“We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.”

Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?

“I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times. “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.”

Which helps explain why Miyazaki’s films are more absorbing and involving than the frantic cheerful action in a lot of American animation. I asked him to explain that a little more.

“The people who make the movies are scared of silence, so they want to paper and plaster it over,” he said. “They’re worried that the audience will get bored. They might go up and get some popcorn.

But just because it’s 80 percent intense all the time doesn’t mean the kids are going to bless you with their concentration. What really matters is the underlying emotions–that you never let go of those.

— Roger Ebert in conversation with Hayao Miyazaki

Ladies In Menswear The Teddy Girls, also known as Judies, were inspired by their more famous male counterparts as goes the case in female vs male perspective history. The Teddy Boys were a unique 1950′s (British) phenomena, but the love of androgyny including female androgyny has existed in humanity’s culture forever & was never exclusive! Like the flappers & factory girls, like the gamines & pachucas, women with masculine charm or aesthetics has been around since the Greeks & always seen as alternative & a unique blend of beauty! And the spectrum of androgyny really does vary! It’s never purely 50% 50%. And so were the teddy girls, who didn’t only dress like the boys but wore circle skirts too. These styles would echo back in 70s british punk movement too. Teddy Girls were another group of people who rejected the gender binary in terms of expression. Often associated with the economical climate as well of the time period, fashion was determined by what was available. An especially teenage rebellion they were part of the rise of the youth culture in post WWII: because being a “teenager” wasn’t always a thing! You were a child, then you were an adult. I’d love to go on about 50′s youth culture, your sock hops & rock & roll & drive in movies & all the media created for this early counter-cultural movement. I ADORE history. Why do you think I run a vintage-centered fashion blog? :)

me thinking about how i genuinely thought pelle was a nice guy and that i was lowkey attracted to him but then remembering that he’s literally part of a death cult and is complacent in their murders

me after remembering what an asshole christian was to dani and how vindicating it was to watch him burn but then remembering the harga also killed josh, simon, and connie who didn’t deserve to die and dani is seemingly okay with living with the death cult despite this

me laughing at josh’s dick out scene but then seeing simon blood-eagled in the chicken coop literally a minute later

me thinking about the temple burning scene and noticing how pelle’s brother volunteered to be burned and then suddenly remembering that pelle’s parents also died in a fire and how it was his idea to bring in new people to burn instead of the harga sacrificing more of their citizens

me enjoying the symbolism of the harga screaming in literal empathetic pain when others of their group are in pain, and how the motif of mirrors/reflections appeared throughout the movie to solidify this theme, but then remembering that it also symbolizes their own version of empty societal norms in which they act empathetic towards another but don’t offer any actual support a la how christian always treated dani

me talking about and analyzing the movie with my brother but then remembering he’s 15 and i fucking took him to this movie that was rated R and almost NC-17 for a good fucking reason