宮崎駿の『となりのトトロ』における「トウモロコシ」のイメージ研究

In the second half of My Neighbor Totoro, Mei’s act of picking corn by herself and bringing it to her sick mother furthers the plot of the film. Therefore, the significance of this act cannot be overlooked. Using a semiotic approach, combined with historical context, this paper analyzes the intentionality behind Mei’s act in My Neighbor Totoro. It suggests that the corn implies imageries of China, America, and Korea. Additionally, by investigating the history of popcorn, which is closely related to corn, and analyzing the plot of the film, we can also infer that corn implies images of bomb, immigrants and colonial achievements.