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you forgot the lack of "conflict" or a "villain" is also what makes ghibli movies so relatable... The biggest conflict people nowdays have is paying the bills on time and the closest thing to a "villain" is probably their landlord. The "world" around you will change whether we like it or not. this is relatable because its true... In comparison we will probably never overthrow an evil empire as the hero who defeats the big bad guy ...we all wish in some way we could but we know it will never happen However Meeting a mysterious "person" Befriending your neighbor or Getting out of a contract are things most people will likely do in some way at some point in their lives...
Spirited away has conflict. Conflict isn't always battle. In Spirited Away the conflicts are interpersonal and internal in nature. None are outright good verse evil and all contribute to the main character's growth arc.
With Ghibli you feel that you see these characters for but a brief moment in their lives. When the credits roll they do other things, they have other days and adventures. With Hollywood you feel like it’s a complete story.
Yes, true for so many Ghibli movies. My favorite for this type of ending is Only Yesterday, when the main character makes a big decision. Not before, but during the end credits.
Great interpretation of why these movies are so different and so great. Another aspect of the Ghibli movies that I like is something you hinted at with Spirited Away, by commenting at the leaves and dust and "this wasn't just a dream". In the Ghibli movies, it isn't just a dream, it is real and parents rarely dismiss kids and their experiences. I love how in Totoro, May gets upset by insisting that she DID see a Totoro, and the father said that she is very lucky, and then takes the girls to the tree to pay their respects. He validates her experience, where as almost all "western" movies will have the parents create "conflict" by refusing to believe the child, and telling them to "grow up" or something like that... and the child has to "prove them wrong". The magical world and the spirits are real, and this is never a matter to be debated.
I also love the lack of a distinct villain. They have their place, but they are not needed in order to have conflict and thus a story. To me, the conflict in Spirited away is the demands of growing up - she has to move to a new town, save her parents, and return to the real world so as to complete moving to a new town. Happily ever after doesn't cut it, because there is always the next day.
Yes. The conflict is more of a person versus herself/himself. She had to grow up and develop as a character. In the English release when her parents drive off in the end you hear her comment, "It won't be so bad" when her parents talk about moving to a new home and starting a new school. Implying she has matured due her time in the spirit world.
I totally agree on Arrietty's ending. Having borrowers be revealed and accepted by humans would feel cheap, because we know things wouldn't end that way in reality. Life is bittersweet, it doesn't have perfect endings, so I feel Ghibli films respect the bittersweetness of life while still giving optimism and hope.
“起承轉合” is a story structure we learn in high school in Taiwan. I don’t think it’s that much different, it just has a larger span of explanation. You’ve done most of the explanation, I would think that 轉 (change) would more likely be “the false victory” if you put it in the hero’s journey. I think the East Asian four act structure actually still works for western stories. 合(I like to translate it to “combine”, since it basically combines everything the story comes to), is basically “the hero goes back to a comfortable place but changed”. I would think story structure isn’t the main cause of difference between western and eastern stories, but the perspective using each structure could be an influence. Conflict isn’t absence in 起承轉合, it’s just different.
I agree. I think 起承転結 (Japanese)/Ki-syou-ten-ketsu has nothing to do with the particular feelings we feel for Ghibli's works. It is just a way of story's construction.
41 years as an American resident in Japan, and former college writing and public speaking teacher / biology lab director here ... and I fully agree with your analysis. I will later add in comments my own experience in teaching freshman exposition, scientific writing, and speech writing. Though all three are different academic domains and have different conventions, an effective use of those conventions depends on understanding the underlying psychology that both Kishotenketsu and Aristotelian derived structure have in common.
After a quick google search, I think Kishōtenketsu is indeed, basically the same thing as 起承轉合. Kishōtenketsu is the Japanese reading of the characters 起承轉結. More info. at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu
This definitely adds a piece to the puzzle of why these stories feel so important, and I look forward to seeking out more stories that use this structure. For me, the endings also include a really important theme, in many Ghibli films: we can go on magical and fantastical adventures, we can daydream and get infatuated and see the world, but at the end of the day, we have to go home and build our real lives. We have to build our relationships slowly and carefully, and build our sense of home where it belongs. We don't get to escape permanently.
Kdramas use the Kishotenketsu structure too. I got so curious on how those were writing along with anime. I study storytelling, it's strange that we don't learn these other types of writing. Only the Hollywood way. Even in europe
I think, in a way, Kishotenketsu does resemble 3 act structure, and DOES have conflict at the forefront. But it doesn’t do it the same way that a Hollywood movie does. All 3 act structure stories are basically 4 acts, since act 2 is the same length as acts 1 and 3 combined, and act 2 divides at a midpoint, so you can still map it as 4 parts. Correct me if I’m wrong but it seems that the internal conflict is the central conflict of the whole story, rather than a means to resolving a greater external conflict. The introduction of the external conflict is just an extra big test to solve what problem was set up in the beginning, or whatever showdown the story built up to at the end. And I feel like Chihiro’s story DOES resolve neatly at the end. The people and spirits working at the bath house aren’t the main conflict. Saving her parents was her goal. She did set it aside at times, but it taught her something. Sometimes that happens in real life. She overcomes her fear, pride, and impatience through everything that happens, which prepares her for Yubaba’s final test. She leaves the spirit world prepared to face the new ordinary world she was heading toward in the beginning of the story. But ending a movie open-ended isn’t bad or unsatisfying. But I also wouldn’t describe the ending of Arietty to be open ended. Arietty and Sho’s relationship was the focus, not the fate of the borrowers and human’s relationship. I could be wrong or maybe I’m just seeing this through my own western worldview, but to me it makes sense.
That was a superb explanation. I've grappled myself with the felt need of having to tell a different kind of story than the hero's journey in the past; thanks so much for making it this clear that a different way to tell a story exists and also works so beautifully.
Another thing I noticed that is present in every Ghibli film is an emphasis on developing strong connections and bonds. Arrietty has to leave, and she and Sho will never see each other again, but their brief time together, and the bond they form during it irrevocably, changes both of their lives, and leaves them with memories they won't forget. Loss is okay, people have to part ways, but the bonds they form stick with them, and have lasting impacts. A film that I can see a lot of Kishotenketsu influence in, now that I think about it, was one I just watched recently. That was IF. The structure is very similar. Intro, development, a chaotic element introduced, and change as the resolution. A lot of the ending is left up to us to decide how it will ultimately continue, and it ends out in a very Ghibli kind of way, with the biggest resolution being the personal change the main character goes through, how her bond with others in the film changes them in turn, and a return to normalcy, with her going back to living her life.
Great video, I wasn't aware of Kishotenketsu, loved how you compared it to the 3 act structure. I'd say there's some part of cinematography that Ghibli does as well that invites you into its worlds in a more laid back way. Sure there are some cool action scenes, but there are lots of slow, lingering shots that just capture the mood of a moment, and give each place or object space to breathe that really resonates with the overall story structure.
I think this provides a more realistic model for story-telling. The goal is to find something out about the world and use it to make some important contribution or contribute positively by ajusting one's behavior and mindset. The same thing exists in traditional hero journey structure, but we're encouraged to see it and structure it as storytellers as how the PROBLEM OR TRAP was escaped or rectified. This encourages writers to go to extremes of good and evil and be overambitious by defining problems that are ultimate and solutions that are ultimate, and this good to bad to good pogression can feel like didactic morlism and easily lacks believability. One can certainly have probles, lessons, rewarded victories and so on in the other structure, but the emfasis is on describing a world, changing it, decribing it again and so on, until a suitable point is reached at which our understanding has been meaningfully expanded about central things that continue to matter. Then the story can stop, not because things have reach ultimate triumph or tragedy or all has been solved or revealed, but because whichever people we focus on have remade their world sufficiently that whatever story follows will be a suficiently difforent discovery to constitute a new story about new kinds of discovery. It's comforting to focus on change and learning, rather than mastry, particularly in a world where problemsare bigger than we are. When we write or read a world more focused on making things work or not making thing not work, it's much easier to forget that the main reason for desciption is to move through useful understandings that an audience can relate to - that no matter how well-engineered your world, it will feel ungrounded and useless if it's a journey wher we can't feel the texture ofthe changing ground and ajust to it with each step. The style encourages writers to start small when they build their worlds and explore ambiguous and normal things.
You summarized the comparison between the two so well! I love this take on storytelling for all the reasons you mentioned, they feel not only a lot more tangible but also far more grounded. Things in life change, they change a lot, they can change in a year as quickly as they change in a day, and life always throws surprises and change into your life you have to adjust to. A lot of the time it’s small things, a cancelled delivery, a surprise dish-cleaning mess, someone forgetting to do something, it’s all a surprise and a change, and we build our lives largely off of these small things. Ghibli Films don’t just feel cozy because of their beauty but also because of how true to life they make their events, how they show the importance of small things and how we use them to approach bigger things. I agree with everything you mentioned in this comment!
Good video, but Miyazaki himself said it wasn't a coming of age movie. He wanted to emphasize to girls/children of this age that they had the strength already in them to deal with obstacles. The Japanese version doesn't have the last line that the US version does. Chiro's father doesn't ask her at the end if she's worried about going to school. There is no dialogue at all. In the Japanese version again, it's implied Chihiro also doesn't remember what happened. The only evidence that it did is her hair tie. Which I think ties into her experience per Miyazaki better. She doesn't have to remember what happened to deal with her new school, life, etc. WE the audience have already seen she can handle things. Not sure about them coming out to find their car all dusty. I think it was always that way, after driving through the woods when they first arrived. If you remember, the area around the entrance to the tunnel to the park was strangely clear and there was no overgrowth at all. Wouldn't it be overgrown if the area had been abandoned for years? I think once they passed the torii, they were in the land of spirits. That wasn't what the entrance to the tunnel looked like at all in the 'mortal' world. In the mortal world it was overgrown, with hanging branches and tall grass and weeds. Their car looked like it should after driving crazily to the area, so there wasn't a passage of time, just a difference of worlds.
