Big Hero 6: Balalala

From Wreck-it-Ralph to Frozen, Disney has finally redeemed its reputation of being one of the most loved movie productions when it comes to children's films. 

Pan to the city called San Fransokyo. San Fransisco Bridge with torii designs: a mix of Japan setting. Hiro Hamada with his fighting bots: Real Steel. Hiro side by side with the huggable, marshmallow-like Baymax: Hayao Miyazaki's Totoro and Satsuki. Baymax in an armor suit: Marvel's Ironman. There are a lot of familiar scenes you could see materialize in Disney's newest movie release Big Hero 6, and yet it has pulled off a very unique and heartwarming film that you'd want to watch over and over again. Directed by the makers of Bolt Chris Williams and director of Winnie the Pooh Don Hall, and produced by Pixar's legend John Lasseter, the movie would definitely make you laugh off your seat and give you tears for the heartwarming story of friendship and of not giving up that you would never forget. 

"I will never give up on you. " In a semi-futuristic setting that closely resembles that of Lewis's world in the movie Meet the Robinsons and even Ironman, the story revolves around a genius 15-year-old Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), who is addicted to bot fighting using his small but terrible micrbot. His older brother, Tadashi (Daniel Henney), on the other hand, is an equally genius guy who goes to college and makes unique inventions, and is always saving Hiro from trouble with his bot bouts. He invites him to his school and meets his classmates, Go Go (Jamie Chung), who works on electromagnetic fields and suspensions, Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), who is a chemist-freak, Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), a neat-freak genius and Fred (T.J. Miller), who is addicted to becoming a real fire-breathing dragon inspired by his comic books. Tadashi introduces Hiro to his latest invention, Baymax (Scott Adsit), who is a personal health care assistant robot. With much delight, Tadashi was able to convince Hiro to enroll in his "nerd school" and present an invention of his own in an annual science fair. Using his microbots, he was able to wow the audience with his invention, but things took a change for the worse when the school was caught in a big fire and Tadashi, who wanted to help rescue his mentor, died. 

All the hope and the purpose of going to the school went with the fire as Hiro lost his interest and grieved over his brother's death. On that moment in his room, he met again Baymax who was still active. He also noticed his microbot which seemed to be attracted to another microbot, and with Baymax's help they were able to pinpoint the origin of the attraction. There they met a man with a "kabookie" mask, who made more microbots and attacked them. The action to search for that man started, with the help of his brother's friend to find out the truth about the incident and give justice to his brother's death. 

When they found out that the man in the kabookie mask was Tadashi's mentor, Hiro raged and tried to kill him, but Baymax and his friends tried to stop him. In a heartwarming scene where Baymax insisted that Tadashi was still with them, he showed Hiro the times when Tadashi was still experimenting on the success of Baymax, and Hiro finally had his inner peace and went off with his friends to end the evil plan of the notorious man who was the mentor of Tadashi. They found out that he was seeking for revenge for the loss of his daughter in an experimental procedure of a teleportation portal. They were able to stop him and even save his daughter, but Hiro lost Baymax in the process. 

What I loved about the movie is the lesson that Tadashi portrayed; that is, he never gave up on inventing Baymax, and on his brother Hiro, just as Baymax did not give up on Hiro on their friendship. Big Hero 6 is the first animated Marvel film that was theatrically released by Walt Disney Animation Studios. 

Big Hero 6 is truly an epic film with a lot of mix-ups and twists and turns, from the unique incorporation of San Fransisco and Tokyo, which was Executive Producer John Lasseter's idea to the must-awaited end-credit scene where we find out that Fred is the son of the Marvel creator Stan Lee. The design of Baymax was also inspired by the "soft robotics" research at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Movie: In a Corner of this World (この世界の片隅に )

"If I can die with the memory of the person I love, I'm satisfied."

好きな人の思い出しと死にしたら、本望じゃ。

I have always loved Japanese drama movies and I always cry every time the last scene fades to black. My senpai and good teacher Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan shared  me this movie "In a Corner of this World" and indeed it was a heartbreaking, heartwarming and inspirational film. I remembered other Japanese movies with the theme of World War II like Studio Ghibli's Grave of the Fireflies and Letters from Iwo Jima and they all made me cry. 

