.
Is it worth it for the employees to sacrifice so much - as though it was a war?
I don’t know only those involved do.
All I can say is that the artistry and story telling are beautiful.
I'm grateful this movie exists, the efforts of everyone who worked on it are not lost!
Interesting video. I knew Miyazaki was hard to work with but this project definitely seemed like a nightmare to complete.
yeah it seemed pretty rough all things considered
very glad this segment ended on a suitably dour note. it's too easy for these retrospectives to catalogue all the misery that happened, but then punctuate it with "but then it was a massive success and a great piece of art"
no piece of art is good enough to be worth human lives
That sigh at the end was poignant. Great essay, thanks for putting it together and shedding light on the crazy story that is the making of Princess Mononoke.
My pleasure!
@@Stevem It was refreshing to see someone actually giving that moment the dread and humanity it deserves. 🙏
*contrived.
I was injured at Pixar working on Toy Story 2. Many of us were - many of us injured permanently. It ended my career, and that of my best friend.
There's an expectation that if you are passionate about your job, or if that job is meaningful, that you should suffer greatly for it.
I'm sorry to hear that, I injured my wrist back about three years ago while it's better than it was I don't think it will ever be the same again, I can feel the difference
What did you work doing? I’m sorry to hear how you were treated
Miyazaki probably keeps "retiring" because of this kind of work schedule, I wonder if the regular staffers have the luxury of such extended breaks to charge their batteries for another go. I doubt it.
Generally it's 1 month off on August and you'll get a couple weeks after the production. Where Miyazaki usually needs 6 months to get back to health after each film & you're probs not wrong there.
Animators are fired regularly, which is actually a good thing because they're not overworked.
Good lord, the work atmosphere at ghibli feels like a Giger painting : the staff has to fuse with the craft, with their machinery and miyazaki is both the heart and nerves of the whole system. Cause once you're part of the body of animators, you have to keep up with its pulse O_O)
This isn't "content", this is comprehensive documentary making. It feels personal and up close. Feels very much like People Make Games' approach which I also adore. Keep it up Steve!
I had the fortune of being in Japan when this movie dropped. It was amazing to see it in the Japanese theater. The level of detail leave only a handful of movies in its class
I didnt know the production litterally killed people. So sad. Nothing is worth working that hard.
Damn the fact that not only they got away with it, but also ended being rewarded by the market doesn't helps the situation either, plus the movie was good too, so you can't help but hate to see it, while begrudgingly admitting that the success was well deserved, and you know for what it is worth, i don't think it actually got enough success
Still like Nausicaa more, but this is my second on e when it comes to Miyazaki movies
I'm a bigger fan of the Nausicaa movie though not like that production went well either
A lot of criticism here misses the context. Japan from the time Miyazaki began working up to the time Mononoke was made had similar work ethic. You have to put Ghibli in its cultural context.
But still...
I adore the sketchy animations when featuring certain people's quotes. It kept me engaged and adds artistic flair. Just wanted to mention it in case you curious of viewer reactions. Just shared this link with my friends; thanks
its nice to hear i draw it all myself :)
Agreed!
It amazes me about how these beautiful films were directed/produced by someone with the personality of bitter black coffee that would in turn get thrown in the animators faces if they didn't work fast or hard enough for him. What a tyrant.
Whisper of the heart has come to be my favorite Studio Ghibli film. R.I.P Kondo
same tbh
I loved this video, I didn’t think I’d sit through all of it, but your storytelling is incredibly entertaining and well done. Princess Mononoke is probably my favorite movie, among a few other Ghibli films, and I have been a Ghibli fan since I was a child, so watching this puts the whole thing in an incredibly interesting perspective. Would love to see more videos about Ghibli films from you!
Thank you !
I've done a fair few on ghibli I should have a playlist somewhere, the one I did prior to this is on Nausicaa and the next is on spirited away !
@@Stevem great to know, I will check them out, thank you!
