Hayao Miyazaki is returning with a new film titled Kimi-tachi wa Dou Ikiru ka. He and his staff at Ghibli have been working on the anime for just over three years now. So the progress so far?

According to Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, it is 15% done.

Rurouni Kenshin star Takeru Satoh interviewed Suzuki on NHK’s General documentary, Tokyo Miracle Dai-3-Shuu: Saikyou Shouhin Anime. There, the Ghibli executive admitted that for this new project, only five minutes of animation is scheduled to be done per month, or just around an hour for a year. This is already half of thw studio’s usual work rate of 10 minutes of animation per month.

However, it seems that Miyazaki is only working on a minute of animation per month and not meeting the schedule Suzuki gave to him.

Suzuki also explained to Satoh that right after completing The Wind Rises back in 2013, Hayao didn’t exactly want to retire, so he ireturned to work on this new project.

In a statement last year, Suzuki has claimed that Miyazaki doesn’t really need a deadline for this new work. He also stated that he would need 3-4 years to complete it. He would also state that they’re doing things that the studio has never done before with “Kimi-tachi wa Dou Ikiru ka”.

It seems like Miyazaki’s new film has the same title as Genzaburou Yoshino’s 1937 classic novel. But while he won’t be basing on the book itself, Miyazaki reveals that the book’s story has great meaning for the film’s protagonist. It will follow a man named Koperu and his uncle, and will chronicle his spiritual growth.

Previously, it was revealed that he is coming out of retirement to dedicate the new movie to his grandson. As for him coming out of retirement, the NHK documentary, Owaranai Hito, or “One Who Doesn’t End,” revealed his plans.

Source: Tokyo Miracle Dai-3-Shuu: Saikyou Shouhin Anime TV special