Original subtitles

If I don't finish this...

If I don't finish this, I will never escape punishment.

- What is that? - I don't know.

What a pain!

This man

should have ended his career as a movie director.

A tatarigami!

What a pain!

What a pain!

But he never did...

he has returned.

What a pain!

I'm sorry about that.

Miyazaki Hayao Movie director

The man who will never be finished, Miyazaki Hayao.

I was so sleepy this morning.

I wanted to get just a little sleep.

But I couldn't let that happen.

As you all are already aware, Miyazaki Hayao will be retiring.

I am serious,

this time!

But...

Nothing scares this old man!

He's repealed his own retirement.

And the thing that he wanted to draw...

There are so many parrots!

Frogs! Frogs! Frogs!

Why does he continue to draw after having received so many honors and awards?

It's strange, isn't it?

Stupid.

I'm troubled so much because E-part isn't coming together!

How does he have so much energy?

Is it tenacity?

Even death isn't the end?

He's like a raging bull, an Okkotonushi.

What is it about living that's so fun for him?

What is it about living that's so fun for him?

The truth of life isn't a just, shiny beacon.

It's messy and comprised of a great many things.

I'm at a point in my life where I have to create works...

that draw on things that are hidden deep inside me.

At the edge of madness and sanity...

What did he see at its end...?

That young boy is possessed by death.

Not even I don't know what it means to live.

I'm stopping...

Don't stop. I can't stop.

Let's go!

It's done.

There's no time.

I want a cigarette.

I'm worried how it's going to turn out.

Once they decide on something, they act on it immediately.

Why am I the only one alive?

Professional -- Way of Work file: 527 Miyazaki Hayao Special

That's an amazing title.

- What was the title? Producer - Suzuki Toshio

- You don't know? Producer - Suzuki Toshio

...Amazing.

The Boy and the Heron

May 2017

The beginnings of many painful days awaited.

They're here.

That person was contrary...

and secondly, hated cameras.

Good morning.

The past few days, he's paid no attention to the coming interview

and only exists in the world of film.

Good morning.

How rare.

Did you get fired from NHK?

No, not yet.

The interview was conducted as if it were a student, ready...

Narration: Hashimoto Satoshi

to make the 20 year journey through the world of film with a camera in one hand.

This should be fastened from the inside, Suzuki-san.

Okay!

And it should be unfastened just like this.

I'm not sure if I can even make a movie anymore.

Are things moving along with the storyboard?

Yeah, they're inching along.

Inching along?!

It's probably best to wait reading it until B part is finished.

Well...

It's probably not too interesting to read right now.

Miyazaki was in the middle of drawing storyboards based on the script.

That is to say, very near halfway complete.

You're taking the same shot many times.

Sorry.

Can you do this for me while I sleep?

Next to his desk is a sketch of what appears to be the main character, a young boy.

And a strange bird.

It's a heron man.

What kind of person is he?

He looks like that.

He's like a messenger of death...

who has come for a visit.

There is almost always a real-life model for each character in one of Miyazaki's anime.

The model for the Grey Heron is the Producer, Suzuki.

He's stubborn.

Miyazaki is the kind of person to cause trouble.

The Studio Ghibli press conference will now begin.

September 2013

Press conference to announce retirement.

Thank you to everyone who has worked with me over the years.

I don't believe anything like this will happen again, so I appreciate it.

But...

After only three years of retirement...

July 2016.

I've written something.

That was fast.

With an innocent look on his face, he presents a written proposal.

Don't say it.

This is like a trap in my life.

Could I have five minutes of your time?

Only three minutes.

- You mentioned that your body isn't holding up. - Yeah.

Yet you still want to create more movies. Why is that?

Because I'll forget.

What?

Because I'll forget.

You say you... forgot?

Retirement... it is what it is.

I don't really care for it.

It's because of Suzuki-san's delusions.

But Miyazaki-san, you're the liar!

He says that he'll quit, and then turns around and creates another one.

Hayao, the boy who cried wolf.

But creatives are like that.

It's one of their talents.

Telling lies with indifference.

La la...

January 2018

Good morning.

Happy birthday.

How old do you think I am now?

That's not to say that there was nothing to worry about.

I got it!

Seventy-seven!

Correct!

Amazing.

He'll be eighty years old when the movie is complete.

