This is part II of the review for Brutus Magazine’s Studio Ghibli special, ( read part I here if you haven’t ) which was published to mark the release of Studio Ghibli’s latest anime “Kokurikosaka Kara” ( From Up On Poppy Hill ). Some of the contents from this special issue was previously found in an earlier issue that has since gone out of print ( now available only from Amazon Marketplace sellers ), with some additional pages on “Kokurikosaka kara”.

(above) To give readers a better understanding of how the studio’s films are created, there is a crash course in traditional animation workflow using “Arriety” as an example. The pages take the reader through the various stages of production, including the “imageboards” ( concept art ), storyboarding, layout design, and more.

(above) The book has also included a comprehensive list of the studio’s work outside of feature animation films, including the 9 short films screened exclusively at the Saturn Theater in Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, MTVs, commercials, and more. I’ve only seen 4 out of the 9 short films – read more about The Day I Bought A Star, Mei and the Kitten Bus and House Searching.

(above) A picture of Miyazaki-san and Takahata-san, who have worked together for half a century.

(above) A rare and fascinating glimpse into the personal workspace of the master, where he hatches ideas and does research. During actual production, ie for Spirited Away, Mononoke Hime, Miyazaki-san doesn’t not work here but hits the cubicles where the rest of the animators are. According to the caption at the bottom left of the page, the nice comfy sofa just below window in the background is where Miyazaki-san enjoy his afternoon siesta after eating his lunch bento.

(above) Tools of the trade.

(below) The last 4 pages of the book lists an exhaustive collection of the main characters appearing in Studio Ghibli animation, serving as a handy character reference library for all the films, complete with the character’s name and the film they appeared in, as well as a short paragraph on the character’s background. The 4 pages are cardboard with printed perforated edges if you want to cut them up to keep as a deck of reference cards.

Do read part I of this article if you haven’t.

“Brutus Magazine Studio Ghibli Special” art book details :
Dimensions – 11 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
Softcover, 82 pages
Full color / Black & White

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