Hayao Miyazaki needs no introduction to most anime fans. Even if his name is not known to most American fans of the artform, the 
odds are good that they’ve seen one of his movies. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away are only some of the classic movies he’s directed. Indeed, the greatest challenge in assessing Miyazaki’s career is not debating his influence on the genre and other directors. It is deciding which of his great works might be considered his best.
The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki does not try to answer this question or even offer fodder for that discussion. What author Nicolas Rapold does instead is look at Miyazaki’s influences, both in his life and his reading. Through this, and a series of essays, Rapold tries to find the source of the creativity of the man called the “godfather of animation in Japan.”
This might be seen by some as spoiling the magic. However, Rapold’s intent is not to prove the truth of C. E. M. Joad’s saying that “the height of originality is skill in concealing origins.” Instead, he uses this examination to show how Miyazaki’s genius lay in how he twisted the stories he loved as a child in new directions.
The first quartet of essays set the tone for what follows, as Rapold explores four of Miyazaki’s greatest influences. These are given as Lewis Carroll, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Homer, and Jules Verne. However, in discussing these, the essays spin out to cite other influences and common themes with books Miyazaki named as his favorites and why they relate to his work.
It is no intuitive leap to tie most of Miyazaki’s films to Carroll. Many of his protagonists stumble into strange worlds, much like how Alice Found Wonderland. Burnett’s The Secret Garden is an obvious influence on Howl’s Moving Castle and the secret garden hidden within it. Yet Miyazaki also comes back to that book’s theme of regrowth and the power of one person to heal the world and others.
Homer’s Odyssey informs the theme of the wandering stranger trying to get home, as does Gulliver’s Travels. And Verne’s advanced science may be reflected in the flying machines of Castle in the Sky. Yet his books also continue the recurring theme of motion and the power of the self-motivated individual.
However, Rapold also examines Hayao Miyazaki’s work through nonthematic avenues. There are essays and photos of the real-world locations that inspired his visuals. There are also looks at other creators who may have influenced him or were influenced by him. This includes an essay comparing Miyazaki and Stephen Spielberg.
This is all a bit academic for the children for whom Miyazaki made his works. Indeed, I was stunned by how much text there was contained within a book about a visual artist. This is not to say that there are no pictures from the movies, but they are shockingly small for a volume this size and there are few full-page images. Despite that oddity, I think most art history and anime history library collections would benefit from owning a copy of The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki.
The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki
By Nicolas Rapold
Frances Lincoln, 2025
ISBN: 9781836004813
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