I noticed the colors looked less vibrant in the final product compared to the cels. I feel like this another big problem with digital color matching, especially in Japanese studios at the time.
cels looks a lot brighter in daylight than they will on screen thats pretty common
Me watching before the video gets copyright strike by Ghibli
Surprised it's stayed up this long. They usually nuke anything that has a single frame of their BTS
@@TsubasaAnimations I tried to deal with copyright issues prior but the system didn't catch it twice or three times so I guess I now wait until they do or if they do
Everhone's already said it better than me, but I just wanted to thank you for another wonderfully made video. Your conversational but educational style is my favorite.
Wow, thank you!
another extremely powerful and well made video. Miyazakis movies are genuinely part of me. Ive grown up with them, and his films are my favourite movies period, however hearing about the production of his movies does put things into a different light. Whilst a brilliant creative, its clear that he gets so immersed into his worlds that finishing his vision becomes the only thing that matters to him, which explains his ruthless behaviour. His character has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. His movies portray happy families, and inspirational dads, yet he was a pretty terrible one. Kindness seems to be at the heart of all of his movies, yet to produce his movies the workplace seems to be far from kind.
Im not sure what im really getting at here. I suppose its quite weird to see how perfect and beautiful pieces of media are produced by a far from perfect and beautiful process. I wonder if its necessary. Sure, miyazaki could take more time, or conform to a more standard production method, yet if that were to happen we may have not got as many movies by him, and I doubt they would have the fluidity and soul that movies under his very fluid and changing process have. He may have not inspired the amount of people that he has. Its not an easy question to answer, but I hope in the optimistic spirit of his movies, the answer is no. I really hope under future visionaries, that the treatment of staff will be far better on these sorts of projects.
The new movie under miyazaki is reported to not have crunched it also didnt involve a production committee who would likely be one factor in said crunch. It's an unfortunate side effect of a money focused industry who put profits over health and that isnt just ghibli most studios are stuck in the process. It's unlikely if miyazaki were to attempt any project again it would turn out the same since so much is dependent on schedule and the staff, those two will really define the direction in the end.
@@Stevem ah, thats really good to hear. Cant wait for it to release in cinemas internationally so I can watch it.
Yeah, crunch definitely exists virtually everywhere in the creative sector now days, in and out of the anime industry. Its really sad.
Anyways, thanks for responding, and once again, a fantastically made video. I really do look forward to your uploads. You always make the topics and people you are talking about super interesting.
Reminds me the famous last word from 'Black Swan' - "I was perfect".
Incredible work. Thank you for blessing us with such an elaborate video on the production issues of my favorite Ghibli film.
Youre welcome I'm glad you enjoyed!
I had seen the video of Myasaki's crew eating together, and I was quite surprised to see people felicitating him for feeding his employees instead of wondering why they weren't home with their children. I really think that he's celebrated like a god, and people purposely close their eyes when presented evidence of why his actions are terrible
Biden said the N word and is a racist pos.... people still like him🤷🏾♀️ idk. Some people are just so stupid you cant help them
i cried following the conclusion of this video... it's heartbreaking... it's all so heartbreaking.
So working at Ghibli is like working at a high end restaurant. It's not a normal job. You really have to want it to succeed no matter what. Otherwise you'll be highly depressed.
He's finally here! Performing for you! Its the best member of the anituber crew!
Put your hands together , if you wanna clap!
As he takes you through this development rap!
On a serious note, I had always known the development of this movie was a nightmare (mainly learned about it courtesy of Steve Alpert), but I didn't know it was to this extent. I'm glad we got a masterpiece movie, and it broke records, but damn I feel bad for the people who worked on it. Everyone involved seems to have gone through hell and back for this movie. I just hope its true the studio improved after both this, and the tragedy that was Kondo's death.
Amazing video as usual, Stevem.
Thank you, I've been writing up spirited away and the answer mostly not really, some improvements but mainly from the tech side
I’m just going to say it. No piece of art is worth this kind of mistreatment.
Many of your favorites are. You love the blood you’re just squeamish.
I really appreciate you putting your Patreon sponsors in the middle of your video instead of as an end tag. It's a nice touch that shows appreciations and something I don't think I've seen any other creator do.