The cinematography of the film is equally sublime and stunningly unique. The first scene that pops out in the movie is a moving cart with a boy and a girl inside. The boy said it was a kidnapper's cage and told the little girl that once it stops they would escape together. Fade to black with the next scene of a woman, whose name was Suzu in bed with his husband Shusaku, the same little boy in the first scene, and they held hands. Then one will realize that both scenes are merely dreams when the third scene showed Suzu in bed, with bandages in her head. As she lifts her right arm, she realizes that her hand is gone from the time bomb that exploded during those times in war. 

Hiroshima. 1930s. Then comes the flashback when Suzu was to meet the man she would marry in a tradition called omiai (arranged marriage). Shusaku, the man she would marry, is part of the military corps. When they finally met, Shusaku said that he already knows Suzu by her mole, with Suzu clueless as to where they could have met. Suzu also met her longtime friend Tetsu and drew him a picture of him as a child and the ocean, the time when Tetsu's brother was killed in the navy war. 

Everything seems normal at first: as a housewife, Suzu worked hard in the house and served her husband well. During these times her husband was working in the military and they both lived in her parents' house, while her elder sister visits them with her daughter occasionally. A significant scene appears when Suzu got lost in the village and met Rin-san, a geisha who was kind and sweet. When she found out that Suzu is good at drawing, she made her draw a picture of a watermelon and caramel. Eventually they bid each other goodbye. 

A conflict arises when Suzu found out that her husband Shusaku seemed to know Rin-san as a customer, and becomes cold to him for a while. Tetsu visited Suzu and gave her an omiyage (present) of a bird's feather and said that it might be the last time they meet each other.

Before the war worsened, spring passed by and Rin and Suzu met again. They shared stories and Rin left Suzu with inspirational messages about the war.

Just because you're lacking a little something, doesn't mean there's no place for you in this world." (だれでもちいとたらもんがあるくらいで、この世界に場所はなくなら。)

The war came like a thunder afterwards and time bombs were scattered everywhere. Shusaku was promoted as a military commander and would be away for three whole months. Suzu endured this while taking care of her niece, Harumi but ended up getting blown by a time bomb hidden in the bushes and a fence, killing Harumi and taking her right hand. 

A part of Suzu was lost during that time because everything she did--cleaning the house, making Harumi a pouch, sketching drawings for her friend Tetsu and Rin and hugging her husband Shusaku became impossible without her right hand. She decided to wander off alone because she still could not accept the fact that her loved ones died and still they lost the war. Shusaku found her and invited her to come home. She said that her home could have been the fence where the time bomb was and then she would be with her loved ones--Harumi, Tetsu and Rin.

"I'll be your home. I hope it would be fine for you," Shusaku said in assurance.

In the end, Suzu returned home and finally accepted the realities of life during the war, and thanked her husband, who would always find her because of her mole, even during that time that she got lost when she was a kid and Shusaku helped her find her way home.

Such Japanese drama movies always make me cry and, and as a Linguistics student who studies Japanese,  appreciate the Japanese culture better. I have noticed that the characters use a Japanese dialect compared to the Japanese used in the cities. The general theme of the movie, I believe is finding one's place in the world even if he is nowhere near perfect, and moving on so that one can face the future with confidence and hope.

From Up the Poppy Hill: A Miyazaki Masterpiece

The ghosts of our pasts always haunt us, but sometimes, they lead us to identify who we really are, and who we'll be from then on.

I have always been an avid fan of Hayao Miyazaki's movies and apart from my favorite Whisper of the Heart, From Up the Poppy Hill is the second best love story I adore. The story revolves around a young girl Umi Matsuzaki, who would always raise signal flags for his father who had died in a supply ship during the Korean war. Little did she know that a certain someone was answering her signal flags, and even that someone even wrote a poem about her raising the flags in memory of her father. 

Meet Shun Kazama, the young boy who immediately but secretly falls in love with Umi. He is one of the editors of the weekly newspaper in their school and is part of the Journalism club. The basic conflict surfaces when their school principal and the chairman decide to abolish the Club building, which includes the Archeaology, Philosophy, Chemistry and other clubs mostly led by the boys of the Konan Academy. Umi, who befriends the handsome Shun, suggests that they should clean the place to make it look new. 

