Couple other thoughts

Unrelated to Moby-Dick, though I will say I think I'm going to enjoy the book, it's going to stretch my brain with all the allusions to either remember or look up.

I re-watched "My Neighbor Totoro" Sunday evening. (I might make a Sunday-evening Miyazake (or similar) movie night a regular thing).

First of all: Totoro et al. (there are three Totoro? I think they are all Totoro - the big grey guy, a medium-sized blue one, and a tiny white one with chicken feet) would not be at all out of place in the world Tove Jansson created. In fact, they'd fit in really nicely beside the Moomins. (I'm sure there's some kind of a link there as to why Moomin is so very popular in Japan).

It's a more episodic, and I think less plot-driven, movie than some of the other Miyazake movies I've seen - it's more a slice of life. Father and his two girls move into an old house out in the country. The unspoken subtext I get is "so there's a more healthful place for Mom to stay when she gets out of the hospital" - the mother is in a hospital and while it's never mentioned or discussed, I assume it's for tuberculosis - she's not so very sick, but there's talk of how fresh air and vegetables would be good for her, and her trip home is cancelled when she gets a cold.

It also has a happier ending than you might think - if you watch the end credits, there are drawings showing the mother coming home, lying in bed reading to her two girls before bedtime, enjoying the fresh air. (I think there's another Miyazake movie - Grave of the Fireflies, maybe? I've not seen it - that deals with TB but doesn't have such a happy ending).

One thing that struck me about the movie, and about a lot of Miyazake movies - older, not always attractive women are shown as extremely positive characters ("Granny" in this version). They're strong and loving and watch over children. (There's also a character in Kiki's Delivery Service who is somewhat similar). That's....not always so common in Western, or at least, US-made, movies. (In the English dub, Pat Carroll, who is apparently a long-time voice actress, and I also kind of know her from a few movies, I think she was in With Six You Get Eggroll, does Granny). Granny isn't pretty - she has a big wart or mole and is sort of shapeless and  very wrinkly - but she's a lovable character and I like that.

I'm not sure what the acorns symbolize. The Totoro's food? Something precious to them? They give the girls a gift of acorns which the girls then plant. Maybe as forest-spirits the Totoro are concerned with preservation of the forest, and they know if they give these children acorns they will plant them....

I also like all the little cultural touches - the different way of living (you take your shoes off when entering a house, just as a point of courtesy), the different cultural things (the roadside shrines, the fact that the family 'thanks' the camphor tree and asks for its further protection). Oh! And the flowers! I can easily identify what family (if not always what genus; the genera in Japan are different) the wildflowers are in - that's how much attention to detail the animators have. That kind of thing is wonderful to me. (And the backgrounds. The backgrounds in this movie are so beautiful. It's a place I'd like to visit).