I may be forgetting mentions of timelines within the film, but I'm not sure why you're suggesting "abandoned for years". Dust and leaves should appear between a couple days to a couple weeks, which, iirc, should match up with the idea that time has passed.
@@billybonesbaggins I mean the park had been abandoned for years. At least 11 years. So the entrance to the park, where the car arrived, should be overgrown. It wasn't until the end of the movie.
Oh, you can find those in reactions on RUclips. Badd Medicine's reaction to Spirited Away had all those and more. They had to take it down (they caught so much flack) but their apology video can still be found.
Oh, I've heard plenty of people say Ghibli movies are boring movies, where nothing happens that it ends up being pointless. As if the nothing that happens isn't the point
Fantastic video SVB. I've always had a hard time putting my finger on why Japanese anime movies always feel so different to me than Hollywood stuff. I always assumed it was the fact that they will take such a different view of things and tell stories that would have no chance of making it in an American movie. I am not sure if you have seen the movie The Garden of Words but I would highly recommend that movie. When the movie ended I very much was like, oh I do not know how to feel, I feel very... I have no good word to describe it. But it was directed by Makoto Shinkai and was his last director credit before he exploded in anime popularity with Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume.
I really liked this movie and the score was great. It had some weird foot fetish vibes though. Nothing agregious but still a bit weird. Maybe that's just the cynical side of me that sees it that way as there is a premise for it. I just can't think of why that out of all the things. It uses shoes as a metaphor for life. I suppose upon writing this I could see it as a technical challenge. Animators have always had trouble with feet and hands and they're exceptionally well drawn in this film. Also the water/rain animations are probably the best I've ever seen. It definitely has the lack of resolution common to the genre though.
13:12 I am so glad I am watching this video. I have never understood this movie entirely. I was so scared by the individual characters and haven't watched the movie in so long.
One detail at the end of Spirited away I missed as a child, but notice every time now: Chihiro wears the hairband that Zeniba made for her. Imo it's a symbol that chihiros expereinces were real and that change shows in usualy unnoticed, small everyday things (like a hairband).
15:23 what you left out was that after youbaba Said “zen you did great” she Said “you made me soo much moneeeeeeeyyyyyy!”😂a nd she aid it very exited-y too, buncing up and Down With exitement and joy!
I don't know about Yababa not being a villain. Just because her powers are explained through rules, doesn't mean she ever shows true goodness. She does everything purely for self-interest, when it comes to every character she interacts with. except her own son, who she encourages to operate out of the same value-system by giving him every conceiveable comfort at the expence of everyone else. When she praises Chihiro over the river spirit bathing, what she really wants her workers to "learn from Chihiro" is that any terrible work for her should be done if there's a possibility it will result in proceeds for her. This impression of her is furthur reinforced when she is thrilled with No-face until the very moment he stops giving thing to the bathhouse and starts consuming things and people from it, a situation she's quick to blame Chihiro for, even though a little though should tell her a human child couldn't have known she had caused this magical problem. In Greek myth and other storytelling, such as the story of Herculeese, working for a villain is often the pathway to defeating and outsmarting them, saving oneself and others from them, or extracting wealth from them. This story DOES fit that pattern, even if it uses another structure as well. In the end, Yababa is breifly thrown by Chihero showing wampth, rather than antagonism toward her, and she or her world may be possitively affected by the change in her son's maturity, generosity and way of thinking introduced by Chihiro, but her bathhouse reamins a place where identity is stripped from workers and workers are worked to death in poor conditions, simply because that'swhat searves Yubaba. It's nice to see a world where even Yubaba can be imagined changing her ways eventually, but it's also unlikely if it will happen. More likely, any authentic kindness that comes from her will have to be pulled out of her by strategy and force - the definition of a villain.
i think the two are supposed to represent yin yang so itd make sense for more to be more..selfish/neg. as shed be representing the neg side of the circle. there is still good in her it just instant as obvious as the pos or good side. and there is still bad in the good just not as obvious. ya know?
@@StubbyandShifu That would be facinating and it is almost true. But I agree with Max, the above commenter. Yababa is an evil witch with a good witch twin. This kind of storytelling feels familiar. Which is not to say this style of storytelling doesn't at least help create more focus on nuance. Just about everyone close to Yababa is shown to be not just able to be outsmarted or manipulated, as we tend to expect, but actually redeamable and potentially complex beyond the innitial frightening impression they give. Meanwhile, "good" characters we'd expect to be ceaselessly possitive to Chihiro like Haru (also a lost child who instructs and assists her) surprise us by seeming to do bad things (Suddenly becoming emotionally distant in talking to Chihiro while in the bathhouse after her hiring, stealing magic things from people who haven't harmed them.) And this justifies the hopelessness and cutthroat self-preservation of people at the bathhouse, by showing us that people often end up compromised by the abusive system they're stuck in. Almost everyone can still be convinced to act for someone's good other than their own when that person shows a good faith willingness to sacrifice selflessly themselves. With this kind of writing, it seems possible that Yababa could be brought arround to show concern for somebody other than herself and her own child or that, if not, the right change of human dynamics arround her could simply make her power meaningless or inconveniant for her not to share more fairly, as happens with Chhiro's escape in the end. All the same, she remains defined entirely by greed, so she doesn't quite make it out of evil witch character behavior.
Melancholy endings? They're great in the number they already exist, if we replaced every happy ending with the ghibli-type ending you'd get sick of them in record time.
Svb, I'm glad you are back with more of these and some of my favorite series of films. I need to see The Boy and The Heron. P.S I had an idea, could you do a video of Tears of The Kingdom and Breath of The Wild being inspired by Ghibli films and turning Hyrule into the video game version of a Ghibli film?
The Secret Life of Arrietty was adapted from a British children's novel called The Borrowers, which also has a 1997 British movie adaptation. It'd be interesting to compare the plots of the two adaptations and the original to see how these different approaches to storytelling changed the story (checking the Wikipedia synopses of the book and the movie since I've never read the book and watched the movie way too long ago to remember much, it seems like there's a very solid basis for comparison, because although the Ghibli film seems to be pretty close to the book some of the ways it differs really seem to relate to the different act structure).
One other key difference I've noticed through your description, in western films it seems like the antagonist is always a person or specific event. In eastern stories, the antagonist is often just life.
It’s a crime you don’t have more subs! I love how you break down the story structures and tie it into multiple examples in a concise way. I’ve been wanting my stories to feel more authentic like Studio Ghibli films, and this video helped me a lot 😊
No face was the most terrifying thing to me growing up his moans and luring people to eat them made me nope every time and when they were friends I was very disturbed and confused
I like what you had to say about kishōtenketsu vs. the Western 3-act structure, but I think it’s oversimplifying to define conflict as a direct struggle between two characters or between good and evil. That’s not how I learned it in school at least, and I think Ghibli films still use conflict to drive the story forward. I would just define conflict more as tension, which lots of stories have! But I would say that the vending machine kishōtenketsu example proves you don’t have to have tension to make a compelling story.
came from the group up podcast!! this video is so well made and super interesting. it def gave me inspiration for my own stories and characters, so thank you! looking forward to future vids
Thank you very much for the deep analysis. A lot of things said in the video are very interesting and stimulating. Although I understand the point is not really to evaluate and compare the pros and cons of "western" vs kishotenketsu storytelling, I'd like to raise a point that got me thinking while watching. The focus on change rather than conflict is, as you said, very powerful to echo human experience. However, the conflict orientation is also very relevant, in the way that it emphasizes the question of understanding the world around you to change it. In a word, it talks about politics, which the change based kishotenketsu narrative does not seem to encompass as easily. To take the example of Spirited Away, it seems to me that norms, history and hierarchies are not really integrated into the narrative, which is not a problem in itself, of course, but leaves a blank when considered as educational pieces of art for children. The ideas of comprehension and struggle are key components of life as well, and "western" media as presented in the video seems more adapted to carry this message. As a parent, I'd like to educate my child with both narratives to prepare them to live a full and meaningful life. Thanks again for the great video ! :)
Excellent observation and completely true. Even in Nausika and Princess Mononoke, stories where conflict is in the plot itself, there are no irredeemably bad and completely good characters, instead they are complex and interesting individuals.
Beautiful description & explanation of *just one* aspect of what makes Studio Ghibli so great: their story-telling. Well done. I hope you make other videos in the same vein, focused on the romantic themes, the animation, the pets, the fantastic creatures, etc. Thank you.
"Great. Now I want to see a Star Wars movie in the Kishotenketsun style just so it can escape the good vs evil narrative." Great video, Soak man! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I just realized that I do the Japanese four-act structure unconsciously. I thought back to a short story I recently wrote, which has four scenes. The first introduces the character and shows an obsession she has. The second shows her actively reinforcing this obsession and provides details on her childhood trauma that led to this obsession. The third is an important photoshoot she must take part in that triggers her insecurity and causes her to break down. The fourth is a scene of self-harm in which she must be saved by paramedics. Set-up, additional info, change, resolution.
Very well presented! This is the same story line that I enjoyed so much in the early Dr.Who series with Tom Baker. It made it refreshing to not have just the good guys vs the bad guys but to also have "the other guys". It made for a much more interesting dynamic and a more "human" resolution.
Maybe I'm stupid and missed it in the video. But I feel like part of the reason Ghibli feels so different is because it feels like folklore (to me). There are rules and magic and monsters, but none of it is exactly evil or good and it all feels more like the representation of something to learn.
