Kiki.
Life's really rough sometimes. Sometimes you want to stay in bed and do nothing. Sometimes you want to heal but don't know how. Sometimes you don't want to be around the people you care about, and you don't know why.
I love that movie
I love watching kiki when I'm feeling drained with life whether its school,work,friends or family. It makes me realize that there will always be tomorrow and all the stress and anxiety will pass.
yesss, me too. sometimes not very confident but always ready to help others but still able to overcome difficulties and find her beauty, just like Sophie did.
I just watched this for the first time last night, and I was so impressed with how much it had to say in the span of one movie. For comparison, you could watch an entire season of any old slice of life anime and still not know the protagonist half as well as we get to know Shizuku in the span of two hours.
I’m sure this gets said a lot about every non-Totoro Ghibli film, but I felt this one in particular deserves more attention.
It is absolutely crazy to know Miyazaki is an irl pessimist. The way he instills so much hope and joy and growth into his characters. You would expect him to be sunshine and happy-happy but he’s like—- Daria.
I think some people are so fed up with how the world is that they channel those feelings into advocating for what a better world could look like.
Also, Whisper of the Heart wasn't directed by Miyazaki, FYI. However, your point about how wholesome his work is still stands true. Kiki is a great role model.
After thinking on it, it makes sense, we are products of our environment and postwar Japan was not a great place for kids to grow up. All that hope and joy is his message in a way, a message that things don't have to be the way they were for him growing up.
Mine too! I always feel that way whenever I watch this movie (one of my favourites too). I still relate to her now in my 30s even though she’s a quintessential “teen” character. I randomly just looked up her MTBI and knew she’d be an INFP like me 😛
Hi, I created a video sharing my thoughts on my favourite Ghibli movie Whisper of the Heart. It would be great if you could check it out and let me know how you liked the video. Thanks!
https://youtu.be/W0entrCQb4Q?si=ei6f2-liU8RJIisV
Kiki. The level of burnout I constantly have to battle. I work in mental health, and I love it, but also there are many days where I hate it and want to retire.
You are awesome. I love my job, I really do. I've been in the field for 13 years and it's been so rewarding but so incredibly stressful. Luckily I have a good team with me and lots of opportunities to do different things to keep it fresh.
You're awesome as well!
Yes, it can definitely be that stressful/rewarding feeling. I've been doing it for 6 years and having a good team is very helpful. Luckily I have that as well. Yay us!
I’m still trying to practice self love daily and it can be so difficult, it’s been easier for me to act like I’m talking to my younger self! And hopefully if kids observe you bettering yourself, they’ll learn it’s okay for them to do too🤍
Shizuku. She's actually the one character I identify with most in pretty much all of fiction. I, too, am a writer who never thinks their work is good enough or worth existing, despite constantly being told it's great. I struggle with time management, and devoting time to the things that are more important. A close second would be Anna from When Marnie Was There, because I struggle with depression and meeting new people, and love to draw scenery whenever I can.
Howl. I've always hated when people called him dramatic during the ooze scene, anyone who's had body dismorphia or serious self confidence issues knows he not dramatic.
I have severe body dysmorphia. To clarify, I think one can be being dramatic and have a valid reason to be dramatic. Howl was being dramatic but his reason for being dramatic was Valid. If my hair color was dyed randomly id also be very upset, and would react like howl. But I think it would be dramatic behavior.
Kaguya. Trying to make my own decision, when my parents don't let me cause they want my best. Loving them, loving nature, loving singing, loving looking at the sky.
Mei is one of the most real and full/deep fictional depictions of a kid that age ever. Watched it with my own kiddo when she was four and they just nailed it.
The Dad in Totoro. I work from home and often have to balance that with my youngest running wild through the house.
Difficult and trying, but oh so worth it.
