The Forest Spirit

My Neighbor Totoro

6 May 2015 | From Lucia of Spain

POSTCROSSING SWAP (INSTAGRAM) | POSTCARD SENT FROM SPAIN

My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood. It is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. It tells the story of the two young daughters (Satsuki and Mei) of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.

'My Neighbor Totoro' has become one of the most beloved of all family films, and the film's central character, Totoro, is as famous among Japanese children as Winnie-the-Pooh is among British ones. They have become such Japanese cultural icons.

Miyazaki has said that Totoro is "not a spirit: he's only an animal. I believe he lives on acorns. He's supposedly the forest keeper, but that's only a half-baked idea, a rough approximation.

Monster Princess

 

The Princess Mononoke

11 Feb 2015 | From Mina of Japan

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Princess Mononoke is a landmark in the world of animation. With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, it is a beautifully realized tale of civilization versus nature. Princess Mononoke is a 1997 anime epic action historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was animated by Studio Ghibli and produced by Toshio Suzuki.

Set in the late Muromachi period, Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown, and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it. Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime. The term "Mononoke" is not a name, but a Japanese word for a spirit or monster.

A central theme of Princess Mononoke is the environment. The film centers on the adventure of Ashitaka as he journeys to the west to undo a fatal curse inflicted upon him by Nago, a boar turned into a demon by Eboshi. Two other themes found in the plot of Princess Mononoke are sexuality and disability. The disabled and gendered sexual bodies were partially used as a transition from the feudal era to a hegemony that "embraces modern social systems, such as industrialization, gendered division of labor, institutionalization of people with diseases, and militarization of men and women. A potential theme could be that of lost innocence. Miyazaki attributes this to his experience of making his previous film, Porco Rosso, and the wars in the former Yugoslavia, which he cites as an example of mankind never learning, making it difficult for him to go back to making a film such as Kiki's Delivery Service, where he has been quoted as saying "It felt like children were being born to this world without being blessed. How could we pretend to them that we're happy?

Criminal Shinobis

The Akatsuki

7 Jan 2015 | From Wei Yi of Malaysia

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Akatsuki is an organization of criminal ninja that serves as the primary antagonistic force of the second part of the Naruto series. It was founded by Yahiko, Nagato and Konan under instruction from Obito Uchiha.

Akatsuki seeks to capture the Bijuu and their hosts the "Jinchuuriki," meaning the power of human sacrifice. These are the individuals possessing bijuu (tailed beasts) within their bodies. Akatsuki's current base of operation is unknown, however they have multiple bases to which they can travel. These bases are used to summon the gigantic King of Hell statue known as Gedou Mazou. The statue's mouth is bound and his hands are cuffed. Each respective finger of the statue's hand represents the Akatsuki member. 

The members have the ability to project their presence to their base, this allows them to remain out and about and still conduct the business of Jinchuuriki demon extraction. Akatsuki's ultimate goal is to control the world. This would be accomplished through capturing and sealing away the Bijuu into the Gedou Mazou statue.

The Akatsuki members shown in the postcard are Kakuzu, Tobi, Deidara, and Hidan. 

Hidan (former member - neutralized) hails from Hot Springs village. He and his partner Kakuzu were responsible for acquiring the Two-Tailed Jinchuuriki. Hidan practices an evil god cult religion named Jashin. This religion loves chaos and death, and Hidan himself is near immortal due to the Kinjutsu used on him by Jashin.

Kakuzu is a missing-nin from Hidden Waterfall. He was a bounty hunter who often got sidetracked on bounty hunts. His body was stitched together by strange tendrils which he used to rip out the hearts of his opponents and then insert into his own body. This granted him their elemental affinities in the form of masked tendril entities.

Deidara and Tobi share a very strained relationship. Always eager to impress his new teammates, Tobi was prone to excitement. This often annoyed Deidara who tried to do his best to show Tobi what it meant to be an Akatsuki member. Tobi was assigned to capture the Sanbi. Though he boasted that he took out the beast himself, he was helped in his assignment by Deidara. Deidara was unaware of Tobi's true nature during their time together.

A postcard from Ghibli Museum in Mitaka

The Spirit Realm

4 Oct 2014 | From Eriko of Japan

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

The postcard seemed vaguely familiar until I realized it is a setting from the movie Spirited Away. The Spirit Realm or the Spirit World is the main setting for this Japanese animated film. It is home to The Bathhouse owned by Yubaba and Zeniba's Cottage, two of the film's core locations. The Spirit Realm is largely similar and directly linked to the Human World. Like the Human World the Spirit Realm is quite large in size, with most of its revealed locations covered in a vast amount of water.

Spirited Away is of my Ghible favourites. It  tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

This postcard was from the Ghibli Museum, a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine arts museum, and is dedicated to the art and technique of animation.

Scene from the movie 'Spirited Away'

Sources: SpiritedAway, Wikipedia

An explosive threat

 

Deidara

23 Apr 2014 | From Wei-yi of Malaysia

POSTCROSSING FRIEND (FACEBOOK) | POSTCARD SENT FROM MALAYSIA

Akatsuki (literally meaning "Dawn" or "Daybreak") was initially an organisation created by Yahiko and his two comrades Konan and Nagato in an effort to fight against the tyranny and oppression that their home village Amegakure was facing during the Third Great Shinobi War, and the long-term goal of world peace.

