Helen McCarthy, who wrote the first books in English on anime and on Studio Ghibli’s co-founding director Hayao Miyazaki, is heading to The Glee in Cardiff later this month, to give a “Seed Talk” about the world-renowned Japanese film makers.
There can’t be many people with Internet access who haven’t heard the name of Studio Ghibli. It’s one of the most famous film studios on the planet, producing classics like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke. Both Princess Mononoke and the studio’s perennial favourite My Neighbour Totoro have been transformed into stage shows. Concerts of their magical film scores draw huge crowds.
But as Seed Talks: The Art History of Studio Ghibli reveals, there’s a lot more to Studio Ghibli than just movies. Its art is driven by inspiration from Japanese and Western art, by energies from the streets of Japan and by the mystical qualities of its traditions and its wild places.
Helen McCarthy, who wrote the first books in English on anime and on Studio Ghibli’s co-founding director Hayao Miyazaki, will take you on a journey through the studio’s history and inspiration on Tuesday 28th January 2025, with time and space to appreciate selected artworks and a list of sources – books, websites and places to visit – if you want to explore further.
Helen is a writer, presenter and independent scholar who was introduced to anime in 1981 and has been researching and writing about Japanese popular culture since 1981. After a decade hearing that there was “no interest in that sort of thing” she founded a magazine, Anime UK, to disprove the claim. Her first book was published just over a year later, and she’s been writing about anime, manga and Japan ever since. Her work has been translated into Chinese, French, Italian and Korean.
Helen has spoken at universities, cultural institutions and of course anime conventions across America, Asia and Europe, from the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution to Akita International University and the Japan Foundation in London and Kuala Lumpur. Her works include The Anime Encyclopedia, with Jonathan Clements, widely recognised as a seminal text for the study of anime, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, and Leiji Matsumoto: Essays on the Manga and Anime Legend.
In 2010, she won a Harvey Award – the Oscars of the comics world – for her tenth book, The Art of Osamu Tezuka. The book was also nominated for an Eisner Award. Helen’s other awards include a Japan Foundation Award for furthering understanding of Japanese culture in the United Kingdom, and a Society of Authors/Sasakawa Foundation award.
She designs needlework, which led to the creation of Manga Cross-Stitch, a book for those who want to use the energy of Japanese popular culture in their own embroidery. Combining a basic cross stitch course and a potted history of manga with a toolkit for designers and a wealth of fresh, enjoyable, easy-to-stitch charts, it has been welcomed by a host of stitchers.
She also writes poetry and tweets haiku and random nonsense daily. In her spare time, she studies and re-creates historic clothing and costume. She lives in London with an artist and a universe of toys.
Seed Talks was founded in London in late 2021, an independent events company dedicated to sharing interesting and worthwhile knowledge around the areas of Science, Psychedelics, Wellness, Philosophy, Psychology and Neuroscience.
They arrange events across the UK and online, speakers carefully selected and vetted by a team with over five years of experience in public education. f you live in a place we haven’t visited yet, get in touch with them, and they will try to bring their events to you.
• Seed Talks: The Art History of Studio Ghibli, with author Helen McCarthy 7.30pm Glee Club Cardiff, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BZ | Doors open at 6.30pm (Last Entry is 7.00pm) | Book Tickets
• Seed Talks is online at seedtalks.co.uk
• Helen McCarthy is online at helenmccarthy.wordpress.com
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Animation, downthetubes News, Events, Film, Other Worlds
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