To tell the truth...

When Miyazaki-san said that he wanted to make another movie

to put it simply, I was very worried.

That a director a great as him would have aged so much

that his movies would lose their impact.

There are many cases of those being impossible to watch, aren't there?

What should I do?

Suzuki had a terrifying plan in store.

He had a directive for Miyazaki.

There's no 2B pencil.

2B, Honda-san?

3B and HB are being used for different things.

You really are young.

Honda Takeshi is a skilled animator who worked under Anno Hideaki.

Suzuki went to Anno and directly asked for Honda.

And thus, Anno has another reason to despise us.

I wonder if he resents me at all...

Honda's appearance has driven Miyazaki into a wall.

There's no point in getting footage of me. There's plenty of that out there already.

But Miyazaki-san...

Right now, I'm worn out...

If you get footage of Honda-san

you could probably sell it at an internet auction for a pretty penny.

It's a tough way to live.

It is?

Yes.

April 2018

And his difficulties would continue.

Security is currently active.

Security had been deactivated.

Paku-san is dead.

Takahata Isao has passed away.

He helped to create Studio Ghibli and was an indispensable presence in Miyazaki's life,

and the both of them competed in filmmaking.

Chase the humans out!

Pom Poko is piece of entertainment that combines

the difficult themes of humans and nature.

I wasn't intending to bring my fifth-grade self along on my trip.

My Neighbors the Yamadas was the first Ghibli movie.

to be selected for The Museum of Modern Art Collection.

- Grave of the Fireflies -

Mom, don't go!

But there was one director that Miyazaki feared.

Why did he make Pom Poko into such a boring film?

Tanukis aren't dead.

They're alive!

This critique would never have been voiced on camera while Takahata was alive.

We had a love-hate relationship.

It wasn't simple...

Understand?

Arakawa has experienced a lot of that.

February 2012

Takahata has been interviewed before.

Takahata-san.

What is it that's on your mind right now?

Well...

I don't really want to break it down right now...

My apologies...

It was immediately clear why Miyazaki was scared.

He had a tremendous ability to turn imagination into reality.

- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya -

As production lagged more and more and its release grew ever closer,

not once did he falter or flinch.

Today...

I'd like to talk to you again about the film's release date.

If we try to release the film next summer,

we won't make the deadline...

There was no compromise or accommodation.

He differed greatly from Miyazaki,

who was willing to do anything to maintain quality and meet a film's release date.

If we're behind, then we're behind.

I'm okay with that.

Even if it's not finished...

I really am okay with that.

I have previous experience with this with Grave of the Fireflies...

Forcing the film to meet the release date

doesn't necessarily mean that the quality has to drop...

It does.

I don't think we make for a good fit.

We should probably stop this.

This isn't an interview.

What do you think?

Wow...

It's a spring storm.

I think Paku-san's spirit is haunting this place.

Please stop haunting me.

When Pom Poko was completed,

Miya-san was bawling.

But why?

Because it was our adolescence that was being portrayed onscreen.

The main tanuki character, Shoukichi, was Takahata-san.

And Gonta...

He tends to get angry, right?

And he self-destructs and dies.

That's Miya-san.

He was crying his eyes out!

The admiration between them was always one sided

toward Miya-san.

- May 2018 - He's not here.

There he is.

It's hot.

It's the best kind of hot today.

That Paku-san is so mean-spirited.

I'm not sure what's going to happen.

Paku-san could come back to life.

Even though he's a skeleton by now.

He'll say, "Why did you turn me into a skeleton?!"

I'll definitely be smitten for talking like that.

Takahata was someone who taught everything he knew.

I spoke with Paku-san with intention throughout the night.

About everything.

Even about our films.

We weren't satisfied with our work.

We wanted to go farther

to go deeper.

We wanted to do the sort of work that would make us proud.

What would we make...?

I'm sorry.

And how?

Paku-san

Paku-san, we lived our fullest lives during that time.

He was our Paku-san, and he never bent the knee to anyone or anything.

Thank you, Paku-san.

I won't forget that time 55 years ago

when you called out to me at that bus stop just after the rain cleared.

Thank you for your time.

Human emotions are a complex thing.

I wasn't just feeling sadness.

There was a feeling of a bitter victory among other things.