Finally got past a copyright! Wonderful explanation of a different story structure. This video immediately made me think of the film “Aftersun”. It has a very similar ethos about describing a child going through a moment in time that changes them forever. Highly recommend.
Thank you - YT (randomly?) offered this to me while I was watching something else. I'm so glad it did, as I learned a great deal. I do remember an English teacher classifying this sort of thing as a type of conflict - a person vs themselves or a story of personal growth. But this might not be fully in line with the spirit of the kishotenketsu /Ghibli style. I'll have to think about it. Regardless, it's relatively uncommon as a main theme in western storytelling. Thank you again.
The beauty of these stories is that they tell us nothing is more important than kindness. We all are human - including magical creatures and animals -, so someone you don't understand at first can become your friend and help you later on. Be patient, be diligent and kind, and life will be good to you. You don't need to be a hero to be happy. Just be a human among humans.
Most people who say, "There are no happy endings in the real world." Are people who do not believe in happiness, but I say "There are no happy endings" because I don't believe in endings.
Thank you for your video. I stumbled upon it but am very pleased with the writing style. I really enjoyed "Howl's Moving Castle". At first you think somehow the Witch of the Waste would be the big antagonist as she's the one who cast the original spell on the hero. Yet in the end. The only antagonist were the horrors of war itself. And all based on a misunderstanding. Now that you've put a name to the method of storytelling, I'll be looking for more examples. And perhaps even attempt at recreating a story I'd had where conflict isn't necessary for things to progress or change. I really feel I've grown a bit through watching your video. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this! I wish Hollywood would start experimenting with Ki-sho-ten-ketsu.. No need to have a violent conflict. No need to have just one person as the hero. No need to defeat/crush an identified villan. No need to make the other person bad in order to be recognized as good. Hollywood trains people to need to be THE ONE HERO, to crush/defeat/"school"/humiliate the person who is presented as the dark villan, and be "nothing" without that win.. and the outside reward for the resolution, the crown or medal or prominent seating or parade with people cheering is required, with major self-doubt if those rewards aren't coming our way. Hollywood barely tolerates sidekicks, and nobody gets praised for being "just" a good team player. In life, it's better if we don't utterly "crush our enemies".. whose help we may need later on in life; we are happier if we can do something good, and aren't relying on having a parade or a medal or praise as our reward (which usually doesn't happen for in our own life, why need to feel we are less without those rewards??) People who can make good contributions and work without conflict in teams will as a team, as a team will get better results than the lone "Great Man" / "Boss Lady" who can order people around and be the sole author of the solution.
Hi ! Discovering your channel with this video and it made so much sens to me, thank you so much ! First it made me wonder about story structures and why we have so few, then it helped me go through a major change in a DnD game I'm planning as a DM (I'm getting rid of the BBEG ^^) and third it made me reconsider my conflict-driven way of seeing my life. Now I want to understand more and change less. Or at least make more friends and take more time organizing for the changes we need. Have a wonderful day ! :)
Kishōtenketsu, especially with "the breath" included, makes the story feel lived in. Like we're only seeing a small bit of someone's life... This is the kind of story I want to write. I've always loved the episodes of ATLA where the Gaang just Does Stuff (like the episode Tales of Ba Sing Se). It makes them feel real and relatable
Dang. I've never thought this much about the way that these stories have been told but you have truly opened my eyes, and thank you for keeping it simple with that four-panel example.
Great points. What I'm also disappointed - Hollywood can't even write a straightforward hero's journey story these days - everything has to be subverted, deconstructed, inverted, bleh, so tired of this.
Anyone interested in story structures MUST check out 김윤미 Kim Yoonmi works. Or even just the Wikipedia list about story structures. Which was made thank to her works researching the history of the 3 act structure and where it really came from.
Great video! I think there is a place for both storytelling structures. I do not want postmodern everyone is good and evil in comic book movies or fantasy films where the battle between good and evil is the main selling point. I do not care to hear how Emperor Palpatine, Voldemort, or Sauron are just misunderstood but it can be very interesting and relatable in something like Frozen or Inside Out.
The ambiguity and uncertainty of the endings and characters of these movies is one of the reasons I love them so much. But it makes me so sad that I know people who don't like them _particularly because_ of the ambiguity. They don't like that there isn't a defined, certain, black-and-white message, plot, and characters. I think that's pretty closed minded. Generally, when I meet someone who loves Ghibli films, I know we'll probably be good friends JUST because of this. And, because of that, I just subscribed! 😁😁
Remarkable video. Bravo! You put a term to something I had observed but did not know how to name. For instance, the poetry of Wang Wei often is built on this structure. Long term Studio Ghibli fan here. Like before Disney acquired the rights. Love almost all their films, except The Secret World of Arrietty and Ponyo. However, your presentation was so good that I will watch these films again and report back.
I sincerely apologise for not (yet) watching this excellent, excellent video past the 23:56 mark because of the havoc that will cause in your "RUclips Algorithm", but I have not seen _Arrietty_ yet and do not want any spoillers. Hopefully, the algorithmic gods will be somewhat appeased by the posting of this comment! 🤞🙏😊
I always loved this nature of storytelling, I remember as a kid watching Mononoke for the first time and I was gushing to everyone how I loved how though it was a war, there were no bad guys, only different POV. It was so different to what I was used to.
No bad guys? clearly the humans were bad. Destruction of the forest, and seeking self prophecy for their own delusions. What I did like was how real it was that there was no happy ending. Nor did the sides forgive one another.
Great explanation of the differences between the approach taken in most Hollywood blockbusters and the East Asian storytelling traditions Ghibli relies upon. I do want to point out though that stories more about internal change and growth *absolutely* exist in large numbers in Western storytelling traditions and have for a long, long time--it's primarily mainstream big-budget Hollywood films that have hewn so closely to the Hero's Journey and a very specific kind of three-act structure. There are even many Hollywood films (just not usually the summer tentpoles) that "break the rules", so to speak. You can look back at novels like Jane Eyre (1847) and see that stories about personal growth and change have deep roots in our traditions, too.
The story that follows this structure from the West that comes to mind is The Lord of The Rings. Thank you for this video, as I’ve struggled greatly with explaining WHY those films have been so touching.
Thank you for introducing me to this structure. I do want to point out better parallels for you to compare to as I think you are wrong about what the Hollywood structure version would be. For Spirited Away I'd probably compare to Wizard of Oz. There are definitely good and bad characters with the Wizard being the only morally gray. Are you unaware of several "The Borrowers" films since the 70s? It's based on a book, and the borrowers always remain a secret to a special few. There is a lot of conflict in Spirited Away and many Ghibli films, but there is also enjoyment and wonder at the new worlds they find. Not so much in Kiki's Delivery Service, and I have to admit I did find that film the slowest. I know it is deeply loved.
So basically, this is the same as a two act structure. You might study the story structure of the comic operas Iolanthe or The Mikado to see a pretty good example of a two act structure in play, as well as stories that do not really have a "villain" so to speak, so much as they have various characters whose goals are simply at odds with the goals of other characters (and I guess, interestingly for western plots, both stories are resolved through compromise). I think you might also find a viewing of the film Paper Moon interesting (a Hollywood movie that is bizarrely Miyazaki-esque: the main character is a 9 year old girl, the adult characters are shallow and foolish, the setting is historical, and it eschews a 3 act structure and tidy Hollywood ending -albeit I still find the ending corny). I actually find this video kind of interesting, because having recently re-watched several of Miyazaki's films, I found several of the films suffer from conclusions that seem to be clumsy attempts to provide a neat ending. Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle in particular even seem to undercut the main themes of the story in a rush to get to the tidy conclusion. Meanwhile other films like Spirited Away and A Wind Rises don't bother trying to tie up all the loose ends, and are frankly more interesting because of it.
The point of multimedia is to convey emotions. Choose your favorite emotions and there is media out there that presents it for you. This is why I don't like US media much -- conflict. Conflict isn't generally a happy or an enjoyable emotion. If all you know is media with conflict in it, conflict becomes a sort of baseline, something you forget is there. But when your emotional baseline is a negative a story is always going to be muddied. If you want a happy story you get a story primarily with conflict and happiness second, vs a truly happy and enjoyable story. Due to this lack of conflict in Japanese media, the best description I can give for it is chill. Japan is a very chill culture and it's reflected in their stories. It's not just Japanese media that can lacks conflict so other emotions can shine. Media from all over the world is worth checking out. Take a break from action and drama ridden TV and try out other genres. You might be pleasantly surprised.
At 23:16 you said that the moving van surely must have left their furniture sitting outside of their house for days. Actually, Chihiru's father said this in the original untranslated Japanese opening scene, "don't worry, the moving company has the keys to our new house..." As customary in Japan and other parts in Asia, Moving Services will move everything into the house with or without the homeowner. In this case, since the homeowners aren't there to give directions as to which boxes go where, the moving company will simply do their best.
I have just recently 'moved' from watching a lot of WW2 Movies, not from a US perspective but from French/Belgian or other viewpoints. This was largely because I had not done this before to the same extent. Then I decided because I had not yet viewed Miyazaki anime films I would immerse myself in this fascinating world and have.
