The story of The Story of Yanagawa’s Canals, Studio Ghibli’s forgotten masterpiece

It was 1984, and Hiyao Miyazaki had the world at his feet. His directorial debut, the animated feature film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind he created with producer Isao Takahata, had been both a critical and commercial success. But it had come at a cost.

The production had left Miyazaki burnt out. “I have to tell you something,” Miyazaki confided to collaborator and friend Tochio Suzuki. “I made a movie, but I lost all kinds of friends. I don’t want that kind of life. I want to go back to being an animator.”

The industrious and meticulous Miyazaki had by this time spent years on Nausicaä, initially in its manga iteration, and later as the director of its feature-length anime adaptation. Miyazaki’s imagination had been sparked by a childhood visit to Minamata Bay on the west coast of Kyushu, whose waters — heavily-polluted by mercury and other toxins — had caused sickness to a local population reliant on a seafood diet.

Miyazaki was fascinated by how nature adapted to — and thrived in — this poisoned environment. Much of this influence can be seen in the flora and fauna of Nausicaä.