Miya-san, has your approach to making movies changed after Takahata-san's death?

- Nothing has changed. - Nothing at all?

Nothing.

Nothing has changed at all.

Or so he says...

I...

didn't think that Paku-san would weigh so heavily on me.

I don't even really consider him to be dead.

I really don't.

So many long nights...

I really should get it together...

I'm sorry, but...

Until this weight is lifted from me...

I'll probably stay like this.

I can't do much about that.

While he is unable to accept the death of Takahata...

the long nights continued for more than a month.

I had intended to be past this,

but there are still many things left to resolve, it seems.

I even saw him, but that wasn’t enough.

June 2018

How has Miyazaki-san been doing?

It's strange.

He hasn't proceeded with storyboarding at all.

Are you waiting for them?

The long nights won't end.

It's been more than two months.

And he hasn't progressed at all.

His face looked good.

You're right.

I think so, too.

He made all of the movies that he could.

Now he's a god of thunder.

He wandering about out there.

I'm not sure where he is, but he could be in his own room.

Haunting it... he appears many times almost like a dream.

I'm not sure what he is, part of a dream, an illusion, or actually there.

And it didn't take long until...

Has the image board been refreshed?

Yeah.

Here's Granduncle.

Paku-san is the model for Granduncle.

Takahata wasn't dead.

He appears in the film as Granduncle,

a man that stands in the main character's way.

You want to portray Takahata-san as mysterious, right?

Just as he appeared before you.

To Miya-san, the real world is what appears in movies.

And the real world

is fiction.

August 2018

Is this area okay?

Yes.

Is this place right?

Yes.

Oh no. This should be the place...

Excuse me!

Yes...!

I'm kind of busy right now!

Could you come up here?!

During summer vacation,

we visited Miyazaki who went into the mountains to continue his storyboarding.

Have you been able to draw your storyboards, Miya-san? - I couldn't.

Just when I wonder what Granduncle could be doing, I find him rustling around.

What has Paku-san been doing in his room?

What do you think he's been doing?

You can come inside.

Okay, and I apologize for the intrusion.

Excuse me.

Storyboards from several films were created here.

But he was in a state where he could not draw Takahata.

It's like this sail catches the wind and helps me to draw.

I thought there was someone out there.

I'm going to go for a walk.

We were taken to a mysterious place.

A place where reality and film crossed over.

He was searching for Takahata.

You were rained on, huh?

I don't like the thunder.

The clouds are fine, but the thunder isn't.

It's scary.

Miyazaki said that Takahata had become a god of thunder.

He also said this:

That he had made all of the movies that he could.

Movies are something to be grasped.

Like I'd to do Paku-san's neck.

Now I'm the one in his grip.

And I can't escape.

Like a tatarigami.

Paku-san, please come out.

There were a couple of dogs around here for a while.

Now there's only one left.

There were two, but one died.

Hey!

Hey!

You must be so lonely.

You've gotten so old.

We both alike in that way.

Who is Takahata-santo you, Miyazaki-san?

He's Paku-san.

And you, Takahata-san?

I was to see a lot of different movies.

I want to have a lot of movies made.

That's what I feel.

There are still things that I would like to be shown.

I'm expecting to be shown them in the future.

Really?

I'm feeling energetic.

And I like to walk.

Before meeting Takahata-san...

Miyazaki-san was like a different person.

Like Mahito, the main character of his new film,

there is mystery, and the smell of death pervades him.

Mother - Yoshiko

And his mother was stricken with an unknown illness.

My Neighbor Totoro

Welcome back.

Are you the one who did Mei's hair, Satsuki?

Satsuki trying not to cause her mother to worry

is a reflection of how Miyazaki-san acted in his youth.

I was shy.

And I was so nervous to look other people in the eye.

I was in unimaginable depression.

To the point that I didn't even know which platform to be at at the train station.

Meeting Paku-san was a big moment in my life.

Takahata-san is the one who changed him.

- Takahata Isao -

He was a film director five years older than him.

The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun

Takahata-san had many unreasonable requests.

Miyazaki-san was just starting out as an animator.

And in order to fulfill them, ended up changing.

"The heroine, Hilda"

"don't make her have a crying expression,"

Takahata said angrily.

"Miya-san, don't draw a whimpering face."

He was a narcissist.

The narcissism of a weak person.