There have been times in my life where it feels like conflict has been resolved and it’s time to roll the credits. Only, I wake up to another new day. This is why I enjoy this style… because I believe reality is without beginning or end, so stories like this feel more realistic and respectful of the living world. Awesome video, thank you 😊
I absolutely agree with you! The western shows are just too contrived. They don't really offer realism. It's usually structure "and they live happily ever after the end." Western shows are full of exaggerations. That's why it's hard to relate to them. On the other hand, Japanese shows are realistic. I just notice that Japanese shows tend to have bittersweet, sad or tragic endings. I remember Love Letter (1995) gets you to the feels. It's a beautiful movie despite the tragic ending
Except that Hollywood doesn't use a 3-Act structure. It uses the 14-Act structure. It's ironic that you chose Star Wars as the example, since that's the specific film that set the trend for the 14-Act structure to dominate Hollywood and TV. You even said as much later on, apparently not realising that the Hero's Journey *is* the 14-Act structure. More, this is only superficially different to the 3-Act structure, when we realise that the 2nd Act is half the runtime. You're splitting 25/25/25/25, the 3-Act structure is 25/50/25. Or "Ki-sho-ten-ketsu" vs "Ki-shoten-ketsu", as it were. The plot beats are the same, you're just counting the mid-point climax as the end of an Act. 3-Act structure considers that the middle of Act 2. It's functionally the same structure.
looks more like you've just stated that one is better and, without analysis of the alternative, just claimed that your thing is superior. Your version of "Analysis of the alternative" was very picky, in a way that it didn't look at what the alternative did better. Also films you have picked for comparison are very different, of course one is going to be better than the other in some aspects: Star Wars is a tale-like story about a regular farmer beating the Evil, and the "Superior" Spirited away is a tale-like story about a normal girl getting out of the magic zone their goals are completely different, so why would the writing of their progress be the same? Another thing: you've said that Ghibli films don't have conflict like "Hollywood movies". But the ones that you have picked as examples actually have conflicts, and in some of them it actually gets resolved in the, what it's called, third act :) Spirited away: girl gets caught into magic dimension(conflict) so she gets out of there totoro: literally a slice-of-life(various conflicts along the story) but with a magic being to cut away to kiki's delivery service: kiki trying to get along in new town(various conflicts like getting money, knowing locals, losing magic and etc.) Howl's moving castle: main character getting cursed to be old(conflict), so she gets young again Arrietty: Arrietty gets seen by humans(conflict), so she gets away You've praised "superior" films having no stated good and evil, and the main character just living. Well that's not the structure's fault, but the writing. And it's not even a fault: that's just how the writers designed the world, the main character and how to drive the story. Three act structure doesn't prevent nor help write exact form of a story, instead, it helps writers make the film full, so that it isn't just continuous setup or action with no outcome/weight.
0:250:27 Yes... They do often seem aimless. 12:44 Yeah, that's the kind of ending I'm referring to when I mean 'aimless', although I suppose there's also the matter of how... I can't seem to put it into words... 0:57 Yeah the three act structure is getting old... especially in sequels, where it seems like the directors write off what happened in the prequels/write off the character developement that all the characters went through. 16:59 Interesting... 17:16 Ohh, so conflict is not what moves things forwards! That's what it is! So that's why Hollywood films feel unrealistic, and Kinshotenketsu films feel more... chill, but occasionally boring... because of that lack of clear direction... a more abstract direction that the viewer can't clearly pin point if they aren't paying closer attention. 23:10 Oh... yeah the open endedness without the neat bow and answering these questions ourselves was a good move I suppose... 26:00 Damn... 27:15 Yeah. Hollywood don't got that, gotta let us live in certainty of the fictional characters status... although I mightn't be getting this right... 29:12 Interesting... I'd like to see how a story would go with a mix of the two.
Finally, I've been trying to figure out what the Japanese/Asian (Chinese) storytelling structure is for SO LONG! I know that I want to write 'anime-like' stories but as novels and I think I've found my next research area, thanks!
Western stories do have that dark twist moment, referred to in Save the Cat (which is as Hollywood a reference as you can get) as the "All Is Lost" and "Dark Night of the Soul" beats. It's not the climax at all.
I suppose the concept of good versus evil has a slightly different interpretation from what your presenting. What I mean is I still see good versus evil in these stories. That is the hero of the story is not putting their ego ahead of anything and are trying to do the right thing. This is the good. And they are trying to avoid the chaos or evil of the moral of the story. I suppose it matters how you define good and evil. The battle doesn’t have to be huge battles of temper night versus barbarians or a kid destroying a death star. Sometimes the battle of good and evil is just showing kindness where none was given.
I agree with this so much, but I know there are people who will never agree because after growing up a certain way, they prefer black and white, good vs. evil, happily ever after, romace kind of story. Especially since that's what Disney strives on, and people keep demanding that from Disney every time Disney even tries to do something realistic and relatable. Because when they do, people hate it and demand the old stuff, even though for years people were complaining that they hated the old stuff and wanted something new and when they got it they suddenly hated. But I guess Disney just can't win, or maybe they don't know how to be realistic and likable at the same time. That's where Ghibli comes in. So maybe these kinds of people wouldn't be able to handle Ghibli, even if it does have what everyone needs, and I've seen them. But one thing for sure, it's probably better to start out with black and white and then merge into realism to really see everything in full color. Thank you Ghibli.
Kishotenketsu seems more realistic of telling a story rather than the normal three act heros journey. Good, gray, and bad people in real life is complicated, also conflict itself is complicated and at the end of the day you're unsure of what think of. It's probably why I like Ghibli films and films with bittersweet endings, they seem more tangible, that they could happened to you (the viewer), and that's why they fell relatable. Even if the setting is fantasy, it's still grounded in reality, and it has that uncertainty that real life has. Maybe that's why people don't like these type of stories, because it's not the normal standard of western story telling, and it's hits too close to home. That's perfectly fine to not like theses type of stories, everyone has an opinion, and valid; also, maybe they just want to escape reality uncertainty and want to escape to a fantasy where everything is ok at the end.
Molly Grue: "But what if there isn't a happy ending?" Schmendrick: "There are no happy endings, because nothing ends." - The Last Unicorn (1982) Just a detail we tend to overlook. Movies like 'Spirited Away' have a lot of conflict, but it isn't the type of conflict we are used to. When we hear the word conflict, we tend to think of a violent one that can only be resolved with a fight. Chihiro's conflicts are with the world she finds herself in, the laws that govern it and the enmity of people she meets with each other. She is drawn into the conflict between Yubaba and Zeniba as it hurts Haku and endangers his life. A conflict that she might have resolved.
kishotenkestu tends to tell stories about people. People are relatable. The three act method tells stories about heroes. Heroes arent always relatable. Thats why Ghibli films feel so much more personal.
I think, in the case of the Ghibli films, the source of conflict isn't represented by a single enemy who the protagonist has to defeat. Rather, the conflict comes from the new circunstances the protagonist gets into, making it necessary to learn and adapt to new rules and dinamics with that new world or cast of characters So, in my own definition, a "Happily Ever After" doesn't occur when the forces of evil are defeated; rather, is when the main character overcomes a personal problem, thanks to lesson they learned during their adventure So, you could say, the main conflict of Ghibli characters is to learn something new about life, in order to solve a problem or to adapt to new circunstances that are beyond their control. For example, growing up and accepting change like Chihiro did, or learn to live and thrive by your own, in the case of Kiki Perhaps Hollywood films are a bit more abstract with the use of archetypes, while movies like these are more direct about what the main character and the audience has to learn... IDK, just learning the craft here Anyway, thanks for the vid, it was very entertaining and informative
I think there’s still conflict, they’re just not world-ending. Subtle, frequent, character-driven, and all that good stuff. Ghibli movies are so good at making us care about these characters, and showing that even the people we have beef with are people, too. Chihiro solving her internal conflict of being scared all the time was solved by dealing with other conflicts. It’s so amazing what these structures can do for storytelling ❤❤
Let’s be real here. This way of filmmaking is what we need to save Hollywood. In life, we don’t face a big bad guy, we go through change and experience things. Now that I finally can understand what Miyazaki’s thinking is like, I can understand why he dislikes America so much. The hero’s journey is something that is overused and tells the same story over and over. That’s why Disney is also not doing so good. It just feels like the same thing. But by shifting to this thinking, we can truly understand what a real story is and craft something better that can be different every time.
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SEIZURE RISK WARNING - Flashing yellow frames at 18:56-18:59. Apologies for that - I've missed this in one of the re-renderings of the video and due to the long, painful legal battle I had to go through to even make this video public, I cannot reupload at this point. If you want to understand about this legal battle, you can see more here: x.com/OW_SVB/status/1810733921803370816
you forgot the lack of "conflict" or a "villain" is also what makes ghibli movies so relatable...
The biggest conflict people nowdays have is paying the bills on time and the closest thing to a "villain" is probably their landlord.
The "world" around you will change whether we like it or not.
this is relatable because its true...
In comparison we will probably never overthrow an evil empire as the hero who defeats the big bad guy ...we all wish in some way we could but we know it will never happen
However
Meeting a mysterious "person"
Befriending your neighbor
or
Getting out of a contract
are things most people will likely do in some way at some point in their lives...
Spirited away has conflict. Conflict isn't always battle. In Spirited Away the conflicts are interpersonal and internal in nature. None are outright good verse evil and all contribute to the main character's growth arc.
With Ghibli you feel that you see these characters for but a brief moment in their lives. When the credits roll they do other things, they have other days and adventures. With Hollywood you feel like it’s a complete story.
Yes, true for so many Ghibli movies. My favorite for this type of ending is Only Yesterday, when the main character makes a big decision. Not before, but during the end credits.
So many "stories" have no real beginning and no real ending. Things - happen.
Well said... That does seem to be the case doesn't it?
Great interpretation of why these movies are so different and so great.
Another aspect of the Ghibli movies that I like is something you hinted at with Spirited Away, by commenting at the leaves and dust and "this wasn't just a dream". In the Ghibli movies, it isn't just a dream, it is real and parents rarely dismiss kids and their experiences. I love how in Totoro, May gets upset by insisting that she DID see a Totoro, and the father said that she is very lucky, and then takes the girls to the tree to pay their respects. He validates her experience, where as almost all "western" movies will have the parents create "conflict" by refusing to believe the child, and telling them to "grow up" or something like that... and the child has to "prove them wrong". The magical world and the spirits are real, and this is never a matter to be debated.
