Several books have been written about Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese animator, filmmaker, manga artist, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. The books explore Miyazaki's biography and career, particularly his feature films. According to Jeff Lenburg, more papers have been written about Miyazaki than any other Japanese artist. The first English-language book devoted to Miyazaki was Helen McCarthy's Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation in 1999, focusing on the films' narrative and artistic qualities. Many authors focus on Miyazaki's career and films, like Dani Cavallaro and Raz Greenberg, while others examine the themes and religious elements of his works, such as Eriko Ogihara-Schuck and Eric Reinders. Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc's 2009 book explores the careers of both Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and Susan J. Napier's 2018 book Miyazakiworld highlights the ideological connections between Miyazaki's films and personal life. Two books compiling essays, articles, lectures, and outlines written by Miyazaki were published in 1996 and 2008.
is a compilation of essays, articles, lectures, and outlines written by—and interviews with—Hayao Miyazaki between 1979 and 1996. First published in hardcover in Japan in 1996, the book features about 90 chapters chronicling Miyazaki's thoughts on animation, the film industry, and his own works, as well as a full-color reprinting of Miyazaki's eight-page manga Kuuchuu de Oshokuji and an afterword written by Isao Takahata. One of Miyazaki's essays became notable for being the sole criticism of manga artist and animator Osamu Tezuka after his death; Miyazaki felt Tezuka's work was "silly", despite his earlier works inspiring a young Miyazaki.
Viz Media published a 461-page English translation of the book in hardcover on August 4, 2009, following a delay from July 7. Viz Media editor Nick Mamatas felt the North American release of Miyazaki's film Ponyo in 2009 would increase interest in Miyazaki's career. The book was translated by Frederik L. Schodt and Beth Cary, who visited the Ghibli Museum to better understand Miyazaki. Schodt and Cary sent Mamatas "anywhere between 20 and 100 pages at a time" for editing; he felt the variety of content led to difficulties in maintaining accurate tones while translating and editing. The English translation includes an eleven-page foreword by John Lasseter and its main content is split into five subjects, including people, animation, and film. It was released in a 462-page paperback on April 8, 2014, and a 464-page ebook on March 16, 2021.
Los Angeles Timess Charles Solomon described the book as "essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese—or Western—animation". Anime News Networks Theron Martin called it "a must-read for any Miyazaki admirer", praising its insight of Miyazaki's philosophies surrounding life and animation; he found Miyazaki's planning notes the most interesting element. Writing for Animation World Network, Peter Tieryas lauded Miyazaki's refreshing, reflective, and honest candor and his comedic tales of his earlier life. Sight and Sounds Andrew Osmond praised the translated text as "flowing and graceful", though noted possible confusion for English readers due to the unavailability of some of Miyazaki's earlier works outside of Japan, such as Future Boy Conan (1978). Screen Anarchys Ard Vijn praised Miyazaki's writing and humor and the inclusion of his drawings and manga, but lamented the omission of information about Miyazaki's friendly rivalry with animator Mamoru Oshii.
is a compilation of essays, talks, and illustrations by—and interviews with—Miyazaki between 1997 and 2008. First published by Iwanami Shoten in hardcover in Japan in 2008, the book is largely focused on two of Miyazaki's films from this period: Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001); his other two, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo (2008) are infrequently mentioned. Several of Miyazaki's essays about life are relevant to the films, such as anthropology and medieval history to Princess Mononoke, and the development of children to Spirited Away. Some essays explore Miyazaki's thoughts on writers such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Robert Westall, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg, and films like Dark Blue World (2001).
Viz Media published a 452-page English translation of the book in hardcover on April 8, 2014, coinciding with the home media release of Miyazaki's 2013 film The Wind Rises. The book was translated by Schodt and Cary. It was released in a 462-page paperback on March 16, 2021, and a 456-page ebook on March 16, 2021. Sight and Sounds Andrew Osmond found the book "illuminating" but "exasperatingly disorganised" and its chapters repetitious. Anime News Networks Rebecca Silverman similarly considered the book repetitious and some of Miyazaki's opinions "uncomfortable ... for western readers" but praised the insight into his works, particularly the revelations about Princess Mononoke.
Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation is a 1999 biography of Miyazaki written by British author Helen McCarthy. The first English-language book devoted to Miyazaki, the 240-page paperback was published by Stone Bridge Press in September 1999, alongside the North American release of Princess Mononoke the following month. The book features eight pages of color illustrations and 60 black-and-white images, as well as character sketches and story synopses. It explores Miyazaki's childhood and early career, and the Japanese myths that inspired his works, focusing on the films' narrative and artistic qualities. A special edition version was published in the United Kingdom by Optimum Releasing alongside the DVD release of Princess Mononoke, but later withdrawn due to licensing issues.
