War and Peace in Studio Ghibli Films

This book examines Japanese animation films of Studio Ghibli in terms of war and peace. This research mainly focuses on movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a 'Japanese master of animation', who announced his official retirement in September 2013. Through the lens of peace research, the author rediscovered the fact that Miyazaki-related animation films deal with actual wars from the First World War to the 2003 Iraq War. This book investigates the following Studio Ghibli animation movies: 1) Nausica of the Valley of the Wind (1984), 2) Laputa Castle in the Sky (1986), 3) Grave of the Fireflies (1988), 4) Porco Rosso (1992), 5) Howl's Moving Castle (2004), and 6) The Wind Rises (2013). From a perspective of peace research and international relations, this study analyzes the relevance of the films to the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, the War on Terror, as well as some nuclear related issues in the post-3/11 context. Moreover, this book explores the implications of the case studies for peace education so that Studio Ghibli films can be watched as sources for creating the 'defences of peace' inside the hearts of audience around the world.