Why Lisa from Ponyo is the Best Studio Ghibli Mom

I think we can all agree that moms are pretty awesome I mean taking aside the fact that they're single-handedly the sole reason that we as human beings come to existence as a whole and that they sacrifice so much of their time energy and breast milk to ensure that we grow up to be strong healthy individuals I think what makes mom so awesome is the sort of bond and more important love that's developed between a mother and child that just isn't the same in any other kind of relationship moms are literal superheroes they are the best kind of people to exist and I think there is no other person on the planet that would agree more with me than the legendary anime as a mistake curmudgeon himself Hayao Miyazaki I don't think there's another director that loves and respects their mother as much as Miyazaki his mom was such an important part of his life that she became an active influence in several of his films to the point that Miyazaki both based the character of Dola from Castle in the Sky on his own mother and had her condition that Afflicted her during miyazaki's youth become an active plot point in My Neighbor Totoro and even Beyond these direct influences it's clear that Miyazaki has a deep love and respect for mothers in general not just his own as a lot of his films are littered with strong and interesting characters that also happen to be either mothers or motherly figures Miyazaki has created a lot of awesome moms throughout his career but there's only one mom that I believe deserves the title of greatest Studio Ghibli mom and that's the character Lisa from miyazaki's 2008 film Ponyo just like in miyazaki's other films love is a central theme in Ponyo and while this theme is primarily explored through the relationship between Ponyo and sosuke which in of itself deserves its own analysis video that I may make one day but is a topic for another time but today in celebration of Mother's Day I want to instead focus on another relationship that is just as vital and equally heartwarming and that's the bond between Sasuke and her mother Lisa now there's a lot of qualities and character traits about Lisa that makes her a great mom she's a kind and caring mother who's always there for sosuke whenever he needs her and she's also a strong and courageous woman who isn't afraid to stand up for what's right and what she believes in during the scene where Ponyo returns to the surface which causes this massive tsunami Lisa goes to some insane ass lengths to ensure her son's safety she drives through a huge ass wave and bodies of water she swerves along the curvy Road despite how wet and slip free it is as she catches him when the wind almost blows him away it's really insane despite how dangerous and chaotic the tsunami and the hurricane are the first and only thing that matters to Lisa is sosuke's safety just like any badass mom would do she protects him with his life and she's not just super mom to associate but to Ponyo as well despite the fact that she has no idea who Ponyo is and how weird she might seem she does not hesitate for a second to pick her up and bring her inside the house with her son she's so sweet and so kind to Ponyo to the point that she makes warm milk and Hearty Ramen for her as if she was his own daughter it's so wholesome and heartwarming what I'm trying to prove here is that Lisa is just as much an awesome mom to Sasuke as she is to complete random stranger you can see just how much her amazingness as a mom rubs off Sasuke and Ponyo when later near the end of the film when Sasuke and Ponyo give this random couple their food not just because it's the right thing to do but because they want to make sure that they and their baby are safe Lisa overall is a hard-working independent woman who always goes out of her way to not just provide for her five-year-old son but also serve as a positive role model for Sasuke and Ponyo but it's also clear that being this awesome Mom and role model isn't easy and it comes with a lot of hard challenges throughout the film sosuke's father is mostly absent due to his busy schedule as a sailor and he's so busy that he has to cancel a dinner plan with Lisa and Sasuke which naturally upsets her so because of the absence of his father Lisa Works long hours as a retirement center nurse to provide for Sasuke and give him a happy and stable home up in the hills and yet despite how understandably busy she is she always makes time for her son she always makes sure he's well fed in the morning that he gets to school on time and overall just be there for him and support him in all of his Endeavors at the end of the day Lisa works damn hard to be the best role model she can be for Sasuke and not once there are Ponyo does it ever feel like work or an obligation for her she doesn't become a kick-ass mother because she has to she does it because she wants to because making Sasuke happy makes her happy in the same vein as the father from My Neighbor Totoro Lisa is a fun outgoing and loving mother who can be just as goofy and adventurous as her five-year-old son she genuinely enjoys spending time with Sasuke and later Ponyo she actively encourages Sasuke to be creative and adventurous she never looks down on or ignores us childlike sense of Wonder and Imagination and she always takes what Sasuke says seriously even if what he says on paper sounds totally insane and crazy like a talking fish that loves ham Lisa plays along with Sasuke because in the end he's a kid with Big Dreams And even bigger creativity and as I mentioned in my Totoro video there's nothing wrong with having a sense of child like wonder if it leads you to become a better more creative person Lisa herself in the best way possible has several childlike Tendencies she has a playful spirit she has a sense of humor and she throws a fit when Sasuke's father is unable to make it for their dinner in her heart she's as much a kid as Sasuke and I think that's what makes their relationship so beautiful that they're just that connected but the thing that I love most about Lisa and why I believe she's the greatest Studio Ghibli mom is that she never not a single time looks down on Sasuke or views herself as some sort of superior over him throughout the film Miyazaki makes it clear that Lisa and sosuke are equals they aren't just mother and son they are also in a way partners that can trust and rely on each other there's no weird power dynamic because Lisa values her son's opinion very much and always listens to him whenever he has something to say I mean hell Sasuke doesn't even call Lisa mother he calls her Lisa and while it might seem strange to call your mom by her first name the fact that Lisa allows this to happen just shows just how strong and stable their relationship is and I think the scene that best exemplifies what I'm talking about is this Seed where Lisa has to drive back to the nursery to make sure that the old ladies are okay sosuke wants to go with her but Lisa insists that he stays home and look after Ponyo and what I really loved about this moment is that her justification for sosuke staying isn't that it's too dangerous or you're just a kid or whatever stupid generic reason that any other parent in any other animated kids movie would give in a similar situation she tells her son to stay because she needs someone to hold the fort while she's gone Lisa tells Sasuke that their house will be a lighthouse for people after the tsunami dies down or in need of a place to stay so while she's gone she needs someone to take care of the people whenever they come for Lisa this responsibility of holding the fort and looking out for people isn't some easy potatoes baby time job it's an important task that needs to get done and in her eyes Lisa is confident that Sasuke can do this Lisa trusts her son and believes that he is more than than capable of doing this in return sosuke recognizes that it is an important job it's why he doesn't complain or fight with her because while he does prefer to be with his mother he also understands that there are people out there who might need him and more importantly understands that Ponyo will need him sosuke hugs and salutes his mother and while he eventually leaves the house with Ponyo later in the movie to find Lisa the fact that there's this amount of trust and respect between the two is just really amazing and I believe this along with all these other factors that I mentioned from her kindness to her sense of adventure to her gutsiness and everything in between these are the things that make her the best mom and not just all of Studio ghibli's filmography but just one of the best moms in movies ever Lisa is the movie mom and while obviously no one can be exactly like her I think every sosuke in the world has their own Lisa that they love and look up to and in the end that's all that matters everyone has their Lisa and to celebrate all the leases in the world this video goes out to all the moms whose sons and daughters are watching this dumbass video probably this is Timmy from Tim Jong-un Productions signing off thank you and goodbye oh [Music]

Channel: TimJongUn Productions

Views: 5,640

Keywords: ponyo, mom

Id: 92r7VF6V1Y8

Length: 7min 6sec (426 seconds)

Published: Sun May 14 2023