I'm tempted to keep doing it, gives me more freedom towards how I end videos too
Patreon sponsors and _RAID: Shadow Legends_ both support videos, but you never see the latter completely relegated to the end of videos haha
@@Stevem You honestly should, I think that is a good way to thank your patrons, putting it at the start or end of the video makes people just skip it. (I do that a lot) having it worked in somewhere in the middle gives people time to process the amount of info that's been given throughout a video and at the same time making people better recognize that without them the videos themselves may not even be of this quality.
yeah i agree
Its almost impossible to balance. Like the crunch culture in game development. Taking longer angers the fans and can completey kill the release. New tools are seen as shady and corner cutting, even from the staff. I dont think there will ever be a perfect solution.
The better solution is not to crunch, there are absolutely game studios that apply to said method such as supergiant and Nintendo, while has a questionable past is pretty good with that, fan anger is whatever it's best not to put down unrealistic goals if you don't want to postpone or no date entirely, the anger side doesn't really apply here either to ghibli
Yeah I mostly agree. I hope these "prestigious" studios can stick around as the whole culture is kinda changing. And people continue to treat them that way, rather then demand more more more.
I don't think that taking longer necessarily angers the fans and can kill a game, I think it depends on the fans and their relationship to the company and the IP. Tears of the Kingdom took 6 years to make and while yes, of course we were impatient and wanted it to come out already, we would rather they take their time and end up with a game as highly regarded as TOTK is. We understand that God work takes time, and world rather they keep the same preciousness they regard Zelda with than rush them or and be less fantastic.
Brilliant video as always, albeit quite depressing. The amount of work you put into your videos to make them as engaging as possible never ceases to amaze me. Great work!
Thank you very much!
Apparently in Japan family movies come out in the summer because kids have time off in July August. Serious movies come out in the fall.
Money well spent. Mononoke-hime is the high point in Ghibli's evolution towards its domestic audience.
I'm at the part where you talk about signature parts of Miyazaki's work being defined by other people, and I can't help but stop and comment that Miyazaki was literally a Marxist in his youth and that makes all of this so much worse -- Miyazaki is not just an often abusive employer whose entire legacy is built upon so much work from people whose names are never mentioned alongside these works, but he is 100% aware of this dynamic, completely aware of the problem, and he just doesn't care. He's clearly a genius, and I love his and his staffs work. But in a just world, Miyazaki would have AT LEAST been forced to learn to respect and value his staff or spend his life making manga alone. Not every genius deserves a staff to fulfill their vision, regardless of how talented they are.
Not every genius does...... Miyazaki was a lucky sprout that found the right time and people to make his dreams come true.
As an Artist I wholeheartedly praise him, but as a person he can go eat ass
For his industry is Miyazaki the worst or pretty average considering the environment back then? I’m curious to know if it is a Miyazaki problem or a systemic issue?
Man I feel like i'm actually in the studio with this video.Stevem really breaks down the process so well. I've learned so much about Anime with his videos.
glad you enjoyedd!
And it’s still hapening not only in Japan, as we can see now with Spiderman Across the spiderverse.
At least, Miyazaki didn’t throw away completed sequences…
Still, I can’t help myself to think a masterpiece as Monomoke couldn’t be done without crunch in those times.
The animation is so perfect, it won’t ever age, even in a million years.
Was it the case for Akira too?
In the end, more than Suzuki or any producer, the fans cherish the narrative that their beloved director or creator should be a flawless god.
But Miyazaki is only human and he will always be one of my heroes.
My grandpa was a baker, the sweetest person I knowed, and his bakery was really famous in our town: when I used to visit him at work, he was always yelling at his employes, and he was himself working from 4 in the morning to 10pm every day except Sunday. He started working when he was 9 years old.
Différent people from different times, so it’s really hard to judge them and what they dedicated their life to: The idea that quality has a cost to pay.
Productions can be done without crunch or at least with better work environments, crunch makes staff sloppy it's the outsourced studios that then end having to focus on the cleanup then. If that be telecom or the chunk of other animation studios credited.
