Comments
kin wrote
Interesting point, maybe what happens to Miyazaki is like a virtuous male gaze, he tries to create a Counterstereotype for his female protagonists but in doing so he fetishizes them. I would require more references to form an opinion
Fool wrote
This article touches on it a little bit. https://www.polygon.com/animation-cartoons/2020/5/26/21269833/hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli-anime-otaku-culture-manga-influences
In an interview about Kiki’s Delivery Service, he emphasizes that Kiki has to be an appealing girl for the film to work, but doesn’t quite explain why she is appealing. It is as if what is appealing about Kiki is too obvious to be said. These “appealing girls” appear throughout Miyazaki’s filmography. Even though these depictions aren’t really sexualized, they do present a narrow selection of virtues and characteristics that Miyazaki finds admirable in a person, specifically a young woman.
moonlune OP wrote
It's interesting that he criticized myazaki for sacralizing women in his work, while they are seen as some of the least problematic women in anime. He's got a point imo, that I hadn't noticed up till now because everything around it was so much worse.