I grew up with Disney. You probably did too. And if you did, then you’re familiar with the drill: be cute, sing about your dreams, suffer a bit, then BAM, true love’s kiss and happily ever after. I mean, Ariel basically sacrificed her voice for a guy she saw once. Just once! Cinderella? She got a makeover, danced for three hours, and now she’s a queen. Belle fell in love with a furry guy with anger issues.
Look, I’m not saying Disney didn’t give us bangers (I still cry at Reflection), but let’s get real, those fairy tales pretty much taught us that life begins when some guy says, “Hey, you’re really special.” Then I stumbled into the world of Studio Ghibli. And guess what? It was like someone turned the lights on in my brain.
In Studio Ghibli films, romance exists, but it’s never the focus, like Disney films
Studio Ghibli movies don’t pretend romance doesn’t exist; it’s certainly there. You’ll see those little glances, adorable moments, and some scenes that simply make you go ‘awww.’ But the best part is, it’s never the focus. It’s just there. Like the seasoning, not the whole meal.
Take Kiki’s Delivery Service for example. Our girl Kiki is 13, she’s got a talking cat, and she travels to a new city to open up her flying delivery service. For real, that’s already more ambitious than most people I know. Yes, there’s Tombo, the bicycle nerd who’s totally into her. But does Kiki drop everything to flirt with him? No way!
She’s too busy struggling with homesickness, burnout, and that completely terrifying realization that being an adult is hard. Their friendship just evolves naturally, and it’s actually really sweet, but it never falls into that classic ‘will they, won’t they’ thing. The movie ends with Kiki flying again, and not kissing anyone, and honestly, that’s just perfect.
Even Howl’s Moving Castle, which is sorta romantic, doesn’t shove a love story in your face. Sophie doesn’t get magically fixed by Howl’s love. She’s the one fixing herself. She literally breaks her own curse with sheer willpower and self-worth. And Howl? He’s just along for the ride, chaotic and fabulous, but never the center of her story. Their relationship feels more like an equal partnership than a fairytale happy ending.
Who needs a prince when you have purpose?
Here’s where Studio Ghibli goes full rebel mode: its female characters are allowed to exist just for themselves. They’re not sitting around waiting to be rescued. They’re not trying to impress some guy. They’re exploring forests, riding giant wolves, surviving magical bathhouses, and flying on broomsticks. They’re angry, messy, brave, scared, weird, and all of that is okay.
Just like Nausicaä, she’s out fighting to save the world, negotiating with giant bugs, and putting her life on the line for peace. Not once does she pause to fall in love. And then San from Princess Mononoke, she’s literally raised by wolves and ready to bite your face off if you threaten the forest.
Her connection with Ashitaka is intense, no doubt, but she doesn’t become someone else for him. She doesn’t even go back to town. She stays wild and fierce, just as we met her. Studio Ghibli female characters don’t soften for love. They expand for themselves.
Comment
byu/ConsiderationOk2591 from discussion
inghibli
You know what’s awesome? Stories that don’t end in romance. Stories that say, “Hey, you don’t need somebody to love you in order to be valuable.” Studio Ghibli films have a lot of characters, especially female characters, who are trying to find their place in the world. Not someone to complete them. Not someone to sweep them off their feet. Just themselves.
And you know what? That hit me hard. Because for so long, I used to think the biggest thing ever would be that someone would fall in love with me, like that was the biggest thing. But then Ghibli put her arm around me and said, “What if the real big deal is that you fall in love with your life? With your work? With who you’re becoming?” And suddenly, I wasn’t waiting around anymore.
While Disney said, “One day your prince will come,” Ghibli literally said, “You already have a broom, now go.” And that’s what makes it so powerful. Studio Ghibli movies never scream feminism or freedom in your face. There are no big speeches or epic monologues about girl power. They just show girls being real. Messing up. Figuring stuff out. Saving themselves. And that quiet kind of rebellion? It really sticks with you.
So yeah, I’ll always have a soft spot for singing crabs and ball gowns. But give me a girl in a black dress, flying through the sky, rediscovering her magic after a mental breakdown over losing her spark? That’s the kinda story I was looking for. And maybe, it’s the kind of story we all need.
Most of the Studio Ghibli films are currently available to watch on major streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
