Good afternoon everyone,
The weather is still bad and dreary, it's raining all day.
*
Daily life is like a Hayao Miyazaki at the moment, in antique, old fashioned Dutch Zaandijk. Not because off the Japanese demons, or the magic that happens, but because off Miyazaki's simpleness he puts in the daily life off the characters in his movies. Kiki's delivery service and Howl's moving castle are perfect examples off it. It's Western European simpleness at it's finest. As if the characters couldn't have a more simplified yet elegant life. It's old fashioned and plain yet elegant if you watch well, and that's due to the old fashioned surrounding to the characters. And Miyazaki's women are often a bit simple in style. It's how Zaandijk let itself being described. If I wasn't so fat with thick glasses, I would currently fit the description. And the women in my surrounding would look perfect as Miyazaki characters. Except that most are psychiatric patients.
Kiki's delivery service plays in a fictional 1950's-1960's place which would fit for old Zaandijk. It's as if time stood still and people haven't developed with ever since. It's mainly the older generation from around my mom's age (Around their 60's, with their youth in the 80's) you find there. But it's how they like it. Stale and pettite minded as it is. The Miyazaki feeling fits. Also the simple yet content reaction from people to the most simple things you could present them for nowadays. Like in Ponyo and the deep Sea. It's such gratefull work to bake for them. And they don't spit on simple meals and old fashioned plain coffee. Honestly, but it's a bit negative. Miyazaki's characters are more cheerfull. These people swear by negativism and crank when they talk. And offcourse, the cars are not oldtimers but more modern. (Not the most brand new under the sun, it's poor common people, but it does for slightly modern cars.)
And offcourse the plants, the gardens, the hortenses, the roses, the pond with the koi-carps, the old fashioned green houses, the touristic Zaanse Schans, and de Zaan river. But these are not stale elements for Miyazaki's work. Still, the romantic old fashioned is present.
The surrounding is death old fashioned. And the only thing missing is something flying. Miyazaki swears by a flying element in his works. As the main character. Sometimes there's a trauma or police helicopter above in the sky, but there's no magic involved. I wish there was, something flying and magic to solve the Ukraine war during these days. And then, plot twist, it turned out to have been something simple to solve the matter. But offcourse this is not a kid's tale.
Honest, I did not like it at first, but it grew on me and now I love it. It's pretty romantic, isn't it? Such a surrounding during a crisis and war-time. The people and the food being simple, and the circumstances being troublesome. But later on, you would not dare to brag about it to someone rich (Or moderate, but we see all off that as rich since we're mostly poor.) sane and normal, but for now- it looks like 'something.' fascinating and thrilling as it is.
I'm not fit for the main character, with me, you would not win the academy award in this surrounding. But it's as if it's perfect for a Hayao Miyazaki film nowadays. Except maybe that it rains a lot with grey skies. In Miyazaki's works, the sky is often blue with clouds. My place seems more haunted than a Miyazaki due to the weather. But on a nice day, it could pass.
Allright, that's about it for now-
Thank you for reading.
