Hayao Miyazaki Has A Warning Anime Fans Don’t Want To Hear
Hayao Miyazaki, renowned Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli—arguably the biggest and the best in anime—just issued a warning anime fans don’t want to hear. According to Miyazaki, the Golden Age of anime has ended.
The Party’s Over
That’s one grim warning coming from one of the biggest names in anime. Hayao Miyazaki is best known for his work on critically acclaimed anime movies, like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, with his works being celebrated for their rich storytelling, vivid animation, and exploration of complex themes.
His statement wasn’t elaborated further, as it was originally given by his son, Goro Miyazaki, on Hayao Miyazaki’s behalf while accepting the Cannes Film Festival award and the Honorary Palme d’Or for Studio Ghibli.
Miyazaki’s Comment Has Been Scrutinized By Fans
Goro Miyazaki stated that his father is happy to receive the award, but Hayao Miyazaki feels like the award concludes his career despite the fact that he’s already considering his next anime project. Goro added that Hayao Miyazaki feels that the golden age of anime is over, which is a rather startling comment coming from one of the medium’s biggest and most recognized creators. So, it’s not really surprising that this comment gained plenty of attention from the fans.
Too Much Of A Good Thing
Hayao Miyazaki’s comment might hold some ground because anime is currently experiencing a massive boom in the worldwide TV market, and the demand continues to grow.
As always, the creators might rush to meet the demand, and the newcomers to the medium will enter the market in hopes of scratching some green in the process, which could result in a massive drop in quality. We have already seen something like this happen in Hollywood when Disney prioritized quantity over quality, and the MCU has never been the same again.
This is the phase that anime is currently entering; there has been a greater spread of releases, while the time between those releases has shortened significantly.
Too Big For Its Own Good
So, Hayao Miyazaki’s statement reflects the current anime market, which risks collapsing due to its own weight. Admittedly, this isn’t likely to happen tomorrow or in the following five years, but it’s something that we can expect in the future.
Given that researchers now train AI models to make anime—sacrilege, we say—which will most likely allow them to churn out content at speed, the quality will most likely suffer.
Quality Anime Is Getting Harder To Find
As if the world doesn’t have enough problems that require scientific attention; 99 problems, but anime ain’t one, as long as it’s left in the hand of those like Hayao Miyazaki, Makoto Shinkai, Hideaki Anno, and Isao Takahata, who have proven themselves to be absolute authorities in their field. Why fix what isn’t broken?
Ultimately, the AI application could actually help the greats meet the demand without affecting the quality of storytelling, which could potentially save anime or extend its Golden Age slightly.
