(I'm not necessarily knocking his politics, but I watch anime for enjoyment, not to be preached at, sorry)
I would agree with this about certain filmmakers, but not Miyazaki. Of course, every artist is going to have some of their worldview in their art, but it only becomes a problem when the work becomes more of a lecture than an entertainment - a problem that Miyazaki is very good at avoiding.
One of the things Miyazaki excels at is integrating his worldview into the worlds and stories of his films without it becoming distracting - he never stops the film to give you a lecture. (This applies to more than just the environmental stuff, too. For example, it reveals quite a bit about his worldview/politics that most of the time the conflicts in his films aren't resolved through violence, but rather through the two parties coming to a sort of mutual understanding. When violence is used, it's often depicted as something harsh, undesirable, and/or childishly unproductive.)
Any "messages" are just offered as asides - like the bottles in the country stream in Totoro or Kiki being thrown off course by the smoke pouring out of a factory in an idyllic countryside - that most people won't even think about and that don't detract in any way from the overall entertainment value of the film (the only real exception to this might be
Princess Mononoke, his most overtly environmentalist film.)
Or, at least, that's the way I see it.
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More on point - I haven't seen "Future Boy Conan" yet, but I'm excited to finally watch it. I've heard a lot of praise.
I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here
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covenant12
10 years ago
For example, it reveals quite a bit about his worldview/politics that most of the time the conflicts in his films aren't resolved through violence, but rather through the two parties coming to a sort of mutual understanding. When violence is used, it's often depicted as something harsh, undesirable, and/or childishly unproductive.)
That was something both frustrating and refreshing about Future Boy Conan. There are so many vile, reprehensible, even genocidal characters that I was really hoping that each and every one received a violent death. But in almost every case, the person is spared when the opportunity for vengeance upon them arrives, and they ultimately redeem themselves. I wanted their deaths so badly in the moment that it was frustrating (and they certainly deserved it) but the message of redemption and forgiveness in the story was refreshing, and probably made it an altogether more enjoyable experience.
I'm not sure if some of them should have been so easily forgiven though.
You saw Dingleberries?
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