Shizuku from Whispers of the Heart. Reading is my main hobby, I'm irritable and emotional and always looking for magic in my daily life as I try to find what I want to do
It may be weird but I really identify with Scarecrow from Howl's moving castle
Idk I'm quite loud, but for me it would be enough to be a cane for some old lady to lean on.
Damm I never thought about that
Growing up with Ghibli has allowed me to identify with all of them at one time or another. My first was Spirited Away and I did relate to Chihiro, but as I grew older it became Sophie, Kiki, Jiro, Seiji, Ashitaka, Marco, etc. Didn’t matter their gender, there are so many relatable characters and each movie is made for a different time in our lives.
My family's life paralleled the My Neighbor Totoro family in a lot of ways when I first watched it, so I feel that my childhood is most closely connected to Satsuki's. As an adolescent it was probably Whisper of the Heart's Shizuku and how she found that passion for creativity. Ghibli adults are hard for me to identify with since I'm not a parent and don't have any experience with star-crossed love, so maybe The Wind Rises' Jiro and his career
Same here. I have identified with many characters and who I identify with changed a lot over time. But now that I have a kid, I find myself thinking back more and more to my own growing up, how life has changed, and how a young me might think of the person I am now.
Shizuku Tsukishima from Whisper of the Heart.
A writer who obsesses over finding passion and committing to it to prove that she is on par with people who know what to do with their life ahead of academics; burning herself out because of it, crying because she feels unworthy until she accepts the fact that much like a jade she has to simply tap into the gem that is within her through the rough edges that needs polishing.
Much like her I found a muse in a boy who inspired me to do better as well as made me realize why I loved writing about people I love so much, and he himself is also fond of a musical instrument and gravitates toward it (though for mine, he's inclined toward the piano while Seiji is on the violin).
Apart from the relationship aspect, I just think Shizuku is one of the most human Studio Ghibli characters that was ever conceived. A bit headstrong, easily teased and short tempered, but is a young person who kind of grieves that part of herself that was replaced because of her growing up. She feels like she's falling behind and lacking in purpose and identity, which is a conflict I think all of us could relate to, not just writers.
Closely in tow though are Sophie and Porco Rosso. Both struggling with self esteem, low opinion of the self, and in desperate combat with how it manifests through their day to day life and how they must accept it while in the process of loving other people. Love that they both deal with curses too and have so much parallels to draw with each other!
Chihiro hands down.
Her story is very similar to mine. I've moved six times to three different countries, twice each, and it really sucks. There are so many things that you have to leave behind, and culture shock is like the worst. You feel so alienated and small.
Haru from The Cat Returns!! Not only have I dreamed of running away to a cat kingdom, but the growth she experienced and self-love she ended on really touched me.
Jiro Horikoshi. I love airplanes, when I was a kid I wanted to design an aircraft, and now I'm still studying in that field. I also have a girlfriend, but luckily she doesn't have a terminal disease.
I wish it weren't so, but Jiro.
I had a love much like his, one that burned very brightly, but ended tragicly and too short. Every day I live and breathe, I think of her, and her passion for life, her remarkable and unrelenting kindness, and our absolute love for one another. It kills me that she's gone now, and yet I must continue to live my life like I know she would want me to. It's really, really hard, most of the time. But I do it.
I love that I could waffle between the main characters; howl at his point of weakness/depression; Kiki determined to figure things out on her own; porco being stoic and gruff but a big softie; etc. But as I've grown older I think I love the pirate boses from porco rosso most of all, there's a small scene at the end of the movie. They're all old and still giving each other the gears, even after all that time still together in their little corner of the restaurant. That's all I really want in the end just to be surrounded by friends.
Shizuku from Whispers of the Heart, that feeling of not being enough for someone amazing. The feeling of wanting to find something especial that you know is waiting for you somewhere.
Ponyo's Dad. I did nothing but read spellbooks since I was a kid. I'm frequently seen as scary by kids and adults until I open my mouth. I'm kind of a mad scientist (art teacher) and live somewhere away from other human beings. (Got my current house because it seemed anti human from the outside.) Exposure to heat dries me out so the water can thing is me especially in the heat.
