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| voiceactordis = [[Elle Fanning]]
 
| voiceactordis = [[Elle Fanning]]
 
| voiceactorstr = [[Cheryl Chase]]
 
| voiceactorstr = [[Cheryl Chase]]
}}'''Mei Kusakabe''' (草壁 メイ, ''Kusakabe Mei'') is the 4-year-old protagonist little sister of [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki]] in ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' and ''[[Mei and the Kittenbus]]''. She is the daughter of [[Tatsuo Kusakabe]] and [[Yasuko Kusakabe]].
+
}}'''Mei Kusakabe''' (草壁 メイ, ''Kusakabe Mei'') is the four-year-old protagonist little sister of [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki]] in ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' and ''[[Mei and the Kittenbus]]''. She is the daughter of [[Tatsuo Kusakabe|Tatsuo]] and [[Yasuko Kusakabe]].
 
She is incredibly lively and active, as well as rather curious.
 
   
 
== Personality==
 
== Personality==
Mei is the younger sister of [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki]] in [[My Neighbor Totoro]]. According to Miyazaki's 1987 directorial memo, In contrast to Satsuki, who is reliable and quickwitted,
+
Mei is the younger sister of [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki]] in [[My Neighbor Totoro]]. According to Miyazaki's 1987 directorial memo, In contrast to Satsuki, who is reliable and quickwitted, Mei is a single-minded, persevering child. Stubborn yet cheerful, she is like her older sister in that she is persistent and not timid. But with her initial shyness and tendency to few words, she seems to be even more observant than Satsuki.
 
   
  +
For some reason she doesn't fear goblins (Totoros), and the goblins that open up to her because her child's world has not yet been tainted by the common scene of adults-but this may also be due to her loneliness. Even Satsuki must bear up, but not having her mother around is an even greater hardship for a four-year old.
   
  +
Yet Mei is a bold, happy girl, without any dark shadow sin her personality. She runs after her older sister and imitates her. But if eh comes across something interesting she becomes obssessed with it and forgets the way home or time, upsetting her older sister.
   
 
==History==
 
==History==
[[File:Tonari no Totoro - Sosuke and mini Totoro.png|thumb|220x220px]]Mei is [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki's]] troublesome little sister. Born in [[Tokyo]] in May 1954, she is the first seen aboard the moving van along with her sister and her father [[Tatsuo Kusakabe|Tatsuo]]. She greedily eats her favorite snack of caramel while the family passes the rice fields of Sayama Hills. She first spots their new home beneath a giant camphor tree and along with her sister, excitedly greet the spirits that inhabit within. [[Granny]], the caretaker of the home, takes a liking to Mei, and tells them that she once saw spirits too when she was young.
+
[[File:Tonari no Totoro - Sosuke and mini Totoro.png|thumb|220x220px]]Mei is [[Satsuki Kusakabe|Satsuki's]] troublesome little sister. Born in [[Tokyo]] in May 1954, she is the first seen aboard the moving van along with her sister and her father [[Tatsuo Kusakabe|Tatsuo]]. Their are awaiting their mother's release from the hospital in a house where the air is clear. She greedily eats her favorite snack of caramel while the family passes the rice fields of Sayama Hills. She first spots their new home beneath a giant camphor tree and along with her sister, excitedly greet the spirits that inhabit within. [[Granny]], the caretaker of the home, takes a liking to Mei, and tells them that she once saw spirits too when she was young.
   
One day, Mei encounters one of the Totoros and chases after it. The littlest one leads Mei to a tunnel to the massive camphor tree's roots where she accidentally falls through. There she meets [[Totoro]], the spirit that inhabits the camphor tree. Mei isn't the least bit scared Totoro, and is in awe even as it yawns.
+
One day, Mei encounters one of the Totoros and chases after it. The littlest one leads Mei to a tunnel to the massive camphor tree's roots where she accidentally falls through. There she meets [[Totoro]], the spirit that inhabits the camphor tree. Mei isn't the least bit scared the large creature, and is in awe even as it yawns. "Ta,ta, ra..." Mei exclaims. The creature blinks and lets out a loud "Buha, buha". Mei shouts, "To, to, ro!"
  +
  +
With this, Mei becomes convinced that the creature is called a 'totoro'.
   