The work began and the love story of the two develops until a second conflict arises--when Shun and the other boys were invited for a small get together party at Umi's boarding house, Umi shows her a photo of his late father Yuichiro Sawamura and he is left speechless. He has the same photo and his foster father finally told him that Yuichiro is his true father, which makes the couple brothers and sisters. Shun gets cold towards Umi until he admits that they are indeed brother and sister. 

"It's just like a typical melodrama." Shun says.

However Umi admits that even though they are related, her feelings for him will never change. The same goes for Shun and they bade each other goodbye after they have talked to the chairman to come visit their new club building.

Umi's mother comes home from America and she asks her the truth about Shun. The mother then contacts Shun's foster father and they are both able to come in touch with the third person in the photo--the one who knows the truth. It becomes a moment of peace for all three of them--Captain Hiroshi Tachibana, Shun and Umi. It feels like a reunion for Hiroshi seeing the son and daughter of his late friends and he thanked them for the moment they finally met. 

I was moved by the last scene where Hiroshi held both their hands and thanked them for the opportunity to meet his best friends in a long time. I also loved how the movie depicted the Japanese culture of boarding houses, signal flags, school clubs, stencils that worked before xerox machines and passionate students who would save their club building no matter what. 

It was indeed a ghost of Shun and Umi's past that actually brought them together in the end. 

Katha 2014: Understanding Math: CPA and Mental Computations of SG

Minutes of the Workshop transcribed. Speaker Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

KATHA 2014: Day 3:

Understanding Math: CPA and Mental Computations of SG

Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

De La Salle University Manila

July 26, 2014

Minutes of the Workshop

1. Introduction. The speaker started with the review of the past lectures. The aim of the lecture was to identify CPA in Math and what are the principles of Singaporean Math. One is to boost the self-esteem of the students in Math and be able to hone their mathematical skills. In the Philippines, math skills do not reflect high self-esteem. In Singapore on the other hand and other East Asian countries, math skills are important.

2. Singapore Math. According to Dinyal, the success of the SG curriculum is on the following: 1) intended curriculum, where the SG Ministry of Education studied the curriculum thoroughly. This paves way to the sayings such as “It’s okay for them to count with their hands” and “Self-esteem is a double-edged sword.” The intended curriculum has a differentiated approach but not different in content. It is carefully sequenced in terms of the range of topics in a spiral curriculum. Textbooks reflect multi-step problem sets using the CPA approach. 2) Implemented Curriculum. This is the centralized system in grades 1 to 4, where the students should be exposed to such system for at most five years. There is also the worksheet culture where teachers reinvent the curriculum. 3) Attained Curriculum. This is where the benchmarking of grades is included: In grade 4 for example, in Singapore it should be 71%, Hong Kong 67%, Japan 62% and China 50%. There is a large amount of time to be devoted to doing Math, at least 20% of the curriculum. Philippines has the highest time allotment for Math, but then it is not in the length of time but how we make use of the time given.

3. SG Math. There should be a right attitude for Math and an emphasis on visual thinking. SG problems can be simple and non-routine, where real world problems that are not well-defined must be included, open-ended and complex in nature. The focus on critical thinking is essential because it emphasizes mental computations, ensures conceptual understanding and de-emphasizes procedural memorization. CPA basically means Concrete-Prictorial-Abstract according to Jerome Brune’s Theory of Representation. The speaker added that “Teaching for learning is not a waste of time.”

4. How does Math start. Math starts in creation, communication, and use of intuition. In early kindergarten, introduction to word problems using nursery rhymes, games and fairy tales may be used. Concepts of absence and presence, syllables in lines, drawing scenarios with money in quantity and valuing what you have in life skills may also be used in this approach. The speaker also said “Don’t go straight to ABC’s, to XYZ; make use of pictures first especially in algebra.” Games like Piko may be utilized to create critical thinking problems. The speaker added that “Mathematics is a subject not to be memorized but to be understood.”