I hated that more than anything.

Their affection for each other grew.

And in the end...

He copied Takahata-san's penmanship.

Miya-san was very fussy and particular before.

But Takahata-san wrote sweeping, broad characters.

And Miya-san copied that.

And there was a lot of love and respect in the act of doing so, I think.

- Heidi, Girl of the Alps - Original work: Johanna Spyri

Miyazaki-san designed each cut

The anime was exactly Takahata-san's vision which became a hallmark of his work,

reaching over 20% viewership and becoming an animation classic.

But...

- 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother - From Cuore by Edmondo De Amicis

Their one-sided relationship became more strained.

Mother!

Their paths were simply different.

That he would continue on and on without his mother in sight.

The sight of him trudging along was pitiable.

Takahata-san wasn't one to accept other's ideas.

And anger raged within Miyazaki-san.

I only grew more tense.

We started to clash.

- Future Boy Conan -

So Miyazaki-san parted ways with Takahata-san and became a director.

Miyazaki drew and drew to a superhuman degree.

And drew what he could not draw under Takahata.

No! Don't die!

But...

After eight episodes, he lacked the energy to continue storyboarding.

And the one who came to save him...

was Takahata-san.

Conan! You saved us!

An earthquake...?

The storyboards that Takahata-san drew changed the world within the film.

And the work was hailed as a masterpiece.

I was a recipient of Paku-san's gratitude.

With youthful indiscretion...

Thank you.

- Anne of Green Gables -

He returned to work under Takahata-san again.

But...

Illustration: Honda Takeshi

Takahata-san put his trust in Kondou Yoshifumi-san instead of Miyazaki-san.

Kondou Yoshifumi, one of Japan's best animators,

directed the film Whisper of the Heart.

Miyazaki-san wasn't happy about that.

"Didn't you need me?" he wondered.

"You're going with Kon-chan?!"

He was incredibly jealous.

And who would arrive at that time but...

the heron man himself: Suzuki-san.

Will you draw a manga?

That manga was a thrilling story, and was quickly made into a movie.

- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind -

And Miyazaki-san

named Paku-san as his producer.

"Suzuki-san, do you want to get some drinks?" he asked.

Welcome!

And he ordered a beer

then switched to Japanese alcohol.

That was the first and last time that I saw Miya-san drink like that.

And he suddenly started crying.

And then the words started spilling out.

"Listen up!"

"I gave fifteen of my best years

"over to Paku-san!"

"And he's given me nothing back in return!"

So I ask him why make him producer?

If the director is the producer as well

then neither gets done well.

It's a very difficult job.

And he wanted him to get a taste of that.

Then he slams the table.

It was revenge.

He wanted the support of Takahata in making the film.

The revenge Miyazaki-san exhibited toward Takahata-san changed his life.

Great...

But... Takahata-san was strict.

30 out of 100.

Nausicaä only scored 30 points with Takahata-san.

Miya-san was pretty incensed.

"I'll never forgive you," he said.

"Useless!"

He took a 180-page book...

and tore it in half.

Miyazaki-san said that you only gave Nausicaä a 30 out of 100.

Yes, 30 points.

I did, didn't I?

That's because most everyone else was giving it 100 points.

That's why I gave it 30 points.

If Miyazaki-san were to really consider that to be 30 points,

what would 100 out of 100 film entail on that scale?

That's what I was trying to tell him.

It was a celebratory 30 points.

Paku-san, you lead the toast.

Go ahead.

I can't even see my nose in front of my face.

Miyazaki-san continued to create films with the goal of being praised by Takahata-san.

Paku-san...

Paku-san...

They had very peculiar similarities between them.

Get it done in 40 seconds.

Nearly all of them begin with a scene of setting off for adventure.

Get in!

Just like the very first film he made with Takahata-san,

The admiration was only one-sided.

It's over.

And his retirement was equally as tumultuous.

Takahata-san

was seriously angry about that.

There is no retiring from directing films.

Takahata-san was the one to urged Miyazaki-san to return to film.

Now this is interesting.

During an interview, Miyazaki-san was asked

if he had dreams at night.

"I only have one dream."

"And Paku-san is always there."

He was always the ideal.

Someone to be surpassed.

He haunted him.

In order to surpass Takahata-san...

Miyazaki-san would once again go on a trip.

