26 Comments
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Melissa's avatar

I really enjoyed this and especially this quote: “That might be why Miyazaki’s films are so beloved in our late-capitalist society — they offer a refuge from the narrative that there is something wrong with us. They suggest the radical possibility that nothing is wrong with us, and instead, it’s the world that might need fixing.”

I had just written about creating Ma in my schedule so this felt so serendipitous to read!

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Wren Petkov's avatar

ahhh the way I nearly cut out that paragraph out of fear it's "too political"... Thank you so much for reading!! I'd love to read what you wrote about "Ma" if you get a chance to share the link!!

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Melissa's avatar

So glad you kept it! It’s #3 on this reflections list from 2024: https://thedevilyouknow.substack.com/p/11-things-i-learned-in-2024-one-is

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Wren Petkov's avatar

Thank you so much to Mish, Diana, Christo, Yana and my mom for proofreading my essays this year! You guys are the best!!

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Ayushi Bamania's avatar

My favourite Ghibli movie! 🩷

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Jon (Animated)'s avatar

This is icy a rich and brilliant piece. Just holds you throughout.

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Wren Petkov's avatar

wow thank you so much for the kind words Jon!!

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Isha Wang's avatar

Ponyo has been a comfort film for me for years - on the surface it seems like a "shallow" movie and the fact that it is through the mindscape of little children certainly makes things seem simplistic, but artistically and conceptually this is probably the epitome of Miyazaki's potential in my eyes. I just love everything about it, and your analysis really encapsulated that!

P.S. You could rly do an audio book lol! Your voice is so perfect for it.

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Wren Petkov's avatar

OMG ISHA i was so not sure the audio narration was a good idea skdjfgh thank you so much!! 😭

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julianna's avatar

ahhh amazing deep dive 🤍 so beautifully expressed

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Wren Petkov's avatar

ahhhhh so happy you enjoyed it Julianna! Thanks for reading!! 🫶

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Sanbles's avatar

It was lovely to hear the audio version, thank you for that!

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Wren Petkov's avatar

Whoa so glad to hear that!! It was an experiment but I'll definitely start doing it for all of my posts now:)

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Marc González Rossell's avatar

Amazing read, thanks for sharing it Wren. Ponyo is a beautiful film, sublime animation and storytelling. The first time I watched the film was with my daugther, she was thre years old and we re-watched Ponyo many times since then so I only associate warm and cozy memories :)

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Wren Petkov's avatar

Whoa Marc that sounds so lovely! I also associate it with my family, I think there's just something very nostalgic and warm about the little details in this film! Thanks so much for reading! 🌟

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Mariya Goltseva's avatar

I love Ponyo as well! It’s a beautiful movie, each scene bursting with life. Your essay has made me want to rewatch it once more. Also, looking forward to an essay about ‘ma’. I’ve heard it for the first time in the interview with Miyazaki, so it would be great to expand my understanding of it! Happy writing and happy new year! 🎆

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Wren Petkov's avatar

Soo happy you liked the essay!! I'm still forming my thoughts on "Ma", it feels like such a big topic and I wouldn't want to write something I don't fully believe in! That being said I promise to write it this year! I won't fail you Mariya! 🫡🫶

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Mariya Goltseva's avatar

Looking forward to it whenever you have the time and your thoughts gathered together 💛 No pressure though 😊

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Em's avatar

This blog is what convinced me to read both starting and turning point, and I have not been disappointed so far! Wonderful thoughts!

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Wren Petkov's avatar

So lovely to hear!! Happy new year Emma!

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Erentia Bedeker's avatar

What a delightful read. You put into words all the things I've always felt in a Miyazaki film, but could not always explain in words. I will definitely read the other posts about Miyazaki, I am such a fan. Happy writing for 2025.

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Wren Petkov's avatar

Thank you so much Erentia!! I’m so happy it was able to capture something for you!! Happy holidays and thanks for reading!!

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Fr. N. Romero's avatar

One of my favorite details within Miyazaki films is something I think of as "the choice of joy". When a character encounters something strange, they often have a brief moment of pause, which moves into a joyous reaction. I think of Sosuke's mom when she first meets Ponyo. We see the characters consider how to react and /choose/ to be joyful. It's something lovely often left out of western films.

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Jerseka's avatar

I love this analysis. It gave me a new perspective about this film, which I feel now I didn’t respect as much as I should have before. It also makes me think of Tolkien’s discussion of Recovery as a principle good of fantasy—that, like you said, we forget as we grow up, and good fantasy stories help us recover our ability to see the wonder and beauty in the world. Miyazaki is a master at the craft of making compelling, impactful fantasy stories, and your analysis really calls attention to his mastery. Great job—I enjoyed reading this!

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genie’s writing room 🥀's avatar

I loved these essays! Amazing job! Seeing Ponyo at such a young age must have impacted you a lot…I have the need to run and watch it right away!

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Life of Aira's avatar

I’ve never seen Ponyo in this lens before so thank you for writing this! It made all sense! I believe you’ll be a great director/animator one day!

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