The decisive difference between those who say ‘Ah, that was interesting’ after reading a book or watching a film, and those who can create ‘interesting stories’ (Five techniques for turning works into material)
A)
Where do people with interesting stories get their material from? Literary critic Kaho Miyake states, ‘Any novel, drama, or other work can become an endless source of interesting material, depending on how you approach it.’
B)
The process of “cooking” a work you've savoured:
When you read something, transforming it into “material” requires the following specific steps:
No1 〈Comparison〉 Compare it to other works
No2 〈Abstraction〉 Articulate its theme in words
No3 〈Discovery〉 Find what isn't explicitly written
Once you can do No1 - No3, you can advance to the following applications:
No4 〈Trends〉 Discussing shared characteristics of the era
No5 〈Timelessness〉 Discussing universal themes
Once you can appreciate or interpret what you've seen or read using any of these No1 - No5 approaches, you'll be in a position to talk about it with others.
In essence, the process might look like this:
Reading/viewing a specific work (the raw material)
↓
Appreciating/interpreting it through one of the No1–No5 processes (the cooking)
↓
Transforming it into something you can talk about (the plating)
In essence, I aim to convey how to cook it.
Honestly, interesting works remain interesting even when experienced without prior knowledge! After all, delicious vegetables and fruit taste good even without cooking, don't they? You can simply enjoy them as they are, savouring the raw flavour of the ingredients.
But when serving others, wouldn't you instead turn a tasty apple into an apple pie, or arrange it in a salad with other ingredients, rather than just serving it plain?
It's the same.
C)
Appreciating works involves an “interpretation process”:
Works are delicious both raw and cooked.
When serving others, it might be better to cook for them.
Just as cooking involves steps like seasoning, simmering, roasting, and mixing, appreciating art involves interpretative steps like comparison, abstraction, and discovery.
By mixing it with various ingredients to savour the flavours (comparison), mashing or simmering it to lose some of its form before tasting (abstraction), or adding seasoning it doesn't naturally possess (discovery), a deeper appreciation of its culinary value emerges.
The ingredients are delicious both raw and cooked.
Please try to discover your own cultural appreciation techniques for works.
Now then, let us look a little more closely at the ‘Five Techniques’ for appreciating stories.
No1〈Comparison〉Compare with other works
No2〈Abstraction〉Put the theme into words
No3〈Discovery〉Find what is not written
No4〈Trends〉Discuss as the common points of the era
No5〈Timelessness〉Discuss as universal themes
I'll explain each one briefly.
Let's use the Ghibli film “My Neighbour Totoro” as a concrete example.
D)
No.1 〈Comparison〉 Compare with other works:
When you read or watch a truly remarkable piece, you think, ‘Ah, that was brilliant!’
That alone means you've savoured the raw flavour. But it doesn't make for good conversation. Simply saying ‘it was brilliant’ doesn't make for an interesting story.
So, the first step is to ‘compare it to other works’.
After reading, think about what other works it can be compared to.
Example:
Comparing My Neighbour Totoro and Harry Potter, Japan's Totoro uses a ‘bus’ to transport you to another world, while Britain's Harry Potter uses a ‘train’.
Whereas the Catbus feels like a pre-modern, folkloric creature that's always existed, the Hogwarts Express is more like an industrial, futuristic piece of infrastructure.
...Which makes you wonder if Japan and Britain's “fantasy worlds” serve different purposes, perhaps?
This kind of little story becomes possible. It's only through this contrast – Japan's folkloric bus versus Britain's industrial train – that it transforms into this kind of “conversation starter”.
This could lead to a discussion about differences in attitudes towards infrastructure between Japan and the West, or perhaps about differing interpretations of fantasy.
Which work would you compare My Neighbour Totoro to?
E)
No2〈Abstract〉Putting the theme into words:
After watching a work, try pondering, ‘What was the theme of this story?’
Merely pondering it vaguely might not yield an answer. Crucially, remember: there is no single correct answer.
