And you, how will you live, reviewing the novel about the next movie by Mr. Miyazaki

“The only thing I want you to understand right now is how grateful you are, in a world like ours, for being able to give you the ability to study without having to face the slightest obstacle, and the freedom to develop your own world ability as you wish.”

Runs the year 2016 when he was the master of animation masterpieces Studio GhibliAnd Hayao Miyazaki, conveys an interesting counterpoint regarding the previous announcement of his retirement from activities: a new movie is in the making, informs the teacher, and if we learn the following year that it will be the animated rendition of a great classic in Japanese literature for children, curiosity about the story remains.
In fact, we’ll have to wait a few more years before that And how will you live? From the original title Kimitachi wa dō, ikiru ka? It may finally reach the big screens all over the world; However, this allows us at the same time to deepen our knowledge of the original 1937 novel by Ginzaburo YoshinoPosted at home by Iwanami Shoten Also available in Italy for the first time only from September 2019 to kebabwith subtitles Silvia Ricci Nakashima.

Jun’ichi Honda is a fifteen minute old boy who is in the second grade. Despite being an orphan to his father, he lives in a loving family and can enjoy the important presence of his mother’s brother, who acts as his guide.
Through the experiences the young man has in daily life at school with his three friends Mizutani, Kitami and Urakawa, the four boys gradually understand how the value of friendship is expressed in reality, the sincere curiosity caused by mutual presence, social differences, and the difficulty of maintaining belief in values ​​such as those of courage Or facing the scourge of bullying, and confronting it directly.

Junichi values ​​everything and shares his uncle’s fears and fears, whether through direct dialogue or the intermediate thread of ideas entrusted with writing, which forms the double structure of the book divided between fictional chapters and other letters, the latter sometimes of an extended scholarly character.
learn as well Jun’ichi’s name will be changed soon.”cooperLike the famous Copernicus, thanks to an early and extraordinary ability to strip his young man from the center of the world; After a visit to Ginza stores that ends with a wonderful view of Tokyo from above in the rain, in fact, Cooper understands how, as a person, he is nothing but a small molecule within a vast universe whose reality is diverse, complex and not easy to define.
The acumen of this reasoning deeply affects Cooper’s uncle, and each subsequent event takes into account the subtle but obvious maturity that occurs in the young adolescent.

“Those who are certain of their true worth as a human being also have the ability to live out their existence calmly, no matter what social situation they find themselves in.
However, the ability to always bear this mental attitude towards ourselves does not allow us not to pay attention to the weak heart of those who live in poverty. ”

He abandoned the fantasy atmosphere of many of his most famous feature films, The Maestro Miyazaki Thus he chose to gracefully convey the slice-of-life dimensions of a story in other times, which in itself holds historical and educational significance beyond the contents and values ​​it tells.
It is not difficult to get caught up in the thinking disorder that young protagonist Jun’ichi is experiencing.”cooperHonda V And how will you live? It carries in the spirit, even if the story does not bring certain sparks or deviate from the rail of a very ordinary newspaper.
However, seeing Cooper act and questioning takes on a different nuance depending on whether or not you have a bit of context within which the book is portrayed, given that for most Western audiences it’s a little-known preamble, however great interest.

himself Ginzaburo Yoshino Let us recall, in fact, in the introduction, how in the mid-1930s Japan was experiencing a period of expansionist militarism that would lead to the famous Tripartite Pact, this Axis pact between the Land of the Rising Sun and the very distant nations of Germany and Italy, very far geographically, but infinitely similar. Ordinary in the political and governmental spheres.
It is a historical moment in which there are significant restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, where The brains of young Japanese boys are severely tested: Specifically in this context, with a view to Provides a progressive voice for hope for the future, characters like Yuzu Yamamoto Initiation of an exceptional and enlightened literary project entitled “Nihon Chokoku Main Binko.
Series published by the publishing house Chinchusha Mostly monthly from October 1935 to July 1937: consisting of sixteen books, the project ends with the drafting of Kimitachi wa dō, ikiru ka?Born of four hands Yamamoto It is brilliant Ginzaburo YoshinoWho took over the position from his colleague due to a serious eye disease that afflicts him Yamamoto.

