Several books have been written about Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese animator, filmmaker, manga artist, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. The books explore Miyazaki's biography and career, particularly his feature films. According to Jeff Lenburg, more papers have been written about Miyazaki than any other Japanese artist. The first English-language book devoted to Miyazaki was Helen McCarthy's Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation in 1999, focusing on the films' narrative and artistic qualities. Many authors focus on Miyazaki's career and films, like Dani Cavallaro and Raz Greenberg, while others examine the themes and religious elements of his works, such as Eriko Ogihara-Schuck and Eric Reinders. Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc's 2009 book explores the careers of both Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and Susan J. Napier's 2018 book Miyazakiworld highlights the ideological connections between Miyazaki's films and personal life. A picture book by Miyazaki was published in 1983, later loosely adapted into his 1997 film Princess Mononoke, and two books compiling essays, articles, lectures, and outlines written by Miyazaki were published in 1996 and 2008.
Books by Hayao Miyazaki Princess Mononoke (1983)
is a 1983 picture book written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki. The 29.5cm coffee-table book contains 104 pages of watercolor images and narration. It follows a princess arranged to marry an animalistic spirit () who returns to save her demon-possessed father. After completing his first feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro(1979), Miyazaki began working on sketches for a new animation in 1980. The story was roughly based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"(1740), with its setting changed to historical Japan. Miyazaki drew and painted the boards in approximately a month. Unlike other projects, for which he traveled to take inspiration from his surroundings, he created these paintings from his imagination.
After unsuccessfully proposing the film project to several production companies, Miyazaki published his concepts in this book. According to Tribute Nadira Chand, Miyazaki also felt the plot misrepresented the period of Japanese history it was set in. However, Miyazaki went on to reuse various ideas from this project in his later films such as My Neighbor Totoro(1988) and Porco Rosso(1992). In 1993, Studio Ghibli republished the book in anticipation of its film adaptation Princess Mononoke(1997), then in early production. The book has little in common with the eventual film, with an entirely different plot and character designs, but it shares a few ideas, such as a character gaining strength due to an evil curse and a weapons factory inside a fortress. It is also set in a more recent period of Japanese history than the film.
The book was translated to English and republished by Viz Media on October21, 2014, as Princess Mononoke: The First Story. Writing for IndieWire, Charles Solomon called it "enchanting" and wrote that fans of Miyazaki's work would find it worth perusing. ScreenAnarchy Ard Vijn felt the work was "gorgeous", although he felt it was significantly less detailed than the style of Miyazaki's films. Chand wrote that the book allowed for the analysis of Miyazaki's illustrating talent without it being "tainted by animated effects." She also appreciated the contrast provided by the selective painting of foreground characters compared to other elements.
Starting Point: 1979–1996 (1996) is a compilation of essays, articles, lectures, and outlines written by—and interviews with—Miyazaki between 1979 and 1996. First published in hardcover in Japan in 1996, the book features about 90 chapters chronicling Miyazaki's thoughts on animation, the film industry, and his own works, as well as a full-color reprinting of Miyazaki's eight-page manga Kuuchuu de Oshokuji and an afterword written by Isao Takahata. One of Miyazaki's essays became notable for being the sole criticism of manga artist and animator Osamu Tezuka after his death; Miyazaki felt Tezuka's work was "silly", despite his earlier works inspiring a young Miyazaki.
Viz Media published a 461-page English translation of the book in hardcover on August 4, 2009, following a delay from July 7. Viz Media editor Nick Mamatas felt the North American release of Miyazaki's film Ponyo in 2009 would increase interest in Miyazaki's career. The book was translated by Frederik L. Schodt and Beth Cary, who visited the Ghibli Museum to better understand Miyazaki. Schodt and Cary sent Mamatas "anywhere between 20 and 100 pages at a time" for editing; he felt the variety of content led to difficulties in maintaining accurate tones while translating and editing. The English translation includes an eleven-page foreword by John Lasseter and its main content is split into five subjects, including people, animation, and film. It was released in a 462-page paperback on April 8, 2014, and a 464-page ebook on March 16, 2021.
Los Angeles Timess Charles Solomon described the book as "essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese—or Western—animation". Anime News Networks Theron Martin called it "a must-read for any Miyazaki admirer", praising its insight of Miyazaki's philosophies surrounding life and animation; he found Miyazaki's planning notes the most interesting element. Writing for Animation World Network, Peter Tieryas lauded Miyazaki's refreshing, reflective, and honest candor and his comedic tales of his earlier life. Sight and Sounds Andrew Osmond praised the translated text as "flowing and graceful", though noted possible confusion for English readers due to the unavailability of some of Miyazaki's earlier works outside of Japan, such as Future Boy Conan (1978). Screen Anarchys Ard Vijn praised Miyazaki's writing and humor and the inclusion of his drawings and manga, but lamented the omission of information about Miyazaki's friendly rivalry with animator Mamoru Oshii.
