Who doesn't love at least a Studio Ghibli film?
The magical studio from Japan has filled some portion of my childhood (and university years) not only with magical fairies, dragons, and cute, mysterious black ball creatures, but also courage and determination.
Established in 1985 by the four finding fathers: Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli quickly found its way to the international world since the Oscars nomination and win of one of their feature-length film, Spirited Away.
I personally first introduced by the studio when I was in the fourth grade. I suddenly came across Spirited Away in a local bootleg DVD shop and decided to give a try to watch it. (I know this is so illegal, but somehow without them I wouldn't know Studio Ghibli that fast, haha!? ;_;) Long story short, I love it. Following years later, internet had grown more and more useful than it was, and I used the chance to watch some of the films online. (once again, don't try this at home, kids. It's illegal)
I fell in love particularly with some of Isao Takahata's films: Whisper of the Heart, and Only Yesterday (Check out an amazing video essay I found here. And I bought a Whisper of the Heart book on my first visit to Japan!) Anyway, I love Seiji Amasawa. :}
Their success keeps on and on, until now, in 2017, Indonesia finally held Studio Ghibli film screenings in several theatres! It is a part of a bigger event called World of Ghibli Jakarta, culminating in a mega exhibition held around August to September 2017. I was beyond lucky to be able to visit TWO different Studio Ghibli exhibitions both while in my visit to Tokyo last year, and the recent one in Jakarta.
Mori Art Museum, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, 2016
Nausicaä as the poster star? Omg, yes please!!!
The first Studio Ghibli exhibition I attended was a year ago at the posh Mori Art Museum at Roppongi Hills. The museum is also an observatory deck where you can get a majestic view of Greater Tokyo (and the famous Tokyo Tower in the middle of it!), so it's a super plus point!
Most of the exhibition is actually contained with some lots of information regarding of the history of Studio Ghibli and the stories of the founders trio, which unfortunately were can't be photographed. There was a replica of Hayao Miyazaki's working table and some of the original, hand-drawn sketches, and it was totally amazing.
The only places we can get snaps of are the Cat bus area and the main exhibition area which were on the main observatory deck area. They showcased a lot of plane models, for Miyazaki is really fond of it! The main attraction for this very area was the grandeur Pirate Ship as seen in the 'Castle in The Sky' film.
There was a merchandise store located at the end of the exhibition. Yes, I shopped a lot that time, including the amazing art book of both My Neighbor Totoro and the Oscar winning masterpiece, Spirited Away! And oh, a catalogue for the future purpose (e.g. making a blog post about it, hehe. :})
Since I can't really show you what's inside of the rest of the exhibition, this back part of the brochure might help you out!
Ritz-Carlton Grand Ballroom, Pacific Place, Jakarta, 2017
I swear, the biggest Studio Ghibli exhibition in South East Asia is actually held several miles from my home! As I stated before, it was a part of a bigger event in Indonesia called World of Ghibli Jakarta, with intensive film screenings in several theaters across Indonesia started from last April. I was there on a Saturday with campus friends, and it seemed like I was transported into their own, magical world. Indeed, it was a portal to the mind of Miyazaki and friends!
Even looking at the map makes me feel alive again! :}
The most popular photo spot is the of course, the one and only Totoro in his really well-known scene (in case you haven't know, it's the bus stop scene) and the exact cat bus I took photo with at Japan. Hordes of people were actually there for a quick snap with the fluffy monster! I was actually planning on taking a photo with an Instax camera, but alas, something went wrong and I only got a pitch black photo. :(
The other amazing things in this exhibition is the replica of Spirited Away's bath house! I was so happy meeting someone cosplaying as the No-Face! Thank you for spicing up our Spirited Away snaps, Kak! :}
There is a replica of Howl's Moving Castle, which is also highly detailed. The monster from Nausicaä are actually moving their legs + their eyes changing colours!
The bakery that was featured in Kiki's Delivery Service were also jam-packed with people trying to recreate the famous scene. :}
The exhibition, also, ended with a merchandise store. I didn't buy anything because some of the stuffs are actually pretty overpriced (talk about export policy in Indonesia...).
Long story short, I love how detailed this exhibition is. There are some replicas of sets that are actually only exists as an animation, but World of Ghibli Jakarta team made efforts to made realisations out of it, so we can actually be immersed with what was actually happening in film. For instance, the whole house of Kusakabes, plus the whole Mr. Kusakabe's study!
Too bad some of the spots there were unfinished yet. There might be another replica of the pirate ship I saw in Tokyo but it wasn't finished yet the last time I went there. The exhibition area consisting of the history of the studio seems to be made in hurry. I think this is so bad, as there are many new audiences of Studio Ghibli in Indonesia that were actually clueless about it.
Luckily, the exhibition is now 100% completed and I still got another chance to visit until the end of it! Maybe we'll see you there? :}
A postcard from World of Ghibli Jakarta, 2017
No comments
Shout it out loud!