Plenty of creative types seem to be big fans of Apple. In an interview with ANN, blogger/newly-minted anime producer Danny Choo referred to Apple's iPad as "revolutionary." Serial Experiments Lain designer Yoshitoshi ABe produced a video of himself drawing on the device. But Hayao Miyazaki? Not so much.

Fans of Miyazaki know that he's old-fashioned. His works at Studio Ghibli feature charming hand-drawn animation, not the slick CG most animation companies are releasing these days. At least as recently as 2008, he said didn't even own a computer. But his comments on the iPad border on the impressively risqué for the creator of films like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo. In a recent interview, Miyazaki compared the iPad gestures to masturbation, and called the device "disgusting."

Harsh words indeed.


Pity The Girl Who Leapt Through Time couldn't send HIM back in time....

I don't own an iPad as I do find something romantic and superior with paper. But cmon...forget wishing not to be adult or human. The guy thinks he's better than everyone, now.

I'm beginning to think Miyazaki is weeping tears of cozened indigo and had lemon juice up his eyes. And when he pissed on our black kettles, he must have been high. At the very least he's eyeball deep in muddy waters, flocking hypocrite.

Prediction - Goro Miyazaki makes another movie. In the opening minute, a character murders his father with an iPad.

Miyazaki successfully turned into a bitter old man sometime back in the 80's, when things irreversibly streaked away from the apparent golden era of Japan in the 50's. It isn't even fair to describe him as a man of his generation, because that is selling his generation way short. He's an emotionally barren obsessive unable to see (or understand) the world beyond his eyelids, and unable, even to see that his own glory days are well behind him. It is almost a decade since he has been involved with a project that could be vaguely described as competent, and pretty much everything that now emanates from him smacks of sniping desperation.... especially for the attention he, narcissistically, believes is his by right.

The trouble is there are people who still listen to him. What do they say about feeding trolls?

The bigger trouble is people buy his latest titles more than his best titles. Writes a war into Howl's Moving Castle. World still loves it. Goes pure kiddie with Ponyo. World loves him even more. I'm almost wondering whether he's trying to create an army of kids to overthrow adults. Only question is whether they would go the wat of Lord of the Flies or Grave of the Fireflies?