Studio Ghibli and the MC2

My partner adores the animated features produced by Studio Ghibli, an animation film studio based in Japan. From their deeply emotional films such as Grave of the Fireflies to it's whimsical and charming productions like Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro, it's clear to see why Studio Ghibli is so highly regarded for it's attention to character and focus on beautiful animation. It might seem an unlikely connection, but as a tribute to my wonderful partner, I'd like to do a brief posting about the time Studio Ghibli made an appearance in the MC2.

Totoro is a large cuddly forest spirit that appears in the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro. Since his first appearance on screen, the character has become an icon, appearing on all sorts of merchandise and even being integrated into Studio Ghibli's logo and branding. The character has even been seen in the Disney Pixar film Toy Story 3 as a plush toy. But more importantly, Totoro appeared as a cameo in an issue of Spider-Girl.

Spider-Girl #51 is notable for being the only issue of the Spider-Girl not written by Tom Defalco, as it was originally a stock story commissioned in the event of a tight deadline. Written by Sean McKeever with art by Casey Jones, the story is about an unnamed student at Midtown High who has a crush on May 'Mayday' Parker and writers her a letter the day he leaves town. But more importantly, it features Totoro!

Yes, the lowly freshman student's best friend Kari carts her school books around in an adorable Totoro backpack. It's nothing earth shattering, but it's a nice little nod and seems appropriate for a teenager to tote such a cute piece of merchandise. I'm willing to bet that this was an inclusion from artist Casey Jones as it's not mentioned in dialogue. But that's just my guess.

Enjoy your time together and be good to one another, people. Love you, Sugar Plum!

Until I stop seeing pop culture within pop culture, I remain

frogoat