Like Mahito, the protagonist.

- Mahito -

At his destination was a Ghibli-like tower.

Takahata-san was there.

But it was scary being alone.

I'll have a coffee.

Therefore, he took Suzuki-san along.

While being watched over by friends that departed before him.

Color Designer - Yasuda Michiyo

Yacchin is being revived.

I'll have to become a tanuki to do this...

Miyazaki forced his way into this world as if being led by Takahata-san.

It was his life, and throughout, he continued to shed his weaknesses.

And so, Miyazaki-san went on.

This would be his final journey.

September 2018

It's been over two years since production began on his film.

Key Animator - Kondou Katsuya

A fire was reignited in the studio,

Background Artist - Yoshida Noboru

Director of Photography - Okui Atsushi

Animation Director - Honda Takeshi

after Miyazaki's retirement nearly extinguished it.

Art Director - Takeshige Youji

Key Animator - Yamashita Akihiko

Miyazaki-san, have you met Granduncle?

I haven't.

But perhaps facing Takahata head-on was too terrifying.

Storyboarding was progressing,

but Granduncle wasn't solidified in his mind yet.

Are those notes pertaining to Granduncle?

These?

This is Granduncle.

It was a portrait of a character steeped in evil,

bearing no resemblance to Takahata.

Was he paranormal, or simply a muttering old man?

October 2018

He went to his company retreat while unable to draw Takahata.

Everyone, enjoy the meal.

Thank you for the meal!

Why don't we play a more fair match?

Essentially, this studio has been dismantled once before.

There are some faces here that are vital to the company.

But it's become something different after the dismantling.

Suzuki-san, do you want some whiskey?

I'll...

I'll have soda or something else.

During times like this, Takahata was always by his side.

Well then...

I'll be going to bed early.

I don't want to go to sleep, but I will.

I'll make some tea.

Um...

Why is it that I was told that I would die first, yet I'm the one still alive?

I'm starting to feel a bit aimless.

How did I manage to live this long?

And that feeling tends to build up over time.

I've just realized that I've traveled over the seas alone.

God said not to arrive just yet.

I feel like I was being told to fly around all alone.

It was after he had returned from his trip.

During the trip...

when we were in my room...

was there a bottle of wheat spirits?

- There wasn't one, was there? - I don't think so?

So then why was there one there?

During the company outing, something inexplicable happened.

I'll be going to bed early.

Miyazaki left the room where everyone was drinking.

And something that was not present while in his room

was there the next morning.

A bottle of wheat spirits of unknown origin.

If it wasn't Arakawa-san, then who could have entered the room?

I could have gotten up without realizing it

and taken the bottle of wheat spirits myself.

That's a very troubling prospect.

- Isn't it? - Yes, it is.

That wheat spirits is a problem...

Maybe I'm a sleepwalker.

It was thought to be a omen for a man trying to step into a specific realm.

I have a very big head.

While deep in the creation process and trying to enter that realm

Miyazaki might have suddenly lost his memory.

I'd like to concentrate more on the movie.

I want to forget everything but the movie.

I want to forget about the miscellaneous parts of daily life.

The production of Howl's Moving Castle was particularly bad.

I'd like to return myself to that state.

If I can do that, then something should come to me.

Opening the lid of the brain.

I'm going to get started on this today.

It'd be good if Paku-san were at the center of this world here.

Maybe this isn't good to say, but Paku-san always seems to come up.

God...

What exactly am I trying to do, I wonder.

To revive Takahata.

To meet him.

When I call out to Paku-san,

even though he doesn't respond, it feels like he's there.

It feels like he can't so simply respond to me.

And of course he can't, because I can simply respond to him, either.

So there is no exchange of words?

No, we're communicating.

We have to be.

I am talking, after all.

See...

It's not something that can be formed intellectually.

The lid on my brain opens this way.

Somewhere deep in my brain that I don't quite understand

comes out of that mush.

The brain

is the most primitive part of us.

From when life was more reptilian.

It's very aggressive

and it must be controlled in order for humans to be able to live.

If things aren't just a bit out of the ordinary, then that lid won't open.

The one deep in my brain, I mean.

Once the lid is open, it becomes very hard to return to normal life.

Most things stop mattering to me.

It's burning!

It's on fire!

I'm going to a different place.