 
Mei cares deeply of her mother [[Yasuko Kusakabe|Yasuko]] who is the nearby hospital for an unspecified illness. She gets into an argument with Satsuki when she finds out their mother wouldn't be returning soon. She takes it upon herself to go to the hospital and ends up getting lost. Only with the efforts of Satsuki, [[Kanta Ōgaki|Kanta]], [[Totoro]] and [[Catbus]] do they find her unharmed.
 
Mei cares deeply of her mother [[Yasuko Kusakabe|Yasuko]] who is the nearby hospital for an unspecified illness. She gets into an argument with Satsuki when she finds out their mother wouldn't be returning soon. She takes it upon herself to go to the hospital and ends up getting lost. Only with the efforts of Satsuki, [[Kanta Ōgaki|Kanta]], [[Totoro]] and [[Catbus]] do they find her unharmed.
   
 
==Mei and the Kittenbus==
 
==Mei and the Kittenbus==
  +
Mei returns in the Ghibli-exclusive animated short ''[[Mei and the Kittenbus]]''. The film was teased in the late 90's and was completed shortly after the museum was opened in October 2002.
Mei runs outside of the house. When she eats a Japanese caramel cube candy,
 
   
  +
The film begins in a blustery day at the Kusakabe home. Mei is busy running around the house. When she eats her favorite caramel cube candy, a mini whirlwind suddenly appears before her, the [[Kittenbus]]! The two quickly fly off in search of the great [[Cat Liner]].
a mini whirlwind suddenly comes spinning her dress. [[Mei and the Kittenbus]] is a limited edition film.
 
   
==Characteristic==
+
==Characteristics==
Mei Kusakabe is 4 years old. In the Steamline dub, she is 5. She has sandy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wears a white puffy blouse with a bright pink dress (as present in her birthday and buyed from a shop) and sunshine yellow shoes and white bloomers, and carries a yellow bag. At the end of the film, she wears a carnation pink dress. Mei also wears a sunshine yellow night-dress at night and a sky blue night-dress at night in the sequel.
+
Mei Kusakabe is four-years old. In the Steamline dub, she is five. She has sandy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wears a white puffy blouse with a bright pink dress (as present in her birthday and buyed from a shop) and sunshine yellow shoes and white bloomers, and carries a yellow bag. At the end of the film, she wears a carnation pink dress. Mei also wears a sunshine yellow night-dress at night and a sky blue night-dress at night in the sequel.
 
==Personality==
 
Mei is really cute, stubborn, caring, and incredibly curious. She can be a very naughty pest, like many 4-year-old's are.
 
   
 
==Behind the Voices==
 
==Behind the Voices==
 
Mei Kusakabe is voiced by [[Chika Sakamoto]] in Seiyu, [[Cheryl Chase]] in Streamline dub and later [[Elle Fanning]] in Disney Dub.
 
Mei Kusakabe is voiced by [[Chika Sakamoto]] in Seiyu, [[Cheryl Chase]] in Streamline dub and later [[Elle Fanning]] in Disney Dub.
 
   
 
==Relationships==
 
==Relationships==
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*[[Tatsuo Kusakabe]] a father of two, and a husband
 
*[[Tatsuo Kusakabe]] a father of two, and a husband
 
*[[Yasuko Kusakabe]] a mother of two who is sick in [[My Neighbor Totoro|the film]]
 
*[[Yasuko Kusakabe]] a mother of two who is sick in [[My Neighbor Totoro|the film]]
 
== Feature Films ==
 
* ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]''
 
   
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
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==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
{{Quote|Wait|size = Wait!|width = Wait}}
+
{{Quote|Wait|size = ''Wait!''|width = Wait}}
{{Quote|You're Totoro!
+
{{Quote|''You're Totoro!''
 
