‘Zen and Ghibli’ doesn’t lecture. It teaches contemplation.

In “Zen and Ghibli,” Toshio Suzuki reflects on his career and Studio Ghibli’s beloved films through conversations with three Buddhist priests. | © 1988 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli

Oct 14, 2026

For more than four decades, Toshio Suzuki has shaped Studio Ghibli from behind the scenes as a producer, working alongside directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. In “Zen and Ghibli: Life Lessons for Lasting Happiness from the Legendary Studio,” Suzuki reflects on his career through a series of conversations with three Buddhist priests about uncertainty, ordinary life and the ways in which anime can illuminate Zen thought.

The book, originally serialized in the monthly Japanese magazine Nagomi, is part film commentary, part spiritual reflection and, at its best, a reminder that the studio’s appeal has always depended on negative space: what its stories leave unexplained as much as what they show.

Zen and Ghibli: Life Lessons for Lasting Happiness from the Legendary Studio, by Toshio Suzuki. Translated by Beth Cary. 256 pages. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, nonfiction.

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