I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live – if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.
Hayao Miyazaki
This quote plays in my head sometimes and I think the first time I read it, back in my college days on some Tumblr post, it changed me, just a little. Every year I learn more about what love is. It was a slog for me to get out of my narrow definition of romance and fairytales just like it’s been a slog to reintroduce romance and fairytales into my broader understanding of love. I’m still working on it, but I think at my heart I am still the girl who loves love.
And I think of this quote. The two mutually inspire each other to live. A closer portrayal to a true expression of love.
And then I watch Miyazaki movies in my desire to see love done differently. I went on a hunt to buy Spirited Away after work yesterday (it’s absent from streaming and online rentals). I found it at Best Buy and though I’ve seen it multiple times before, it’s magic reentering that world. It hits a note that few stories do. I don’t know if I can describe it. Slightly different. The two mutually inspire each other to live. All of the Miyazaki movies are a little like that, though I admit I think there’s two I haven’t seen. I revisit Howl’s Moving Castle most often (and I ordered it so I can watch it tomorrow). And yes there is a romance there, but also something more.
If you have not seen the Miyazaki movies do yourself a favor. They are beautiful stories. It makes me want to write stories like that. It makes me want to hold everything else up to a higher standard. It makes me glimpse love in a truer form in my own life.
There’s still so much to understand. Get a little closer.
With Love,
Natalie