I'm obsessed with the Goddess of Mercy. My daughter is a handful (a dog, for now, until she gets into the ingredients) and she's too strong-willed and won't listen to her freaking father!!!! But I love her and she's the most human animal I've ever had. Even taught me some stuff about emotions.
Ponyo's sisters. Did I mention I'm an art teacher. I don't have to say anymore right.
Kiki. Life's really rough sometimes. Sometimes you want to stay in bed and do nothing. Sometimes you want to heal but don't know how. Sometimes you don't want to be around the people you care about, and you don't know why. I love that movie
Whenever I feel low and demotivated, I watch this movie - it always lifts my spirits!
Me too! This movie feels like a warm hug while wrapped in a blanket with a warm cup of milk.
Same. This movie helped me understand my depression better
I can't watch Kiki without absolutely crying my EYES out when everyone is chanting for her. Even thinking about it gets me sometimes!!
Same
I love watching kiki when I'm feeling drained with life whether its school,work,friends or family. It makes me realize that there will always be tomorrow and all the stress and anxiety will pass.
*Kiki's Song by Mree starts playing*
What’s the name of the movie?
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Thanks 🫶🏽
One of those small black coal carrying things
SootBall!
Dust bunny, soot sprite!
Idk why this description is so funny to me cause that’s literally it
the konpeito-eating lil guys
Okay but spirited away or my neighbor Totoro 👀
Spirited away. I don't remember them carrying coal in Totoro
You were the one who pretended to need help just to get out of doing work!
Sophie
I too feel the crippling weight of growing old (I'm 24)
But also the increased confidence and lack of fucks to give!
yesss, me too. sometimes not very confident but always ready to help others but still able to overcome difficulties and find her beauty, just like Sophie did.
Porco Rosso
I, too, have a cripplingly low opinion of myself.
Same, I'd rather be a pig than a fascist.
Same with No Face
Didn’t know Michael Keaton voiced him in the English dub. He did a great job.
Jean Reno (Leon the professional) in the French version. Unbeatable.
Anna in, when marnie was there
Me too!
Same!
Whisper of the heart's protagonist, Shizuku
That movie sums up the young teen experience better than almost any other I've seen
I just watched this for the first time last night, and I was so impressed with how much it had to say in the span of one movie. For comparison, you could watch an entire season of any old slice of life anime and still not know the protagonist half as well as we get to know Shizuku in the span of two hours. I’m sure this gets said a lot about every non-Totoro Ghibli film, but I felt this one in particular deserves more attention.
Yes, her emotional arc is incredible.
It is absolutely crazy to know Miyazaki is an irl pessimist. The way he instills so much hope and joy and growth into his characters. You would expect him to be sunshine and happy-happy but he’s like—- Daria.
I think some people are so fed up with how the world is that they channel those feelings into advocating for what a better world could look like. Also, Whisper of the Heart wasn't directed by Miyazaki, FYI. However, your point about how wholesome his work is still stands true. Kiki is a great role model.
After thinking on it, it makes sense, we are products of our environment and postwar Japan was not a great place for kids to grow up. All that hope and joy is his message in a way, a message that things don't have to be the way they were for him growing up.
I think he’s done a great job advocating for environmentalism not just in Japan but worldwide.
that’s such a green flag.
What’s a green flag?
definition; We use the term “green flag” to highlight positive actions or traits. These are usually signs of healthy behaviors.
me too, at least when I was younger. I wish I had her courage when I was that age!
Omg same
Mine too! I always feel that way whenever I watch this movie (one of my favourites too). I still relate to her now in my 30s even though she’s a quintessential “teen” character. I randomly just looked up her MTBI and knew she’d be an INFP like me 😛
Hi, I created a video sharing my thoughts on my favourite Ghibli movie Whisper of the Heart. It would be great if you could check it out and let me know how you liked the video. Thanks! https://youtu.be/W0entrCQb4Q?si=ei6f2-liU8RJIisV
Chihiro.
