Meeting Totoro part II I Wish I Could Stay Forever page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I headed into the main hall and to the theatre lobby. People were already lining up. I had no idea what the movie was or what it was about. Storyboards from the film decorated the lobby. Near as I could tell, there were at least three different movies. Oh, well. No more time to ponder, as the line was moving. The usher stamped my ticket, and I got a good seat down in front. Wow. The Saturn Theatre Scanned from the Ghibli Museum Souvenir Booklet It was a sequel to My Neighbour Totoro. I’ve already mentioned the catbus that figures into the film. Well, this film was about the main little girl from Totoro managing to meet and befriend…a kittenbus. Of course, a kittenbus is just big enough for a little girl to ride, so it’s not long before this little girl is joyriding in her kittenbus, meeting up with all other kinds of cat-vehicles, before encountering Totoro and a cat-Jumbo jet. Apparently, cat-vehicles love caramels. Afterwards, I discovered that it was one of three short films that Studio Ghibli made exclusively for the museum. I walked out of that theatre feeling very pleased. Scene from Mei and the Kittenbus Scanned from a Ghibli Museum postcard And now, I was faced with a dilemma. In Japan, I found that when I went to a museum by myself, I never quite knew when it was time to leave. When you go with a friend, your friend can always say to you, “So, have you seen enough? Ready to go?” But, when I was alone, I always found that to be a difficult question to ask myself. I’d ask myself that question, and I’d always reply with, “Well, I’m not sure.” But there was one thing I did know. One thing that haunted me in Japan ever since the company said they weren’t renewing my contract. Whenever I started falling into that “Have you seen enough?/Well, I’m not sure” redundant loop, a third voice would interject. That third voice would always say “Odds are you’ll never be here again. Make the most of it.” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 <<Previous Page | Next Page>> Return to the Columns Page © Mark Sladen Cappis, 2005