Ponyo: A Platonic Love Story
Written by Sophia Kim
Studio Ghibli movies are always filled with a magical sense to them, and watching Ponyo is no different. Between the beautiful art style from Hayao Miyazaki and immersive music from Joe Hisaishi, Ponyo would make an amazing watch for Valentine’s Day, or any occasion! Ponyo starts off with the premise of Ponyo (the goldfish) wanting to become a human and experience life on land. Similar to the plot of The Little Mermaid by Disney, there is a feel of “love story” to Ponyo, but to write it off as simply a love story would be a misinterpretation. Ponyo is truly centered around trust, pure affection, and loyalty between the two characters.
From the start, Sosuke and Ponyo show the uncomplicated care in early childhood relationships. Sosuke cares for Ponyo, feeds her, gives her a place to stay, and is simply a great friend. This allows Ponyo to grow immense affection for Sosuke, as he cared for her so much from their first interaction. Sosuke ends up vowing to protect Ponyo. At first, this may seem like something any small kid would say, but he had the intention of wanting to be there to help Ponyo. This shows a tremendous amount of loyalty from the moment they met.
The pure devotion that Sosuke’s love for Ponyo is demonstrated as a final hurdle in the movie. Ponyo used magic that disrupted the balance of nature when she turned into a human, causing lots of storms in the coastal setting of the movie. Sosuke stays calm through all of this chaos and loves Ponyo because she’s Ponyo. Regardless of whether form Ponyo takes, Sosuke was there with her and stayed by her side. Ponyo’s mother, Granmamare, makes Sosuke swear that he loves her and will be able to take care of Ponyo on land and help her complete her transformation. Sosuke says yes, of course, taking in Ponyo and accepting her, even though she was a goldfish, which restores the balance to the world.
The movie also shows a contrast between parenting styles, which is reflected in the children. Fujimoto, Ponyo’s dad and main caretaker, shows extreme precaution with Ponyo, which evidently ends in Ponyo wanting independence from him and her travel to land. Sosuke’s mother, Lisa, gives Sosuke a lot of independence but still loves him deeply, resulting in Sosuke being comfortable with being alone and taking care of Ponyo. The movie consistently suggests the curiosity-based approach of children to relationships. Ponyo and Sosuke both show bravery when first meeting each other, completely absent of jealousy or expectation that is gained when you grow up.
Evidently, Ponyo is not a generic love story like enemies-to-lovers or anything like that, but a pure-hearted portrayal of friendships and how they can transform your life. The film teaches us that love built on trust, acceptance, and kindness turns into the most magical things, such as a forever friendship that grows and changes dynamically. Ultimately, Ponyo shows us the magic and sincerity of platonic, unconditional love and how impactful it can be to one another.
