“We must be better.” This is the line that Kratos, the God of War, who conquered Ares and Zeus, keeps saying to his son Atreus in the 2018 video game. This is a call to the self to keep looking forward and an acceptance that in a finite life, the quest for perfection never ends. “It was not about the wanting,” weeps Shizuku as she explains to Shiro Nishi when she finishes her challenge of writing her first novel. As Shiro Nishi beautifully explains, it is about uncovering the rare crystal within us albeit covered by rock and stone. At first, it is the mere discovery that moves us toward our purpose, yet that is only the start of a journey in resolve, patience, pain, and happiness. Polishing a gem to its perfect shape takes years of hard work and unwavering spirit in the face of the world.
When Kiki embarks on her journey, we all share the same awe of travelling to a new place, the thrill of independence, even though we are aware of the pebbles that lie along the path. Setting up our own lives on our own has not been easy for any of us, especially those of us who are aware that something lurks within us. It murmurs to us when we are awake, speaks to us when we sleep, and squirms when we lend our attention to something else like an envious love. The only catch is that we often do not understand the language it communicates to us in but if we simply give in to it, our heart knows when it yearns.
Kiki flies out of a sense of natural belonging. She does not know if it moves her, however when her flight ceases to take off, she loses her purpose and sense of way. Her friend compares her witch’s magic to her painting. Sometimes, it stops speaking and it feels like facing a wall. No matter what we do, the wall does not give way. At such a time, life pulls us and implores us to explore what means to be alive in this beautiful world. We are not meant to be productive at all of our conscious hours, but our muse needs fuel, which is the very existence among the nature and unbridled honesty of this world.
Shizuku’s struggle as she recognizes the murmuring within her, but she expresses herself through song and parody. ‘Concrete roads’ a parody of her translation of hit song ‘Country Roads’ lends her a pathway to a connection that awakens the muse within her. Seiji Amasawa is such an individual himself where he is past the shallow appreciation of his work to a phase when his resolve drives him to walk the uncharted path chosen by few of being a violin craftsman. Little did either of them know that Seiji’s resolve would become Shizuku’s and even though her first draft was rough, she wept and wept as she felt the waves of prospect and happiness at having identified what moved her in this world. She had finally understood the language of the whispers of her heart.
It is a shame for those who do not listen to their hearts. A life led by the mind can be prosperous, however such a person misses the inexplicable thrill and joy of deciphering the language of the heart. It opens the self to an honest life, to a life that retains the candid joys of childhood.
Shizuku’s story is relatable to all of us who have dreamed and have sat for hours exploring the voice within while Kiki’s story encourages us to never give up on ourselves, a testimony to the kindness of those around us and both stories come of age as we stay true to our gentle heart and open up to love when it faces us with arms outstretched. One of the most moving scenes in ‘Whisper of the Heart’ depicts Shizuku breaking down after Nishi san complements her on the start and she comes to a moment of realization that it is not enough to just begin. The joy in taking the effort hone a craft and the satisfaction of knowing what marks her as Shizuku can only be understood by those who have walked that path. The promise that Seiji kun and Shizuku chan make at the end of the movie is a testament to the bond that emerges between people when they have bared their hearts to each other and resolved on their own path while loving each other for the same. Seiji reading all the books so that Shizuku may read his name on the library card is a fantastical depiction of fate, however more often than not, in our real lives, seemingly unimportant links lead to meaningful ends. Muta (moon) the cat’s role in bringing Shizuku to the Amasawa cannot be understated, however it must be noted that it was her curiosity and her penchant to go out of her way to chase a thread of an unrevealed story that led her there.
Shizuku craved for a story, one that would seem akin to the one within her heart but not yet known to her. Her instincts led her to a part of the town that she did not even know existed. The baron’s statue, the fortuitous meeting with Shiro san on exactly the day when he finished repairing the princess clock are familiar ingredients for a too good to be true story, however, often it is that we ignore these same signs if not as grand in our own lives. It is up to us to believe in the magic of this world. A sceptic can never lend oneself to such wonders. Doubt does not create art, it is simply a matter of belief and an acceptance of what goes on around us.
Quite similarly, Kiki took her magic for granted but kept her heart open to exciting things. She never shied away from helping someone and even though a sadness crawled within her, she endeavoured to make people whom she met happy. Her initiative to fix up an old oven for a lady and bake her pie earned her a sweet friend, while Osono san was the kindest woman in town as she lent Kiki a house and work. Ursula chan may have walked the path of being an artist but it was after meeting Kiki that she was able to finish her painting to the satisfaction of our soul. Her words on patience for when the artist cannot paint or a witch cannot fly are important messages to us in a world where distraction is rife. Though our cities have sprawled beyond control, Ursula’s friendship with Kiki lent both a sense of comfort and calm when their insides were raging. Kiki realized the power of motivation when she regained her powers back when Tombo was in danger, and she mustered her will to the purpose and saved him.
Our muse is a strange being with a mind of its own. Once we have lent ourselves to our muse, we must also be aware that it is not a tool that we pick up and abuse at our behest. Our muse is the representation of our soul that we can depict to others through our art, or our words and it is the purest form of human expression. Of course, it is way moodier than us and relies on the catalysts in our lives that we come across to spark into action. Even though we may unlock our muse, it is up to us believe in the wonder that is this life in order to truly activate it or else it shrivels beneath the mundaneness of regular life.
Studio Ghibli is a gift to the world and Hayao Miyazaki’s gentle creations have touched millions across this over more than four decades. Every animation and every scene in Miyazaki’s cinema dapples with the layers of realism yet the final touch extends to the soul. Ghibli’s movies have the ability to converse directly with the muse within and stir us toward gentleness, kindness, honesty, and magic. It awakens us to a love that is befitting us gracing this world and taking with us a memento of his soul.
Blotched Parchment 
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