Hayao Miyazaki, the 72-year-old Japanese master of fantasy animation  , one of the most respected animation directors in the world, announced his retirement on September 6, after the recent release of his new film The Wind Rises. Miyazaki's vision  has remained unique throughout his many films over the past thirty years. The worlds he creates--the valley of the wind, the castle in the sky, and so many--are so special, so attractive. Here are some key words about his films. Good and evil   Miyazaki rarely tells stories in simple good and evil. The worlds he creates tend to be complex   and unclear. The bad figures often don't seem so bad once you get to know them. Miyazaki has explained that the lack of clear good and evil is because he sees the 21st century as complex time, in which old ideas need to be re-examined, even in children's films. Children The heroes in Miyazaki's films are usually children or teens, more often young girls. Sometimes they can see the spirit world; they are curious and friendly, even to strange creatures. The stories often deal with growing up. Sky and water Two of Miyazaki's great loves are the sky and water, and he uses them in related ways. Flight is a forever theme--Miyazaki has never done a film without flying of some kind. His imagination seems to fly and leave behind the pull of gravity  , a force and control that he feels a bound   from setting him free. Water is another way for Miyazaki to fight gravity. In his films he likes the unexpected floods with crystal-clear water, and objects floating on the surface seem to be supported by magic. Peace Miyazaki's negative view of the war goes far more than surface deep. Violence is usually seen as wrong and painful, and Miyazaki's heroes are often peacemakers. What can we know about good and evil from Miyazaki's films?
The complex time tends to turn good into evil. He uses his films to show good finally defeats evil. The figures cannot be simply judged as good or evil. Children should learn to clearly tell good from evil.