Interesting mix of responses here. I think it’s not a matter of copying art style though. I think it’s more to do with the death of creative labor. Especially with how labor intensive Studio Ghibli films are.

But I learned some time ago that we’re in “the age of curatorship” so maybe we’ll just continue filtering out AI stuff the same way we try to filter out “brainrot” or “slop content”. Unless of course, you actually like any of that (and I do like to watch these from time to time myself).

With the current situation, it’s also interesting that Studio Ghibli hasn’t said anything yet. Or at least I’m not aware of any legitimate statements yet. Maybe Sudio Ghibli isn’t bothered by it at all.

Anyway, I think it’s good people actively resist AI. It’s here to stay unless laws limit or prohibit it.

You’re nitpicking and biased. I win. Bye bye.

I watched two movies the past few weeks:

• Genius Party

This is a collection of animated short films from different directors. The two notable ones here for me were Masaaki Yuasa and Shinichirou Watanabe. Happy Machine (Masaaki) was my favorite! The little baby character (and the overall vibe of it) reminded me of Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time.

There were other really quirky ones in the collection too. Deathtic 4 was different from the rest. It was 3DCG and I don’t know the language (it sounds European). Interestingly, there’s a scene there where the zombies said they were fighting “injustices” and it shows them trying to pick a fight with two girls wearing a US flag and USSR flag suits (it was funny). Genius Party (same title as the collection) was chaotic and fun while Limit Cycle was really (intentionally) boring (it’s about a salaryman).

The more “normal” ones were Shanghai Dragon, Doorbell, and Baby Blue (Shinichirou). Shanghai Dragon was partly in Chinese because it’s set in China. I think anyone familiar with Japan-China relations will raise eyebrows here because it portays a poor China and a technologically advanced Japan, but at the end it was the Chinese boy who saved everyone through his imagination as opposed to the technology of Japan. Doorbell reminded me of Satoshi Kon, and Baby Blue was maybe my favorite for the “normal” shorts.

• Ghost in the Shell (1995 movie)

I had this in my watchlist for a looong time (because it’s a certified classic) and I’m happy that I did not watch it earlier. I don’t think I would have appreciated this at a young age. I think this is the second Oshii Mamoru movie I watched. The first was Angel’s Egg which was pretty much the ending of GITS. There’s already a wealth of information and reviews on GITS especially by Western writers so I don’t really have to say much here.

But I noticed how spirituality or religion always ties with technology in anime. People who’ve seen Serial Experiments Lain probably know what I mean. It’s very similar to GITS. Evangelion is another example. Also, it might sound a bit odd but it reminds me a bit of the “programming” in Angel Beats too which I complete last month.

(Also Major Kusanagi is very beautiful. Holy shit.)

This week I might watch Genius Party 2 and maybe look for an older series to finish (maybe more Masaaki Yuasa stuff).

I’m not sure about the others, but the last guy (from Oregairu iirc) was definitely pretentious. Like being vague about his ideas just to appear smart and productive. The hand gestures was the best part.