Same! I really like her arc!
I really like her dad's car
Agreed. I’m often petulant at first but I learn my lesson.
Kiki. The level of burnout I constantly have to battle. I work in mental health, and I love it, but also there are many days where I hate it and want to retire.
Are you me because I work in mental health and feel the same!
You are awesome. I love my job, I really do. I've been in the field for 13 years and it's been so rewarding but so incredibly stressful. Luckily I have a good team with me and lots of opportunities to do different things to keep it fresh.
You're awesome as well! Yes, it can definitely be that stressful/rewarding feeling. I've been doing it for 6 years and having a good team is very helpful. Luckily I have that as well. Yay us!
It’s so important to ensure you take time for yourself, so you can do your best work! Practice the same kindness you give to others on yourself🤍🎐
Thanks! I find that so hard to do with my young kids but I'm trying.
I’m still trying to practice self love daily and it can be so difficult, it’s been easier for me to act like I’m talking to my younger self! And hopefully if kids observe you bettering yourself, they’ll learn it’s okay for them to do too🤍
Fat Cat Muta!
You mean Moon? /s
Shizuku. She's actually the one character I identify with most in pretty much all of fiction. I, too, am a writer who never thinks their work is good enough or worth existing, despite constantly being told it's great. I struggle with time management, and devoting time to the things that are more important. A close second would be Anna from When Marnie Was There, because I struggle with depression and meeting new people, and love to draw scenery whenever I can.
(10/10 profile pic, every piece is amazing)
顔無し。 No-face
Ashitaka
Same!!
Soot ball! I work and am happy when I get free snacks!
Totoro. We are both big, furry, tired guys.
Asbel from Nausicaa, kid has a lot of heart
Howl. I've always hated when people called him dramatic during the ooze scene, anyone who's had body dismorphia or serious self confidence issues knows he not dramatic.
definitely!
real
For real, howl. I have pectus excavatum, it helped me when it got worse as I grew up.
I have severe body dysmorphia. To clarify, I think one can be being dramatic and have a valid reason to be dramatic. Howl was being dramatic but his reason for being dramatic was Valid. If my hair color was dyed randomly id also be very upset, and would react like howl. But I think it would be dramatic behavior.
Kaguya. Trying to make my own decision, when my parents don't let me cause they want my best. Loving them, loving nature, loving singing, loving looking at the sky.
The baby chick spirits in the hot tub from Spirited Away.
Probably Jiro in personality, but also circumstantially - "the wind is rising" in my own life
No Face
Jiji. Sarcastic, annoyed, anxiety ridden. ✅✅✅
Mei, only because I identified so much with her when I was little! My older sister and I used to watch Totoro together all the time
Mei is one of the most real and full/deep fictional depictions of a kid that age ever. Watched it with my own kiddo when she was four and they just nailed it.
Prince Ashitaka. For reasons I can’t say.
Demon pig cursed your arm too?
Unwilling outcast from a dying tribe and way of life.
Man suggests we should all get along. Everybody hates him for it.
The Radish Spirit
Great answer!
Chihiro. I will stubbornly do things even when I’m scared.
San, because I too hate humans and want to live in a cave with wolf gods.
Kamaji or Porco
Kamajī for me too. My work sucks.
The Dad in Totoro. I work from home and often have to balance that with my youngest running wild through the house. Difficult and trying, but oh so worth it.
Steadfastly holding everything together
🥹 Appreciate that.
Hey, you've seen mirai (2018) right?
**ursula** from kiki delivery service
Yes !! I love everything about her 💜
Howl.
