第二篇:46、49-50 題為單選題;47-48 題為複選題)
Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿) is by far Japan’s most famous animator—in fact, he’s one of the country’s most
recognizable living people. Animators and live-action filmmakers around the world acknowledge his influence. His talents
have even been described by fans as “godlike.”
Miyazaki’s last film in the Showa (昭和) Era had been 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro. These days, it’s considered a
classic, but the film had underperformed at the box office—as had the director’s previous film, 1986’s Castle in the Sky.
Without a hit, it was unclear whether Ghibli, the animation studio that Miyazaki had co-founded just a few years earlier,
would survive. But seven months after Emperor Akihito’s ascent, a young woman on a broom swept in to save the day.
Kiki’s Delivery Service, Miyazaki’s adaptation of a novel about a witch who leaves home for the big city and learns how to
be independent, was a massive hit, ultimately becoming Japan’s highest-grossing film of 1989. Since then, all of the
director’s films — including Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Ponyo (2008) and The Wind Rises
(2013)—have seen enormous critical and financial success, transforming Miyazaki into one of the country’s most
celebrated directors in any medium, both at home and abroad.
While Miyazaki became one of Japan’s most celebrated figures in the Heisei (平成) Era, many of the director’s
signature themes came out of his experiences in the Showa Era. Miyazaki was born in 1941, just months before Japan and
the United States went to war. His father and uncle owned a factory that produced parts used in Mitsubishi’s A6M Zero
fighter planes, giving the family a relatively high standard of living even as the country began to ration food and other
resources. One incident from this period had an especially profound impact on the director. As the Miyazaki family was
fleeing the American firebombing of the capital in their car— another sign of their privilege—a mother holding a baby
begged to be let on. Miyazaki’s father and uncle said, “No, we don’t have enough room,” and drove off. Miyazaki kept
thinking about this, saying to himself, “I should’ve told my father to stop. Why didn’t I? They could have helped.” This
incident marked the instant many of Miyazaki’s main characters—children who have the moral high ground, children who
are mature, thoughtful and highly resilient—were born.
【題組】49. Which of the following is NOT true?
(A) Miyazaki had many successful films in the Heisei Era.
(B) Miyazaki is famous both in Japan and abroad.
(C) Miyazaki became famous before Japan went to war with the United States.
(D) Ghibli was founded in the Showa Era.