Castle in the Sky

In Castle in the Sky, Miyazaki presents a unique world where flying machines have been became meticulously advance. Through this film, Miyazaki takes us on a grand adventure through his artwork. This film brings light to man's relationship with nature amidst the growing presence of technology. Analyzed in greater depth, his films show us how these conflicts result in war.

After the opening sequence, when Sheeta falls from the airship, Miyazaki introduces a history of the world’s technological advancements during the opening credits. The sequence begins with a shot of clouds and a woman, possibly goddess, blowing a gust of wind from the left side of the screen. The scene then cuts to shot of a man powering a single propeller as the clouds float gently by toward the right side of the screen. In juxtaposition to the previous shot, we can interpret this scene as nature supporting mankind in obtaining wind energy. The woman in the clouds is represented as nature while the man below is represented as mankind. Miyazaki progresses further with this sequence of technological growth by showing more advancement in mankind’s machines. As the camera pans down, we see multiple windmills as well as machines that resemble oilrigs. The scene then cuts to a shot of a miner underground mining for coal. With the scene cutting back to the surface, we see that there are even more oilrigs as well as many chimneys producing large amounts of smoke. Miyazaki now shows us mankind’s move from wind energy to coal energy. He then cuts back into the sky with images of aircrafts, each becoming more advanced with every new shot. The next scene is a close-up shot of a castle top, which zooms outward showing that mankind has become advanced that they have the power to levitate buildings. Miyazaki continues to amazes the audience by showing us shots of multiple castles flying in the sky. He then cuts to a side view of the castles showing us what’s underneath. From what started as a single propeller has now evolved into thousands of propellers. In order to show that mankind’s technology has advanced too far, Miyazaki cuts to a thunderstorm striking the airships, bringing mankind back to the ground. Miyazaki comes full-circle in the opening credits by cutting back to the shot of the goddess blowing a gust of wind, however, instead of a man next to the propeller we see Sheeta and a yak, gazing over the field. Already from the opening credits, Miyazaki presents us with mankind’s past mistakes with technology. By cutting back to the single propeller, he begins the film by making us wonder if the same cycle will happen again.

Another thing I found interesting is the way Miyazaki portrayed the robot as highly destructive and technologically advanced, but at the same time as a caring nature-loving creature. A good example is the scene when Sheeta is held captive in the fortress. In this scene, as Colonel Muska confronts Sheeta about the powers of the stone, Miyazaki cross-cuts to close-up shots of the robot’s arm and leg. In the first close-up shot we see the robot moving its fingers, giving us the idea that it is human-like. In the next close-up shot, we see the wires from inside its broken leg, which resemble human muscles due to its red color and organic movements. Although the robot appears to have human-like qualities, it is still something to be feared. Even with a missing arm and leg, the robot proves capable of wreaking havoc upon the military with a single laser beam, all while trying to protect Sheeta. In this sequence, Miyazaki goes to the extreme of showing us what is it like to have an enormous amount of power. The result of seeing highly advanced technology at work tells us that there are things that mankind isn’t ready to handle.

After having witnessed the robot’s destructive capabilities, we begin to question whether it is more like a human or truly a monster. However, as the fortress begins to collapse, the robot decides to move Sheeta to a safe place, right before being destroyed by the airship Goliath. The robot, in its last moments, makes the sacrifice of protecting Sheeta from harm. The scene ends with us believing that there is more to this robot than just being a weapon for war.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is actually one of the later Miyazaki films I have watched, which is a little ironic since it was one of Miyazaki's earlier works. After watching the film for the first time, I was very impressed by all the detail that Miyazaki had put into his film. I am beginning to see why so many people consider this film as one of their favorites.

What I found most impressive in the film is the main character, Nausicaa. Compared to all of Miyazaki's other films, Nausicaa proves to be the ideal shojo character. Nausicaa is a scientist and a fighter, which shows that not only does she have brains but she also has brawn. These kinds of characteristics are normally seen in male protagonists. Although she is a princess and shows feminine qualities such as giggling, she is nowhere near being a damsel in distress type character. Throughout the film we can clearly see that can take care of herself.

While watching Nausicaa progress in the film, I felt at times that maybe she was a little too perfect or unreal. However, it wasn't until I saw the fight sequence where Nausicaa defeats the soldiers that killed her father that I realized she is not perfect. She is human just like everyone else. In this scene, Nausicaa is blinded by rage but comes to a stop after realizing that she has wounded her uncle. This scene proves to be of great significance because we see that there are moments when she is vulnerable. Throughout the rest of the film, we also see that she chooses to save lives rather than take them. One example is in the scene Nausicaa is escaping from a burning airship. In this scene, Nausicaa decides rescue Lady Kushana even though she knows full well that Kushana is an enemy.

Another scene that I felt was very powerful is the scene when Nausicaa tries to prevent the baby Ohmu from crossing the lake. In this scene, we see Nausicaa's ankles getting burned by the acid and then falling in pain as she tries to push the baby ohmu back. I was impressed by her strong willpower to save the baby ohmu. Nausicaa is willing to save anyone regardless of how hideous they may be.

After watching this film, I hope to analyze Miyazaki's later female protagonist in comparison to Nausicaa. Hopefully I will be able to find interesting similarities and differences in his next films.