Commonalities Between “Mirai” and “My Neighbor Totoro”: A World of “It Was a Dream, But It Wasn’t a Dream” Born from Loneliness
Mirai(Official) is a feature-length animated film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, released in 2018. In a nutshell, this work is “a growth story of a 4-year-old child, Kun,” but surface-level depictions such as “the suffering of an older brother whose parents don’t understand his dissatisfaction” or “the appearance of parents struggling with child-rearing” are not particularly new. In fact, these themes have been depicted so often that one might not find much novelty in that aspect alone.
Therefore, if there is a part that makes this work interesting, it would be “the mysterious phenomena experienced by Kun.”
And when we decipher these “mysterious phenomena” by comparing them with Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro(Official), we can see a surprising number of commonalities and the “essence of existence called a child” that Director Hosoda tried to depict.
In this article, we will compare the timing when “mysterious phenomena” occur in both works and analyze the deep psychology of why they had to meet Mirai or Totoro.
*This article is an analysis intended for those who have already watched “Mirai” and know the general story. If you have forgotten the synopsis or ending, or want to review the story again, please refer to the following article first.
*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「未来のミライ」と「となりのトトロ」に見る共通点 -孤独が生んだ”夢だけど夢じゃなかった”世界-”.
Let an AI walk you through the highlights of this post in a simple, conversational style.
- Commonalities of magic activated in the parents’ “blind spot”
The mysterious phenomena common to both Mirai and My Neighbor Totoro occur in the momentary “blind spot” when parents take their eyes off their children due to work or busyness. Rather than physical absence, children step into a mysterious world the moment they feel “mental loneliness”—being ignored even though their parents are nearby. - Function as an “Imaginary Friend” to keep mental balance
The mysterious entities in both works function as a “defense system (imaginary friend)” to rationalize negative emotions such as jealousy and anxiety that children cannot process alone. These are not mere hallucinations, but stories created by their unconsciousness as a necessity to save the children from loneliness. - Difference in roles: “Growth” and “Healing”
Although there is a difference in roles—Mirai, who scolds Kun and encourages “growth (socialization),” and Totoro, who protects Mei and Satsuki from fear and becomes “healing (shelter)”—both bring definite changes to the children. As the phrase “It was a dream, but it wasn’t a dream” suggests, the salvation and growth brought about by that experience are undeniable realities for the children.
Common Conditions for “Magic” in “Mirai” and “My Neighbor Totoro”
Both Mirai and My Neighbor Totoro are stories where children interact with mysterious entities that do not exist (or cannot be seen) in the real world we live in. However, these phenomena do not occur randomly. If you follow the story carefully, you will see that there is a clear “rule.”
5 timings when Kun wanders into a mysterious world
In Mirai, the timing when Kun experiences the mysterious world (mutation of the courtyard, movement to the past/future) can be organized as follows.
- Encounter with the humanized Yukko When he messed with baby Mirai, made her cry, was scolded unilaterally by his parents, and his “loneliness” was not understood at all.
- Encounter with middle school Mirai While his mother was on a business trip, he tried to play with his father, but his father was focused on working from home and ignored him, leaving him feeling lonely.
- Encounter with his mother in the past When his wish to buy a bicycle was not granted, and conversely, he was scolded by his mother to clean up the toys he left out.
- Encounter with his great-grandfather in his youth While practicing riding a bicycle in the park, Mirai started crying, and his father became occupied with her, interrupting his practice.
- Wandering into future self / Tokyo Station On the day the family went camping, he threw a tantrum because he couldn’t find his favorite yellow pants, and he felt (or perceived) that his parents didn’t understand his obsession and were about to leave him behind.
Timings when Mei and Satsuki meet Totoro (and Catbus)
On the other hand, in My Neighbor Totoro, the scenes where Mei and Satsuki encounter mysterious entities like Totoro and the Catbus are as follows.
- Mei’s first encounter with Totoro While Satsuki is at school, Mei tries to play with her father at home. However, her father is immersed in his research in his study, and Mei ends up playing alone.
- Encounter with Totoro at the rainy bus stop When Satsuki and Mei were waiting for their father’s return at the dark bus stop for a long time because he didn’t have an umbrella. His return was delayed, and it was a time filled with anxiety.
- Summoning the Catbus Mei goes missing in despair after her mother’s temporary return home is postponed. When Satsuki felt a strong sense of crisis and loneliness, and asked for help.
Magic always activates in a “blind spot where parents’ eyes don’t reach”
Comparing the lists above reveals a common denominator. That is, mysterious phenomena occur the moment a “child feels loneliness that those around them do not notice.”
