Hayao Miyazaki is the greatest animator alive. And he does not like the iPad.

Noted for Studio Ghibli classics like My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki has stated that he rarely watches TV, does not own a computer or a fax and doesn't even own a DVD player. Instead of e-mail, he writes letters. He also makes wonderful films.


In an interview in the July issue of "Neppuu", the Studio Ghibli published pamphlet, the famed animator does not pull any punches when discussing the iPad, or what he calls the "game machine-type thing" that people are "stroking with strange gestures".


"For me, there is no feeling of admiration or no excitement whatsoever," Miyazaki said about the iPad. "It's disgusting. On trains, the number of those people doing that strange masturbation-like gesture is multiplying."

Miyazaki also noted that he also got "fed up" when everyone on the trains started reading manga and then later when everyone began using cell phones on the trains to presumably send text messages.

He might seem like an eccentric technophobe, but he is coming from an "All I need are pencil and paper" point-of-view. That might be all he needs. He's Hayao Miyazaki! And with those simple tools, he can create brilliance. Not everyone is talented as Miyazaki. Later in the article, however, he encourages people to become creators, and not simply consumers. With all today's information overload, it is easy for people to lose sight of what they need to focus on to advance society.

Studio Ghibli, his animation company, is currently working on a Nintendo DS and PS3 game called "Ni no Kuni". Miyazaki is not directly involved with these projects.


宮崎駿監督iPadについて「ぼくには、鉛筆と紙があればいい」と語る [IT Media] [Pic]