A big jet just flew over my house and it was so low :O
@@theothertonydutch What type of jet?
You spent so long fighting the good fight against superfluous copyright claims, you deserve a break and a snack. Great video.
I also love the lack of a distinct villain. They have their place, but they are not needed in order to have conflict and thus a story. To me, the conflict in Spirited away is the demands of growing up - she has to move to a new town, save her parents, and return to the real world so as to complete moving to a new town. Happily ever after doesn't cut it, because there is always the next day.
Plenty of ghibli films have villains.
Laputa
Porco Rosso
Spirited away
Howls moving castle
@@arthursworld7302 yeah but like the story isnt really centred around defeating the villain
Yes. The conflict is more of a person versus herself/himself. She had to grow up and develop as a character. In the English release when her parents drive off in the end you hear her comment, "It won't be so bad" when her parents talk about moving to a new home and starting a new school. Implying she has matured due her time in the spirit world.
@@arthursworld7302 "vPlenty of ghibli films have villains. "
Opposition (conflicted goals); but not usually *villains* (evil).
I just thought she was lost in a world of weird and wonderful spirits. I looked up a lot of the spirits up and read about them.
I totally agree on Arrietty's ending. Having borrowers be revealed and accepted by humans would feel cheap, because we know things wouldn't end that way in reality. Life is bittersweet, it doesn't have perfect endings, so I feel Ghibli films respect the bittersweetness of life while still giving optimism and hope.
“起承轉合” is a story structure we learn in high school in Taiwan. I don’t think it’s that much different, it just has a larger span of explanation.
You’ve done most of the explanation, I would think that 轉 (change) would more likely be “the false victory” if you put it in the hero’s journey.
I think the East Asian four act structure actually still works for western stories. 合(I like to translate it to “combine”, since it basically combines everything the story comes to), is basically “the hero goes back to a comfortable place but changed”.
I would think story structure isn’t the main cause of difference between western and eastern stories, but the perspective using each structure could be an influence. Conflict isn’t absence in 起承轉合, it’s just different.
I agree. I think 起承転結 (Japanese)/Ki-syou-ten-ketsu has nothing to do with the particular feelings we feel for Ghibli's works. It is just a way of story's construction.
41 years as an American resident in Japan, and former college writing and public speaking teacher / biology lab director here ... and I fully agree with your analysis. I will later add in comments my own experience in teaching freshman exposition, scientific writing, and speech writing. Though all three are different academic domains and have different conventions, an effective use of those conventions depends on understanding the underlying psychology that both Kishotenketsu and Aristotelian derived structure have in common.
After a quick google search, I think Kishōtenketsu is indeed, basically the same thing as 起承轉合. Kishōtenketsu is the Japanese reading of the characters 起承轉結. More info. at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu
Yeaa
This definitely adds a piece to the puzzle of why these stories feel so important, and I look forward to seeking out more stories that use this structure. For me, the endings also include a really important theme, in many Ghibli films: we can go on magical and fantastical adventures, we can daydream and get infatuated and see the world, but at the end of the day, we have to go home and build our real lives. We have to build our relationships slowly and carefully, and build our sense of home where it belongs. We don't get to escape permanently.
Finally the copyright battle is over. Great video!
Let’s gooooooo
👏
Kdramas use the Kishotenketsu structure too. I got so curious on how those were writing along with anime.
I study storytelling, it's strange that we don't learn these other types of writing. Only the Hollywood way. Even in europe
I think, in a way, Kishotenketsu does resemble 3 act structure, and DOES have conflict at the forefront. But it doesn’t do it the same way that a Hollywood movie does.
All 3 act structure stories are basically 4 acts, since act 2 is the same length as acts 1 and 3 combined, and act 2 divides at a midpoint, so you can still map it as 4 parts.
Correct me if I’m wrong but it seems that the internal conflict is the central conflict of the whole story, rather than a means to resolving a greater external conflict. The introduction of the external conflict is just an extra big test to solve what problem was set up in the beginning, or whatever showdown the story built up to at the end.
And I feel like Chihiro’s story DOES resolve neatly at the end. The people and spirits working at the bath house aren’t the main conflict. Saving her parents was her goal. She did set it aside at times, but it taught her something. Sometimes that happens in real life. She overcomes her fear, pride, and impatience through everything that happens, which prepares her for Yubaba’s final test. She leaves the spirit world prepared to face the new ordinary world she was heading toward in the beginning of the story.
But ending a movie open-ended isn’t bad or unsatisfying. But I also wouldn’t describe the ending of Arietty to be open ended. Arietty and Sho’s relationship was the focus, not the fate of the borrowers and human’s relationship.
I could be wrong or maybe I’m just seeing this through my own western worldview, but to me it makes sense.
That was a superb explanation. I've grappled myself with the felt need of having to tell a different kind of story than the hero's journey in the past; thanks so much for making it this clear that a different way to tell a story exists and also works so beautifully.
Another thing I noticed that is present in every Ghibli film is an emphasis on developing strong connections and bonds. Arrietty has to leave, and she and Sho will never see each other again, but their brief time together, and the bond they form during it irrevocably, changes both of their lives, and leaves them with memories they won't forget. Loss is okay, people have to part ways, but the bonds they form stick with them, and have lasting impacts.
A film that I can see a lot of Kishotenketsu influence in, now that I think about it, was one I just watched recently. That was IF. The structure is very similar. Intro, development, a chaotic element introduced, and change as the resolution. A lot of the ending is left up to us to decide how it will ultimately continue, and it ends out in a very Ghibli kind of way, with the biggest resolution being the personal change the main character goes through, how her bond with others in the film changes them in turn, and a return to normalcy, with her going back to living her life.
Great video, I wasn't aware of Kishotenketsu, loved how you compared it to the 3 act structure.
I'd say there's some part of cinematography that Ghibli does as well that invites you into its worlds in a more laid back way. Sure there are some cool action scenes, but there are lots of slow, lingering shots that just capture the mood of a moment, and give each place or object space to breathe that really resonates with the overall story structure.
I think this provides a more realistic model for story-telling. The goal is to find something out about the world and use it to make some important contribution or contribute positively by ajusting one's behavior and mindset. The same thing exists in traditional hero journey structure, but we're encouraged to see it and structure it as storytellers as how the PROBLEM OR TRAP was escaped or rectified.
This encourages writers to go to extremes of good and evil and be overambitious by defining problems that are ultimate and solutions that are ultimate, and this good to bad to good pogression can feel like didactic morlism and easily lacks believability. One can certainly have probles, lessons, rewarded victories and so on in the other structure, but the emfasis is on describing a world, changing it, decribing it again and so on, until a suitable point is reached at which our understanding has been meaningfully expanded about central things that continue to matter. Then the story can stop, not because things have reach ultimate triumph or tragedy or all has been solved or revealed, but because whichever people we focus on have remade their world sufficiently that whatever story follows will be a suficiently difforent discovery to constitute a new story about new kinds of discovery. It's comforting to focus on change and learning, rather than mastry, particularly in a world where problemsare bigger than we are. When we write or read a world more focused on making things work or not making thing not work, it's much easier to forget that the main reason for desciption is to move through useful understandings that an audience can relate to - that no matter how well-engineered your world, it will feel ungrounded and useless if it's a journey wher we can't feel the texture ofthe changing ground and ajust to it with each step. The style encourages writers to start small when they build their worlds and explore ambiguous and normal things.
You summarized the comparison between the two so well!
I love this take on storytelling for all the reasons you mentioned, they feel not only a lot more tangible but also far more grounded.
Things in life change, they change a lot, they can change in a year as quickly as they change in a day, and life always throws surprises and change into your life you have to adjust to.
A lot of the time it’s small things, a cancelled delivery, a surprise dish-cleaning mess, someone forgetting to do something, it’s all a surprise and a change, and we build our lives largely off of these small things.
Ghibli Films don’t just feel cozy because of their beauty but also because of how true to life they make their events, how they show the importance of small things and how we use them to approach bigger things.
I agree with everything you mentioned in this comment!
Good video, but Miyazaki himself said it wasn't a coming of age movie. He wanted to emphasize to girls/children of this age that they had the strength already in them to deal with obstacles. The Japanese version doesn't have the last line that the US version does. Chiro's father doesn't ask her at the end if she's worried about going to school. There is no dialogue at all. In the Japanese version again, it's implied Chihiro also doesn't remember what happened. The only evidence that it did is her hair tie. Which I think ties into her experience per Miyazaki better. She doesn't have to remember what happened to deal with her new school, life, etc. WE the audience have already seen she can handle things.
Not sure about them coming out to find their car all dusty. I think it was always that way, after driving through the woods when they first arrived. If you remember, the area around the entrance to the tunnel to the park was strangely clear and there was no overgrowth at all. Wouldn't it be overgrown if the area had been abandoned for years? I think once they passed the torii, they were in the land of spirits. That wasn't what the entrance to the tunnel looked like at all in the 'mortal' world. In the mortal world it was overgrown, with hanging branches and tall grass and weeds. Their car looked like it should after driving crazily to the area, so there wasn't a passage of time, just a difference of worlds.
love this, actually. this comment is gonna be bouncing around in my head for a long time now
I may be forgetting mentions of timelines within the film, but I'm not sure why you're suggesting "abandoned for years". Dust and leaves should appear between a couple days to a couple weeks, which, iirc, should match up with the idea that time has passed.
@@billybonesbaggins I mean the park had been abandoned for years. At least 11 years. So the entrance to the park, where the car arrived, should be overgrown. It wasn't until the end of the movie.