@@Stevem Yeah I Know you’re right, I just love Miyazaki and this movie too much and not being objective :(
@@deuzdeuz8115it's important to have the distance from people you don't know really, if you admire there output or not
This is a really incredible documentary 😮 feel like I learned so much & I've always been interested in Ghibli's history with CGI - I've actually got some DVDs in my cart 🛒
Your art was great man 😎 appreciate those little touches like the Miyazaki sequence
@@Nkanyiso_K oh yeah which DVDs
instead of looking at it as a problem, we should see it as a marvel of art like Mt. Rushmore. Its not supposed to be mass replicated
30:38 I like that look. I wonder what an anime would look like with houses or backgrounds with this style
Well if I ever make one i guess will find out
I really appreciate your drawings of the various staff when you quote them.
Including the racist fake Japanese accents he uses as well? It’s fucking racist. He should have read the quotes in his normal accent.
Important to bring them into the story!
@@villedocvallewhat???? Are you talking about junii that's just his accent no one is putting on any fake accents in this video
That look at the end, I felt that man. Thank you for this splash of reality that isn't really talked about, especially in the west. We consume all this foreign media without giving a second thought to the trail of blood, sweat, and tears in it's wake...
Your videos are pieces of art and the best pieces of analysis out there! Thanks so much, such a great watch. And your Miyazaki voice kills me!
thank you!!! (wait did you delete the other comments?)
@@Stevem it was such a great video, and so insightful!! I loved how in depth you went into the production of the cells and that whole story!! i did delete but it basically said this over two different comments :)
@@robbiecathro4146 no problem just checking because i was getting some glitches in the comments elsewhere and wanted to make sure it wasnt hitting you too!
"The love-hate relationship continues..."
Great video, SteveM man! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Let me out!!!!!
@@Stevem "You must finish what you started"
Who says that never finished anything lol
This is Japan. Every man works without sleep for days their whole work life. What's your point?
Thanks, I love your videos. Especially the ones about Ghibli.
I'd like to add that there's also a 6,5hrs long documentary about this subject called "Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece".
I'm not sure if this is different than the Nippon tv one usually referred to as how mononoke hime was made or something like that
@@Stevem Could be that one! Was it directed by Toshiro Uratani?
It's very hard to find.
Not sure if I can (or if it's wise) to post the link?
@@AmeAnimationt's the one I'm using for the footage In this video then, yeah
Ur work is amazing. Im not surprised u havent been doin freelance for other youtubers or much bigger. I love all ur videos
I appreciate that!
"Neil Gaiman? What are you doing in my falafel?!"
28:02 Although I think Kanada’s style is entirely too different from the rest of the fighting in the movie, I still think it makes sense in setting that the third party fighting monks fight quite a bit differently then the other characters.
If your employers are abusing you, complain. I don't want to give my money to people who mistreat their employees. I stopped playing Warcraft because of their shitty abuse I personally have recieved since I started playing in 2014. The recent scandals were my breaking point. I also activly encouraged friends that if they're going to watch Sausage Party, don't pay to see it.
The issue is that ethical consumption isnt really a thing, like you will find zero animation studios without some form of exploitation in built, or where the actual animators get royalties off the work. This is also 1990s Japan you can complain, but what good will it do you. The expectation of most corporate structures are more extreme than Ghibli's default, the labour law breaking was usually done by the animators themselves who wanted to finish the film, the murky world of manufactured consent for you.
Complaining is also a good way to get blacklisted. There are some studios that treat staff better than others, people at ghibli have even said i much prefer being here than working on the tv animation world, but it's all a systemic issues. Your wallet can't fix it.
Its sad to see how some of the anime we all love so much are actually made
i imagine theres a lot of grim stories from most productions
Youre videos are top tier anime/studio review. They get better everytime.
