There’s likely a meaning between the choice of Ghibli anime’s artwork to give the visiting politician.

On any given day, a sizable portion of the inbound foreign travelers entering Japan are going to be Studio Ghibli fans. Long gone are the days when the studio’s works were known overseas only to anime enthusiasts, and Ghibli’s animated films are now not only beloved by mainstream audiences and cinephiles around the world, but in many cases serve as one of the first reflections of Japanese cultural sensibilities that they encounter.

As such, many travelers in Japan pick up a Ghibli souvenir or two while they’re here, like a Totoro lantern keychain or some No Face socks. However, one visitor from abroad will be going home with an anime memento that’s a bit more unique: a Ghibli animation cel signed by none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself.

The semi-reclusive co-founder of Studio Ghibli doesn’t do large-scale signings on the convention circuit, so this is a rare item indeed, and not the sort of thing you can just saunter into a shopping mall and pick up. Instead, it was gifted to French president Emmanuel Macron, who’s currently in Japan for talks with prime minster Sanae Takaichi. As proof that this is a direct gift from Miyazaki himself to the French leader on the occasion of his visit to Japan, Miyazaki has written “Macron-sama” (マクロンさま), using the differentially respectful -sama form of address, and included the date, as “2006.3.23.” There’s also a message of “Gomen ne” (“Sorry”), perhaps in apology for not delivering the cel in person, and Miyazaki has written his name in the easier to read phonetic hiragana script (みやざきはやお) instead of kanji characters (宮崎駿).

Though the signing includes a Miyazaki doodle of a Soot Sprite of the type seen in My Neighbor Totoro, the cel is from Porco Rosso, Ghibli’s 1992 theatrical anime that was written and directed by Miyazaki.

Upon receiving the gift, Macron posted a photo of it and a bilingual message of thanks to his official Instagram account, with the Japanese translating as:

Porco Rosso is a story of unwavering commitment to the ideal of liberty, even in the face of the brutal violence in the world.

Porco Rosso is a story for this period in history, when we must protect peace, democracy, and freedom.

I would like to express my deep gratitude for this work of art. Thank you, director Hayao Miyazaki.

Porco Rosso is set in the Adriatic Sea during the period between World War I and II, and while not the primary driver of the plot, the growing power of the Italian National Fascist Party is a background element, prompting the anime’s protagonist to declare “Better a pig than a fascist.” With the ongoing military conflict in Iran one of the points of discussion for Macron and Takaichi during the French president’s visit to Japan, it’s likely that Miyazaki’s choice of cel was intended of a reminder of Miyazaki’s persistent anti-war stance.

Source: Instagram/emmanuelmacron via Ghibli no Sekai
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