Studio Ghibli's films, particularly those directed by Hayao Miyazaki, are known for their strong female characters, and Miyazaki has often been praised as a feminist and er of women for his portrayals of his heroines. However, Miyazaki recently revealed that the truth is he doesn't quite understand women.

Miyazaki's first original film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, established this reputation quickly. Nausicaa is a bold woman taking a stand against what is wrong, even at great personal cost. She is undeterred by setbacks, and constantly moves forward. Princess Mononoke is similar in that regard, although San is not the main protagonist of that film. Even Spirited Away fits this mold, with Chihiro facing a strange world where she understands nothing, yet she continues to try to free her parents and return them all home. Miyazaki certainly seems to have a talent for female protagonists.

Miyazaki Claims He Doesn't Understand Girls

A New Quote Surprises Fans of Miyazaki's Works

In the book, The Art of the Boy and the Heron, a message is included which was addressed to the staff at Studio Ghibli when the project began. In it, Miyazaki discusses his approach to creating protagonists, and how his male and female main characters can be very different. In the memo, he says, "...It was easier to draw girls because, since I'm a man, I don't mind if I don't understand some aspects of girls." That may be a shocking sentiment considering all the praise he's received for his feminist characters, but it makes a surprising amount of sense.

Instead of worrying about how men and women differ and the things that make women different from men, it seems Miyazaki approached creating characters the same way regardless of their gender. In other words, it might be better to say that Miyazaki is just incredibly talented at creating characters in general, rather than specifically female characters. There's also a sense among many fans that writers should fully understand all of their characters, but Miyazaki seems to have proven that there's no need for that to be the case. In fact, it may be beneficial to not fully understand a character.

It's known that Miyazaki often bases his child characters off of children he knows, or people he re from his own childhood, which helps to make the characters more realistic. When writing Spirited Away, Miyazaki had decided on his target audience, 10-year-old girls, and set about researching shojo magazines, but was disappointed at how romance-focused they were, saying that didn't reflect the children he actually knew. "And so I wondered if I could make a movie in which they [10-year-old girls] could be heroines..." Miyazaki said.

Miyazaki Is Still a Master of Crafting Heroines

The Director's Work Speaks for Itself

Miyazaki may be selling himself a bit short when he says he doesn't understand girls sometimes, but regardless of how true that is, he's certainly mastered the art of creating female characters. He describes Spirited Away, saying, "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." Finding that inner strength is something that a character of any gender could do, so why not a young girl, a group whom he specifically notes was underrepresented?

Miyazaki also manages to take traditionally feminine traits and turn them into heroic ones. In Howl's Moving Castle, for example, Sophie's comionate nature is key to resolving the plot; she cares for and aids the Witch of the Waste, despite the witch being responsible for the curse making her appear elderly. This ultimately allows the witch to return Howl's heart, which Calcifer had been in possession of. At every turn, Sophie makes the kindest choice possible, and that ends up being exactly what's needed for the heroes to prevail.

At every turn, Sophie makes the kindest choice possible, and that ends up being exactly what's needed for the heroes to prevail.

Ghibli's films also encourage young girls to develop their own independence, as seen in movies like Kiki's Delivery Service. Kiki sets out on her own, and has to deal with all the challenges that come with living alone and being self-sufficient. Kiki has to overcome her own self-doubt and find confidence in herself and her abilities in order to save the day. The movie makes it clear that these struggles are something that nearly everyone must face, and that there's no shame in having a hard time occasionally.

The Lasting Influence of Miyazaki's Female Characters

Ghibli's Heroines Have Inspired Countless Strong Female Protagonists

Miyazaki has been an endlessly influential director in many different ways, but perhaps one of the most enduring is his ability to put forth interesting and captivating female characters, which help to inspire future characters in other works. Artists and writers from companies like Pixar and Disney have praised Miyazaki, with some crediting the competition between Ghibli and Disney in the 90s for the "Disney Rennaissance" that took place then.

Of course, Miyazaki and Ghibli's influence is extremely strong in Japan as well. There's hardly a single animator, mangaka, or writer who doesn't look up to Miyazaki in some way, and there have been clear shifts in the anime industry with each Ghibli success. Young female protagonists, for example, became far more prevalent in the wake of Spirited Away's release, as Miyazaki had effectively proven that not only could it be done, but it could be done extremely well. Realizing there was an audience, studios began catering to them.

In the end, Miyazaki probably understands women a lot better than he thinks he does, and that much is clear from his work. At the very least, he's decisively proven that male creators can write stories with female leads without falling into misogynistic traps or antiquated thinking. Miyazaki's work will continue to inspire new creators to enter the field, and these creators will be all the better equipped to handle the challenges that lie ahead of them if they take the example set by Miyazaki seriously. Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki have absolutely earned their reputation.