😊
I got to see Mononoke at one of the first screenings in the UK.. a midnight showing at an art house cinema. It was pure magic xD
huh ya know that must have been really interesting back then, how was the audience reaction
@@Stevem other than the two ladies I went with (who both passed out drunk) it was.. almost religious? We all gasped at the same time, there was laughter and cries of "Oh!" at appropriate moments ^^
@@satinthroneyou know what that sounds great
I'm watching (or rather, listening) to this documentary as I'm working on my indie game that I hope to release in October. I'm tediously working on the tiles that are for the backgrounds for our 2D shooter. It's long, hard work, and I'm just listening to how Ghibli was difficult for the animators. At least I don't have a Miyazaki breathing down my neck.
yeah there's certainly a benefit to working on your own schedule
Amazed me how much the new one, How for they live, took to make and how little animation per week they did.Only 12 minutes completed per year and over 6 years production 😮😮
seems to have sped up at points, for sure though even back here 5 mins a months wasnt unusual
FAVOURITE MIYAZAKI FILM GOOOO
It's my spouse's favorite. We were fortunate enough to be the final bidder on a animation cel auction and got a beautiful Ashitaka cel used in that film. Our home still has it framed and displayed in our hallway. Makes me gitty walking by it in our hallway.
My favorite is, 'Castle in the Sky' though I do appreciate the messages in Mononoke. Particularly the man and nature subject. Superb video, I'll share it with my spouse.
@@ourfamilyaccount hope they enjoyy
The one where you don't hate on a poor innocent genius
Truly incredible work, how you tell the story and give the truth a narrative feel and the ending had the penance it is owed fantastic video
Glad you enjoyed it!
I watched this movie for the first time only a month or two ago and I personally didn’t think it lived up to the hype. It’s almost like the horrible reality of the crunch times destroyed the “life” of the film. Artistically the movie is beautiful but the human characters felt “dead” and ironically the animal characters felt most alive and human to me. I’m so saddened to learn that someone lost their life through the stress of making this film. Thankyou for shedding light on this all.
Kondo's life ending while likley relates to all the pressure, but it goes far beyond just one film, it's years and years of build up and an unfortunate condition
Miyazaki's masterpiece.
Another beautiful video, Stevem.
What's notable is that Kurosawa and Miyazaki met during the production of Mononoke-there's a full NHK special on it.
It's also worth saying during Mononoke's production, Ghibli are also assisting Studio Gainax in in-between works for Evangelion. Including, ironically, the film that Princess Mononoke would open a week after...End of Evangelion.
Personally I see Nausicaa as his masterpiece.
Both movies have deus-ex-machina endings, but where Nausicaa's ending feels like exactly what was called for, Mononoke doesn't really earn it's ending for me. Yes, they mention the god, but that doesn't make his deus-ex-machina "nature takes over, corruption dissapears, everyone lives happily" feel earned. At least, in my opinion. Feels like a sloppy way to wrap up the story with what limited screen-time budget they had remaining.
The production help on end was during pretty much the end of this production you can see the dates in the ghibli diary
@@glowerworm There's less logic in Nausicaa who magically becomes god, whereas Princess Mononoke they simply return the god's head to restore peace.
@@murdockfiles9406 nausicaa isn't a god but the fated prophet which is set up first thing in the movie. It's also a deus ex machina ending, but for me it seems much more believable that one individual who's consistently playing both sides the whole movie might influence both sides at the end.
Mononoke's ending just didn't feel earned to me, which is why I've always dislike it
PHENOMENAL VIDEO, STEVEM!
Thank you !!!!!
I remember This Flim at my grandma's, Place Wehn i was 5 years Old, When i wacthed it... I saw the Blood, On my own Eyes. I also like San, the Wolf Girl.
I remember my old school student self wanting to be an animator at disney or japan. However, i became an infectious diseases physician. I still dream of having the magic that osamu tezuka had to be a doctor and a mangaka. It would be interesting to compare disney vs anime making
If you keep up drawing from time to time you might be able to get some little animation down, it doesn't need to be fancy. The Japanese approach is likely better to start since it's comes from the limited animation school, so less drawings needed. Maybe one day ill make a video about the philosophy of what makes anime, anime.
