A film for 10 year old girls
“Certainly, many people might simply panic and sink down to the ground. But such people would vanish or quickly be eaten in the situation Chihiro faced. Chihiro is a heroine, because of her power not to let herself be eaten up. She is a heroine, (but) not because she is beautiful or because she has a matchless heart. This is the merit of this film, and this is why it is a film for 10 year old girls.”
[SOURCE]
“We have made “Totoro,” which was for small children, “Laputa,” in which a boy sets out on a journey, and “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” in which a teenager has to live with herself. We have not made a film for 10-year-old girls, who are in the first stage of their adolescence. So, I read the shoujo manga such as Nakayoshi or Ribon which they left at my mountain cabin.
I felt this country only offered such things as crushes and romance to 10-year-old girls, though, and looking at my young friends, I felt this was not what they held dear in their hearts, not what they wanted. And so I wondered if I could make a movie in which they could be heroines…
If they find this movie to be exciting, it will be a success in my mind. They can’t lie. Until now, I made “I wish there was such a person” leading characters. This time, however, I created a heroine who is an ordinary girl, someone with whom the audience can sympathize, someone about whom they can say, “Yes, it’s like that.” It’s very important to make it plain and unexaggerated. Starting with that, it’s not a story in which the characters grow up, but a story in which they draw on something already inside them, brought out by the particular circumstances… I wanted to tell such a story in this movie. I want my young friends to live like that, and I think they, too, have such a wish.”
[…]
“So, I am making the film with the idea that it is the world, rather than bad guys or good guys. The scary woman, Yu-baaba, who looks like a bad guy in this film, is actually the manager of the bath house where the heroine works. She’s having a hard time managing the bath house; she has many employees, a son, and her own desires, and she is suffering because of those things. So I don’t intend to portray her as a simple villain.”
[…]
“If we let children have more of their own time and have their own way, they’ll become more lively in a year or so. There are too many people who make money off of children. There is evidence we can live without such things here in this park, yet there are too many things around us to relieve our unsatisfied hearts and boredom. This is the fault of adults; it’s adults who are in the wrong shape. Children are just mirrors, so no wonder they are in the wrong shape.”
[…]
“…but I do think we need fantasy. For those who are in their powerless childhood, when they feel helpless, fantasy has something to give them relief. When children face complicated or difficult problems, they have to dodge at first. They would surely lose if they tried to tackle it head-on. We don’t need to use a complex and questionable phrase such as “escaping from reality”. There are many people who were saved by Tezuka-san’s manga, not just in my generation, but also in older generations. I have no doubt about the power of fantasy itself. Still, it is true that the creators of fantasy are getting emotionally weaker. Surely more and more people are saying, “I can’t believe such a thing.” But it’s just that a fantasy that can confront this complicated era has not been created yet. I think so.”
[SOURCE]
Hayao Miyazaki, regarding “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (aka: “Spirited Away”)
Keep being beautiful.
![religiousragings:
thepontificalsecret:
While alcoholism is the most common factor in sexually abusive parents, “conservative religious belief” is the second most common factor. (Heggen, Carolyn. “Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches” 1993)
How the heck is sexual abuse of children in ANY WAY supported by conservative religious belief?
I suspect this is a rhetorical question BUT…. this document cites points from several studies on the subject.
Shame and sexual repression are prime contributing factors. So are rigidly enforced traditional gender roles and an authoritarian family structure and parenting style.
A few bits that stuck with me [TRIGGER WARNING]:
“This study identified three factors of child sexual abuse as having their roots in the use or misuse of Judeo/Christian tradition: (1) patriarchalism places the man as head of the family and the owner of his wife and childred; (2) boundaries between various sexual activities become confused because all sex is considered sinful; (3) sexual activity within families is hidden behind a curtain of secrecy.” —- Wow, treating sex as evil and refusing to talk about it increases the potential for abuse. Who fucking knew, hey?
“Based on a 20-year longitudinal study of 4,000 children, this study describes the stages of sexual development from birth to age eight. It found that the prevention or punishment of age appropriate sexual activities disrupted normal psychological, social, intellectual, and sexual development.” — And thus, is a form of sexual abuse as well.
“Incest offenders often have unsatisfactory marriages, lack sexual or emotional gratification, and have inhibitions about extramarital affairs and masturbation, so they turn to their children to fulfill their needs.” — Sanctity of marriage, guys! God forbid we change that shit up.
“Three girls who appeared to have had excellent sex education were unable to defend themselves against abuse because of physical or psychological coercion, naivete, and a perceived obligation to obey adults at all times.” — It’s not just lack of education or repression; authoritarian parenting can be a contributing factor as well.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyv9p5tO8v1qhqyu3o1_500.jpg)
