The world of anime, much like so many other sectors of the planet, was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with Studio Ghibli finding its museum currently located in Mitaka City, Japan, suffering some serious hits and now it seems as if a fundraising effort has begun to help in saving the establishment that has so many memories from the legendary animation studio. Though Ghibli still has plans in motion to create an amusement park that brings some of its biggest locales to life, the museum is a totally different animal and offers a unique look at the studio’s past.
The coronavirus pandemic made it insanely difficult to do many regular activities that took place in-doors for quite some time, with many restaurants, businesses, and other establishments finding 2020 a difficult year to continue operations. With the case of Studio Ghibli, Mitaka City’s council is aiming to make sure that the museum remains open by raising around 10 million yen, the equivalent of over $90,000 USD, in order to make sure that lovers of anime and the legendary animation studio are able to look at sketches, designs, and full figures from the past of the company led by Hayao Miyazaki.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The city, in its bid to raise money for the museum, used the character Poki, created by Miyazaki himself, to help in the fundraising efforts that are still continuing to this day. While the fate of the Ghibli museum is uncertain at this point, we would imagine there are plenty of fans who would be willing to donate, though Mitaka City has announced that they plan on using the “Hometown Tax System” to help in raising the funds necessary.
Even though 2020 was a difficult year for anime, Ghibli was still able to release a new film with Earwig And The Witch, while also making headlines by releasing nearly all of its animated features on the streaming service of HBO Max. With the next movie in the studio’s future set to be an adaptation of a popular Japanese novel, “How Do You Live?“, it’s clear that Ghibli is continuing to earn its name as one of the biggest animation studios in the world today.
What do you think of this tough situation for Studio Ghibli’s museum? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Ghibli.
