---
product_id: 1609306
title: "Starting Point, 1979-1996 Paperback – Illustrated, April 8, 2014"
brand: "hayao miyazakibeth caryfrederik l. schodt"
price: "6586 som"
currency: KGS
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/1609306-starting-point-1979-1996-paperback-illustrated-april-8-2014
store_origin: KG
region: Kyrgyzstan
---

# Starting Point, 1979-1996 Paperback – Illustrated, April 8, 2014

**Brand:** hayao miyazakibeth caryfrederik l. schodt
**Price:** 6586 som
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Starting Point, 1979-1996 Paperback – Illustrated, April 8, 2014 by hayao miyazakibeth caryfrederik l. schodt
- **How much does it cost?** 6586 som with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/1609306-starting-point-1979-1996-paperback-illustrated-april-8-2014)

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- hayao miyazakibeth caryfrederik l. schodt enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Images

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must-Read For All Miyazaki Fans
*by J***A on March 31, 2012*

I bought Starting Point at the beginning of this year as material for a research paper I was writing on three of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Since then, I have read the entire thing and reread multiple portions of this extraordinary book. It became an invaluable resource for me as I wrote my paper, but it was also a very enjoyable and personal book. Over the course of the weeks it took me to finish it, I felt like I actually got to know Hayao Miyazaki. As I told several people, Starting Point is definitely the best book I have purchased in a very long time, and so far it is the best thing I have read this year. With all the wonderful essays, interviews, directorial memos, and even drawings it contains, I'm surprised there hasn't been more hype about it. It is an absolute must-read for any Miyazaki fan. I can't believe we had to wait more than fifteen years for this book to be translated and published in the United States (it was first published in Japan in 1996).The book, which is nearly 500 pages long, has been divided into several parts and includes a foreword by John Lasseter (director of Toy Story) and an afterword by Isao Takahata (director of Grave of the Fireflies). The first part, entitled "On Creating Animation" is perhaps the most technical part of the book. Even though many of Miyazaki's thoughts on animation and film techniques were a bit over my head, I still enjoyed reading those chapters and thinking about them. Miyazaki's writing style is simple enough that I didn't feel swept away by too much jargon or overly-technical terms. For filmmakers and those interested in how animation works, this part of the book will be fascinating. The second part, called "On The Periphery of the Work" was similar to the previous section in that it contained chapters about animation techniques. However, Miyazaki mainly writes about his thoughts on various animated films. He also includes some very short essays like "The Tokyo I Love" that almost feel like journal entries. Part three, "People", is full of essays about individuals who have helped, inspired, and even irritated Miyazaki. Two of my favorites are "I Left Raising Our Children To My Wife" and "My Old Man's Back." These are both very vulnerable essays about some of the people closest to Miyazaki, and reading them almost brought tears to my eyes."A Story in Color" and part of "My Favorite Things" give the reader a short break from the text with a comic and some illustrations. "Dining in Midair" is a charming and sometimes amusing comic about the history of in-flight dining. Scrapbooks No. 1 - 3 in the beginning of "My Favorite Things" display some pictures of flying machines, tanks, and cars, and also a very short illustrated story called "I Want A Garden Like This." Then we are back to more essays for the remaining part of "Favorite Things." My favorite essay in this section is "My Random Thoughts Notebook Is My Hobby." This one made me laugh because I expected it to be an essay about Miyazaki's random thoughts notebook. However, it was simply a piece full of disjointed thoughts, memories, and observations."Planning Notes; Directorial Memoranda" was a nice inclusion and the directorial memos were fun to read. For those who want more details about some of their favorite Miyazaki films like Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Princess Mononoke, this section is for them. Although the memos are fairly short, I found them fascinating and enjoyable. However, for those who really want depth and insight into their favorite films, "Works" is the part to flip to. This section has a lot of information on Miyazaki's earlier works, like Lupin III, Future Boy Conan, and Panda! Go Panda! I had not heard of any of these before reading the book, but reading the chapter on Lupin was what convinced me to watch the film Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, which was excellent. "Works" also has quite a few extensive chapters on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky. Miyazaki focuses on Nausicaä especially in several chapters, one of my favorites being an interview titled "Nature Is Both Generous and Ferocious."All in all, this book was excellent and I am very pleased to have it in my library. I have heard rumors that Viz Media might be publishing Miyazaki's later book Turning Point: 1997 - 2008 soon, and I hope that is the case. Much as I enjoyed this book, I would love to read more about Miyazaki's later works like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. In the meantime, I plan to read this book over and over again, and I encourage anyone interested in Miyazaki's works (or even just interested in film and animation) to pick up a copy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not only a good book for hopeful animators; also a good book to learn about life
*by J***S on August 4, 2018*

I love Studio Ghibli movies and Hayao Miyazaki is, to me, a very impressive and inspiring person. The book is a compilation of speeches, movie and project proposals, commentaries, and so on made by Miyazaki. It is all his words and thoughts, but it is not a biography of his life. It focuses on his approach to film. It's a very cool insight into how he thinks. The translation into English still captures the unique ways he talks and uses metaphor and all that. If you're interested, buy the book. You will learn something from it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Most valuable book I have ever bought
*by J***N on March 30, 2016*

I won't go into detail, as most of the other reviews here are pretty accurate. I have to say, this is one of the most valuable books I have ever purchased. If you aspire to be an animator or a filmmaker or a storyteller of any kind, you should definitely buy this book. It's so unbelievably amazing. I can't wait to finish it and get the 2nd book. Love it!The only thing that saddens me is I thought the book would be filled with sketches and animations. But it isn't. It's mainly essays from animators. Which is great because the animators go into such detail about animation styles, how Miyasaki inspired them, how he inspired Disney, what makes a good animator, struggles, etc...it's so so so detailed. It's truly a treasure.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Starting Point: 1979-1996
- Turning Point: 1997-2008
- The Art of Howl's Moving Castle (Studio Ghibli Library)

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*Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan*
*Store origin: KG*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*