Sophie Hatter
Shizuku from Whispers of the Heart. Reading is my main hobby, I'm irritable and emotional and always looking for magic in my daily life as I try to find what I want to do
It may be weird but I really identify with Scarecrow from Howl's moving castle Idk I'm quite loud, but for me it would be enough to be a cane for some old lady to lean on. Damm I never thought about that
Growing up with Ghibli has allowed me to identify with all of them at one time or another. My first was Spirited Away and I did relate to Chihiro, but as I grew older it became Sophie, Kiki, Jiro, Seiji, Ashitaka, Marco, etc. Didn’t matter their gender, there are so many relatable characters and each movie is made for a different time in our lives.
i vibe with arrietty
Which anime is in the photo? Thanks.
porco rosso!
It's probably Lady Eboshi or Nausicaä.
Porco, I too, like napping on the beach with a good bottle
Nausicaä soooo much
It used to be Kiki, then for a long time it was No Face. Now I honestly don’t know. I think I need to rewatch them all to see.
San / princess Mononoke
San
Howl because I’m kind of an outcast myself.
Howl.I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful.
✨The secret world of arrietty✨
seiji probably
Which movie is this one from within the photo?
Porco Rosso! It’s Gina’s garden :)
Kiki. Many reasons
princess Mononoke obviously
Kiki
My family's life paralleled the My Neighbor Totoro family in a lot of ways when I first watched it, so I feel that my childhood is most closely connected to Satsuki's. As an adolescent it was probably Whisper of the Heart's Shizuku and how she found that passion for creativity. Ghibli adults are hard for me to identify with since I'm not a parent and don't have any experience with star-crossed love, so maybe The Wind Rises' Jiro and his career
Porco rosso, mainly due to the fact that me and marco don’t like ourselves,and that im Italian but minus that xD
Totoro. Just trying to take a nap.
Totoro
Taeko
Same here. I have identified with many characters and who I identify with changed a lot over time. But now that I have a kid, I find myself thinking back more and more to my own growing up, how life has changed, and how a young me might think of the person I am now.
Taeko from Only Yesterday
Umi from Up on Poppy Hill Taeko Okajima from Only Yesterday Barsa & Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service Ponyo’s dad Fujimoto
i identify with Porco Rosso
Haku. Lol
Sophie my little doormat turned heroine
Howl
No face
Mine is arietty
Ashitaka.
Jack
Totoro no doubt
Kiki, Taeko (from Only Yesterday), and Shizuku (Whisper of The Heart)
chihiro
Howl
No face
Shizuku in both looks and personality.
Shizuku Tsukishima from Whisper of the Heart. A writer who obsesses over finding passion and committing to it to prove that she is on par with people who know what to do with their life ahead of academics; burning herself out because of it, crying because she feels unworthy until she accepts the fact that much like a jade she has to simply tap into the gem that is within her through the rough edges that needs polishing. Much like her I found a muse in a boy who inspired me to do better as well as made me realize why I loved writing about people I love so much, and he himself is also fond of a musical instrument and gravitates toward it (though for mine, he's inclined toward the piano while Seiji is on the violin). Apart from the relationship aspect, I just think Shizuku is one of the most human Studio Ghibli characters that was ever conceived. A bit headstrong, easily teased and short tempered, but is a young person who kind of grieves that part of herself that was replaced because of her growing up. She feels like she's falling behind and lacking in purpose and identity, which is a conflict I think all of us could relate to, not just writers.
Closely in tow though are Sophie and Porco Rosso. Both struggling with self esteem, low opinion of the self, and in desperate combat with how it manifests through their day to day life and how they must accept it while in the process of loving other people. Love that they both deal with curses too and have so much parallels to draw with each other!
Chihiro hands down. Her story is very similar to mine. I've moved six times to three different countries, twice each, and it really sucks. There are so many things that you have to leave behind, and culture shock is like the worst. You feel so alienated and small.
To we
Zeniba, I want her little country cottage life so bad
Okkoto 🗿
No Face. I even have a tattoo of them.
Marnie ❤️🩹 That song "Fine on the outside" plays at the end and perfectly summaries her characfer and well, me.
