Analysis of Three Miyazaki Movies

As the video “Hayao Miyazaki and the Art of Ma” notes, all of Miyazaki’s films

share in common their use of silence, also known as “Ma.” This video describes what

this term means, stating that “Ma” refers to the Japanese concept of an “interval, space,

or gap.” Miyazaki himself comments on Ma and what he believes it to be in the article

“The Master of 'Ma': Legendary Director Hayao Miyazaki Is Set to Retire” and says that

it is, “Emptiness. It's there intentionally. [claps his hands] The time in between my

clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just

busyness. but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a

wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get

numb.” Ma is commonly silent but it is important to note that it is not alway so. The

silence can refer instead to the absence of action and thus is not always actually silent

audibly as many of these Ma shots are still accompanied by music which is there to

further add to the scene.

Along with Ma comes the term pillow shots, which are shots that cut “to a visual

element, often a landscape or an empty room, that is held for a significant time.” There

are so many of these beautiful pillow shots throughout all of his films and these are truly

one of the best aspects of them. The ones that take place over landscapes or worldly

scenes are gorgeous and entirely entrancing and the silence in the lack of either sound

or plot serve to further increase their beauty. They are also excellent at representing

transitions, the passage of time, or providing a break in between the story that

oftentimes can also serve in allowing the tension to grow. Watching these scenes feels

like you are releasing a breath you did not know you were holding as you are

momentarily taken away from the story and allowed a moment to just appreciate the

wonderfully unique scenes presented. These quiet moments bring so much beauty and

life to every one of Miyazaki’s films and serve as a huge part of what makes them so

magical and entrancing. The other kind of Ma seen throughout Miyazaki’s films is that of

the presence of it in characters, which adds mystery and intrigue to them. The video

“Hayao Miyazaki and the Art of Ma” states that this is a common trope Miyazaki utilizes

for side characters throughout his work. Some examples from the works we viewed

include No-Face in Spirited Away, Totoro and his little friends in My Neighbor Totoro,

and Turnip-Head in Howl’s Moving Castle. These characters never, or almost never,

speak yet they still feel very much alive and important because of their expressions,

movement, and overall animation. They all still have very vivid personality and

substance that is essential in the movie regardless of whether they speak or not.

No-Face becomes consumed by greed whilst in the bath house and that is the only

point they actually talk and Turnip-Head only talks as he ends up being turned back into

a prince and is revealed as the missing prince. Totoro and his friends never speak, but

regardless of whether or not these characters speak their silence is utilized as a very

powerful tool in the telling of their stories as well as the overall plot of each film. Ma is

such a powerful tool as it serves many purposes. It brings depth to the world the

characters live in, allows for breaks from plot, builds tension, provides transitions, and

so much more. Across all three of these films the use of silence is immensely important

in creating their magic but also in representing the childhood experience.

In My Neighbor Totoro at around fifty minutes in there are quite a few instances

of Ma throughout the scene in which Satsuki and Mei are waiting in the rain for their

fathers bus. There is a shot from a distance away from Satsuki and Mei standing in the

pouring rain, a shot of Satsuki holding Mei on her back in the rain, and a shot from

above Satsuki and behind the lamppost the girls are standing under. Because of this,

the impression of the passing of time is intertwined with the girls' increasing worry. The

article “The Master of 'Ma': Legendary Director Hayao Miyazaki Is Set to Retire“ states

that Miyazaki is renowned for his utilization of “a slow-moving, yet always-moving

emptiness” and that is exactly what is occurring in this scene as the girls are waiting for

their father to return. The slow movement is absolutely essential in conveying how the

girls feel as they wait for hours and hours on end in constant worry for their father.

Worry over something bad happening to one’s parents is something anyone can relate

to at any age but in this specific instance and throughout this scene the viewer is

brought back to a state of childlike worry and thus sympathizes and is put in the shoes

of these two sisters who are worried for their father. This is why Ma is so essential in

this instance and throughout the film as a whole as it truly allows the audience to feel

exactly what these two young girls are feeling, thus bringing the audience no matter

their age into the feelings and worry of what these two children are experiencing.

My absolute favorite use of Ma across all three films comes in Howl’s Moving

Castle with the scene where Howl shows Sophie the beautiful garden and says that it is

a gift for her. Of all the scenes in these three movies this one is truly my favorite.

