I’m also confused, does he not like his own son?

He was a self-described absentee father, stated that being around his son made him anxious, dissuaded Goro from getting into animation, and was critical and generally unsupportive of the three films that Goro directed.

Goro even stated that he only got to know his father through his films since Hayao was never around.

Goro was raised by his mother, who quit pursuing her dream of working as an animator in order to raise him.

Goros films to be fair were pretty bad. Tales from the earth sea in particular is shockingly bad.

Kokuriko-zaka Kara was really good though. Better than Miyazaki's earlier work (Sherlock Hound, Conan, Lupin). I find them very simple and mediocre compared to anything of that time or even 60's anime like 009.

I liked it, as a huge Le Guin fan. It wasn't quite Ghibli level, but it wasn't that far off. It got the heart right, and it was a lot better than the average movie imo.

Adapting books to film is really, really hard, as is animating, and directing, etc.

Le Guin was critical of the movie, for valid reasons, but I don't think she hated it. Which, being fair, is an accomplishment.

From Up on Poppy Hill is actually my favorite. But I haven't seen his others.

That one was still (co-)written by Hayao, and the writing / story composition is definitely what makes that film so strong.

I didn’t really have issues with it. It certainly wasn’t stellar, but at least solidly average.

> does he not like his own son?

in what way is it any of our business?

in what way what a father does or doesn't leave to his son can be used to determine how much he loves or doesn't love him?

Goro is a 56 years old man, he's beyond middle age, he lived more than half of his life already, why are you treating him like a small defenseless child?

You seem a little too close to this haha. I know nothing of their history I’m just asking a simple innocent question. Yes I think it would be odd for someone to not like their own son.

a lot of people do not understand how the Japanese culture works and they assume that helicopter parents are the best of the best, but it's just US distorted parenting percolating, it has nothing to do with what's right or wrong.

If I created something and I wanted that thing to die with me, the love for my children wouldn't in any way stop me.

Legacy and honor are much more important than nepotism for some.

Also, he's saving Goro from being "the son of Miyazaki that was never good as the father" forever.

He's Goro. He's a different person. He made his own choices regardless of who the father is and owes him nothing.

That's a gift if you ask me.

And then there's the story of Jiro, the Japanese sushi maker that was so highly praised, but it turned out that it was his oldest son that was actually making the sushi.

Anecdotes of 1 are meaningless other than fun stories to share.

That's a good one.

I've never been a Jiro fan though, there are many sushi makers in japan that can be considered artists in their craft, but their cultural impact is mehh at best.

Studio Ghibli, both Miyazaki and Takahata, on the other hand...

I guess? There was a time where Jiro's restaurant was booked months in advance (as many uber famous locations can be), and had people traveling internationally just to eat there. That's a pretty big cultural impact whether it's your cup of tea or not. There's other people that shrug their shoulders at the Studio Ghibli content. I recognize their work as being very good, but I'm not a "fan". It's not my cup of tea, but I'm not going to claim it as being meh at best. I can recognize talent even if I don't like it.

I understand your point and I do not disagree.

What I meant is that sushi is still something that we consider a Japanese thing, we know that masters of sushi are Japanese, Jiro being famous only reinforced that notion.

On the other hand Studio Ghibli forced the western industry of animation to recognize their greateness, we awarded them prizes, and now in the west we make products that look and feel like anime and manga. We do not think of Japanese animation of "something for kids", we treat them like Disney.

Comic conventions are full of cosplayers dressed as manga/anime heroes.

Youngsters make meme based on manga, American studios make live actions and animation shows of anime and manga.

It's been a complete game changer, either we like it or not.

the double-edged sword is the relief of not having to run the studio, but the disappointment that you don't meet your father's expectations