Studio Ghibli is bringing one of Hayao Miyazaki’s least accessible creative periods back into focus with a major new archival release. The studio’s official merchandise storefront, Donguri Sora, has opened pre-orders for Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Collection Vol. 6, a large-format art book built around two overlooked 1995 productions: Whisper of the Heart and “On Your Mark.”
What makes the release from Donguri Sora especially notable is how much of it has never been publicly available before. Published by Iwanami Shoten and assembled with Studio Ghibli’s editorial oversight, the 140-page collection contains 178 Miyazaki drawings, including a substantial amount of previously unpublished material pulled directly from the studio’s archives. For longtime Ghibli fans, it is effectively the official resurrection of a “lost” Miyazaki body of work.
Studio Ghibli Opens Miyazaki’s Vault for a Rare 1995 Collection
The new volume collects 21 illustrations created for Whisper of the Heart and 157 for “On Your Mark,” the experimental seven-minute short Miyazaki wrote and directed as a music video for Japanese duo Chage and Aska. Though both projects debuted in 1995, neither has received the same sustained spotlight as other Ghibli works like Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away.
That makes this release unusually significant. Rather than reprinting familiar promotional art, Studio Ghibli has assembled image boards, storyboards, and developmental sketches that document how these productions were actually built. The publisher says the drawings were scanned with a high-precision process designed to preserve the original color, texture, and brush detail of Miyazaki’s hand-drawn materials.
Presentation is also a big part of this historic Studio Ghibli release. Most of the artwork is reproduced close to its original dimensions in a modified B4 format measuring 350 mm by 257 mm, giving the book a much larger footprint than a standard art collection. The result is less like a compact tie-in and more like a production archive made available to the public.
Two Underrated Ghibli Works Finally Get Their Due
The release shines a particularly bright light on “On Your Mark,” one of the most elusive entries in Hayao Miyazaki’s filmography. Set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, the short follows two officers who rescue a winged girl from state captivity after uncovering her inside a religious compound. In just seven minutes, it delivers dystopian worldbuilding, classic Ghibli action, and one of Miyazaki’s most haunting endings.
Whisper of the Heart is a better known Ghibli work, but it is still often overshadowed by Studio Ghibli’s fantasy giants. Directed by Yoshifumi Kondo and written by Miyazaki, the film follows 13-year-old Shizuku Tsukishima, an avid reader whose growing bond with aspiring violin maker Seiji Amazawa pushes her to pursue writing. Miyazaki also handled the screenplay and storyboards, making his artistic presence central to the film’s identity.
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The book also includes a new interview with Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki, a longtime producer on Miyazaki’s films. That bonus section adds further historical value, offering new commentary on Hayao Miyazaki’s creative habits and the production culture behind both projects. Priced at 6,160 yen, or roughly $39, the collection is scheduled to ship in early to mid-June 2026, giving two of Studio Ghibli’s most underrated works a long-overdue official spotlight.
- Birthdate
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January 5, 1941
- Birthplace
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Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
- Height
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5 feet 5 inches
- Professions
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Animator, Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Producer, Author