I've never heard someone say a Ghibli movie is pointless.
Yeah, none of the “people who dislike Ghibli say this” things are things I’ve ever heard a real human say… 😅
I'll say it. Kiki's Delivery Service is an example. It felt like a Slice of Life Manga.
Oh, you can find those in reactions on RUclips. Badd Medicine's reaction to Spirited Away had all those and more. They had to take it down (they caught so much flack) but their apology video can still be found.
Oh, I've heard plenty of people say Ghibli movies are boring movies, where nothing happens that it ends up being pointless. As if the nothing that happens isn't the point
Fantastic video SVB. I've always had a hard time putting my finger on why Japanese anime movies always feel so different to me than Hollywood stuff. I always assumed it was the fact that they will take such a different view of things and tell stories that would have no chance of making it in an American movie.
I am not sure if you have seen the movie The Garden of Words but I would highly recommend that movie. When the movie ended I very much was like, oh I do not know how to feel, I feel very... I have no good word to describe it. But it was directed by Makoto Shinkai and was his last director credit before he exploded in anime popularity with Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume.
I really liked this movie and the score was great. It had some weird foot fetish vibes though. Nothing agregious but still a bit weird. Maybe that's just the cynical side of me that sees it that way as there is a premise for it. I just can't think of why that out of all the things. It uses shoes as a metaphor for life. I suppose upon writing this I could see it as a technical challenge. Animators have always had trouble with feet and hands and they're exceptionally well drawn in this film.
Also the water/rain animations are probably the best I've ever seen.
It definitely has the lack of resolution common to the genre though.
13:12 I am so glad I am watching this video. I have never understood this movie entirely. I was so scared by the individual characters and haven't watched the movie in so long.
One detail at the end of Spirited away I missed as a child, but notice every time now: Chihiro wears the hairband that Zeniba made for her.
Imo it's a symbol that chihiros expereinces were real and that change shows in usualy unnoticed, small everyday things (like a hairband).
15:23 what you left out was that after youbaba Said “zen you did great” she Said “you made me soo much moneeeeeeeyyyyyy!”😂a nd she aid it very exited-y too, buncing up and Down With exitement and joy!
I don't know about Yababa not being a villain. Just because her powers are explained through rules, doesn't mean she ever shows true goodness. She does everything purely for self-interest, when it comes to every character she interacts with. except her own son, who she encourages to operate out of the same value-system by giving him every conceiveable comfort at the expence of everyone else. When she praises Chihiro over the river spirit bathing, what she really wants her workers to "learn from Chihiro" is that any terrible work for her should be done if there's a possibility it will result in proceeds for her. This impression of her is furthur reinforced when she is thrilled with No-face until the very moment he stops giving thing to the bathhouse and starts consuming things and people from it, a situation she's quick to blame Chihiro for, even though a little though should tell her a human child couldn't have known she had caused this magical problem. In Greek myth and other storytelling, such as the story of Herculeese, working for a villain is often the pathway to defeating and outsmarting them, saving oneself and others from them, or extracting wealth from them. This story DOES fit that pattern, even if it uses another structure as well. In the end, Yababa is breifly thrown by Chihero showing wampth, rather than antagonism toward her, and she or her world may be possitively affected by the change in her son's maturity, generosity and way of thinking introduced by Chihiro, but her bathhouse reamins a place where identity is stripped from workers and workers are worked to death in poor conditions, simply because that'swhat searves Yubaba. It's nice to see a world where even Yubaba can be imagined changing her ways eventually, but it's also unlikely if it will happen. More likely, any authentic kindness that comes from her will have to be pulled out of her by strategy and force - the definition of a villain.
i think the two are supposed to represent yin yang so itd make sense for more to be more..selfish/neg. as shed be representing the neg side of the circle. there is still good in her it just instant as obvious as the pos or good side. and there is still bad in the good just not as obvious. ya know?
Yeah, I noticed that during the scene where Yubaba congratulates Chihiro, the line where she says "you made us so much money!" was cut out.
It's a different culture. Aren't they allowed to not have a villain?
@@StubbyandShifu That would be facinating and it is almost true. But I agree with Max, the above commenter. Yababa is an evil witch with a good witch twin. This kind of storytelling feels familiar. Which is not to say this style of storytelling doesn't at least help create more focus on nuance. Just about everyone close to Yababa is shown to be not just able to be outsmarted or manipulated, as we tend to expect, but actually redeamable and potentially complex beyond the innitial frightening impression they give. Meanwhile, "good" characters we'd expect to be ceaselessly possitive to Chihiro like Haru (also a lost child who instructs and assists her) surprise us by seeming to do bad things (Suddenly becoming emotionally distant in talking to Chihiro while in the bathhouse after her hiring, stealing magic things from people who haven't harmed them.) And this justifies the hopelessness and cutthroat self-preservation of people at the bathhouse, by showing us that people often end up compromised by the abusive system they're stuck in. Almost everyone can still be convinced to act for someone's good other than their own when that person shows a good faith willingness to sacrifice selflessly themselves. With this kind of writing, it seems possible that Yababa could be brought arround to show concern for somebody other than herself and her own child or that, if not, the right change of human dynamics arround her could simply make her power meaningless or inconveniant for her not to share more fairly, as happens with Chhiro's escape in the end. All the same, she remains defined entirely by greed, so she doesn't quite make it out of evil witch character behavior.
Melancholy endings? They're great in the number they already exist, if we replaced every happy ending with the ghibli-type ending you'd get sick of them in record time.
Svb, I'm glad you are back with more of these and some of my favorite series of films. I need to see The Boy and The Heron. P.S I had an idea, could you do a video of Tears of The Kingdom and Breath of The Wild being inspired by Ghibli films and turning Hyrule into the video game version of a Ghibli film?
The Secret Life of Arrietty was adapted from a British children's novel called The Borrowers, which also has a 1997 British movie adaptation. It'd be interesting to compare the plots of the two adaptations and the original to see how these different approaches to storytelling changed the story (checking the Wikipedia synopses of the book and the movie since I've never read the book and watched the movie way too long ago to remember much, it seems like there's a very solid basis for comparison, because although the Ghibli film seems to be pretty close to the book some of the ways it differs really seem to relate to the different act structure).
This is one of mine best videos I would have seen on yt so far. Thanks a ton!!!
One other key difference I've noticed through your description, in western films it seems like the antagonist is always a person or specific event. In eastern stories, the antagonist is often just life.
It’s a crime you don’t have more subs! I love how you break down the story structures and tie it into multiple examples in a concise way. I’ve been wanting my stories to feel more authentic like Studio Ghibli films, and this video helped me a lot 😊
No face was the most terrifying thing to me growing up his moans and luring people to eat them made me nope every time and when they were friends I was very disturbed and confused
I like what you had to say about kishōtenketsu vs. the Western 3-act structure, but I think it’s oversimplifying to define conflict as a direct struggle between two characters or between good and evil. That’s not how I learned it in school at least, and I think Ghibli films still use conflict to drive the story forward. I would just define conflict more as tension, which lots of stories have! But I would say that the vending machine kishōtenketsu example proves you don’t have to have tension to make a compelling story.
Dude is Ratatouille a kishotenketsu
Ghibli's just better than most films in general, period 😊
came from the group up podcast!! this video is so well made and super interesting. it def gave me inspiration for my own stories and characters, so thank you! looking forward to future vids
Thank you very much for the deep analysis. A lot of things said in the video are very interesting and stimulating. Although I understand the point is not really to evaluate and compare the pros and cons of "western" vs kishotenketsu storytelling, I'd like to raise a point that got me thinking while watching. The focus on change rather than conflict is, as you said, very powerful to echo human experience. However, the conflict orientation is also very relevant, in the way that it emphasizes the question of understanding the world around you to change it. In a word, it talks about politics, which the change based kishotenketsu narrative does not seem to encompass as easily. To take the example of Spirited Away, it seems to me that norms, history and hierarchies are not really integrated into the narrative, which is not a problem in itself, of course, but leaves a blank when considered as educational pieces of art for children. The ideas of comprehension and struggle are key components of life as well, and "western" media as presented in the video seems more adapted to carry this message. As a parent, I'd like to educate my child with both narratives to prepare them to live a full and meaningful life.
Thanks again for the great video ! :)
Excellent observation and completely true. Even in Nausika and Princess Mononoke, stories where conflict is in the plot itself, there are no irredeemably bad and completely good characters, instead they are complex and interesting individuals.
Beautiful description & explanation of *just one* aspect of what makes Studio Ghibli so great: their story-telling. Well done. I hope you make other videos in the same vein, focused on the romantic themes, the animation, the pets, the fantastic creatures, etc. Thank you.
"Great. Now I want to see a Star Wars movie in the Kishotenketsun style just so it can escape the good vs evil narrative."
Great video, Soak man! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I just realized that I do the Japanese four-act structure unconsciously. I thought back to a short story I recently wrote, which has four scenes. The first introduces the character and shows an obsession she has. The second shows her actively reinforcing this obsession and provides details on her childhood trauma that led to this obsession. The third is an important photoshoot she must take part in that triggers her insecurity and causes her to break down. The fourth is a scene of self-harm in which she must be saved by paramedics.
Set-up, additional info, change, resolution.
Very well presented! This is the same story line that I enjoyed so much in the early Dr.Who series with Tom Baker. It made it refreshing to not have just the good guys vs the bad guys but to also have "the other guys". It made for a much more interesting dynamic and a more "human" resolution.
Maybe I'm stupid and missed it in the video.
But I feel like part of the reason Ghibli feels so different is because it feels like folklore (to me). There are rules and magic and monsters, but none of it is exactly evil or good and it all feels more like the representation of something to learn.