Inside the film.

I don't know how many years it will take to finish this film.

Once the storyboards are finished,

Katayama will be able to handle the production even if I were to die.

I've already told him.

Isn't that right, Katayama-kun?

Assistant Director - Katayama Kazuyoshi

Don't change anything about it!

I'll be in touch...

But there would be no way to contact him.

Then all Katayama would have to do is die.

It'll be a one-way trip.

November 2018

But...

E-part isn't coming together.

We're doing it over again.

Damn!

It's because Granduncle has made his appearance that things aren't progressing.

If he could appear at the end, it would turn out better.

But I brought this on myself.

This film is so frustrating to put together.

What is it that isn't working, Miyazaki-san?

It's boring.

Time continued to pass as Miyazaki was unable to meet Takahata.

The more I try to solidify the film in my mind, the less I understand it.

I'm always thinking about Paku-san.

Thank you very much.

This is good, don't you think?

It's amazing.

Out of respect for Miyazaki, something out of the ordinary had been constructed.

I knitted this at home yesterday.

So that's what you get enthusiastic about...

This sort of eccentricity makes me want to hang things from it, too.

It's almost like you're being worshipped.

More like they're trying to seal me away.

Among gods, there are more than just virtuous ones.

"Please, go away...

"and only appear when I need you."

Damn it all.

I'm not getting it.

Stupid.

I'm troubled so much because E-part isn't coming together!

This isn't right.

This is so difficult.

Damn.

What a pain.

It's boring.

Tenacity...

That's how anger tends to manifest.

As the years pass, people start passing away.

And it seems...

Even death isn't the end?

He's like a raging bull, an Okkotonushi.

His tenacity to stay alive only gets stronger.

And that tenacity is engraved into his storyboards.

He asks

how it is that we live.

And in order to answer that question, he has to some how represent that.

That's what it seems like he's doing to me.

He says that it's a very taxing process...

while also seemingly getting a taste of pleasure from it.

What is it about living that's so fun for him?

What is it about living that's so fun for Miya-san?

Why won't anyone sit beside me?

It just happened like that.

Production Staff - Itou Kyouhei

There are 28 new shots and 21 revisions.

At last, the beginning of the film was taking shape.

A main character that hadn't appeared until now, with bottled-up emotion.

Thanks to Honda, Miyazaki's animation had been reformed.

I think it's good.

I'm sure there are a lot of things to say, but keep quiet.

I'm holding them in, myself.

It must be the Evangelion influence...

Right!

It's so different to what's come before.

It is different.

It's like Evangelion has come for a visit.

It's become so modern.

But I must give my thanks.

What's wrong?

I'm going to keep working at it.

Let's keep it up.

It looks like I can't say much else.

It's become modern...

The only place left for him was inside of the film itself.

I'll go in your place!

December 2018

I sometimes consider going to my father's house,

but then I realize that he's already passed.

To head to where Takahata now rests...

Miyazaki was now a resident of the world of film.

He speaks of death in undue terms.

The moment of death probably isn't all that frightening, I think.

That's where consciousness fades, right?

Death is fast approaching.

Miyazaki-san, about what you mentioned recently...

Yes...

Do you think that the world beyond our own is a more enjoyable place?

No, I don't think that.

But...

And... on New Year's Eve...

we saw something that we should not have seen.

We saw him begin to draw the scene where he would come face-to-face with Takahata.

Where is it?

Your cigarettes?

No, not that.

My eraser...

I don't think I brought it upstairs.

Recently, I haven't been able to make sense of my actions.

It couldn't be here.

Paku-san took it.

Please give it back.

How strange...

It was Paku-san.

Miyazaki continues to huddle in fear in the shadows...

eight months after Takahata's death.

It's not here.

Paku-san, give it back.

His past had been bottled up.

He really is a difficult person!

- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind -

The ending where Nausicaä comes back to life...

Teto...

That came as a suggestion from Takahata.

- My Neighbor Totoro -

The adventure that begins with a move in Totoro...

That was also a concept that began with Takahata.

Takahata-san thought that kids of that time considered a move to be an adventure.

That happiness was displayed using their whole body.

And since the ideas he thought up were being used...

Perhaps it would be best to tell him.

But Miyazaki-san couldn't do that.

Let's live on together.

This movie too...