:—Mei to Totoro}}
 
:—Mei to Totoro}}
{{Quote|It's falling!}}
+
{{Quote|''It's falling!''}}
   
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
*Mei is the origin of May on Japanese.
+
*According to [[Hayao Miyazaki]], the name Mei is derived from May in Japanese.
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==

Revision as of 23:17, 12 April 2021

Mei Kusakabe (草壁 メイ, Kusakabe Mei) is the four-year-old protagonist little sister of Satsuki in My Neighbor Totoro and Mei and the Kittenbus. She is the daughter of Tatsuo and Yasuko Kusakabe.

Personality

Mei is the younger sister of Satsuki in My Neighbor Totoro. According to Miyazaki's 1987 directorial memo, In contrast to Satsuki, who is reliable and quickwitted, Mei is a single-minded, persevering child. Stubborn yet cheerful, she is like her older sister in that she is persistent and not timid. But with her initial shyness and tendency to few words, she seems to be even more observant than Satsuki.

For some reason she doesn't fear goblins (Totoros), and the goblins that open up to her because her child's world has not yet been tainted by the common scene of adults-but this may also be due to her loneliness. Even Satsuki must bear up, but not having her mother around is an even greater hardship for a four-year old.

Yet Mei is a bold, happy girl, without any dark shadow sin her personality. She runs after her older sister and imitates her. But if eh comes across something interesting she becomes obssessed with it and forgets the way home or time, upsetting her older sister.

History

Tonari no Totoro - Sosuke and mini Totoro

Mei is Satsuki's troublesome little sister. Born in Tokyo in May 1954, she is the first seen aboard the moving van along with her sister and her father Tatsuo. Their are awaiting their mother's release from the hospital in a house where the air is clear. She greedily eats her favorite snack of caramel while the family passes the rice fields of Sayama Hills. She first spots their new home beneath a giant camphor tree and along with her sister, excitedly greet the spirits that inhabit within. Granny, the caretaker of the home, takes a liking to Mei, and tells them that she once saw spirits too when she was young.

One day, Mei encounters one of the Totoros and chases after it. The littlest one leads Mei to a tunnel to the massive camphor tree's roots where she accidentally falls through. There she meets Totoro, the spirit that inhabits the camphor tree. Mei isn't the least bit scared the large creature, and is in awe even as it yawns. "Ta,ta, ra..." Mei exclaims. The creature blinks and lets out a loud "Buha, buha". Mei shouts, "To, to, ro!"

With this, Mei becomes convinced that the creature is called a 'totoro'.

Mei cares deeply of her mother Yasuko who is the nearby hospital for an unspecified illness. She gets into an argument with Satsuki when she finds out their mother wouldn't be returning soon. She takes it upon herself to go to the hospital and ends up getting lost. Only with the efforts of Satsuki, Kanta, Totoro and Catbus do they find her unharmed.

Mei and the Kittenbus

Mei returns in the Ghibli-exclusive animated short Mei and the Kittenbus. The film was teased in the late 90's and was completed shortly after the museum was opened in October 2002.

The film begins in a blustery day at the Kusakabe home. Mei is busy running around the house. When she eats her favorite caramel cube candy, a mini whirlwind suddenly appears before her, the Kittenbus! The two quickly fly off in search of the great Cat Liner.

Characteristics

Mei Kusakabe is four-years old. In the Steamline dub, she is five. She has sandy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wears a white puffy blouse with a bright pink dress (as present in her birthday and buyed from a shop) and sunshine yellow shoes and white bloomers, and carries a yellow bag. At the end of the film, she wears a carnation pink dress. Mei also wears a sunshine yellow night-dress at night and a sky blue night-dress at night in the sequel.

Behind the Voices

Mei Kusakabe is voiced by Chika Sakamoto in Seiyu, Cheryl Chase in Streamline dub and later Elle Fanning in Disney Dub.

Relationships

Quotes

Wait
You're Totoro!
—Mei to Totoro
It's falling!

Trivia

  • According to Hayao Miyazaki, the name Mei is derived from May in Japanese.

Gallery