An Inconvenient truth about “My Neighbor Totoro”

The animation drama “My neighbor Totoro” is most chosed as one’s favorite film. For the reasons, people pick how cute Totoro is, and the pureness of two kids, and lastly the happy ending. Ghibli-made films were famous and liked by people because they gave dreams and hope to children. 

Just a few minutes ago, I was writing about my childhood and some sentences prasing the film  ”My neighbor Totoro”. I wrote about the cheerful background and storyline. However I erased everything right after knowing about the inconvenient truth about  ”My neighbor Totoro”.

The main point is that  ”My neighbor Totoro” had its motive from a real event, the the Sayama incident. Some people say that is is just a rumour, but I insist it is related.

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from: http://cherrypistoru.posterous.com/?tag=ghibli

Why is it a real story ?
• The rumour says that Totoro is the God of Death, so the persons that can see Totoro are actually close to death, or already dead. What that means for the story is that when Mei goes missing and a sandal is found in the pond, Mei actually drowned. When Satsuki is asked about the sandal she cannot face the truth and lies about it not being Mei’s sandal. So Satsuki goes on a desperate search for Totoro, calling for him and actually opens up the door the realm of the dead herself. With Totoro’s help she finds her dead sister and they together go to their mother’s hospital. There, the only one who actually noticed that the sisters were there, was the mother, who also soon is going to die.

And in the ending scene, Satsuki and Mei don’t have any shadows some says.

•  The storytakes place in 狭山丘陵 (Sayama hills) where also 八国山病院 (Hachikokuyama Hospital) or 新山手病院 is, which is believed to be the model of the hospital where the mother is, 七国山病院 (Shichikokuyama Hospital).

There is also a murder-case (the Sayama incident) which has many scary coincidents with Tonari no Totoro. Especially that it all happened in May and both of the sisters names actually are May – Satsuki (五月), the name of the older sister that means May in Japanese and Mei (メイ), the name of the younger sister, which is how Japanese people pronounce May.
Furthermore, the fact that the little sister went missing and that both sisters later turned up dead. According to some rumors, the big sister saw her little sister’s corpse and went crazy and later should have mumbled something alike “I saw a ghost/monster cat （猫のお化け/化& #12369;猫）” and “I met a big raccoon” = Totoro, before committing suicide.

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The cute and warm story of two girls, which was actually thought as a happy ending to most people actually had its behind story. It seems very frightening to know it so late, after watching the film for five times and loving the character Totoro. People who knew about the fact were definetly shocked and I was too.

Sometimes, truth can be inconvenient and it is better off not knowing it. Formerly I didn’t know but I truly felt it and agree now.

Giving alone time

http://www.whatithinkabout.com/giving-yourself-alone-time/

Loneliness and isolation is an issue in today’s society. Due to lack of social activities and increase of individual activities, authoritives have lead to the conclusion that our society is dreary. While in America, teenagers party frequently and meet up with friends daily, teens in Korea are defined as ‘students’ only. They are persuaded to study and study alone, since it is what Koreans think efficient. The fact that debate is not settled is another reason why we students study alone. Though this is not the main point, because Korean teens are students studying alone, Koreans are not participating in social life even when we are young. Despite the few hours we stay in school, teenagers are not allowed to meet friends before finishing their homeworks(from both school and academies), which seems to never end!

Teenagers seem so busy doing individual works, but schools with dormitory is another case. Few high schools including mine have dormitories where all students are required to stay during weekdays. And each rooms include more than two students, there are 6 in our dormitory. Every day, every moment we are surrounded by people who are not even my family. People expect us to build sociality or anything that we can learn through dorm-life.

The first few weeks of dorm-life was fun. I could stay with my friends all day, and not get disturbed by parents’ worries. We had lots to talk about, about the school and other friends and so on. Even when we did not go home for the weekend, it was just fine. I did miss our family, but nothing else was a problem. Until I actually came to my home again, I did not notice.

After my first going-home, I felt what I was missing. It was the ‘Alone Time’ that I missed. In my home, I had my own room, just for myself. Everything was controled by me in my room and I had complete freedom. Although my roommates and I started to relax in the room without caring much about each other’s eyes, it was certainly different to have my own room. I could relax the most and all the stress washed away. Just during those two days, I was real happy even I was alone.

The article (http://www.whatithinkabout.com/giving-yourself-alone-time/) actually says that ‘giving oneself time to be alone is needed. Of course, isolation is dangerous, but to students like me who always see issues about ‘problems of isolation’, and ‘loneliness and isolation’, this kind of articles were quite helpful. Since I was about to be convinced that being with people is always better.

‘to kill a mockingbird’

Atticus’s Role as a Father

-Atticus and Scout-

               In Maycomb, where the story develops, every residents know each other and cares while rumors based on discrimination against minorities exists and racism is extreme. Here, a lawyer named Atticus lives with two kids, Scout and Jem. Atticus stands against majorities and stands out for the minorities, the weak ones. It would have been a greater confusion to the kids if Atticus did not teach them to have correct understanding of the situation. Atticus did not fall in prejudice, and taught his kids to be the same. By two steps, Scout and Jem learns from Atticus that each people have differences but all of them are nice if we finally see them.

              When Scout was only six, she first became aware of the fact that some people are different from her. Like any other kids in Maycomb, Scout and Jem believed in the rumor about Boo Radley. Rumor said Boo has gone crazy, after he got confined in his house. Naturally the kids felt fear and curiosity rather than compassion and understanding. After Scout gets into school, she meets a group of people; the Ewells. Scout feels unfair that she has to go to school and obey laws while the Ewells are free to do whatever they want. From first time, she understands differences between people from Atticus. Atticus explains Ewells were members of an exlusive society, and Scout is common folk. He informs that although their behaviors may seem wrong, it is their way of living and that we should understand it. Afterwards, the kids go through a process of actually encountering the problem.

              Later in the story, Atticus directly faces people with bias, the majorities and stands for the minority. Thus what Atticus have said becomes calpable to the kids. When Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused to be a rapist, Atticus stood out as a defender. People in the village disapproved of it, saying that it is a disgrace. In such situation, Scout also hears jeer from schoolmates. It spread that her father was defending a negro against white person, which makes Scout ask what is the problem. Atticus tells Scout that they will be fighting friends, not Yankees and says, “But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.” He encouraged Scout to be more confident in what her father is doing, and taught they are not doing anything wrong. Afterwards, Scout and Jem hears words as ‘nigger-lover’ or ‘lawed for trash’, which makes them get confused about their father. Every time they get frustrated, Atticus does not hesitate in explaining what may be the right perspective. What he taught is based on ‘majority rule does not equal a person’s conscience’. From this experience of their father, the kids grow another step learning about ‘differences’ to ‘prejudice’ by heart.

               Atticus does not pay particular attention towards the kids. However, he set a good role of these kids and tires to explain as much as he can when the kids ask for it. Growing under a father like him, the kids also understands the minorities, and criticism made by majority of people. They also see the error in it. Although the Judge convicted Tom guilty as expected, Atticus did not fail, rather he gave a meaningful lesson to people, especially to Scout and Jem. Furthermore, Atticus is author himself, and what the author wishes to emphasis. And in that sense, what Atticus does and teaches Scout and Jem is full of suggestions to all readers.