After watching My Neighbor Totoro in 1989, McCarthy began pitching a book about the director to British publishers but felt they were uninterested in a biography about "a single Asian cartoon director only geeks had heard of". Around 1997, animator Jeffrey J. Varab encouraged McCarthy to approach American publishers; she pitched the book to Peter Goodman of Stone Bridge, who accepted. In researching the book, McCarthy visited Studio Ghibli's offices and interviewed several employees, including Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, over two days in January 1999. The book sold 10,000 copies within two months—a record for Stone Bridge—prompting a reprint in December.
The book was called "a very handsome tribute to Miyazaki and his work" by The Japan Timess Donald Richie, and "a real find" by San Francisco Chronicles Peter Stack, who praised McCarthy's love of Miyazaki's work as "infectious" and her prose as "insightful and at times lovely". SF Sites Lisa DuMond lauded McCarthy's research and writing style, declaring her an authority on Miyazaki and his works. Midnight Eyes Tom Mes described McCarthy's writing style as "neither too highbrow nor too populist" and felt the book would "remain the seminal publication in the study of the animator's work". In 2021, McCarthy said she was more likely to write a sequel book about Miyazaki's later career than update the original.
The Animé Art of Hayao Miyazaki is a 2006 book by British writer Dani Cavallaro. The book explores Miyazaki's career from his early manga work up to Howl's Moving Castle. The book, intended as "an introduction for audiences ... marginally familiar with Miyazaki's oeuvre", explores his work in the context of other animation and manga works, analyses his films and their blend of traditional and cel-shaded animation, and discusses their collaborative elements and his relationship with Disney. Cavallaro discusses the appeal of Miyazaki's films to Western audiences, and highlights the work of other Studio Ghibli directors, such as Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and The Cat Returns (2002).
The 204-page paperback book was published by McFarland & Co. in 2006, alongside the home media release of Howl's Moving Castle in the United States. Choices R. D. Sears lauded Cavallaro's research as "thorough and painstaking" for its development of context, history, and nuances, though found her writing occasionally "ponderous" and the illustrations "inadequate". California Bookwatch described it as "an excellent scholarly analysis" of Miyazaki's work, and Anime.coms Brian Cirulnick called it "an excellent book and a worthy addition to any anime fan's library". Cavallaro wrote two more books about Miyazaki, published by McFarland: The Late Works of Hayao Miyazaki: A Critical Study, 2004–2013 (2014), discussing his directorial and writing work on feature and short films; and Hayao Miyazaki's World Picture (2015), examining five themes in Miyazaki's works.
Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata is a 2009 book by Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc. The authors—a married writing duo—spent several months researching for the book and traveled to Japan, where they visited the Ghibli Museum and watched Ponyo before its Western release. The book's original draft was "twice as long as it should have been". Odell and Le Blanc aimed the book at a wider audience as opposed to purely academics. The 160-page paperback was published on March 26, 2009, by Kamera Books, with eight pages of colour images. Library Journals Terry Hong called the book "an excellent overview" of Studio Ghibli, and Film Irelands Michiko Yamada wrote it was "a must-have handbook for the Ghibli lover".
Miyazaki's Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences is a 2014 book by Eriko Ogihara-Schuck. The 240-page book was published by McFarland & Co. in paperback and ebook formats. It is split into four sections analysing the themes in Miyazaki's works and examines the reception of his films in Germany and North America. Ogihara-Schuck considers the regional perceptions of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, and the manner in which they were adapted to local audiences. The book evolved from Ogihara-Schuck's PhD dissertation and some chapters were previously published in other books in 2010 and 2011.
In the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Francisco J. López Rodríguez lauded Ogihara-Schuck's study of contemporary animism in understanding Miyazaki's work and religious dissemination in media, but found some of her claims unconvincing. ImageTexTs Michael Hale praised Ogihara-Schuck's writing and scholarship for being engaging and accessible while remaining primarily academic, noting that "fans of Miyazaki from all circles should give the work a chance". Conversely, All the Animes Andrew Osmond found most chapters "more myopic than enlightening", though found one particularly fascinating for readers interested in intercultural adaptation.
The Moral Narratives of Hayao Miyazaki is a 2016 book by Eric Reinders. Published by McFarland & Co., the 222-page book analyses themes, morals, and religious elements in Miyazaki's films. Greenberg called it "an interesting but flawed book", enjoying its deeper analysis of religion and mythology but criticizing Reinders's ignorance of the film's production context. ImageTexTs Kevin Cooley applauded the book's unique concept but found its execution flawed and felt Reinders's comparisons of Miyazaki and J. R. R. Tolkien were unclear.
Hayao Miyazaki: Exploring the Early Work of Japan's Greatest Animator is a 2018 book by Israeli writer Raz Greenberg. Its six chapters explore Miyazaki's early career from 1963 to 1985, including the artists and locations that inspired him. The book observes that Miyazaki's works evolved from optimism in the 1980s to darker narratives in the 1990s and 2000s. Greenberg was inspired to write the book as he felt Miyazaki's earlier works were largely unexplored. His work on the book was delayed by other projects, such as his PhD thesis. The 169-page book was published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing as part of its Animation: Key Films/Filmmakers series, alongside three other books about Princess Mononoke, Toy Story (1995), and animator Norman McLaren. Screens Malcolm Cook lauded Bloomberg's series for its contribution to animation studies.