love your music choices in this one, really makes the whole thing feel grand as you're narrating
panzer dragoon goated
Anime industry as a whole is pretty fucked. Mostly because of production committees. Most of the Studios have to pick so many projects. But barely some of them progress as a studio and to get control of their situation slowly (with some exceptions ofc)
Production committees aren't good but before hand the problems all still existed, like even outside the production committee like the recent chainsaw man which was self funded, the production on that was fucked
@@Stevem Probably because some of the overlapping staff with JJK. or how Heavy the content was. Episode 8 looks like it had 6 months to work on but it still was tight. But it wasn't definitely nearly as fucked as like wonder Egg priority. Mappa overall is progressing as a studio unlike Something like A-1 and cloverworks who are stuck in ANIPLEX jail, can't make money on themselves while they have so many projects, can't expand their departments and won't invest in in-house talent and even invest in their own projects. Great video btw❤️. You do have a lot of Knowledge
@@Stevem prod committees while animes makes a ridicilous amount of money nowdays. They won't increase the budget of Show Today and its Workers. They just pump out more animes. A few of them are good overall
@@A1000-b9sthe cost of shows has tripled in the last decade give or take, salary increase has varied but not the increase it should be at for sure.
I'm not so sure mappa has any interest in better conditions for workers overall I've talked to people who have worked with them prior sounded like a complete shit show, their freelance rate is abysmal too. And important to note the most minutes per anime to this day were produced in 2006, late 2010s got close but currently we're past the peak of that
@@Stevem it's still pretty low budget compared to other medias. And yeah they have their better productions for sure (lazarus, alice movie, tondemo skill, DDD, Vinland saga etc..). I mean yeah, the Animation department is progressing slower than their other departments (which is faster than The entire industry, specially CGI). They have like only 30 people if I'm not wrong (in-house KAs). For a new studio (i mean compared to other big studios). The progression is definitely impressive. And yeah you can say some sacrifices was made. They are now investing more in their show after making a lot of shows. They are using that money to expand the Studio and get more talents in-house. One of the best in-house pays too if I'm not wrong. CSM had ridicilously high Standards (maybe the schedule for s1 wasn't good because of it or because of JJK). Till like episode 6 of 7 the production was stable. Even in the latter half, They had episode 8 and 10 (it had some little errors tho). And ofc having gosso recently as in-house staff same with yabuta is a big W. I hope they can make The studio more stable like Pro I.G. The whole industry is fucked but The progression to escape the production committee System seems pretty good for mappa.
This is something else. Oof. Hits the feelings. Especially the ending.
No matter how much you base yourself around hating him, the art stands on its own. Beautiful stuff. Youll never be able to erase the feelings of happiness the viewers had and will continue to have.
ALL SOURCES
docs.google.com/document/d/1VveJyi0B4JiNOZPCen_-sfS6KtFq9sWW6NGC1g7mO-Q/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks!
Screams in joy because you used a clip from Gokudo in a scenario where I didn't have to actually seek out Gokudo so Excitement because Gokudo out in the wild!
huh that's what that shows called lol
@@Stevem underrated little gem of an anime. Gokudo in English, Gokudo-kun Manyuuki in Japanese and Jester El Adventuro in spanish!
It's still one of my favorites to this day and very "The Slayers" adjacent
You’re videos are so well produced.
Thank you it's a one man job really
The aneurysm... technically would be Miyazaki's fault & racked up bad karma. And then Miyazaki didn't learn so the break was too short after that movie before the abuse began again.
Human society as a whole has a weird obsession with people on top while completely ignoring people who actually produce what we see and use, often in detriment of said people, making their lives absolute hell exactly because we don't value them as much as people on top. It's like we think that a general alone win the war by himself, and the soldiers are just a chore for him.
I love your videos and your cat
She's about right now I'll pass on the message
You can't make great art without hard work and sacrifice. These people were worked to their limits, but they got to be involved in a piece of work which is magical and timeless. Many people would envy them for this opportunity. It's easy to sit here and criticise their methods with the benefit of hindsight, but they were obviously doing a lot of things right. If you disagree, then I challenge you to make something 1/10th as good as 'Princess Mononoke'.
Greta animations for the “chapters” made it an engaging watch!
Really really good video! Can't wait to see what you're working on next❤
Spirited away 🎉
14:40 The term you are looking for the effect of too many cels, is called fogging.
A correction on the traditional method", that's layering the cel on top of the key frames and then inking over them. Xerox was a later invention to cut down production time.
I don't think xerox originally was for that but yeah post 70s it's pretty common, I'm not sure how different the japanese tracing machine is to a standard xerox machine but same principle