Loved this piece. Oddly enough, we just watched Kiki again two nights ago for Thanksgiving family bonding time. I raised my girls on Totoro and Kiki. I loved the free spirit, magical world, but also the sisterly bond in Totoro. My girls were 6 years apart making it hard for them to bond until they were much older (They are 23 and 17 now). In their younger years, I loved the sister model Totoro provided. I never thought too much about the mothers / motherhood in these films. I have pondered how hard it has been for me to accept affection when I grew up with so little. It can feel suffocating. And I share with you the urge to parent differently than I was, and catch myself falling of the wagon sometimes in that regard. Motherhood is so full of self-doubt, but wonderfully therapeutic. But you'd never know it from Hollywood. Ambitious mothers are constantly portrayed as heartless and neglectful (especially prevalent in detective shows!!) I love the female detective genre, but seems so harmful women in this regard. And now I'm off on a tangent. All to say, I loved thinking about these films and motherhood through your reflections!
On Motherhood & Miyazaki's Daughters
Loved this piece. Oddly enough, we just watched Kiki again two nights ago for Thanksgiving family bonding time. I raised my girls on Totoro and Kiki. I loved the free spirit, magical world, but also the sisterly bond in Totoro. My girls were 6 years apart making it hard for them to bond until they were much older (They are 23 and 17 now). In their younger years, I loved the sister model Totoro provided. I never thought too much about the mothers / motherhood in these films. I have pondered how hard it has been for me to accept affection when I grew up with so little. It can feel suffocating. And I share with you the urge to parent differently than I was, and catch myself falling of the wagon sometimes in that regard. Motherhood is so full of self-doubt, but wonderfully therapeutic. But you'd never know it from Hollywood. Ambitious mothers are constantly portrayed as heartless and neglectful (especially prevalent in detective shows!!) I love the female detective genre, but seems so harmful women in this regard. And now I'm off on a tangent. All to say, I loved thinking about these films and motherhood through your reflections!
Really loved your review about the two Japanese animations. Beautiful reflection from a woman’s perspective.