Besides the sweetness of the plot that is occurring here in Howl doing this as a gift for

Sophie, the visuals are absolutely gorgeous and unforgettable. After Sophie gasps in

the beginning of the scene it transitions into utilizing Ma as the garden is depicted as a

vast, expansive, stunning field of flowers with perfectly blue, clear water against a

beautiful mountain backdrop as white clouds roll across it all. Gentle music plays over

this depiction, but the use of Ma is still very present as for the moments in which this

scenery is depicted I found myself entranced and distracted from the plot as I was in

awe of the unbelievable landscape. I could feel what Sophie herself was feeling and just

as she was entranced and in awe so was I because of the use of Ma. The interesting

thing about the characters of this movie is that none of the characters are children

besides Markl and yet there is a youthfulness to all of them. Sophie seems to be the

most responsible and as soon as she arrives it becomes apparent how childish

everyone else is. Sophie may be aged physically because of the curse but she also just

has a caring, mature part of her that exists separate from this. Her maturity shines

through among powerful, reckless Howl, orphaned, young Markl, the silent, springy

Turnip-Head, the petty, cunning Witch of the Waste, and sassy, stubborn Calcifer.

There is also the flashback to Howl as a child, which I believe also ties into his

representation because it almost feels like a large part of him still is that child when he

first meets Sophie and as they grow closer he grows up and becomes more mature as

his relationship with her grows and he realizes how much he cares for her and the rest

of their “family.” In fact, all of the characters grow and change for the better because of

Sophie. The characters go from strangers, enemies, and friends to a “found family”

entirely because of Sophie. Even the Witch of the Waste, who truly seemed like an

unredeemable villain in the beginning, becomes a little old lady who too is part of the

family they form. And this representation of this “found family” seen is truly wonderful,

heartwarming, and so important in creating the story's magic. All of the characters seem

lost and confused when we meet them but by the end of the film they all have grown to

know not only who they are but also to find where they belong, which is with each other.

In Spirited Away a scene that stuck out to me in its use of silence is around an

hour and thirty-nine minutes as Chihiro, No-Face, and the rest of their friends are sitting

on the train waiting to reach their destination. Ma is very present in this scene as the

train travels and the shots shift between various pillow shots as these scenes heavily

utilize Ma. First it passes a small home on an island with rolling clouds in the

background then the view shifts to a vast cloudy expanse and spins to show a dirt path

and train stop with a man and little girl as well as the ringing sound of the train stop

which quickly flies past. The view then shifts to the beautifully colorful clouds moving

gently and the island or world that is depicted in the very far distant back. It is a

collection of intertwined scenes loaded with the use of Ma because it they are all

beautiful otherworldly scenes that depict the changing setting around them whilst they

are traveling on the train, with slow, melancholy sweet music that allows the viewers to

appreciate the scenery and be taken away from the plot for a little while. The Ma

continues to be present as the scene then shifts to a see through, spirit-looking

passenger getting their luggage down and then the train pulling into another stop.

Chihiro and her friends look out the window as passengers get off and then the train

begins to move and the angle shifts again as to display the station as the train moves

past it. Another one of these scenes shows Chihiro and her group inside the car alone

whilst neon signs fly past outside. The sky and landscapes throughout these scenes are

sometimes simple yet stunning and other times very detailed and intriguing. There are

so many shifts in perspective, point of view, and so many little details across the

duration of the train ride and while the train ride is important to furthering the story of

Spirited Away, its focus is not actually that as what it truly does is serve as an escape

from the plot and allows the focus to be entirely on the stunning visual aspects rather

than those of the story, thus demonstrating the prominent use of Ma throughout these

train scenes that are all tied together. Chihiro and her crew are on the train waiting for it

to reach their destination and the Ma utilized throughout the train scenes exemplifies the

passage of time, further develops the vast world around them, and allows for a break in

plot that thus heightens the tension when it resumes. This whole world is also so very

new for Chihiro and thus the use of Ma here is demonstrative of her own perspective as

she too is experiencing this vast new world for the very first time. The audience gets to

experience it with her as the train scene progresses and she too looks around at the

new world around her.

All three of these films have a huge adventure/ magic/ mystery aspect that

seems to drive the plot but truly at the heart of all of these films are the characters. The

use of Ma is essential in these films in allowing the audience to connect and feel what

the characters themselves are experiencing. This technique is genius and I truly think it

should be utilized more often as I found myself so entranced by these magical, unique,

incredible films.