"GOTF is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message."
-- Isao Takahata
As this is a common phrase thrown around on any discussion involving GOTF, I wanted to show through this entry what to think of this. Assuming this is a true statement of course (many people like me seem to have gotten this phrase from wiki).
First, I think there were external reasons why he would say this. I think declaring this film as an anti-war film during 1988 could hurt the ad campaign with political retaliation and scandals. Remember, during this time, Studio ghbli was more a children-friendly brand than it is now. "Anti-war" brings a lot of attention in light of war and cruelty--this might've hurt the brand so early in the game. Another is that Takahata's intention was more invigorating the youth by presenting the hardships that their predecessors had to endure. Perhaps to him, this message was more important that he didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention from the film and undermine what he really wanted the audience to take away from.
Why I think it's okay to think of GOTF as anti-war film:
First, in my review, I don't actually stress this. I say it shows why wars are "problematic." Showing problems of X doesn't necessarily = you're anti-X. If anything, it's more healthy skepticism.
I think if you watch the film as an anti-war movie, it cures the ignorance that "anti-war in Japan" = "fuck USA." GOTF clearly did not take sides and numerously demonstrated many flaws of Japanese mindset and character in the film. When Takahata didn't want the movie to be perceived as anti-war, perhaps he really meant that he didn't want people to think the film takes moral sides or was being preachy. And it's not.
Lastly, and most important, I don't think everything a director says = iron clad opinion. In fact, no one's opinion is. As a work of art (which it definitely is), it's perfectly normal and okay to take away different meanings or messages that the director didn't have in mind. Perhaps it's the "Western" perspective, but even well-revered and respected critics like Roger Ebert clearly felt that GOTF had an anti-war sentiment. Of course, he was mature and wise enough to know that the film didn't bash on US and insulated Japan from criticism. The point of the film wasn't to instill hatred in anyone or any nation. In fact, that's one of the crucial themes of the movie: the danger with associating too much of your personal identity with nationalism.
Hopefully this cleared up some confusions about the film. I didn't love it as I'd hoped, but this film rightfully is an important, symbolic film with content to think about.
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