The Boy and The Heron Explained | Mythological Influences

Nothing says terrifying like a band of man-eating authoritarian parakeets.

Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:33 First, A Thank You
01:01 Biographical Influences
02:05 Mahito
03:10 The Tower
03:44 Heron Feather
04:13 Tunnels and the Below-World
04:47 The Graveyard
05:22 Kiriko and the Warawara
05:53 Maid Dolls
06:22 Fire
07:34 Paper Charms
07:57 Trapezoidal Door
08:50 Birdman
10:16 Parakeets
10:28 Conclusion

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All clips and audio used fall under fair use for commentary, education, and analysis.

Credits:
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
License code: M04IHPAUDAOTCLSL

Sources:
Biography
Bushido
Dante's Inferno
Aesop's The Eagle and The Arrow
Diyu
Dolmens
Meng Po
Daruma Dolls
Yin and Yang
Ofuda
Trapezoidal Doors
Tricksters
Shapeshifters

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In this video, I explain the boy and the heron. I will address its mythological inspirations or mythological influences. If you have questions like, is the boy and the heron inspired by mythology? is the boy and the heron autobiographical? is the boy and the heron a biography? is the boy and the heron an autobiography? boy and the heron mythology? what does the boy and the heron mean? what inspired the boy and the heron? boy and the heron meaning? This video is for you. This is not a boy and the heron review, boy and the heron reaction, boy and the heron trailer, boy and the heron official trailer, boy and the heron teaser trailer, boy and the heron official teaser, boy and the heron official teaser trailer or boy and the heron theory. I will be making a boy and the heron deep dive. If you enjoyed The Boy and the Heron is a Masterpiece, The Boy and The Heron EXPLAINED in 4 minutes, The SYMBOLISM, MEANING, and BEAUTY of The Boy and The Heron Explained | Non-Spoiler Video Essay, Metaphor in the Boy and the Heron ~ The Meaning of Ghibli ~, The Boy and The Heron - Movie Review, The Boy and the Heron, EXPLAINED (SPOILERS), THE BOY AND THE HERON Every Detail Explained | Hayao Miyazaki | *Spoiler*, The New Studio Ghibli Movie Is Weird... (The Boy and the Heron), or The Boy and The Heron Explained | Review & Analysis, this video is for you. I will not answer is Hayao Miyazaki retiring? Is Hayao Miyazaki coming back? is Hayao Miyazaki back? You have been warned.

[vivicareeves]

I actually think the parakeets are there to highlight the duality theme. Just like the pelicans. This is shown through Mahito who sees the pelicans as greedy and hungry but then listens to the dying pelican and buries him. On the flip side, Mahito is somewhat surprised by the fear of the parakeets but then experiences how their behavior is very…mob mentality and dangerous.

[EChacon]

Personally this is one of Miyazaki’s and perhaps Studio Ghibli’s most complex films and ​​⁠I really enjoyed the symbolism of The birds that appeared in the film (The Heron, the Pelicans, and the Parakeets) and represent a characteristic from our human nature.🕊️🐦🪶🦜

1. The Grey Heron like you said symbolizes the Messenger of Death, a silent observer of human existence. In addition, he is also the embodiment of Mahito's trauma from the bombing of a plane causing the death of his mother.

2. The Pelicans symbolize the desire/want and the neglected emotions in Human nature as they are hungry and desperate in finding food. At the same time, they also are a metaphor for abortion and miscarriage in newborns hence the Pelicans eating the Warawara.

3. The Parakeets (including the Parakeet King) symbolize the wrath and violence that plagues humanity. Their aggression and menacing behaviour mirror the brutality of conflict between humans.

[koichidignitythief]

I know the movie is symbolic for Miyazaki's life, but I kinda feel that scene with the Granduncle encouraging Goro to take the mantle was left for Goro, but accepting he's gotta make his own choices? Like I heard that Goro and Hayao always used art to communicate their feelings to each other and then that started bleeding into the movies like Earth Sea and Ponyo.

[inky]

thanks for highlighting all these references! I love little mythology tidbits and very much gobbled up this video, big enjoy, thumbs up

[BottoBobbs]

I always thought The Boy and the Heron was just Miyazaki telling his son to stop posting cringe on main

[TaowerG]

Another banger video! These keep getting better and better

[GoingSwimmingly]

I honestly dont go too deep into themes but I paused every few minutes to whisper to my sister: "Theyre so sillyyyy" while in the theatre lmao

[captaincozy]

Very good exploration, but I think I have a few other pieces. A friend told me there is an early Egyptian heron god named Bennu, a deity linked with the Sun, creation, and rebirth. Sounds pretty spot on for this story. I also looked into the parakeet and found out that they were imported to Japan, and upon realizing how difficult they were to take care of, people let them go free and now they are causing a lot of problems in Tokyo for the past several years. They likely represent a foreign invader, at least partially.

