Why Studio Ghibli?


     

    As a Studio Ghibli fan, interacting with the fandom makes me enjoy the movies more than if I hadn't. Before I was in the fandom, I always enjoyed the movies, but viewing and contributing to it makes it more enjoyable because you're able to share your ideas with other fans, and you are able to learn from them in return. The fandom covers more than just cosplay, but also includes fan art, fan fiction, and even fandom crossovers. All of these different kinds of fan interactions make the fandom rich for everyone who interacts with it. 

(1)
    Like many other fandoms, people love to make fan art and share it with others. One artist like this is Abigail Tan, and she is a children's illustrator and a fellow fan of Studio Ghibli. She has her own webpage where she showcases not just her illustrations for books, but also the fan art she makes of Studio Ghibli. In addition to those who make art for a living, the fandom has many other people who make art just because they love to make art and love the movies Studio Ghibli makes. Interacting in the fandom allows you to meet other people and provides an opportunity to learn from people who make their living from art, and a chance to improve. If you are not interested in making art, there are still many fans who make art just to share with others. One site you can see this on is called Deviantart. One artist by the username of itzfahimhasan, who creates Studio Ghibli fan art and posts it to that site, an example being their recreation of a scene from The Wind Rises (2). Connecting and contributing to the fandom opens the door of communication with people you would have never met otherwise, and gives you an opportunity to learn and improve from other people pursuing an art career. 

    In addition to art, many people also love to write fan fiction about the Studio Ghibli movies they love. I particularly like reading fan fiction based on the movies, such as Calcifer Fretting by rabidsamfam and Across the Ashes by ihaveaface on a fan fiction website called Archive of Our Own or AO3 (3 & 4). Sometimes, when you watch the movies, they can seem unfinished or ended in a way that you don't think they should have. A way this can be remedied is by reading fan fiction because other people are probably dissatisfied with you. By interacting with the fan fiction area of the fandom, you can find stories that change the ending or the parts of the story that you don't like. You can also take inspiration from other writers' fan fiction. Like fan art, you can also learn from other people who write for fun and to make a living by connecting with them through the fandom. 

(6)
    Finally, participating in the fandom doesn't have to limit you solely to the world of Studio Ghibli. In the past, I knew some people whose favorite kind of fandom interaction was crossovers because it brought together two or more fandoms or put the characters in a different world than the one they were created in. Many Studio Ghibli movies revolve around war, and because of the studio's family-friendly nature, it can feel like it is not well represented. Fan fiction writers might change this by placing the fictional characters into a historical war and adding more details to make it feel more authentic. People also like to make crossovers because the worlds of the characters are very narrow, and placing them in different situations, places, or with other characters outside their franchise allows fans to be creative and make their own storylines (5). One person on AO3 made a piece of crossover fan art, which recreated a scene from My Neighbor Toroto but features Sherlock Holmes as a child. Creating crossovers brings a new level of enjoyment to the fandom that cannot be found in the original movies. 

    While the Studio Ghibli movies are well-made pieces of cinema, fans can find a new level of enjoyment from the fandom that the movies simply can't provide. I, as well as many other people, find a lot of enjoyment in interacting with the fandom through fan art, fan fiction, and crossovers. All the resources are open to you if you only decide to look for them and to use them. You'll also find new people through interacting with the fandom you connect with and possibly make more friends. 


References 

(1) Tan, A. (n.d.). Ghibli movies fan art. Artstation.        https://abigailtan21.artstation.com/projects/28Bxve


(2) [Itzfahimhasan]. (2024, August 19). The wind rise fanart. [Online forum post] Deviant Art.                  https://www.deviantart.com/itzfahimhasan/art/The-Wind-Rise-fanart-1088501556


(3) Calcifer fretting. (2010, February 2). Archive of Our Own. Retrieved April 16, 2026, from             https://archiveofourown.org/works/60683


(4) Across the ashes. (2024, September 20). Archive of Our Own. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://archiveofourown.org/works/59092747


(5) Samutina, N. (2016). Fan fiction as world-building: transformative reception in crossover writing. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 30(4), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2016.1141863 


(6) My neighbor sherlock. (2014, July 1). Archive of Our Own. Retrieved April 16, 2026, from https://archiveofourown.org/works/1880427 


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