Starting Point: 1979-1996

I bought Starting Point at the beginning of this year as material for a research paper I was writing on three of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Since then, I have read the entire thing and reread multiple portions of this extraordinary book. It became an invaluable resource for me as I wrote my paper, but it was also a very enjoyable and personal book. Over the course of the weeks it took me to finish it, I felt like I actually got to know Hayao Miyazaki. As I told several people, Starting Point is definitely the best book I have purchased in a very long time, and so far it is the best thing I have read this year. With all the wonderful essays, interviews, directorial memos, and even drawings it contains, I'm surprised there hasn't been more hype about it. It is an absolute must-read for any Miyazaki fan. I can't believe we had to wait more than fifteen years for this book to be translated and published in the United States (it was first published in Japan in 1996).The book, which is nearly 500 pages long, has been divided into several parts and includes a foreword by John Lasseter (director of Toy Story) and an afterword by Isao Takahata (director of Grave of the Fireflies). The first part, entitled "On Creating Animation" is perhaps the most technical part of the book. Even though many of Miyazaki's thoughts on animation and film techniques were a bit over my head, I still enjoyed reading those chapters and thinking about them. Miyazaki's writing style is simple enough that I didn't feel swept away by too much jargon or overly-technical terms. For filmmakers and those interested in how animation works, this part of the book will be fascinating. The second part, called "On The Periphery of the Work" was similar to the previous section in that it contained chapters about animation techniques. However, Miyazaki mainly writes about his thoughts on various animated films. He also includes some very short essays like "The Tokyo I Love" that almost feel like journal entries. Part three, "People", is full of essays about individuals who have helped, inspired, and even irritated Miyazaki. Two of my favorites are "I Left Raising Our Children To My Wife" and "My Old Man's Back." These are both very vulnerable essays about some of the people closest to Miyazaki, and reading them almost brought tears to my eyes."A Story in Color" and part of "My Favorite Things" give the reader a short break from the text with a comic and some illustrations. "Dining in Midair" is a charming and sometimes amusing comic about the history of in-flight dining. Scrapbooks No. 1 - 3 in the beginning of "My Favorite Things" display some pictures of flying machines, tanks, and cars, and also a very short illustrated story called "I Want A Garden Like This." Then we are back to more essays for the remaining part of "Favorite Things." My favorite essay in this section is "My Random Thoughts Notebook Is My Hobby." This one made me laugh because I expected it to be an essay about Miyazaki's random thoughts notebook. However, it was simply a piece full of disjointed thoughts, memories, and observations."Planning Notes; Directorial Memoranda" was a nice inclusion and the directorial memos were fun to read. For those who want more details about some of their favorite Miyazaki films like Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Princess Mononoke, this section is for them. Although the memos are fairly short, I found them fascinating and enjoyable. However, for those who really want depth and insight into their favorite films, "Works" is the part to flip to. This section has a lot of information on Miyazaki's earlier works, like Lupin III, Future Boy Conan, and Panda! Go Panda! I had not heard of any of these before reading the book, but reading the chapter on Lupin was what convinced me to watch the film Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, which was excellent. "Works" also has quite a few extensive chapters on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky. Miyazaki focuses on Nausicaä especially in several chapters, one of my favorites being an interview titled "Nature Is Both Generous and Ferocious."All in all, this book was excellent and I am very pleased to have it in my library. I have heard rumors that Viz Media might be publishing Miyazaki's later book Turning Point: 1997 - 2008 soon, and I hope that is the case. Much as I enjoyed this book, I would love to read more about Miyazaki's later works like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. In the meantime, I plan to read this book over and over again, and I encourage anyone interested in Miyazaki's works (or even just interested in film and animation) to pick up a copy.

Exactly what I wanted

For about the third time master director and artist Hayao Miyazaki has retired. There is every reason to believe that this one will take. His Starting Point, 1979-1896 reads like the results of going through old files and publishing some rather than trashing them all. I had hoped to gather some combination of who was the young Miyazaki, how he matured as an artist and some information on terms like Manga and any of the several forms and styles that in fact are mentioned in this collection. Instead this is a collection of lectures, interviews and promotional discussions. Being sections of the same things for different occasions it follows that it is repetitious, less than instructional and ultimately disappointing.But for the lovely section of his drawings and the scattering of insights this would be a 2-star book. Towards the end there are flashes of brilliance, but they are lost in the flow of in-house interviews meant to sell movie tickets.. Even these are not dependable. The discussion of a light hearted movie can devolve into something more about personal politics or staff struggles.As implied by the title there is a second book, Turning Point 1997-2008 which means there may be a third. Any interest I, as a fan still have is dampened. I will need some time to get over this let down and not make a point of buying a new copy.

