What to expect at the Ghibli exhibition in Jakarta

Fans of Studio Ghibli in Jakarta can finally experience the Japanese animation world created by the famed studio, as the exhibition opened its 39-day exhibition in the Pacific Place Ballroom on Thursday.

Several installations at the 'The World of Ghibli' exhibition on its first opening day however were still under construction due to technical difficulties, as stated on its website.

Studio Ghibli president Koji Hoshino along with an interpreter, led an introductory tour to the first group of visitors on Thursday, where he cited the goal to achieve a perfect exhibition as the reason behind delayed completion. 

The event in the Indonesian capital city, which will run until Sept. 17, is the biggest exhibition of its kind held outside of Japan. 

"That is why we want it to be done properly," Hoshino said on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co. 

Here are some of the installation to look out for at the exhibition:

Laputa 

The Laputa robot from Laputa: Castle in the Sky ( 1986 ) stands tall to greet visitors at the exhibition.

In comparison to the Laputa figure sitting on the rooftop of the Ghibli museum in Japan, the version displayed in Jakarta is more alike to the one in the film, Antara news reported.

"Every Ghibli film has a distinctive symbol that is recognizable," Hoshino said, adding that Laputa is one of the characters that is most recognizable from the film. 

Other than the robot, there is also the Flappter, an aircraft that looks like a dragonfly from the same animation.

Read also: Must-watch anime movies from Studio Ghibli

Spirited Away

A giant version of the bath house featured in the animation film Spirited Away is also displayed at the exhibition.

Hoshino referred to the contents of the quirky bath house as an analogy to the contents of Hayao Miyazaki's head, noting that is it very creative.

Porco Rosso

The old red plane from Porco Rosso stands prominently in the exhibition area.

Hoshino revealed the interest of famous animator Hayao Miyazaki in aircraft inspired him to include its theme in the movie.

"Every Ghibli movie contains the hopes and dreams from Hayao Miyazaki," Hoshino said.

The female figure in Porco Rosso, for example, is a picture of the ideal woman in the eyes of Hayao Miyazaki.

"Hayao in the film is described as a pig figure," he said.

Ponyo

Images of the ocean, which waters make up the blue whale, represents the movie that was made in 2008. Ponyo is one of the relatively new Ghibli studio films compared to its predecessors made in the 80s and 90s. 

"He has the imagination for making water movement be made into a form of fish," explains Hoshino.

Read also: 10 old-school mangas we just can't forget

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Ohmu, a giant insect-like creature that acts as a guardian of the earth, is displayed with a toxic forest back drop. The color of the many eyes attached to Ohmu's body can switch from red to blue.

"Blue is a sign when things are safe, red appears as a sign of danger; in the movie, people are screwed when Ohmu's eyes turn red," Hoshino said.

Howl's Moving Castle

Hoshino noted the unique 8.5-meter-tall castle replica as one of the best installations of Howl's Moving Castle.

"I'm in awe; in Japan they had tried to make this but the level does not match the version in Indonesia," he said, adding that he hopes Hayao Miyazaki can come to Jakarta to see it first hand the work displayed in the exhibition.

This castle is the first image made by Miyazaki when he was making the film. Toshio Suzuki, a fellow at Studio Ghibli, had a role in deciding on the final form of the castle.

"Suzuki gave the idea to add chicken legs for the castle to move," Hoshino said.

Totoro

Totoro, the adorable furry gray creature that only a child can see, is signature to Studio Ghibli, like Mickey Mouse is for Disney, Hoshino said.

Totoro and the neko bus, or the cat bus, is one of the studio's most popular characters.

In the movie Totoro, the front of the neko bus shows the destination of the bus. At the exhibition, "Jakarta" is written in hiragana as its destination. 

Hoshino says few people watch Totoro in theaters, mostly by television or video.

"Therefore, the Ghibli film festival in Jakarta is a golden opportunity to watch Totoro on the big screen," he added.

Additionaly, the exhibition also features replicas of Laputa Airship and Arriety, as well as the Studio Ghibli Journey Area, which contains original sketches and travel history, but have not yet been fully completed due to technical constraints. (liz/kes)

Source: What to expect at the Ghibli exhibition in Jakarta