Choices John A. Lent praised Greenberg's analysis of Miyazaki's works and descriptions of his inspirations, though felt the book's detailed synopses limited its analyses. Animations Marco Bellano praised the book's exploration of Miyazaki's largely undiscussed early work, providing context for his later films. He found Greenberg's personality made the book "accessible and pleasant to read" and felt it would be an appropriate tool in animation history studies. Writing for the International Institute for Asian Studies, Mari Nakamura called the book "a must-read" for those interested in Miyazaki, anime, and animation studies, but felt additional acknowledgement of primary and scholarly sources would have better contextualized Miyazaki's work. Strange Horizonss Ashley S. Moser applauded Greenberg's research but felt his writing was often unsupported, unexplained, and uncertain. All the Animes Andrew Osmond disagreed with several of Greenberg's points, such as his descriptions of characters and proclamation of Miyazaki's "influences" without sourcing the claims, and lamented the lack of analysis of Takahata's works.
Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art is a 2018 book by American writer Susan J. Napier. Its sixteen chapters explore Miyazaki's life and films: the first three chronologically discuss his early life and introduction to animation, and the following thirteen examine the impact of his life experiences on his work. Napier discusses themes such as environmentalism, nostalgia, and women empowerment, and frequently references Miyazaki's relationship with his mother, especially in relation to My Neighbor Totoro and The Wind Rises. The book is one of few to analyse his manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The title, Miyazakiworld, refers to "the immersive animated realm" of Miyazaki's films, asserting they exist within a single universe rooted in helpless experiences of Miyazaki's childhood and an agenda of environmentalism, family, and humanism. Napier argues Miyazaki is an auteur, despite skepticism from others that an animator cannot hold such a label. She discovered Miyazaki's work while writing a book about anime and felt a full study was overdue. Napier interviewed Miyazaki for the book in 2013. The 344-page hardcover and digital book was published by Yale University Press on September 4, 2018, and the paperback on November 19, 2019.
In The Journal of Japanese Studies, animation scholar Rayna Denison described Miyazakiworld as "a significant step forward in the nascent field of anime studies", praising Napier's expertise, writing style, and exploration of controversial elements of Miyazaki's works. Publishers Weekly lauded the balance of biography and analysis, calling the book "the labor of both a consummate scholar and an avid fan". CINEJ Cinema Journals Ayçin Ergin Akdaş felt Napier's development of ideas throughout each chapter made the book easier to read and recommended that it be incorporated into educational programs, and Shiro Yoshioka in The Journal of Asian Studies found Napier's avoidance of technical jargon made it approachable to general readers while maintaining academic depth, a sentiment echoed by other reviewers. Reactors Leah Schnelbach praised Napier's exploration on environmental and political themes, and her analysis of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle "as meta-commentaries on Studio Ghibli itself". Shane Healy of the Tokyo Weekender felt the work offered an informative view into Miyazaki's filmography akin to "taking a peek inside his head".
Hyperallergics Angelica Frey called the book "an essential work in anime scholarship especially in the West" but sought deeper discussion of Miyazaki's artistic influences. The University Bookmans Titus Techera commended Napier's thorough research but felt the book did not explain Miyazaki's reverence in Japan. The Washington Posts Mark Jenkins found some words overused and felt the book did not justify its argument of a "unified 'Miyazakiworld. Monumenta Nipponicas Mihaela Mihailova noted occasional contradictions in the book but otherwise lauded Napier's versatility and depth of research. In Science Fiction Studies, Jonathan Clements enjoyed Napier's nuance and balance of information and analysis but noted some discrepancies in her conclusions and incomprehensiveness in omitting Miyazaki's manga and television work. Times Literary Supplements Claire Kohda Hazelton commended the incorporation of archival interviews with Miyazaki, though she felt the omission of contextualizing his work's acceptances in the Western world was a "missed opportunity".
. Dani Cavallaro . The Animé Art of Hayao Miyazaki . . Jefferson . 2006 . 978-0-786-42369-9 . 2005035065 .
. Raz Greenberg . Hayao Miyazaki: Exploring the Early Work of Japan's Greatest Animator . . New York . Animation:Key Films/Filmmakers . 2018 . 978-1-501-33596-9 . 10.5040/9781501335976 .
. Helen McCarthy . Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation . . September 1999 . 1-880656-41-8 . 99043688 .
. Hayao Miyazaki . Shuppatsu Ten 1979-1996 . ja . . August 1996 . 978-4-198-60541-4 . none .
. Hayao Miyazaki . Orikaeshi Ten 1997–2008 . ja . . July 16, 2008 . 978-4-000-22394-2 . none .
. Susan J. Napier . Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art . . September 4, 2018 . 978-0-300-24096-2 .