Miyazaki’s Castle Crumbles

June 13, 2005 D. H. McKee

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Similar to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle is a sumptuously illustrated fairy tale with a pro-environment and anti-war slant, though unlike those modern classics, the anime titan’s latest effort suffers from a narrative confusion that bogs down its initially effervescent spirit.
A gloriously animated fantasia blessed by familiar Miyazaki hallmarks — vibrant, ethereal artwork; whimsical creatures; a rural world in which mysticism and technology happily coexist — the film (being released in both subtitled and dubbed versions, the latter of which I saw) has a light aura of juvenile romanticism and a manic, tangible physicality that stands head and shoulders above anything previously crafted by the maestros at Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli (including Katsuhiro Otomo’s recent Steamboy).
Wired News: Miyazaki’s Castle Crumbles

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As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.