Ma: The Best Moments in a Studio Ghibli Film Are Silent.

Drawing by Nayeon Park, inspired by the CatBus from “My Neighbor Totoro”

Nearly seven years have passed since Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki declared his retirement, yet his films have lived on to capture the hearts of viewers all around the world. Miyazaki’s animations range dramatically from the lighthearted adventure seen in The Cat Returns to the epic fantasy in Princess Mononoke. However, there is one thing in common with all of these films that allow for the feeling of nostalgic innocence: ma.

Scene from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”

Miyazaki explains ma in an interview with Roger Ebert. During the interview, Ebert mentions how he appreciates the “gratuitous motion” in Ghibli films: the absence of plot-driven movements that are, in return, replaced by scenes where characters exist without dialogue — usually in front of nature. Miyazaki responds to this phenomenon with:

“We have a word for that in Japanese. It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally. [claps his hands] The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you…