5. Number Bonds. Number bonds are one concept applied in Singapore Math also called as the Math family. Mental computation without memorization relies on concepts rather than in formula. Issues were raised that this kind of approach is not found in textbooks. The speaker clarified that they still have the same competencies but different approaches. The teachers have to identify which part of the curriculum can be applied. Reactions from the participants also included the “discovery approach”, but there may be time constraints with the number of competencies used; therefore it should be arranged in such a way that it can be accommodated. Another question was raised on if the children are then thinking critically, what would be its consequence. The consequence would be way beyond the teachers’ expectation, the speaker said. Concerns were also raised and included that elementary teachers are generalists. They could be assigned to different subjects almost every year, which may mean that there would be a loss of expertise, but the speaker perceived it as a new learning for them to apply this kind of approach.

Katha 2014: Basics of Singapore Math

Minutes of the Workshop transcribed. Speaker Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

KATHA 2014: Day 1:

Basics of Singapore Math

Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

De La Salle University Manila

July 12, 2014

Minutes of the Workshop

1. Introduction. The speaker first asked why is Math called Mathematics to the teacher-participants. It is exactly a science which provides a systematic solution for a set of problems. It is essentially part of our everyday lives. How exactly? In China, math is used for trade (calculation), in Egypt the Egyptians made the pyramids using practical Math. Ancient civilizations used math all the time, while the Greeks and Romans formalized the theoretical Mathematics. Mathematics is basically a Greek word “Mathematikos” meaning learning and mental discipline. The speaker asked the participants what is math for them. One answer was that math is one subject that pervades life at any age, in any circumstance. Thus its value goes beyond the classroom and school.

2. It’s all about thinking. Why do young Filipinos have to learn Math as Math as a school subject? Therefore it must be learned very comprehensibly and with much depth, focusing on problem solving and critical thinking. It is recognized that Math is an excellent vehicle for the development and improvement of a country. Math offers the students the opportunities for creative work, moments of enlightenment and discovery.

3. K to 12 and Math. There are two goals of K to 12 for Math: critical thinking and problem solving. Students must 1) learn necessary math knowledge 2) effectively carry out math processes 3) understand concepts and connections and 4) transfer learning through performance.

4. 2 Approaches to Chief Problem. The speaker said that the teachers must retell the problem and ask the students how they understand the problem. Problem solving sets must be localized to what the students know. Instruction and Assessment should be in the same language used. In teaching, it is important to stimulate the student’s world and give him a view of the world that lies beyond his own. To teach math is to bring out the children’s desire to learn and to think, according to Toshiyuki Makata. The speaker also said to “teach the formula but teach it last.” She also asked how do teachers develop thinking/solving not by teaching them the formula but by showing them the patterns and coming up with formulas. Teaching mathematics is broadening one’s world. The speaker finally gave an activity to the teacher-participants.

Katha 2014: Heuristic Alert: Bar Modeling

Minutes of the Workshop transcribed. Speaker Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

KATHA: DAY 5

Heuristic Alert: Bar Modeling

Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

De La Salle University

August 16, 2013

Minutes of the Workshop

1. Introduction. The speaker first distributed problem set materials to the teacher-participants and asked them to solve the problems using bar modeling. The speaker did not use any verbal problem algebraic expressions in the material, only bar model graphs for the teachers to answer. She also suggested the use of paper folding in the problem sets for percentages, fraction and ratio integration.

2. Understanding Algebra using Bar Modeling. This approach is applicable to both elementary and high school students where algebra can be easily understood. Big mathematical ideas are required for this approach which makes the students easily understand numbers and variables, make sense of algebraic expressions and visualization connections. The speaker noted that the teachers should not assume that the students’ knowledge is not of the same level as them.

3. Principles of Modeling Construction. The principle dated back in the 1980’s in Singapore, Japan and Korea, where students are able to understand the concepts in math and avoid memorizing formula. The students are required to draw bars to help them answer the questions and let them discover the formula for the problem. This approach may help bridge the mathematical knowledge from primary to secondary students. It helps them to understand the relationship of the given data and deduce the solutions by themselves. It also avoids problem complications.

3.1. Fractional Equations. This bar modeling may also be used in fraction-related problems which may also be integrated in ratio, comparison, multiples and percentages, all of which may be utilized together even though these are considered as difficult topics.