Both volumes for son’s wife. Loves them.

Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of the best directors of animation history.That easily is the best reason of why to buy this book. Covering the sursprisingly amount of 500 pages, Starting Point (in a beatiful edition by Viz Media) icludes not only all the essays and commentaries written by Miyazaki between 1979 and 1996, but also integrates a lot of skecthes, cartoons and rare drawings of the famous director. Not only that, but the biggest catch of the book is discovering that Miyazaki, as what it is (a genius), it's also a complex individual and a likeable writer. His opinions included in this book, cover a wide variety of topics: the history of Japan, animation principles, evolution of the anime industry, his personal life, opinions of society, ecology, war and even life.Starting Point is a provoking and complex read. The opinions of Miyazaki may come as overly extreme or controversial, but in his broad vision of the world is clear that he makes his animated movies with passion and care for the children (which are his intended audience). Viz Media deserves a price for this hardcover edition, the design and quality is top-notch and includes a brief, but insightful introduction by John Lasseter and an Afterword, by the also amazing director, Isao Takahata -from Grave of the Fireflies fame-.A recommended read by fans of anime, animation or Studio Ghibli and a must-buy by animation students.

I won't go into detail, as most of the other reviews here are pretty accurate. I have to say, this is one of the most valuable books I have ever purchased. If you aspire to be an animator or a filmmaker or a storyteller of any kind, you should definitely buy this book. It's so unbelievably amazing. I can't wait to finish it and get the 2nd book. Love it!The only thing that saddens me is I thought the book would be filled with sketches and animations. But it isn't. It's mainly essays from animators. Which is great because the animators go into such detail about animation styles, how Miyasaki inspired them, how he inspired Disney, what makes a good animator, struggles, etc...it's so so so detailed. It's truly a treasure.

Buch für Fans und Interessierte. Als Geschenk hat es gut gepasst und war pünktlich da.

Es el libro que cualquier persona que estudie animación debe tener, tiene muchos ensayos sobre la animación de occidente y críticas del anime de esa época, y son muy útiles los consejos que da Hayao Miyazaki en cada una de las entrevistas que contiene. También vienen las propuestas originales de sus películas.

A fascinating assembly of insights from the master who describes himself as a bundle of contradictions. Seeing his insights throughout the years is a rich read. It's enhanced my appreciation of his work and 9f the man himself.Miyazaki may be the most honest and significant creator in the industry right now.

Un livre absolument fascinant, très complet, qui se compose quasiment intégralement d'interviews traduites du maître.Autrement dit, c'est Miyazaki qui nous parle directement à nous, lecteurs ; qui nous donne ses points de vue, avis, pensées, sentiments... sur le monde de l'animation bien sûr, mais aussi sur sa vie, son travail, sur la société moderne et son évolution, sur l'être humain et sa nature, sur l'écologie, etc... des domaines qui sortent largement du cadre strict de l'animation, et ce pour notre plus grand bonheur !Bien sûr, le travail de traduction joue un rôle important sur la précision des mots rapportés. L'idéal serait de lire le japonais et d'avoir la version originale. Mais les idées sont là, parfois douces, souvent dures, toujours d'une grande intelligence, visionnaires. On y découvre un homme complexe et d'une grande sensibilité.Infos complémentaires:- Traduction : l'anglais utilisé est accessible, courant. Un niveau correct est suffisant pour comprendre, avec tout de même un petit dictionnaire français/anglais à portée. Il est certain que vous apprendrez quelques mots et locutions dans l'entreprise... ce qui, au final, est aussi très positif !- L'ouvrage se décompose en plusieurs grandes parties en ordre chronologique, non proprement délimitées. Mais, en gros, nous aurons : une première partie sur le monde de l'animation, les métiers, techniques, etc, avec force avis et pensées du maître sur les domaines abordés ; une deuxième, absolument délicieuse, constituée d'anecdotes personnelles et diverses ; et une troisième qui rapporte les interviews sur les différents projets de Miyazaki, depuis ses tout premiers et moins connus jusqu'aux films qui ont fait la renommée du maître et de son studio Ghibli, de Nausicaa à Porco Rosso (pour ce premier volume).Rajoutez à cela des croquis et mini-histoires dessinés par Miyazaki lui-même (en noir et blanc mais aussi en couleur !) et une biographie de l'homme (par dates clés) et vous avez, comme je l'ai déjà dit, un ouvrage complet, fascinant... indispensable.

宮崎駿フアンの海外のペンパルへのプレゼントです。宮崎駿の上記時代の様子が描かれていて、興味深く読んでいただきました。この方の本が英語で出ているので、海外の人へのプレゼントにはよかったです。喜んで頂けました。