Frankly, there is no definitive theme for a work. If there were, the creator would simply state it explicitly. It is precisely because themes cannot be clearly articulated that works are created in the first place.
In that sense, crafting the theme is actually the viewer's task.
For instance, a tomato is simply a tomato. Yet discovering good themes about it – such as ‘it's rich in lycopene,’ ‘it adds colour,’ or ‘it makes delicious sauce’ – is the job of the cook, the viewer.
So, knowing there's no single correct answer, we still ponder the theme.
The key is to focus on ‘change’ and ‘conclusion.’
- What transformation does the protagonist undergo in this work?
- Which scenes are depicted with particular emphasis?
・What conclusion does the final scene present?
Let's consider this.
Example:
The theme of My Neighbour Totoro might be “Children grow up hidden from adults”.
The moments when Satsuki and Mei mature are always invisible to their parents. Instead, Totoro watches over their crises and transformations.
In other words, the very fact that they embark on incredible adventures and grow up without their parents knowing is the film's central theme.
Being able to articulate the theme makes for great conversation topics. It's highly versatile.
F)
No3〈Discovery〉Finding what isn't written:
This is practically a secret recipe, so I'm almost reluctant to share it... The secret technique: ‘Searching for what isn't depicted’. It's quite a pro tip, but it's an easy way to have interesting conversations, so I highly recommend it.
‘This is something that wouldn't be out of place if it were written, yet it isn't, right?’
‘For some reason, this kind of character never appears.’
‘They could have included this kind of story, but they didn't.’
There's always a reason for things that ‘should have appeared but didn't’. The author deliberately avoided them. And behind that lies the author's own deep, personal convictions.
Things that should be there, yet for some reason, aren't.
Simply spotting these elements significantly deepens your viewing experience. And they become conversation topics.
Example:
In My Neighbour Totoro, electrical appliances are almost absent.
The story begins with the family of three moving to the countryside, loading their belongings onto a motorised tricycle. Beyond that, the near-total absence of anything resembling electrical appliances is a defining feature of this film. Barely any electricity is present at all.
This suggests that what director Hayao Miyazaki truly wished to depict in this film might not merely be the interaction between nature and children, but also what has been lost to the advent of televisions, air conditioning, refrigerators, and other electrical appliances...?
By contemplating what remains unwritten, the themes become clearer.
G)
No.4 Discussing commonalities of the era through trends:
Comparing it to other popular things of the same era reveals shared themes. This helps you understand, ‘Ah, so this is what everyone is seeking now,’ and you might have moments where you see that era through your own lens.
It's good to compare novels and films, or perhaps compare a friend's words with lines from anime.
Example:
In 1988, when My Neighbour Totoro was released, the term ‘otaku’ was spreading throughout society. Yes, it was an era when society recognised the existence of young people passionate about anime and games.
The fact that Director Miyazaki achieved a hit with Totoro by idealising a rural setting from an era without televisions or computers ultimately serves as proof that, behind the scenes, everyone was becoming increasingly engrossed in precisely those things. Precisely because it didn't exist in reality, people began seeking it in fiction.
H)
No5〈Unchanging〉Discussing Universal Themes:
This is the opposite of No.4; instead, it involves knowing universal themes that transcend time and applying them.
Universal themes are now well-established, so with practice, you'll learn to categorise them: ‘Ah, this is a variant of that theme.’ This is the application stage, so those accustomed to watching dramas or reading novels find it easier, but it's achievable with practice.
Let's explore various themes by comparing them with other works.
Example:
Totoro from My Neighbour Totoro, Baymax from Big Hero 6, and Hagrid from Harry Potter. Each features a partner resembling an oversized stuffed toy who protects the children.
There's also the phrase ‘Linus's blanket’ – perhaps something comforting and enveloping, like a blanket, is essential alongside children's growth?
In this way, transforming the works you watch or read into ‘conversation topics’ requires a process akin to cooking.
The decisive difference between those who say ‘Ah, that was interesting’ after reading a book or watching a film, and those who can create ‘interesting stories’ (Five techniques for turning works into material)
https://president.jp/articles/-/103726