Finally got past a copyright! Wonderful explanation of a different story structure. This video immediately made me think of the film “Aftersun”. It has a very similar ethos about describing a child going through a moment in time that changes them forever. Highly recommend.
Thank you - YT (randomly?) offered this to me while I was watching something else. I'm so glad it did, as I learned a great deal. I do remember an English teacher classifying this sort of thing as a type of conflict - a person vs themselves or a story of personal growth. But this might not be fully in line with the spirit of the kishotenketsu /Ghibli style. I'll have to think about it. Regardless, it's relatively uncommon as a main theme in western storytelling.
Thank you again.
The beauty of these stories is that they tell us nothing is more important than kindness. We all are human - including magical creatures and animals -, so someone you don't understand at first can become your friend and help you later on.
Be patient, be diligent and kind, and life will be good to you. You don't need to be a hero to be happy. Just be a human among humans.
Most people who say, "There are no happy endings in the real world." Are people who do not believe in happiness, but I say "There are no happy endings" because I don't believe in endings.
Thank you for your video. I stumbled upon it but am very pleased with the writing style. I really enjoyed "Howl's Moving Castle". At first you think somehow the Witch of the Waste would be the big antagonist as she's the one who cast the original spell on the hero. Yet in the end. The only antagonist were the horrors of war itself. And all based on a misunderstanding.
Now that you've put a name to the method of storytelling, I'll be looking for more examples. And perhaps even attempt at recreating a story I'd had where conflict isn't necessary for things to progress or change. I really feel I've grown a bit through watching your video. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this! I wish Hollywood would start experimenting with Ki-sho-ten-ketsu.. No need to have a violent conflict. No need to have just one person as the hero. No need to defeat/crush an identified villan. No need to make the other person bad in order to be recognized as good.
Hollywood trains people to need to be THE ONE HERO, to crush/defeat/"school"/humiliate the person who is presented as the dark villan, and be "nothing" without that win.. and the outside reward for the resolution, the crown or medal or prominent seating or parade with people cheering is required, with major self-doubt if those rewards aren't coming our way. Hollywood barely tolerates sidekicks, and nobody gets praised for being "just" a good team player.
In life, it's better if we don't utterly "crush our enemies".. whose help we may need later on in life; we are happier if we can do something good, and aren't relying on having a parade or a medal or praise as our reward (which usually doesn't happen for in our own life, why need to feel we are less without those rewards??)
People who can make good contributions and work without conflict in teams will as a team, as a team will get better results than the lone "Great Man" / "Boss Lady" who can order people around and be the sole author of the solution.
Hi !
Discovering your channel with this video and it made so much sens to me, thank you so much !
First it made me wonder about story structures and why we have so few, then it helped me go through a major change in a DnD game I'm planning as a DM (I'm getting rid of the BBEG ^^) and third it made me reconsider my conflict-driven way of seeing my life. Now I want to understand more and change less. Or at least make more friends and take more time organizing for the changes we need.
Have a wonderful day ! :)
Kishōtenketsu, especially with "the breath" included, makes the story feel lived in. Like we're only seeing a small bit of someone's life... This is the kind of story I want to write. I've always loved the episodes of ATLA where the Gaang just Does Stuff (like the episode Tales of Ba Sing Se). It makes them feel real and relatable
Dang. I've never thought this much about the way that these stories have been told but you have truly opened my eyes, and thank you for keeping it simple with that four-panel example.
I don’t like the clickbait title, but the video itself is extremely interesting
Great points. What I'm also disappointed - Hollywood can't even write a straightforward hero's journey story these days - everything has to be subverted, deconstructed, inverted, bleh, so tired of this.
Anyone interested in story structures MUST check out 김윤미 Kim Yoonmi works. Or even just the Wikipedia list about story structures. Which was made thank to her works researching the history of the 3 act structure and where it really came from.
Great video! I think there is a place for both storytelling structures. I do not want postmodern everyone is good and evil in comic book movies or fantasy films where the battle between good and evil is the main selling point. I do not care to hear how Emperor Palpatine, Voldemort, or Sauron are just misunderstood but it can be very interesting and relatable in something like Frozen or Inside Out.
The ambiguity and uncertainty of the endings and characters of these movies is one of the reasons I love them so much. But it makes me so sad that I know people who don't like them _particularly because_ of the ambiguity. They don't like that there isn't a defined, certain, black-and-white message, plot, and characters. I think that's pretty closed minded. Generally, when I meet someone who loves Ghibli films, I know we'll probably be good friends JUST because of this.
And, because of that, I just subscribed! 😁😁
Remarkable video. Bravo! You put a term to something I had observed but did not know how to name. For instance, the poetry of Wang Wei often is built on this structure. Long term Studio Ghibli fan here. Like before Disney acquired the rights. Love almost all their films, except The Secret World of Arrietty and Ponyo. However, your presentation was so good that I will watch these films again and report back.
Recently I saw Spirited Away for the first time, I saw it in theaters. Love it and I smile whenever the Radish Spirit is on screen. 😊
I sincerely apologise for not (yet) watching this excellent, excellent video past the 23:56 mark because of the havoc that will cause in your "RUclips Algorithm", but I have not seen _Arrietty_ yet and do not want any spoillers. Hopefully, the algorithmic gods will be somewhat appeased by the posting of this comment! 🤞🙏😊
I always loved this nature of storytelling, I remember as a kid watching Mononoke for the first time and I was gushing to everyone how I loved how though it was a war, there were no bad guys, only different POV. It was so different to what I was used to.
No bad guys? clearly the humans were bad. Destruction of the forest, and seeking self prophecy for their own delusions. What I did like was how real it was that there was no happy ending. Nor did the sides forgive one another.
Luckily the movers had a key! I think I have watched Spirited Away the most of all Ghibli films. Its very soothing to go to sleep to :D
Great explanation of the differences between the approach taken in most Hollywood blockbusters and the East Asian storytelling traditions Ghibli relies upon. I do want to point out though that stories more about internal change and growth *absolutely* exist in large numbers in Western storytelling traditions and have for a long, long time--it's primarily mainstream big-budget Hollywood films that have hewn so closely to the Hero's Journey and a very specific kind of three-act structure. There are even many Hollywood films (just not usually the summer tentpoles) that "break the rules", so to speak. You can look back at novels like Jane Eyre (1847) and see that stories about personal growth and change have deep roots in our traditions, too.
The story that follows this structure from the West that comes to mind is The Lord of The Rings.
Thank you for this video, as I’ve struggled greatly with explaining WHY those films have been so touching.
Thank you for introducing me to this structure. I do want to point out better parallels for you to compare to as I think you are wrong about what the Hollywood structure version would be.
For Spirited Away I'd probably compare to Wizard of Oz. There are definitely good and bad characters with the Wizard being the only morally gray. Are you unaware of several "The Borrowers" films since the 70s? It's based on a book, and the borrowers always remain a secret to a special few.
There is a lot of conflict in Spirited Away and many Ghibli films, but there is also enjoyment and wonder at the new worlds they find.
Not so much in Kiki's Delivery Service, and I have to admit I did find that film the slowest. I know it is deeply loved.
wow, I accidentally did this structure for a story I'm writing and I couldn't figure out why it wasn't fitting into the 3 act structure.
So basically, this is the same as a two act structure. You might study the story structure of the comic operas Iolanthe or The Mikado to see a pretty good example of a two act structure in play, as well as stories that do not really have a "villain" so to speak, so much as they have various characters whose goals are simply at odds with the goals of other characters (and I guess, interestingly for western plots, both stories are resolved through compromise). I think you might also find a viewing of the film Paper Moon interesting (a Hollywood movie that is bizarrely Miyazaki-esque: the main character is a 9 year old girl, the adult characters are shallow and foolish, the setting is historical, and it eschews a 3 act structure and tidy Hollywood ending -albeit I still find the ending corny).
I actually find this video kind of interesting, because having recently re-watched several of Miyazaki's films, I found several of the films suffer from conclusions that seem to be clumsy attempts to provide a neat ending. Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle in particular even seem to undercut the main themes of the story in a rush to get to the tidy conclusion. Meanwhile other films like Spirited Away and A Wind Rises don't bother trying to tie up all the loose ends, and are frankly more interesting because of it.
The point of multimedia is to convey emotions. Choose your favorite emotions and there is media out there that presents it for you. This is why I don't like US media much -- conflict. Conflict isn't generally a happy or an enjoyable emotion. If all you know is media with conflict in it, conflict becomes a sort of baseline, something you forget is there. But when your emotional baseline is a negative a story is always going to be muddied. If you want a happy story you get a story primarily with conflict and happiness second, vs a truly happy and enjoyable story.
Due to this lack of conflict in Japanese media, the best description I can give for it is chill. Japan is a very chill culture and it's reflected in their stories. It's not just Japanese media that can lacks conflict so other emotions can shine. Media from all over the world is worth checking out. Take a break from action and drama ridden TV and try out other genres. You might be pleasantly surprised.
At 23:16 you said that the moving van surely must have left their furniture sitting outside of their house for days. Actually, Chihiru's father said this in the original untranslated Japanese opening scene, "don't worry, the moving company has the keys to our new house..." As customary in Japan and other parts in Asia, Moving Services will move everything into the house with or without the homeowner. In this case, since the homeowners aren't there to give directions as to which boxes go where, the moving company will simply do their best.
Thank you so much!! I been looking for this and i didn't even know it till now.. Thank you We need more of this!! So tired of the 3 act fairytale
I love Ghibli, but I also enjoy a nice simple happy ending.
Thank you so much for making this video
I have just recently 'moved' from watching a lot of WW2 Movies, not from a US perspective but from French/Belgian or other viewpoints. This was largely because I had not done this before to the same extent.