[JDAnimates]

not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet in the comments but The golden gate island is actually a direct calling to a swiss painting called "Isle of Dead" by painter Arnold Bocklin. looks exactly like it down to the stone. Not the first time miyazaki has been inspired by a classic painting and written a major plotpoint around i, ie ponyos mother in ponyo and the painting ophelia.

[galelee]

Thank you for the video, i really enjoyed learning about new and familiar mythologies and their possible associations in this wonderful movie!

When I saw the pelicans and parakeets, my immediate thought was that they represent two types of biological invasions. 1) unsuccessful introductions (the pelicans) that are unable to integrate into the new habitat and eventually starve/die out, and 2) successful invasions (parakeets) that are so successful due to a generalist diet (was shown to eat vegetables, meats, and even eat humans) they overpopulate the new environment. What drives home this metaphor is that both birds were originally from the real world, and were introduced by the grand-uncle to the new dimension. also, parakeets are invasive to japan (see "Feral Rose-ringed Parakeets in japan", their dead-eyed stare and beak look just like the parakeets in the movie)


I think this concept of biological invasion represent the futility of the grand-uncle's attempt at preserving 'a perfect world'. much like how introducing an invasive species to a habitat causes either the species itself to die or the ecosystem to become imbalanced, trying to preserve paradise isn't sustainable and causes an imbalance as well. that is, life is not supposed to be preserved for perpetuity, life is change. By trying to preserve it, you interfere with it.

despite the grand-uncle's seemingly successful attempt at making a paradise, the parakeets keep attempting to get in and are voracious, unable to feel content. these parakeets may represent the ever-approaching end of the grand-uncle's plan. as much as their introduction to his dimension mirrors biological invasion, the grand-uncle using the power of a cosmic rock to make a 'perfect world' was also invasive and unsustainable.

mahito realized this, which is why he chose to return to the real world and appreciate it for what it was instead of chasing a 'perfect world' which actually made a "coffin" out of life. that also explains why the delivery room looked like a tomb! the act of giving birth taking place in a place of death, encapsulates what is so unfortunate about the grand-uncle's dimension. by trying to preserve life, he ended up stagnating it.

[coolbeans]

Someone said the bird hate in this film stems from Miyazaki resenting birds for being able to fly without needing to use planes like us😂😭

[proton]

You're doing an amazing work !
Don't hesitate to jump on the hype train with the latest releases, to attract new viewers. They will too love your writing and editing and hopefully stick around!

[YoshiStuffs]

I see you're doing that "Danno graph paper" technique hahaha.

No, but seriously, an excellent video. It's pretty interesting to see all the possible influences that Miyazaki used in one film alone, if not unconsciously. Watching this movie was a complete acid trip fever dream, so it's nice to know that some of it may have been grounded on some mythology and history in the past ^^

[samstyrofoam]

I just discovered your channel, i love your content !! I think those kinds of videos are very interesting and the 10-15 minute format is really great in my opinion, since my attention span is... limited.
Keep up the great work, im looking forward to more content !

[bradfordwilson]

My own stone about this movie is how I could relate to the main character's grieving of his mother's death. How such an event shaped his emotional character arc.

[fhornbbg]

Really enjoyed this video! I love when creators have so many inspirations that somehow how create blank slates we can fill in with our own meaning.

[hkskh]

I would like to add that due to constant syncretism, Chinese people have multiple post-death fates, afaik.
Diyu (Dee-yuer) is also Hell, a realm for those who acquired bad karma. Like Dante's hell, it comes with layers (18), in which people are punished. Christian Hell is translated into this term. It was syncretised with other Chinese underworlds, like Yinjian (Yeen ji'en), The Place of the Yin (As Yang is for the living); or Huangquan (The Yellow Stream, which comes from a book where a man talks abt meeting his late mother there).

In Chinese culture, Yin and Yang ae associated with Taoism -- but did originate in folk belief

Btw Naihe is pronounced smth like "Nai-huh", Meng Po is like "Mung Paw".

[sillybillybear]

I love this analysis!

I interpreted the film as being about the nature of Studio Ghibli, since the behind-the-scenes of the films were brutal, to say the least.

The decision to not continue creating the world is Miyazaki allowing himself to rest as a filmmaker, at least I felt.

[Fedepe]

My first thought about the parakeets is that they're usually considered pests, especially in a rural setting, but they are also beautiful animals. So, it speaks to the duality of the real world and the parallel world. Knowledge and beauty, good and evil, man and heron, etc. Considering the famine of the time the movie is set in, I think it makes sense to use a pest as yet another symbol in a story full of metaphors

[spiralhand]

great video, i love symbolism and you definitely have the eye for them!