“The courage that flows in their hearts is able to push them to overcome any difficulty, and even life, so dear to them, is no longer important.”

We are facing a Real Bildungsroman Their educational purpose does not differ from the intentions of certain works of the same context belonging to Western literature; Just like the latter, the purpose of writing the book emerges strongly from the pages, but at the same time the general fluency of reading is affected.
There is no use of ancient words or ways of expressing themselves that highly suggest antiquity, but the writing doesn’t always look easy and the story struggles to tangle, sometimes giving the impression of overly monochromatic chapters.
Once the reader is finally able to come to an interest in the different characters, the story then appears more alive, clear, and focused, with much better structure and more compelling in the second half; Ironically, the latter suffers from the limitations of arriving at a conclusion as the reader would have appreciated the presence of other chapters to come.
Anyway, the book succeeded in To depict the environments, uses, and customs of the Showa era with skilful effectiveness He tells it, expressing its truth through many subtle details.
It is quite possible in this aspect that the visual strength of the animated film version of the novel will bring strength, which will certainly know how to skillfully draw details thanks to the extraordinary ability of the master. Miyazaki and talented artists Studio Ghibli.

regarding Ginzaburo Yoshino Instead, the note on the back cover gives us his illustrious profile, from which his role in the novel’s perception emerges most powerfully.
Born on April 9, 1899 in the middle of the Meiji period, he quickly became an editor, writer of children’s literature, translator, journalist, critic, supporter of the movement, and anti-war journalist.
A progressive intellectual, is one of the most representative figures of the Showa period, covering the role of the first editor-in-chief of “Sekai” magazine, and then contributing to the establishment of “Iwanami Shonen Bunko”A series of children’s literary books published by the Historical Publishing House Iwanami Shoten. Yoshino He also takes important positions as a professor at Meiji University, and becomes the CEO of Iwanami Shoten She herself, as well as the first female president of the Japanese Press Conference and organizer of the Okinawa Document Center. So the man died on May 23, 1981 after a long and intense career, devoted to literature and the values ​​that this machine is able to spread.
So it is no coincidence that it is convenient And how will you live? to celebrate The burden of closing the necklace “Nihon shkoku, who is Benko?In 1937, Transfer all the principles that underpin the entire project, and the fact that the novel was published several times in the following decades, and finally turned into a modernized version of the manga, attests to its importance and underscores its importance.

Nor is it surprising that the teacher, as a possible conclusion to one’s career, Miyazaki I thought carefully about focusing on a story of this kind, fromHigh symbolic charge and high attendance of educational and training messages addressed to the youngest.
In an episode of the TV series Nichiyo Bijutsukanbroadcast on the announcer NHK On October 8, 2017, the manufacturer of Studio Ghibli Toshio Suzuki stated that “Miyazaki wants to make this movie for his grandson. Before he leaves this world, grandfather wants to give his child one last gift.”

Even without being an exemplary father, and not intending to indulge in the role of mentor to his grandson, the formative object of the master’s desire Miyazaki It seems undoubtedly. However, it is often found while reading, from which thought-provoking food emerges with great frequency.

“The pain and suffering in our hearts comes from and makes us realize the fact that we have moved away from the normal state in which man ought to live.”

It is not stupid to ask ourselves, nor is it certain that we will ever come up with an answer that satisfies us or us. works like And how will you live? However, it is to some extent able to transcend time, place and context of origin precisely by virtue of The power to impress them with the existential questions of man on paper.

“Man was not created to pursue selfish desires or strutting.“

In line with other draft novels from which the studio’s famous films were drawn, And how will you live? Suggested by kebab As a folder with a large pendant measuring 15 x 21 cm LibriGhibli, without dust jacket or interior illustrations, priced at €15.00 for 256 pages.

A book that transcends Miyazaki’s high-voiced affinity and in the context of a broader and more interesting literary presentation also on the level of oriental fiction, It can definitely go unnoticed, and not shine with an impulse light.
one chance, At the same time, To investigate themselves and global topics Through a historical tale flavored with a pure slice of life, suitable for an audience of all ages.

“We have the power to define who we are.
This is why we make mistakes.
Still, there is something more than that.
We have the power to define our person.
This is why we are also able to recover from our mistakes.”