Then I decided because I had not yet viewed Miyazaki anime films I would immerse myself in this fascinating world and have.
Possibly the best essay I've ever watched.
There have been times in my life where it feels like conflict has been resolved and it’s time to roll the credits. Only, I wake up to another new day. This is why I enjoy this style… because I believe reality is without beginning or end, so stories like this feel more realistic and respectful of the living world. Awesome video, thank you 😊
Great video. I've known about this model of storytelling for a while, but you explained it in a way I haven't heard before and made it much clearer.
Thank you so very much! I've studied story structure, but this is the first time I've encountered Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu.
I absolutely agree with you! The western shows are just too contrived. They don't really offer realism. It's usually structure "and they live happily ever after the end." Western shows are full of exaggerations. That's why it's hard to relate to them. On the other hand, Japanese shows are realistic. I just notice that Japanese shows tend to have bittersweet, sad or tragic endings. I remember Love Letter (1995) gets you to the feels. It's a beautiful movie despite the tragic ending
Big topic. Let's have a look.
1:30 the oak 1:32 the soak! This is the first time IVE seen this intro! This is the first time IVE seen this Channel!
Except that Hollywood doesn't use a 3-Act structure. It uses the 14-Act structure. It's ironic that you chose Star Wars as the example, since that's the specific film that set the trend for the 14-Act structure to dominate Hollywood and TV. You even said as much later on, apparently not realising that the Hero's Journey *is* the 14-Act structure.
More, this is only superficially different to the 3-Act structure, when we realise that the 2nd Act is half the runtime. You're splitting 25/25/25/25, the 3-Act structure is 25/50/25. Or "Ki-sho-ten-ketsu" vs "Ki-shoten-ketsu", as it were. The plot beats are the same, you're just counting the mid-point climax as the end of an Act. 3-Act structure considers that the middle of Act 2.
It's functionally the same structure.
I thought the same thing
looks more like you've just stated that one is better and, without analysis of the alternative, just claimed that your thing is superior.
Your version of "Analysis of the alternative" was very picky, in a way that it didn't look at what the alternative did better. Also films you have picked for comparison are very different, of course one is going to be better than the other in some aspects: Star Wars is a tale-like story about a regular farmer beating the Evil, and the "Superior" Spirited away is a tale-like story about a normal girl getting out of the magic zone
their goals are completely different, so why would the writing of their progress be the same?
Another thing: you've said that Ghibli films don't have conflict like "Hollywood movies". But the ones that you have picked as examples actually have conflicts, and in some of them it actually gets resolved in the, what it's called, third act :)
Spirited away: girl gets caught into magic dimension(conflict) so she gets out of there
totoro: literally a slice-of-life(various conflicts along the story) but with a magic being to cut away to
kiki's delivery service: kiki trying to get along in new town(various conflicts like getting money, knowing locals, losing magic and etc.)
Howl's moving castle: main character getting cursed to be old(conflict), so she gets young again
Arrietty: Arrietty gets seen by humans(conflict), so she gets away
You've praised "superior" films having no stated good and evil, and the main character just living. Well that's not the structure's fault, but the writing. And it's not even a fault: that's just how the writers designed the world, the main character and how to drive the story. Three act structure doesn't prevent nor help write exact form of a story, instead, it helps writers make the film full, so that it isn't just continuous setup or action with no outcome/weight.
I'm glad I stayed for the full video. You sum up the Ghibli experience so well.
This makes so much sense now. I knew the mindset of these movies was different, but I didn't know about the structure/philosophy behind them
Lovely and high-quality video! Color me impressed.
0:25 0:27 Yes... They do often seem aimless. 12:44 Yeah, that's the kind of ending I'm referring to when I mean 'aimless', although I suppose there's also the matter of how... I can't seem to put it into words...
0:57 Yeah the three act structure is getting old... especially in sequels, where it seems like the directors write off what happened in the prequels/write off the character developement that all the characters went through.
16:59 Interesting... 17:16 Ohh, so conflict is not what moves things forwards! That's what it is! So that's why Hollywood films feel unrealistic, and Kinshotenketsu films feel more... chill, but occasionally boring... because of that lack of clear direction... a more abstract direction that the viewer can't clearly pin point if they aren't paying closer attention.
23:10 Oh... yeah the open endedness without the neat bow and answering these questions ourselves was a good move I suppose... 26:00 Damn... 27:15 Yeah. Hollywood don't got that, gotta let us live in certainty of the fictional characters status... although I mightn't be getting this right... 29:12 Interesting... I'd like to see how a story would go with a mix of the two.
Finally, I've been trying to figure out what the Japanese/Asian (Chinese) storytelling structure is for SO LONG! I know that I want to write 'anime-like' stories but as novels and I think I've found my next research area, thanks!
1: Once upon a time
2: And everyday
3: Until one day
4/5: And because of this
6: Until finally
7: And ever since that day
Studio Ghibli are my favorite! So much better than Disney.
Western stories do have that dark twist moment, referred to in Save the Cat (which is as Hollywood a reference as you can get) as the "All Is Lost" and "Dark Night of the Soul" beats. It's not the climax at all.
I suppose the concept of good versus evil has a slightly different interpretation from what your presenting. What I mean is I still see good versus evil in these stories. That is the hero of the story is not putting their ego ahead of anything and are trying to do the right thing. This is the good. And they are trying to avoid the chaos or evil of the moral of the story.
I suppose it matters how you define good and evil. The battle doesn’t have to be huge battles of temper night versus barbarians or a kid destroying a death star. Sometimes the battle of good and evil is just showing kindness where none was given.
I agree with this so much, but I know there are people who will never agree because after growing up a certain way, they prefer black and white, good vs. evil, happily ever after, romace kind of story. Especially since that's what Disney strives on, and people keep demanding that from Disney every time Disney even tries to do something realistic and relatable. Because when they do, people hate it and demand the old stuff, even though for years people were complaining that they hated the old stuff and wanted something new and when they got it they suddenly hated. But I guess Disney just can't win, or maybe they don't know how to be realistic and likable at the same time. That's where Ghibli comes in. So maybe these kinds of people wouldn't be able to handle Ghibli, even if it does have what everyone needs, and I've seen them. But one thing for sure, it's probably better to start out with black and white and then merge into realism to really see everything in full color. Thank you Ghibli.
I learned about kishotenketsu while working on my own personal project, very good writing style
Kishotenketsu seems more realistic of telling a story rather than the normal three act heros journey. Good, gray, and bad people in real life is complicated, also conflict itself is complicated and at the end of the day you're unsure of what think of. It's probably why I like Ghibli films and films with bittersweet endings, they seem more tangible, that they could happened to you (the viewer), and that's why they fell relatable. Even if the setting is fantasy, it's still grounded in reality, and it has that uncertainty that real life has. Maybe that's why people don't like these type of stories, because it's not the normal standard of western story telling, and it's hits too close to home. That's perfectly fine to not like theses type of stories, everyone has an opinion, and valid; also, maybe they just want to escape reality uncertainty and want to escape to a fantasy where everything is ok at the end.
Molly Grue: "But what if there isn't a happy ending?"
Schmendrick: "There are no happy endings, because nothing ends."
- The Last Unicorn (1982)
Just a detail we tend to overlook. Movies like 'Spirited Away' have a lot of conflict, but it isn't the type of conflict we are used to. When we hear the word conflict, we tend to think of a violent one that can only be resolved with a fight. Chihiro's conflicts are with the world she finds herself in, the laws that govern it and the enmity of people she meets with each other. She is drawn into the conflict between Yubaba and Zeniba as it hurts Haku and endangers his life. A conflict that she might have resolved.
kishotenkestu tends to tell stories about people. People are relatable. The three act method tells stories about heroes. Heroes arent always relatable. Thats why Ghibli films feel so much more personal.
I’m starting to watch Ghibli films again, I started with Spirited Away and I’m thinking about watching Howl’s moving Castle next
This was a very well made video.
thank you this has helped me think about how to structure my novel, which is similar in terms of its message. thank you so much!
I think, in the case of the Ghibli films, the source of conflict isn't represented by a single enemy who the protagonist has to defeat. Rather, the conflict comes from the new circunstances the protagonist gets into, making it necessary to learn and adapt to new rules and dinamics with that new world or cast of characters
So, in my own definition, a "Happily Ever After" doesn't occur when the forces of evil are defeated; rather, is when the main character overcomes a personal problem, thanks to lesson they learned during their adventure
So, you could say, the main conflict of Ghibli characters is to learn something new about life, in order to solve a problem or to adapt to new circunstances that are beyond their control. For example, growing up and accepting change like Chihiro did, or learn to live and thrive by your own, in the case of Kiki
Perhaps Hollywood films are a bit more abstract with the use of archetypes, while movies like these are more direct about what the main character and the audience has to learn... IDK, just learning the craft here
Anyway, thanks for the vid, it was very entertaining and informative
keep up the good work ❤
I think there’s still conflict, they’re just not world-ending. Subtle, frequent, character-driven, and all that good stuff. Ghibli movies are so good at making us care about these characters, and showing that even the people we have beef with are people, too. Chihiro solving her internal conflict of being scared all the time was solved by dealing with other conflicts. It’s so amazing what these structures can do for storytelling ❤❤
Let’s be real here. This way of filmmaking is what we need to save Hollywood. In life, we don’t face a big bad guy, we go through change and experience things. Now that I finally can understand what Miyazaki’s thinking is like, I can understand why he dislikes America so much. The hero’s journey is something that is overused and tells the same story over and over. That’s why Disney is also not doing so good. It just feels like the same thing. But by shifting to this thinking, we can truly understand what a real story is and craft something better that can be different every time.