3.2. Problem Set. Problem sets using the bar modeling is also effective for teaching math because the students can easily read and understand the problem, make them underline the question and determine who or what is tackled in the problem. The students may draw unit bars. The speaker discussed a few problem sets on fractions and ratio using the bar modeling method.

The use of bar modeling helps the visually-stimulated students. At the same time they can proceed to more difficult questions; that is, bar modeling can hit two birds with one stone.

3.3. Practices and Conventions. Bar modeling may also be utilized in representing values by units. There are four labels in which bar modeling is materialized: 1) function label 2) quantity label 3) unit label and 4) total label. The speaker gave more problem sets to the participants and solved and discussed each one. The concept of manipulation of units is also being utilized in this method where the teacher can scaffold the questions. Other methods include the use of dashed lines, model length and classifying units by shading.

4. Types of Bar Modeling. There are different types of bar modeling. This include 1) part-whole model in topics such as derivation, representation and comparison 2) comparison model in topics such as fractions, percentages and representations 4) Stack Model in algebraic problems 5) Area Model for length 6) Remainder Subset Model 7) Container and Content Model 8) Multi-step problem in adaptive expertise of letting the students think they own Math; this is also for operations-integration in one problem and division problems. This is also used to make questions more difficult to achieve student critical thinking. 8) Comparison Model where abstract thinking is shifted to concrete ones. Performance questions are required to improve the difficulty of the question. This is also used to  analyze multiple questions. The speaker discussed more problems on this comparison. This is essential to reinterpreting abstract algebraic equations into modeling. The use of tick marks may also be helpful for the problem solving. The speaker emphasized that in high school, both concrete and abstract methods are required for them to fully comprehend the problem sets. It is always necessary to employ checking of answers and when one teacher offering another way of solving the problem. Teachers may present alternative solutions without compromising the students’ own solutions. The speaker illustrated more examples of bar modeling problem sets and emphasized the constant use of tick marks for the same value of the unit in question. This method may be applied for age problems. One teacher-participant raised a concern on the difficulty of the procedure, while others seemed to have a problem on the transition from concrete to abstract algebraic expression. The speaker concluded that it’s all in the method of the teachers using the bar modeling which is easily understood by the students. 

Dinner with the Practicing Linguists

After much talking about linguistics, Japanese scholarships and native languages, I had a nice dinner with practicing linguists Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco and Dr. Naonori Nagaya after Mr. Naonori's lecture on the grammar of reduplication in Tagalog.

It was a very interesting lecture and we had a post-lecture during dinner at the University Hotel yesterday. Dr. Naonori was very engaging and talked a lot about other topics in linguistics while I shared my ongoing studies in T'boli and Bahasa-Indonesia Malaysia (BIM).

It was a productive and informative lecture-dinner with such practicing linguists that I could only learn outside the classroom.

Katha 2014: Singapore Math and PSA

Minutes of the workshop transcribed. Speaker Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan.

KATHA 2014: Day 2: 

PSA Japan

Ms. Pauline Mangulabnan

De La Salle University Manila

July 26, 2014

Minutes of the Workshop

1. Introduction. The speaker first presented a photo of a classroom with students for the teacher-participants to interpret it in different ways. She explained that teaching plans should not produce monotonous teaching, but should be a one-to-one teaching with one-to-one assessment per student. This should end with a post-lesson discussion in class.

2. Lesson Study. Lesson Study is a professional development model where the teacher practice their research in Japan (called jugyou kenkyuu). This is a collaborative effort where research is put into practice and the lesson study is a partnership of theory and practice. It is also a collaborative effort and a systemized cycle in teaching.

2.1. Lesson Study Cycle. The lesson study cycle should start with a identifying a goal or a problem. This is a Japanese way of teaching students to achieve a motivation for each student for advancement in their learning. This is also a transition for primary to secondary learning which is a number one dilemma according to one of the teachers who raised the issue.

For Mathematics, the teachers should let the students enjoy the fun of discovering and achieving knowledge through their own unique methods. The speaker said it should be remembered that there are 6 years of elementary schooling and another 3 years of transition middle schooling and this should be addressed properly and in the most efficient way possible. The grade levels in Grade 1 for example, should be able to master addition, by Grade 4 arithmetic equations, by Grade 6 Division and Multiplication.