That was Paku-san.

I like you!

And this movie...

That was Paku-san.

Takahata's shadow loomed large.

There are feelings of regret and humiliation in the making of this film.

As long as he continues to create, he will never escape those feelings.

January 2019

Happy birthday!

Thank you!

You're welcome!

- One... two... three... - I wonder what's inside.

Happy birthday to you!

The storyboard is becoming a critical point in the process.

Miyazaki was being swallowed whole by his storyboards.

No...

This conversation probably isn't necessary...

Stubborn...

No, if this conversation doesn't happen, then...

Old man...

Living is a difficult and painful thing...

Curse this world, and curse its people...

Even still... I want to live...

and create...

If this splits, then that means I'll be able to finish the storyboards.

It split.

It's been one year since Takahata's death.

The storyboards hasn't been completed yet.

Don't you think this looks like Paku-san?

It does, right?

I've finally given Paku-san a proper burial in the storyboard.

- The Boy and the Heron -

The climax of the film...

Miyazaki meets with Takahata,

as the main character Mahito and Granduncle respectively.

You've arrived.

My name is Mahito.

Are you Granduncle, the owner of this tower?

Come.

Takahata gives his final request to Miyazaki.

My world...

and my power is all a result of this stone.

Mahito...

will you succeed me in my duty?

Me?

Whether this world becomes a beautiful one or an unsightly one all depends on you.

These are things that I have collected from...

the most far-flung of places and historical of times.

There are a total of thirteen.

Stack one atop the others once every three days.

You will build your own tower,

A kingdom free of malice.

Create a world of abundance that is peaceful and beautiful.

Miyazaki refuses.

I gave myself this wound.

It is a sign of my own malice.

I cannot touch those stones.

I'm going to return to my and Natsuko's world.

Are you going to return to a foolish world of mutual death and thievery?

Before long, that world will be engulfed in a sea of flames.

I'll find friends.

Friends like Himi, Kiriko and The Grey Heron.

Making friends is acceptable, as is returning to your world.

All that matters is that you stack these stones.

There is no time.

My tower will not stand for much longer.

What manner to treachery is this?!

Would you really leave the fate of the empire to these stones, your Excellency?

N-No...

No, don't...!

Takahata loses his power and crumbles to dust.

Your Excellency!

The planet has split open!

Grab hold!

...Heavy!

The world that Takahata had built was now collapsing.

It was also a farewell from Miyazaki.

Your Excellency, thank you!

Let's go!

Miyazaki had his final parting farewell to Takahata within the movie.

But...

I've become worn out by this old man.

There was no small price to pay for burying Takahata.

I killed him.

I've certainly been working.

I feel like I've aged three years.

He'd probably say that I did great...

It was as if he had lost his motivation.

Let's do it.

I have no other choice.

After completing the storyboards,

Miyazaki began the lengthy task

of meticulously correcting the animators' drawings.

No...

That doesn't look all that great...

However...

the results weren't favorable.

I've been at this for over four days.

What was it that was unacceptable, Miyazaki-san?

I can't put it into words.

Miyazaki's magic might be waning,

since Takahata's binding spell over him has been lifted.

"Death is release"

says Miyazaki.

No...

But why isn't this face good enough?

Can I fix it?

It's not that I've lost the ability to draw,

I'm starting to believe that I never had the ability to in the first place.

That's definitely not it.

July 2021

What do you do after taking on a shot of the film for yourself, Miyazaki-san?

I'm constantly redoing shots over many days.

I can't draw.

I'm having a sense of peril.

I'm starting to sense death approaching.

Are you willing to go that far for the film?

The day he was asked that by Suzuki...

something unexpected happened.

The rush print that Suzuki-san watched not too long ago...

that was a scene that I had never even seen before myself.

Really?

That sort of thing had never happened even once before.

If this continues, I'll be driven crazy!

You'll start to see "monsters" around every corner.

Yes, I already am.

The rush print viewing happened a few days ago.

A scene that Miyazaki had not yet checked,

was included in the final showing that everyone watched.

But...

That wasn't there before.

It wasn't.

Is it a phantom?

A phantom...?

I've heard of that before.

But that's...

Miyazaki was still fully immersed in the world of the film.

Okay, I've got it. I understand.

Let's all be convinced.

