I create women characters by watching the female staff at my
I create women characters by watching the female staff at my studio. Half the staff are women.
When Hayao Miyazaki declared, “I create women characters by watching the female staff at my studio. Half the staff are women,” he revealed the ancient craft of the storyteller: to draw truth from life itself. In his words is the humility of an artist who does not invent from emptiness but observes, listens, and reflects. His women characters are not fantasies or hollow archetypes, but living mirrors of the strength, humor, and quiet resilience he sees in those who surround him each day.
This practice recalls the wisdom of the ancients, who believed the poet was not a creator but a vessel, gathering the voices of the people and shaping them into song. Just as Homer drew upon the deeds of warriors and kings, Miyazaki draws upon the lives of women in his own circle—artists, colleagues, and dreamers whose daily struggles and triumphs breathe life into his heroines. Through this, he honors not only the art of observation, but the truth that great characters are born of lived humanity.
The power of this approach shines in his works. Characters like Nausicaä, Chihiro, and San are not defined by their beauty or by their relation to men, but by their courage, curiosity, and growth. They are the daughters of real women, woven into the fabric of fantasy. Their journeys remind us that to portray women truthfully is not to idealize or diminish them, but to recognize their humanity in all its complexity.
History offers echoes of this method. Shakespeare, too, is thought to have shaped characters like Viola, Lady Macbeth, and Rosalind by watching and listening to the women around him, giving voice to strength and wit often silenced in his society. Like Miyazaki, he captured something eternal: that the most compelling women characters are those drawn not from myth alone, but from the living essence of real women.
Thus, Miyazaki’s words carry a deeper lesson for all who create: greatness lies not in isolation, but in observation; not in invention from pride, but in reflection born of respect. To portray women with dignity, one must see them first as they are—complete, capable, and real. Let this wisdom endure: the artist who listens becomes the bridge between the world as it is and the world as it might be imagined, and in that act, art itself becomes truth.
UGUser Google
Miyazaki’s approach to creating female characters by observing his staff seems to highlight the importance of real-life experiences in storytelling. It’s a personal method, yet it brings up questions about the diversity of the female experience. How representative is this observation of all women? Does focusing on the staff at his studio potentially leave out voices and perspectives from different social classes, races, or life experiences? I think it would be interesting to see how he would create characters based on a wider range of women’s experiences.
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It’s interesting that Miyazaki uses his female staff as inspiration for his characters. This makes me think about how much of his storytelling is grounded in real-world interactions and relationships. However, I wonder if this is a conscious choice to represent women as strong, dynamic characters, or is it more about the personal dynamics he observes? Could it be that his characters reflect the working environment’s gender dynamics rather than a more universal representation of women?
BBaoNhu?
Miyazaki’s way of creating female characters through his observations of his staff is a unique approach, but it makes me wonder—how much of his portrayal can be generalized to all women? By focusing on a specific group of women in his studio, does he run the risk of limiting the diversity and breadth of female representation? What happens when the experiences of these women do not reflect the wider spectrum of women’s lives in different contexts or cultures?
CVQuang Cuong Vu
I find Miyazaki’s comment about creating women characters by watching his female staff both refreshing and intriguing. It feels like an acknowledgment of the complexity and richness of women’s roles in the workplace. But does this method truly capture the depth of female experiences outside of a professional setting? How much of the ‘realness’ of these characters is influenced by the specific work environment he’s describing? I’m curious about how much diversity in female experiences he can incorporate from such a limited scope.
BHboiz hehe
Hayao Miyazaki’s approach to creating female characters based on observing the women around him is fascinating. It suggests a deep connection to real-life experiences and personalities, which likely makes his characters more authentic. But it also raises a question—how much of his portrayal of women is influenced by his own cultural context? Are his female characters shaped solely by his staff, or does he draw from broader experiences of women in society? It would be interesting to see how this method differs from male-centered portrayals of women in other media.