Miyazaki's birds

The Boy and the Heron is probably Miyazaki's strangest movie. Which is saying a lot. I think it was common for people to walk out of the theater, wondering what the heck had just happened. I was one of those people. 

But as I learned more about the film, I grew to appreciate it more. 

Through all the strangeness, at it's core is a boy who's hurting from the loss of his mother, and is growing up during a terrible war.

The movie's not as random as it seems. Many of the events in the film are based off of things that happened in Mikazaki's life. And the characters represent family, and people he's worked with. (I want to know so much more about how the heron represents Suzuki-san).

The heron, even in his normal bird form, is a bit unsettling to look at. It's largely because of his initial behavior, but the eyes aren't normal bird eyes either. Though he can be pretty. Especially when his beak is newly repaired, and he's thrilled to be back in his bird form. 

I saw gray herons in Japan, and had some beautiful views of them. Stalking the ponds in front of the Gold Pavilion Temple. And standing in the river at night, street lights reflecting off of the water. One eye glows (which is very Miyazaki-esque).

We have blue herons where I live. I once saw one swallow a big rat, though it wasn't as big as the fish the heron eats.

I also want to know what the other birds represent. It feels like Miyazaki really wanted to draw birds. Huge packs of them. The pelicans can be quite pretty (considering what an oddly shaped bird they are). I've handled pelicans before, at the rescue center. I've held them while they were fed, and it's like holding a dinosaur. It was awesome. But one of the staff there got nailed by a pelican. That hook on their beak left a red gash down his face. So, don't mess with pelicans. 

The parakeets aren't particularly pretty. They're also the most dangerous birds in the movie. 

I saw the movie first in Japanese. When I saw the English version, I was thrilled to recognize some of my favorite characters. Kipo is Himi. Wade is one of the Parakeets. Scarlemagne is another parakeet, but that guy is good at disguising his voice, so I need to listen again and see if I can figure out who he plays. 

And that first scene with the fire is stunning, and haunting. 

There's a scene where Mahito has to cut open a giant fish, and all the guts spill out. I thought that was nasty the first time I saw the movie. Then I went to the class in New Jersey, and gutted a fish for the first time. And I did such a horrible job, I felt just like Mahito must have. Experts make it look easy to gut a fish. I think they're must be cheating somehow. Because I could not get the insides out of that poor fish. I had organs bursting in my hands, until there was blood up to my wrists and my hands were too slippery to grip. Some parts just wouldn't come out, and I ended up having to saw them loose. No one else was having the trouble I was having, so I don't know what the heck I was doing wrong. But the next time I saw The Boy and the Heron, I was laughing at the fish scene because I could relate.