Turning Point: 1997–2008 (2008) is a compilation of essays, talks, and illustrations by—and interviews with—Miyazaki between 1997 and 2008. First published by Iwanami Shoten in hardcover in Japan in 2008, the book is largely focused on two of Miyazaki's films from this period: Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001); his other two, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo (2008) are infrequently mentioned. Several of Miyazaki's essays about life are relevant to the films, such as anthropology and medieval history to Princess Mononoke, and the development of children to Spirited Away. Some essays explore Miyazaki's thoughts on writers such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Robert Westall, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg, and films like Dark Blue World (2001).
Viz Media published a 452-page English translation of the book in hardcover on April 8, 2014, coinciding with the home media release of Miyazaki's 2013 film The Wind Rises. The book was translated by Schodt and Cary. It was released in a 462-page paperback on March 16, 2021, and a 456-page ebook on March 16, 2021. Sight and Sounds Andrew Osmond found the book "illuminating" but "exasperatingly disorganised" and its chapters repetitious. Anime News Networks Rebecca Silverman similarly considered the book repetitious and some of Miyazaki's opinions "uncomfortable... for western readers" but praised the insight into his works, particularly the revelations about Princess Mononoke.
Books about Hayao Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation (1999)
Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation is a 1999 biography written by British author Helen McCarthy. The first English-language book devoted to Miyazaki, the 240-page paperback was published by Stone Bridge Press in September 1999, alongside the North American release of Princess Mononoke the following month. The book features eight pages of color illustrations and 60 black-and-white images, as well as character sketches and story synopses. It explores Miyazaki's childhood and early career, and the Japanese myths that inspired his works, focusing on the films' narrative and artistic qualities. A special edition version was published in the United Kingdom by Optimum Releasing alongside Princess Mononokes DVD release, but later withdrawn due to licensing issues.
After watching My Neighbor Totoro in 1989, McCarthy began pitching a book about the director to British publishers but felt they were uninterested in a biography about "a single Asian cartoon director only geeks had heard of". Around 1997, animator Jeffrey J. Varab encouraged McCarthy to approach American publishers; she pitched the book to Peter Goodman of Stone Bridge, who accepted. In researching the book, McCarthy visited Studio Ghibli's offices and interviewed several employees, including Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, over two days in January 1999. The book sold 10,000 copies within two months—a record for Stone Bridge—prompting a reprint in December.
The book was called "a very handsome tribute to Miyazaki and his work" by The Japan Timess Donald Richie, and "a real find" by San Francisco Chronicles Peter Stack, who praised McCarthy's love of Miyazaki's work as "infectious" and her prose as "insightful and at times lovely". SF Sites Lisa DuMond lauded McCarthy's research and writing style, declaring her an authority on Miyazaki and his works. Midnight Eyes Tom Mes described McCarthy's writing style as "neither too highbrow nor too populist" and felt the book would "remain the seminal publication in the study of the animator's work". In 2021, McCarthy said she was more likely to write a sequel book about Miyazaki's later career than update the original.
The Animé Art of Hayao Miyazaki (2006) The Animé Art of Hayao Miyazaki is a 2006 book by British writer Dani Cavallaro. The book explores Miyazaki's career from his early manga work up to Howl's Moving Castle. The book, intended as "an introduction for audiences... marginally familiar with Miyazaki's oeuvre", explores his work in the context of other animation and manga works, analyses his films and their blend of traditional and cel-shaded animation, and discusses their collaborative elements and his relationship with Disney. Cavallaro discusses the appeal of Miyazaki's films to Western audiences, and highlights the work of other Studio Ghibli directors, such as Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and The Cat Returns (2002).
The 204-page paperback book was published by McFarland & Co. in 2006, alongside the home media release of Howl's Moving Castle in the United States. Choices R. D. Sears lauded Cavallaro's research as "thorough and painstaking" for its development of context, history, and nuances, though found her writing occasionally "ponderous" and the illustrations "inadequate". California Bookwatch described it as "an excellent scholarly analysis" of Miyazaki's work, and Anime.coms Brian Cirulnick called it "an excellent book and a worthy addition to any anime fan's library". Cavallaro wrote two more books about Miyazaki, published by McFarland: The Late Works of Hayao Miyazaki: A Critical Study, 2004–2013 (2014), discussing his directorial and writing work on feature and short films; and Hayao Miyazaki's World Picture (2015), examining five themes in Miyazaki's works.
Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata (2009)