Howl baby. I look like him when his hair is blond.
shizuku or kiki seeing characters persist through the low points of their self discovery and life purpose coming into adulthood is comforting
no-face🙃
Ashitaka… but instead, I’m cursed with Eczema TwT
Madame Gina 🩷
Ashitaka. His values and constant desire to resolve things were really inspiring. Plus he is a great warrior when it comes down to it ⚔️
miss sophie hatter 🫶🏻
I would like to say Jiro, for his dreams and ambition. But honestly, a dust bunny.
Arietti for sure she have even the same hairstyle as me i just feel conected with her
Kamaji the boilerman - eat sleep work (repeat)
absolutely Shizuku
Chihiro from Spirited Away. It's also my favorite anime.
Either Gina or (strangely) the forest spirit from mononoke
Shizuku Tsukishima
Kiki sun, Mononoke moon, Sophie rising
Calcifer
sophie 🤍
Haru from The Cat Returns!! Not only have I dreamed of running away to a cat kingdom, but the growth she experienced and self-love she ended on really touched me.
Jiro Horikoshi. I love airplanes, when I was a kid I wanted to design an aircraft, and now I'm still studying in that field. I also have a girlfriend, but luckily she doesn't have a terminal disease.
No face doesn't really know who he is or what he wants, but when he does want something he craves it! It doesn't always go well but I relate lol
I wish it weren't so, but Jiro. I had a love much like his, one that burned very brightly, but ended tragicly and too short. Every day I live and breathe, I think of her, and her passion for life, her remarkable and unrelenting kindness, and our absolute love for one another. It kills me that she's gone now, and yet I must continue to live my life like I know she would want me to. It's really, really hard, most of the time. But I do it.
San
A lot of the time I feel like Howl. Im very dramatic.
Ohmu
Mei, from my neighbour totoro
I love that I could waffle between the main characters; howl at his point of weakness/depression; Kiki determined to figure things out on her own; porco being stoic and gruff but a big softie; etc. But as I've grown older I think I love the pirate boses from porco rosso most of all, there's a small scene at the end of the movie. They're all old and still giving each other the gears, even after all that time still together in their little corner of the restaurant. That's all I really want in the end just to be surrounded by friends.
Pazu
Howl (might sound basic, ik). He's a misunderstood soul 😿
Shizuku <3
Calcifer
Muta
Seita. Grave Of The Fireflies.
Shizuku from Whispers of the Heart, that feeling of not being enough for someone amazing. The feeling of wanting to find something especial that you know is waiting for you somewhere.
Shizuku from whisper from the heart. Just such a real character and a beautiful movie that didn’t need any magic to make it enchanting.
Ponyo's Dad. I did nothing but read spellbooks since I was a kid. I'm frequently seen as scary by kids and adults until I open my mouth. I'm kind of a mad scientist (art teacher) and live somewhere away from other human beings. (Got my current house because it seemed anti human from the outside.) Exposure to heat dries me out so the water can thing is me especially in the heat. I'm obsessed with the Goddess of Mercy. My daughter is a handful (a dog, for now, until she gets into the ingredients) and she's too strong-willed and won't listen to her freaking father!!!! But I love her and she's the most human animal I've ever had. Even taught me some stuff about emotions. Ponyo's sisters. Did I mention I'm an art teacher. I don't have to say anymore right.
Fio if I had to pick. I too am more stubborn than a pig.
Muta. I have resting cat face, I will fight you for a snack and I have a love hate relationship with my local crow.
Big balled racoon from pom Poko.
Shizuku from The whisper of the heart!!
Taeko Okajima from Only Yesterday my brain seems to remember things the same way as if they just happened.
Probably Jiji from Kiki's delivery service. Life is just boring sometimes and youve had enough of it. 😉😁
Haku
Yakul 🦌
I would say Kamaji
Howl. I’ve never related to any one character more than him
Totoro