After Yahiko's death and under the influence of Obito Uchiha, Akatsuki became a criminal organisation comprising S-rank missing-nin and is the most wanted group in all of the shinobi world.

Deidara was recruited to replace Orochimaru as Sasori's partner, but because Orochimaru took his Akatsuki ring with him he could not replace Orochimaru's position. Deidara possessed the Explosion Release kekkei genkai. This allowed him — by simultaneously using two (currently unknown) chakra natures — to give his chakra explosive qualities. Deidara also possessed special mouths in the palms of his hands and on the left side of his chest as a result of stealing and using a powerful kinjutsu from his village on himself.

Source: Naruto Wikia

Mo's third letter

Academics in China

14 Mar 2014 | From Mo of China

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Here's another letter and postcard from Mo. He mostly wrote about his school life and the academic ethics in his country. He shared that many Chinese students are depicted to be too serious with their studies - to which he affirms. He wrote that most of his school mates are lacking social life, doesn't do sports, and are always in front of a book. He added that he don't want to be like that so he maintains balance between school and his social life.

Mo's second letter

Grafitti-splashed

8 Feb 2014 | From Mo of China

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Mo may have learned that I love anime, and sent me this postcard along with his letter :) It is actually a huge postcard - almost as large as the envelope. I have always wanted to learn how to draw grafitti art, but my drawing skills is kinda limited.

Mo wrote almost 70% of his letter in Chinese - haha! It took me almost a week to be able to translate it - of course with the help of a friend who speaks Chinese. Then I realized I should have just asked Mo directly about the letter :|

Comics Fan Culture

 

Concept Art from Viki Lee

21 Nov, 2014 | From Moa of Taiwan

FACEBOOK SWAP

I saw this postcard posted for swap in the Facebook Postcrossing wall. And I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. So I was really happy when Moa agreed to do the swap with me. The postcard design appeals to me, and I find it interesting. Maybe because I love anime, fiction, the occult, and the supernatural. I would always incorporate myself in these stories and situations, making me escape reality, be a part of their weaved world, and live within my subconscious. Sometimes I get too engrossed that I start to feel the characters' emotions. And that feeling will go on for days and weeks.

World's best pirates

One Piece

25 Oct 2013 | From Kotomi of Japan

FACEBOOK SWAP

One Piece (ワンピース) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 73rd volume released as of March 2014. One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy whose body gains the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit, and his diverse crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy explores the ocean in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as One Piece in order to become the next Pirate King.

The chapters have been adapted into an original video animation (OVA) produced by Production I.G in 1998, and an anime series produced by Toei Animation, which began broadcasting in Japan in 1999. Since then, the still ongoing series has aired over 600 episodes. Additionally, Toei has developed eleven animated feature films, two OVA's, and five television specials. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising such as a trading card game, and a large number of video games.

100 Years of Doraemon

100 Years before the birth of Doraemon

19 Jul 2013 | From Yuting of Taiwan

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING | POSTCARD SENT FROM TAIWAN

Doraemon is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko Fujio, which later became an anime series and an Asian franchise. The series is about a robotic cat named Doraemon, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a pre-teen boy called Nobita Nobi. 

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke | by Hayao Miyazaki

30 May 2013 | From Akubi of Hong Kong

POSTCROSSING FRIEND | POSTCARD SENT FROM HONG KONG

Here's another postcard which shows one of Miyazaki's most famous masterpieces: Princess Mononoke.

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 anime epic historical fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was animated by Studio Ghibli.

Princess Mononoke is a period drama set in the late Muromachi period of ancient Japan, but with fantasy elements. The story follows the young Emishi warrior Ashitaka's involvement in the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources. The term "Mononoke" is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster; a closer rendering of the title into English would be "The Mononoke Princess" or "The Spirit Princess".

Castle in the Sky

Laputa: Castle in the Sky | 天空の城ラピュタ (Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta)

29 Apr 2013 | From Akubi of Hong Kong

POSTCROSSING FRIEND | POSTCARD SENT FROM HONG KONG

This is my third postcard from Akubi, my penfriend in Hong Kong. He wrote that he bought this postcard a long time ago for no reason at all, and has accompanied him for a decade. He added that he always stick beautiful postcards on the front cover of all his textbooks.

Castle in the Sky is a 1986 animated adventure feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is the first film produced and released by Studio Ghibli. The film was distributed by Toei Kabushiki Kaisha. Laputa: Castle in the Sky won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986.

One of my favourite anime series

Honey and Clover

4 Mar 2013 | From Sayuri-san of Japan

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Honey and Clover is one of my favourite anime series. I first watched it when I was about to graduate from college (and yeah, I still watch anime until now). I can somehow relate to the life struggles of the characters.

Honey and Clover (ハチミツとクローバー Hachimitsu to Kurōbā) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chika Umino. It is also known as HachiKuro (ハチクロ) and H&C. The series depicts the lives and relationships of a group of art school students who live in the same apartment building.

The series was adapted as an animated television series, a live-action movie, and live-action television dramas.