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Ghibli film secret revealed as Japan Self-Defense Forces soldier deciphers secret code in Laputa

Oona McGee Oct 20, 2017
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According to this former soldier, the message that director Hayao Miyazaki hid in morse code has never been revealed until now.

One of the great things about rewatching a classic Studio Ghibli film is the chance to stumble upon secret images or subtle messages we might’ve missed the first time around. Over the years, we’ve discovered the hints in My Neighbour Totoro that point to the month of May, and the fact that director Hayao Miyazaki based one of his characters on his own mum, but now there’s a new message that’s been uncoded, this time in the 1986 anime Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

The revelation was made a few nights ago on the popular nightly TV program Tsukai! Akashiya TV, which is hosted by the legendary Japanese comedian Sanma Akashiya. On this particular night, Sanma was speaking to 10 former Self-Defense Forces personnel as guests on his show.

One of the guests, Rintaro Sakai, who once served in the Ground Self-Defense Forces 36th infantry regiment from 2001-2005, revealed that he and his buddies once decided to decipher the morse code that can be heard in the film. According to Sakai, who is now a TV director, there are three scenes in the film where the morse code can be heard, with the first being early on in the movie.

Take a look at the first morse code message in the clip below.

In the past, fans have dismissed this message as jibberish, recording it as a repetition of a series of dots and dashes […_ …_ …_], which translates to nothing more than “V” “V” “V”. However, Sakai and his soldier mates, who have experience in deciphering codes with no definite beginning and end, discovered that the message contained the code [.._. .. _.. . ._.. .. _ _._ _ ], which spells out the word “fidelity“.

According to Sakai, the second morse code scene also has another hidden message.

The message here is said to spell out the word “manufacture“. As the audience and host let out cries of amazement at Sakai’s revelations, he went on to reveal that a third scene, where the sound of a morse code message can be heard very briefly, is a little more difficult to understand, but he believes it spells out the word “studio“.

You can watch Sakai amaze the host and the audience as he discusses the hidden messages at the 36:39 mark in the video below.

http://www.dailymotion.com/cdn/manifest/video/x64tpp3.m3u8?auth=1508509206-2688-oms0zfzm-3470a1104d8f3fabb36185d273d540c6#t=39m36s

These three words – fidelity, manufacture, studio – lead Sakai to believe that the hidden message from Miyazaki to fans is that his studio manufactures films in a faithful, devoted manner.

Given that Laputa was the first film to be produced and released by Studio Ghibli following its founding in 1985 (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was released a year before the official founding), it’s not a far-fetched idea that the new studio would want to express its earnest goals to viewers in a special way.

While Studio Ghibli is yet to remark on the comments, Sakai says Miyazaki isn’t one to waste film time on something without giving it some meaning, which is a strong point given that the director recently revealed there was meaning attached to the reason why Nausicaa has large breasts.

What do you think about the former soldier’s interpretation? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash
Featured image: YouTube/@Oona McGee