132. Without creation, there is nothing
I.
In the documentary Hayao Miyazaki and The Heron, the now 80-year-old Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki says he continues to make films because he simply cannot escape it. The creator must create: âWithout creation, there is nothingâ.
The Boy and the Heron was released last year and that really does seem to be Miyazakiâs final film, although you can never be quite sure of such things. The documentary, filmed during the filmâs seven-year production, primarily shows the old artistâs struggle. Just as Studio Ghibli begins work on the project, Isao Takahata dies. He made a few wonderful films for Miyazakiâs Studio Ghibli, including Grave of the Fireflies.
The documentary shows how Miyazaki tries to honour his great friend and rival by including him in The Boy and The Heron. But it takes a heavy toll on him, including keeping himself going. The storyboards just wonât get finished. And when theyâre finally done, he gets involved in the minutiae of the work of his Ghibli staff who are creating the animations.
He adjusts their pencil sketches himself if he thinks they could be better (and they almost always can). For example, if a character in the film is cutting a loaf of bread, that bread must give way slightly, just like in real life. With that eye for detail, the master has been bringing his films to life for decades. In my opinion, it would be impossible to keep Studio Ghibli open if Miyazaki were no longer there.
While making The Boy and the Heron, the years pass and Miyazaki grows older. He is often tired: drawing is a physically and mentally demanding profession, certainly at this level. Heâs well over eighty, but he never works on autopilot. âItâs just hard, OK?â he sighs as he tosses another pile of sketches aside.
I find that rather reassuring â that even for Miyazaki (the best in his field), after all these years, it doesnât come easily. And that the documentary is honest about that. His producer Toshio Suzuki wonders aloud why Miyazaki is making yet another film in his twilight years, when it costs him so much effort. The production seems to be swallowing him whole. But in the end, the film is finished. The Boy and The Heron is his most personal film. Studio Ghibli won an Oscar for it. It was all worth it, says Miyazaki. Do I see a twinkle in his eye?
- - -II.
The curtain finally falls on the Breda Comics Festival this weekend. A shame, because it is the best festival for European and American comics in the Netherlands. With plenty of focus on the sale of second-hand books, but just as much space for artists signing brand-new albums. The festival is also the venue where the prestigious Willy Vandersteen Prize is awarded annually, won this year by Aimée de Jongh for her excellent adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
After fifteen editions, the comic festival is no longer welcome at the ChassĂ© Theatre. According to organiser Rob van Bavel, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure the theatre for several days at a time. Because for as long as the festival lasts, no performances can take place. There are even stalls selling books on the stage. Moreover, the organisationâs budget was not infinite, Van Bavel told Omroep Brabant.
Itâs a real shame, because when I popped in on Saturday morning, I found a huge crowd of comic book fans. There were long queues for artists such as Hanco Kolk, Gerrit de Jager, Aloys Oosterwijk, Gerben Valkema, Liam Sharp and so on. It was also a mad rush at the stalls selling comics. The comic strip is far from dead, folks.
I didnât feel like waiting for a drawing, but I did buy a modest stack of lovely books for a few euros (see below under the heading PS). Van Bavel swears there will be no relaunch of the Breda Comic Festival at another location in the city. But if Iâve learnt anything from Marvel comics (and from Hayao Miyazaki), itâs that definitive endings are sometimes less definitive than they seem.
PS.
The International Literature Festival Utrecht has begun and, as is tradition, there is an annual book market on Vredenburgplein. My haul: Otmarâs Sons by Peter Buwalda, The Yellow House by Mieko Kawakami, Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman and Plat du Jour by Martin Bril (signed). Over the next few days, there will be all sorts of readings with authors. Itâs lovely that Utrecht is celebrating literature!
Oh, and at the comic book festival I bought: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, Omnivisibilis by Mattieu Bonhomme and Lewis Trondheim, The Model by Baudoin, The Artistâs Arm by Ole Comoll Christensen and Cowboy John by Jan Vriends.
Really enjoyed this video, in which someone has edited footage from Karl Pilkingtonâs An Idiot Abroad into The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It makes it look as though Pilkington is climbing the dreaded Death Mountain in the game. Itâs much better done than you might expect.
- - -GQ has created an online archive featuring designs from the private collection of Virgil Abloh, who passed away in 2021.
In his podcast, Jon Stewart talks to Charlie Warzel (writer for The Atlantic) about how social media exacerbates disasters and the spread of fake news. It lasts over an hour, but itâs well worth a listen.
- - -Youâve just read blog post â132, written during the week of 15â21 September 2025. Subscribe to my free newsletter to receive this blog in your inbox every Sunday.