Episode 441 - The Dreamer
Added 2022-06-10 20:26:27 +0000 UTCFirst: apologies for the late post! There was a technical issue on the backend I couldn't fix while I was at work.
So, this is an idea that's been percolating for me for a while, but which was finally knocked loose by some reading I've been doing for upcoming episodes. Specifically, I'm planning three semi-related episodes on the aftermath of the 1960 Anpo Protests and how they shaped Japan, grounded in Nick Kapur's excellent book Japan at the Crossroads (they will be on, respectively, the career of Ikeda Hayato, the collapse of the JSP after 1960, and the role of right wing terrorism in the aftermath of Anpo, particularly in relation to the 'crysanthemum taboo' around the emperor). All that got me thinking about the "Anpo generation" more broadly.
At the same time, my seniors have a final assignment asking them to talk about the historical context of films, and one of them picked The Wind Rises. He focused more on the film as a representation of broader Japanese conversations around the legacy of the war, but it got me thinking about Miyazaki's career in general and whether I had finally found something that would let me take him on in a way that didn't just feel reductive.
The final result is interesting. I definitely wish I had more space to talk about the films, but I also didn't want to assume familiarity with the man's career and life, which necessitated some background. Hopefully the balance feels good to you all, and credit to recent high school graduate Paul, who will likely never see this but deserves credit for the episode existing at all!