There should also be a collaboratively developing lesson time and teacher meeting for a prelesson preparation. That is, there should be a dryrun of the lesson study plan for the other teachers to be able to evaluate each others’ methods and further improve their lesson study. This also follows that the implementation of the lesson plan may include inviting other teachers for observation and assessment, which all results to collaborative effort.

2.2. Research Lesson. Research lesson involves a very specific and detailed lesson study where students must be very engaged in the lesson of the day. Students must also be assessed and there is an importance of teacher intervention. Teachers must devise activities and lesson for the students and let them discover the solution. 

3. Implementation. Implementation of the PSA and Lesson study plan include post-lesson plans and collaborative efforts on school-based institutions.

3.1.Postlesson Plan. There should be a debriefing of the lesson discussion and revising the traditional cycle. There should also be future directions and research trajectories. There must also be detailed lesson plan with collaborative efforts, where teachers also become researchers to be able to create a formative assessment for the students.

3.2. Process of Lesson Study. Training teachers is a number one must in the process of the new lesson study. Research should also be developed in educational institutions and demonstration of extra-curricular studies for the students. Steps on the lesson study include analogies on experiment, practice, observation, seminars and research. The teachers should also look into the context of classroom and society development. The hierarchy includes the lesson study which is deeply ingrained in classroom performance. Teachers should be in full power on knowledge (bottom to top model) and initiatives must come from the teachers themselves. 

Research also informs lesson studies, where the lesson study plan for the day should also be considered as part of the teachers’ research. Questions were raised on the collaborative efforts and multiple or integrated topics and how to write the study plan. The speaker explained that this should be the way to go because the monotonously traditional lesson study that has been imbibed in the cultural education in the Philippines for many years has been the core problem in the first place.

3.3. Replicability of LS in the Philippines. A video on Japanese teaching was shown to the teachers where the there is an induction teaching for the teachers. In Japan, there is teacher collaboration for 10 years. There is mandatory training and voluntary leadership trainings for lesson studies in Japan to achieve the advocacy of practical learning in the country. Constructive criticisms are required for teacher observation for improvement of the lesson study.

3.4. Lesson Study Steps. First is the lesson study planning, that is, how the lesson is presented in class and how students can learn in par with the objectives of the teacher for the day. There should be a set selection of subjects and appropriate test materials which may be unique. There should also be specific steps for lesson plans and questions should be raised for the students to answer. Teachers may seek advice from their principals and other teachers.

Lesson study is also observed by other teachers and students themselves. It is a fact that the student’s mind is unpredictable and reveals that collaborative interaction between the teacher and the student is a must.

Reflections of the lesson study include overview of the lessons, constructive criticisms from other teachers and suggestions of concrete opinions for lesson improvement. This develops a keen eye on the part of the teacher to improve his lesson study in classrooms.

4. Implementation Structure. The speaker presented the participants with a math activity on filling in the blanks on a problem set by pairs. This is to make math more enjoyable both for them and for the students themselves. The teachers should also be more open to others’ opinions and suggestions. They should also explore new methods on how to approach the lesson to engage as many students as possible. This should result to the enjoyment of both the students and the teachers. Again, lesson study is equivalent to research study for the teachers.

5. Problem Solving in Mathematics. Assessment practices should be implemented to develop a conceptual understanding of the topic in math. There are stages of the Structured Problem Solving: 1) posing the problem; 2) autonomous problem solving 3) whole class participation 4) summing up 5) exercises and finally 6) evaluation that there are no perfect solutions.

6. Final Activity. The speaker gave a final activity for the participants by pair on how to assess a problem set. There are theories on learning: 1) behaviorism, or assessing learning via change of behavior, that is, the knowledge is incremented; 2) cognitivism or assessing the order of thinking and takes time to assess the knowledge of the student and 3) social, or the change in participation. The speaker also gave the participants homework on dividing fractions and how to come up with different explanations and solutions.

Revisiting the world of Master Animator Miyazaki Hayao

Master Animator Miyazaki Hayao

A cat bus. A moving castle. A princess raised by a wolf-god. None other than Studio Ghibli. None other than Miyazaki Hayao.

