We are happy to share that Steve Alpert's long awaited-memoir of his time working with Hayao Miyazaki at the legendary animation studio, Studio Ghibli, is now available. You can find Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man where all great books are sold.
Check out some of the excerpts from the book and interviews with Steve below.
This highly entertaining business memoir describes what it was like to work for Japan’s premiere animation studio, Studio Ghibli, and it's reigning genius Hayao Miyazaki.
Steve Alpert, a Japanese-speaking American, was the “resident foreigner” in the offices of Ghibli and its parent Tokuma Shoten and played a central role when Miyazaki’s films were starting to take off in international markets.
Alpert describes hauling heavy film canisters of Princess Mononoke to Russia and California, experiencing a screaming Harvey Weinstein, dealing with Disney marketers, and then triumphantly attending glittering galas celebrating the Oscar-winning Spirited Away.
His one-of-a-kind portraits of Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki, and of sly, gruff, and brilliant businessman Yasuyoshi Tokuma, capture the hard work and artistry that have made Ghibli films synonymous with cinematic excellence.
And as the lone gaijin in a demanding company run by some of the most famous and influential people in modern Japan, Steve Alpert tackles his own challenges of language and culture. No one else could have written this book.
Get a copy of Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man.
Excerpts
Polygon - How Neil Gaiman protected Princess Mononoke from Disneyfication
Kotaku - The Way Hayao Miyazaki Works Sounds Stressful
Books on Asia - Temporarily Misplaced in Translation
Interviews
Nippon.Com - “Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man”: An American at Ghibli
Tokyo Weekender - Negotiating with Miyazaki: An Insider’s Account of Studio Ghibli
Metropolis Magazine - The American Who Brought Ghibli to the World
SoraNews24 - A talk with the man who helped bring Studio Ghibli to the west, Steve Alpert
Cartoon Brew -Studio Ghibli’s Steve Alpert: Disney ‘Could Have Pushed The Ghibli Films Harder’
Early Reviews
The Japan Times - ‘Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man’: 15 years as Studio Ghibli’s bridge to the world
All The Anime - 15 YEARS AT STUDIO GHIBLI
Animation Scoop - BOOK REVIEW: “Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli”
Kyoto Journal - Behind the Scenes of Miyazaki’s Magic