I've opened the lid on my brain too much.

I'm going right to the edge of madness.

If I don't go right to the edge,

then the film won't be all that interesting.

What about the lid?

I don't know.

I don't know the answer to that.

It seems like once the lid had been opened, it can't be closed again.

When I was younger,

I thought that going mad after working for too long was a respectable thing.

Once I've gone mad, though, I often find nothing of the sort.

There's a car, Miyazaki-san...

It must be his old age.

The big question is how his final moments can be had

with as much happiness as possible.

What should I do?

He's been going up to the roof multiple times per day.

Paku-san is the best person to talk to when I'm left wondering what I should do.

I want to ask him, "How about this?"

He'd probably say:

"No, that's not interesting enough," or "Yeah, that's probably it."

He really would.

Okay, I have to keep going.

It's all right.

He's probably too old to continue doing things the way he used to.

He may have to change the way he approaches things, or perhaps change something else.

Of course, it would be a problem if he couldn't actually do that.

But I think that he would.

It's all right.

Things will work out.

It's all right.

Because Takahata was around, Miyazaki never let his pencil leave his hand.

Miyazaki was irrevocably tied to the sorts of films that he learned from Takahata.

September 2022

Musician - Yonezu Kenshi

I am Miyazaki.

Shall we go ahead and take a listen?

The Boy and the Heron Theme Song ♫ Spinning Globe ♫

Kiriko - Shibasaki Kou

There won't be any briefings.

Come on!

Eat this!

That was difficult.

Drawing the jam was difficult.

Lady Himi - Aimyon

I'm going to cry.

Warawara - Takizawa Karen

We eat Warawara.

Noble Pelican - Kobayashi Kaoru

Mahito, Goodbye...

Mahito's mother - Kimura Yoshino

Mahito - Santoki Souma

Mother!

The Grey Heron is in disguise.

Mahito, Help me!

The Grey Heron - Suda Masaki

Mahito!

That was great.

I'm not sure if your throat will hold up, though.

But that was great.

Mahito!

I was raised by Howl's Moving Castle.

It's been too long.

I'll just say that I'm looking forward to working with you.

I do, too.

We haven't worked together since Howl's Moving Castle.

Mahito has become a parakeet!

Mahito's father - Kimura Takuya

This story is really something!

You...

monsters!

It's a very rare piece of work for you.

There's no "of the" or anything like that in the title.

- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind -

- Castle in the Sky -

- My Neighbor Totoro -

- Kiki's Delivery Service -

- Porco Rosso -

- Princess Mononoke -

- Spirited Away -

- Howl's Moving Castle -

- Ponyo -

There really isn't an "of the" or "in the" at all.

Shall we put one in now?

- I want one in there! - But it won't work.

Shall we call it The Story of the Boy and the Heron?

The story of the...?!

Composer - Hisashi Joe

I've been inspired so much it's embarrassing.

And living up until this point,

you've been like a North Star in my life.

Producer - Suzuki Toshio

Hello.

It's Miyazaki.

Yes?

That's all right.

I haven't been able to sleep.

Really?

It'll be all right.

Everyone is going well, Miya-san.

It'll be all right.

Okay!

No, no, not at all.

That feeling of apprehension can be overwhelming.

Animation Director - Honda Takeshi

Boredom is something he hates so much he'd probably rather be dead.

He says he won't do another one.

But he probably will.

He might actually be serious.

But I hope be does another one.

What a pain.

That's a relief.

You get relief out of me saying that it's a pain?

It really is painful, you know.

December 2022

How annoying.

I tend to realize that life moves on only after a film has been completed.

I want to talk with Paku-san.

Paku-san, you make something!

He'll meet with Takahata again.

During Granduncle's ADR session...

Granduncle - Hino Shouhei

I'd like you to shout Mahito's name with a speaking voice.

There is no time.

The thing he obsessed over was...

Takahata's final line.

Mahito!

Go to the Cloister of Time!

Return to your own time!

Your Excellency!

Can you sound a little farther away?

Return to your own time!

Your Excellency!

Has your voice reached it's limit?

Return to your own time!

Return to your own time!

Return to your own time!

Return to your own time!

Your Excellency!

Damn...

Ah...

It's so annoying to return to this world.

Huh?

It's so annoying to return to this world.

This really is no joke at all.