Either way, like many of Miyazaki’s movies, “How Do You Live?” is based on a book. First published in the mid-1930s, the book of the same name follows a teenage boy named Koperu, who is going through the typical trials and tribulations of someone who is coming of age. The story also explores the close relationship that he shares with his uncle.
As such, the narrative weaves back and forth between the events of Koperu’s life and a series of notes that his uncle is writing to him in hopes of addressing Koperu’s concerns and offering some of what he himself has learned to the young boy. The title comes from the closing words, as the protagonist asks the reader this very question.
What the ever-imaginative Hayao Miyazaki will do with the vastness of this concept is easily the biggest draw of the upcoming adaptation. Other than that, though, we only have two visuals to go off of. The first is a close-up of what appears to be a bird with a human eye, while the second is a drawing of a resolute Koperu. What these images will ultimately represent will not be revealed to the audience until the film is released on July 14th, 2023.