The Essence of Paris in Hayao Miyazaki's Ghibli Films: A Pilgrimage to the Sites of 'Howl's Moving Castle'

This is delivery [No.102] from the university's official website special site, OTEMON VIEW.

●Theme: 'The World of Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli'

Hayao Miyazaki's works offer powerful messages to us living in tumultuous times. In this issue, Professor Koji Okuda from the Faculty of Letters, who specializes in animation and modern Japanese literature, introduces the lesser-known relationship between Miyazaki's works and Paris. Professor Okuda decided to go to Paris because he believed a certain building was the setting for a famous scene in 'Howl's Moving Castle.' Long staircases, footprints of the civil revolution, a life where diverse people coexist... What did the researcher see in Paris?

[Key Points]

'Howl's Moving Castle' and Paris - A Ghibli researcher's two-week stay in Paris. What was the goal? - Was the long staircase that appears in the film actually the Sacré-Cœur Basilica!?

Why is France often depicted in 'Howl's Moving Castle'? - Freedom and France as portrayed by Miyazaki - The importance of the child's heart embedded in the 'heart'

Acceptance of Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli in Paris - Miyazaki's works popular as Japanese pop culture - The affinity between the atmosphere and temperament of Paris and Director Hayao Miyazaki

●What is OTEMON VIEW? School Corporation Otemon Gakuin has launched a special site, 'OTEMON VIEW,' on its official university website. With the concept that 'the interest of news depends on how you look at it,' faculty members of Otemon Gakuin University interpret daily changing world events based on their professional expertise in education and research.