What I actually love about Studio Ghibli films is how they scare me and make me fall in love at the same time. With various themes each movie uniquely portrays, from love, friendship, death, importance of nature, dreams and memories, Miyazaki-sama, the master animator and director in Japan, was able to create an entirely  new world in the industry that not only imparted these heart-warming lessons for the eager young minds around the world, but also showcased a unique and creative trademark in animation that would always make us think twice whether we're really watching an animated film or a real-life one: that is, his realistic portrayal of the movies through water color painting.

ハウルの動く城

となりのトトロ

Studio Ghibli, spearheaded by the well-recognized animation creator Miyazaki Hayao, is a Japanese animation studio that has led us to the breath-taking realms of the castle in the sky, the hiding place of the cute Totoro and the jaw-dropping bath house run by spirits. Somehow it's not the usual places we imagine and want to go to when we're still kids, but such sceneries and the characters in each movie that somehow are always led by women or brave 10-year-old girls have stories that we can relate to in real life, more than love stories and happily-ever-afters that will only make us disappointed as we grow up.

These are some of the Studio Ghibli films:

1. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ)

A legend, a dream and an unbreakable friendship and love revolve around the story, where young boy Pazu embark on a journey to rescue and protect a mysterious young girl-princess named Sheeta from pirates and government secret agents because she possesses a powerful chrystal that could lead them to the legendary Laputa, a paradise rich in both nature and gold.

2. Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城)

A love story and a battle between good and evil--this outstanding movie places an 18-year-old lass in the abandoned and sinister territory of witches and wizards, where she meets and the notorious and handsome wizard Howl, and where she helps him break the spell he is under while, as a challenge, she is also under one.

3. Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便)

Adapted from a Japanese children's book, the movie revolves around the wonderful journey of a young witch named Kiki as she heads to the big city to find her fortune, make new friends, inspire people and do good, and learn some new things and realities too.

4. Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫)

A story where there is no villain, Princess Mononoke is one of Mr. Miyazaki's best movies ever, where he said he "will not make any movies again in this way". Young warrior Ashitaka, cursed by a boar-god/demon set off to the forests of the west to be cured, but only to find out about the terrible feud between Iron Town and the gods of the forest led by a young woman named Mononoke. It  leads to an impossible love story and the quest to achieve peace between the two parties.

5. My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ)

A magical hiding place, a cute forest-god and a cat bus: as sisters Satsuki and Mei move together with their father in a rather timeworn house in the countryside, they encounter small and huge furry creatures of the forest that help them cope up with the new place and teach them how to love the forest.

6. Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ)

A love story for the kids, Ponyo portrays an exquisite relationship of a young boy named Sosuke and a beautiful goldfish whom he named Ponyo after he found it by the shore. Upon using magic to become human, Ponyo quickly falls in love with the sweet boy but such is forbidden for it can cause disastrous imbalance to the world. The journey begins when both fight for their innocent love story and friendship and must pass a test to restore the world in order again.

7. Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)

A world like you've never imagined before.

New place. New school. New friends. Chihiro doesn't seem to like the idea of moving and is further frightened to death when she and her parents made a wrong turn to a tunnel that led them to the world of the spirits. Further making mistakes, her parents are turned into pigs and Chihiro must find a way to bring them back with the help of a mysterious young man named Haku, and to actually help him in return.

8. Whisper of the Heart ((耳をすませば)

Writing a love story and watching your own love story unfold. Visiting the library, reading books and translating songs-- that's the Shizuku you would see everyday. Somehow her story takes an interesting turn when a new kid in school named Seiji mocks her songs, a stubborn cat leads her to a magical antique shop, and everything that followed paints a love story for her.

9. Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓 )
World War II. Bombs. Air raids. What would you do if everyone you love, died one by one?
A story not only about war in the eyes of the innocent, but also about lost souls, Grave of the Fireflies is a tragic insightful movie about Seita and her sister Setsuko and how they tried to survive the war without a home, without money and without parents.

10. The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしの ｱﾘｴｯﾃｲ)
Studio Ghibli's latest movie tells about a unique story of a young sickly boy named Sho and a tiny girl-borrower Arrietty, how they forged a forbidden friendship and proved "no friendship is too small".