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Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro

Series: 33 1/3 Japan
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( 15 ratings, 3 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
My Neighbor Totoro is an enduring icon of Japanese pop culture born from the collaboration of animator Miyazaki Hayao and composer Joe Hisaishi. This book explores how Hisaishi's 1987 Image Song Collection album — created with lyrics by Miyazaki and acclaimed children's author Nakagawa Rieko — deeply influenced the film's characters and themes. It highlights the dynamic interplay between Miyazaki's images and Hisaishi's music, focusing on their shared evocation of nostalgia, a central theme of the beloved film.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4399
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for fans of Japanese animation, scholars of film and music, and readers interested in the creative synergy behind iconic cultural works.

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"Miyazaki Hayao's beloved animated film, My Neighbor Totoro (1988), expresses nostalgia for both an innocent past and a distant home, sentiments greatly enhanced by Joe Hisaishi's music"--

Miyazaki Hayao’s beloved animated film, My Neighbor Totoro (1988), expresses nostalgia for both an innocent past and a distant home, sentiments greatly enhanced by Joe Hisaishi’s music.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

My Neighbor Totoro is a long-standing international icon of Japanese pop culture that grew out of the partnership between the legendary animator Miyazaki Hayao and the world-renowned composer Joe Hisaishi.

A crucial step in the two artists’ collaboration was the creation of the album, My Neighbor Totoro: Image Song Collection, with lyrics penned by Miyazaki and Nakagawa Rieko, a famed children’s book author, and music composed by Hisaishi. The album, released in 1987 prior to the opening of the film, served not only as a promotional product, but also provided Miyazaki with concrete ideas about the characters and the themes of the film.

This book investigates the extent to which Hisaishi’s music shaped Miyazaki’s vision by examining the relationship between the images created by Miyazaki and the music composed by Hisaishi, with special emphasis on their approaches to nostalgia, one of the central themes of the film.

Series: 33 1/3 Japan

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  • Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro
    My Neighbor Totoro is a long-standing international icon of Japanese pop culture that grew out of the partnership between the legendary animator Miyazaki Hayao and the world-renowned composer Joe Hisaishi. A crucial step in the two artists’ collaboration was the creation of the album, My Neighbor Totoro: Image Song Collection, with lyrics penned by Miyazaki and Nakagawa Rieko, a famed...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its clear and heartfelt prose, Kunio Hara's work skilfully bridges scholarly musical analysis with fan-like emotional insight into the My Neighbor Totoro soundtrack. Experts commend the book for unveiling intricate details of Hisaishi's music and its special nostalgic qualities, offering previously inaccessible perspectives to English readers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781501345128

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 February 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 184

About the Author

Kunio Hara is Associate Professor of Music History at the University of South Carolina, USA. His research focuses on Puccini’s operas, exoticism and orientalism in music, music in postwar Japan, and nostalgia.

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