Hayao Miyazaki's Animation Tragedy Consciousness Research

Hayao Miyazaki is a famous Japanese animation director, animator and cartoonist, he has irreplaceable position in the global animation industry, Disney called "as well-known as Kurosawa" in animation industry. He is based on Japanese traditional culture, has the whole world in view, and pays attention to the survival and development of all kinds of life, which made his works with deep thought and important significance. Much research has been done on Hayao Miyazaki and his animation, contains from theme of the animation, animation role, artistic features, the enlightenment significance to Chinese animation as well as the Japanese traditional culture in Miyazaki Animation and other aspects have been fairly detailed. However, the exploration of the tragic consciousness is still relatively less. The Japanese is a nation with a strong awareness of the tragedy, so it is of important significance to explore the tragic consciousness of Hayao Miyazaki’s animation. Some researchers have explored Japanese tragedy awareness, which is mostly limited to "death" into this category. This paper will use Japanese aesthetic to explain in the broadest sense of tragic consciousness of Hayao Miyazaki’s animation; including animation reflects the homesickness, death and loneliness.As we all know, Sakura, Bushido and Mount Fuji are symbols of the Japanese culture."Sakura" represents the Japanese natural aesthetic ideas as well as the understanding of the relationship between the human and nature;"Bushido" represents the noble beliefs and the concept of life and death which deeply presents in the Japanese national consciousness;"Mount Fuji" is more like the unification of the two, it is the highest mountain in Japan. The top of the mountain is covered with snow all the year round, which represents the Japanese enjoy the natural scenery with pure, indifferent and elegant aesthetic characteristics; it is a majestic unattainable active volcano, represents the Japanese "quiet passion and militant tranquil" national character. A large number of Japanese literary works have praised the Fuji Mountain; it is not only expressed respect for the nature, but also an appreciation for life--this lonely existence. In Hayao Miyazaki’s animation, there is filled with tragic consciousness: humans are homesickness because of the lost of the nature, noble concept of life and death, and have to walk alone on life journey in the growth experience. These situations and roles has a hint of sadness, reflects the tragic consciousness of Japanese.This paper explores the tragic consciousness based on "homesickness","death","lonely" as the three main lines in Hayao Miyazaki’s animation.Analysis the tragic consciousness in Hayao Miyazaki’s animation thus have deeply understanding of Japanese culture in the aesthetic sense, understand some important concepts in Japanese aesthetics, such as forest culture, marine culture, sorrow, deserted, death, tragic consciousness and so on. Through the analysis of Hayao Miyazaki’s animation of characters, plot, theme and so on to provide a relatively new perspective from "homesickness","death" and "loneliness" three aspects which reveal the sense of tragedy in the animations and the tragedy of the Japanese aesthetic consciousness.The first chapter is Sakura:the lost of the natural home-homesickness, mankind has had to look for the most original spiritual home because natural home has been forgot; human beings are showing a "stray" or "fly" state. In this chapter, select forests, oceans and the earth these three natural homes of the Japanese nation to elaborate animation. Form the antagonistic relationship between nature and human reflects the sense of homesickness in the human mind because the spiritual home has been lost and human beings have to wander. The second chapter is Bushido:noble faith in life-death, to investigate the influence of bushido spirit of belief in life and death idea, with analysis of animation roles and the plot of the tragedy consciousness, reveals the unique view of death of Japanese. The third chapter is Mount Fuji: the existence of life-the empty loneliness. This lonely mood in Miyazaki animation is generated by social background and psychological. Analysis animation roles and analysis Hayao Miyazaki’s life experience to elaborate loneliness. Loneliness is the contents of life. To have courage to face and undertake to complete life is a lonely life. The three aspects are embodied in Miyazaki’s animation, which filled with a touch of tragedy consciousness.