Of particular note is the similarity between [2] in Mirai and [1] in My Neighbor Totoro. In both cases, the father is at home. However, they are focused on work (research), and their awareness of the child is cut off. The child feels a quality of loneliness worse than physical absence: “Dad is here, but he won’t play with me.”
Moreover, if you compare the images below, it can be inferred that Director Hosoda consciously (intentionally) created such a situation:
To avoid misunderstanding, I am not saying that Director Hosoda ripped off the situation, and it does not appear that way. This should be recognized as a scene paying a clear homage. Conversely, it implies that the existence of My Neighbor Totoro or Hayao Miyazaki was clearly in Director Hosoda’s mind when making this work, and it could be viewed as him challenging My Neighbor Totoro head-on.
In any case, the “magic (mysterious phenomena)” in both works does not happen because the parents do not love their children, but rather occurs by slipping into a momentary “gap (blind spot)” where parents take their eyes off their children due to busyness or other circumstances.
Are Totoro and Mirai “Imaginary Friends”?
Organizing the conditions of occurrence in this way brings into view what role these mysterious entities play for the children.
“Mental Defense System” to rationalize loneliness and anxiety
In Mirai, the flow of the story is always structured as “Kun has a complaint ⇒ A mysterious phenomenon occurs, and the complaint is resolved (or accepted) through the experience.”
This is extremely close to the function of an “Imaginary Friend,” where the brain attempts to process emotions that cannot be handled—such as loneliness, jealousy, and absurdity held by children—by turning them into a story. The mysterious phenomena function as a “rationalization device” unconsciously created by the child to maintain their own mental balance.
My Neighbor Totoro is the same. The absence of their mother, the busyness of their father, life in an unfamiliar land. The environment surrounding Satsuki and Mei is a harsh stress environment for children. Totoro and the Catbus appear before them with an overwhelming sense of security and excitement, as if to make up for that harsh reality (loneliness).
In other words, the mysterious entities in both works are two sides of the same coin as the child’s fantasy world, and exist there as “a necessity to save the child’s loneliness.”
Mirai who makes him “Grow,” Totoro who “Protects”
Thus, while both works have important commonalities, there is a decisive difference in their stance regarding “what the mysterious existence brings to the child.”
The entities that appear in Mirai (Mirai, mother, great-grandfather, etc.) do not spoil Kun. Sometimes they scold him, sometimes they coldly push him away, giving him a new perspective. In other words, they play a role like an educator promoting Kun’s “growth (socialization).”
On the other hand, Totoro in My Neighbor Totoro says nothing, just stays by their side, accepts Mei with his fluffy belly, gives her nuts, and flies in the sky on a top. Totoro plays the role of a “shelter” protecting the trembling children from real fears (such as the premonition of their mother’s death).
Even if they were born from the same “loneliness,” perhaps 4-year-old Kun needed “growth,” while Satsuki and Mei, who carried the heavy burden of their mother’s illness, needed “healing.”
Conclusion: A Story Depicting “It Was a Dream, But It Wasn’t a Dream”
What I have discussed so far has been from the perspective that the existence of the future Mirai and Totoro is, if anything, a “fantasy (imaginary friend)” of the children.
On the other hand, the past that Kun saw is something Kun could not have known, and denying the existence of Totoro (as a “real” existence within the story) would create a contradiction in the story. Therefore, it is natural to view Totoro and the Catbus as “existing.”
With that said, considering the implications they hold as we have thought about so far, the aspect of “children’s fantasy” comes into view.
And you will see that Mei’s famous line in My Neighbor Totoro, “It was a dream, but it wasn’t a dream!” brilliantly strikes at the essence of these works.
From an adult or objective perspective, Kun’s experience might be just a fantasy, and Totoro might be an illusion shown by the forest. However, as a result of that experience, Kun became able to ride a bicycle, and Satsuki and Mei were saved from the depths of despair and were able to go home with smiles.
Since it brought about a definite reality of “growth” and “salvation” to the children’s hearts, it was not merely a dream, but an undeniable “reality.”
Mirai and My Neighbor Totoro. Although the styles are different, I believe both works can be described as masterpieces that brilliantly depict the resilience of children trying to survive “lonely times when parents’ eyes don’t reach” with their own imagination, and the world where “it was a dream, but it wasn’t a dream” that affirms it.
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“It was a dream. But it wasn’t a dream.” and “Everything that happens stays inside you, even if you can’t remember it” — Hayao Miyazaki’s “Forgetting” as a Mechanism for Growth
