Unpacking Shadow36’s Take on Ghibli and Routine Memeability

On March 27, 2025, at 05:06 UTC, X user Shadow36 (@_Shadow36) dropped a thought-provoking post that sparked a lively discussion about internet memes: “Ghibli and routine is a prime example of real meme vs viral trend. Yes ghibli is trending now but it can be used on everything forever. Infinite memeability. Routine was capped in terms of memeability and was based off one person. Idk what ghibli will do but this is what a real meme looks and feels like. Happy for everyone who is printing.” This tweet, which you can check out here, dives into the cultural staying power of two phenomena—Studio Ghibli-inspired content and the “This Is My Daily Routine” meme—offering a lens into what makes a meme truly timeless.

What’s Behind the Ghibli Trend?

“Ghibli” refers to Studio Ghibli, the iconic Japanese animation studio behind classics like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. As of March 2025, Ghibli is having a moment online, thanks to a new feature in OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to a recent NBC News article, the GPT-4o update allows users to create Ghibli-style illustrations, memes, and portraits. This feature, which rolled out just days before Shadow36’s post, lets premium users (paying $20/month) transform images into the whimsical, hand-drawn aesthetic of Ghibli films. The trend exploded, with everyone from casual users to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joining in—Altman even updated his X profile picture to a Ghibli-style portrait.

The appeal of Ghibli as a meme format lies in its versatility. The studio’s distinct art style, popularized by co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, is instantly recognizable and adaptable. Users have turned everything from family photos to classic memes like the Distracted Boyfriend into Ghibli-inspired art. Shadow36 calls this “infinite memeability,” suggesting that Ghibli’s aesthetic can be applied to virtually anything, ensuring its longevity in internet culture.

Routine: A Meme with Limits

On the other hand, “Routine” likely refers to the “This Is My Daily Routine” meme, which originated in 2022. As documented on Know Your Meme, this trend started when a young entrepreneur shared her hyper-optimized weekly calendar on Twitter, detailing her lifestyle to maintain success. The post, seen as humblebragging, quickly became a target for parody. People began sharing their own “daily routine” calendars, often filled with absurd or lazy activities, mocking the original’s rigid efficiency. The meme gained traction, racking up thousands of quote-tweets and likes, but its scope was inherently limited.

Shadow36 points out that Routine’s memeability is “capped” because it’s tied to a single person’s viral moment. Unlike Ghibli, which offers a broad, adaptable visual style, Routine relies on a specific context—a calendar format parodying one individual’s schedule. Once the initial wave of humor faded, its potential for reinvention dwindled, making it more of a fleeting trend than a lasting meme.

The Internet’s Reaction to Shadow36’s Post

The tweet sparked a range of responses, reflecting the divisive nature of meme culture. Some users, like @redwithbag, agreed with Shadow36, replying with a simple “Real talk.” Others, like @TheRabb1e, pushed back, stating, “Ghibli isn’t a meme.” Shadow36 clarified in a follow-up: “It can be meme’d into anything in their own format. I worded it wrong id say but yeah.” This exchange highlights a key debate: what qualifies as a “meme”? According to Wikipedia’s entry on internet memes, a meme is a cultural idea or style that spreads virally online, often through images, videos, or GIFs. Ghibli’s trending status fits this mold, as its style is being remixed and shared across platforms.

Not everyone was on board with Shadow36’s enthusiasm. @cryptogodfatha called out the post as shilling (promoting something for personal gain), betting “1 SOL he never mentions ghibli again within a week.” Shadow36 fired back with a sharp “Keep crying bitch,” showing the heated nature of these discussions. Others, like @arsenalstuff7, pointed out Shadow36’s past support for Routine, noting, “You literally shilled the hell out of routine,” suggesting some inconsistency in their stance.

Why Ghibli Might Outlast Routine

Shadow36’s core argument aligns with research on meme longevity. A Wikipedia article on internet memes cites a study by Michele Knobel and Colin Lankshear, which applies Richard Dawkins’ three characteristics of successful memes—fidelity, fecundity, and longevity—to the digital space. Fidelity refers to how well a meme retains its core idea when replicated; fecundity is its ability to spread; and longevity is its staying power over time.

Ghibli excels in all three. Its visual style is consistent (fidelity), it’s spreading rapidly thanks to ChatGPT’s feature (fecundity), and its cultural relevance—rooted in decades of beloved films—gives it staying power (longevity). Routine, while initially viral, lacks the same adaptability. Its format is rigid, and its humor relies on a specific context that doesn’t evolve easily, limiting its fecundity and longevity.

The Bigger Picture: Memes, Trends, and Cultural Impact

Shadow36’s tweet taps into a broader conversation about what makes a meme “real” versus a passing trend. The Ghibli phenomenon raises questions about creativity and AI in art, as noted in the NBC News report. Some users criticized the trend, with one quoted as saying, “Knock-off Ghibli abundance flooding our feeds. Art reduced ‘content’. Unique design becomes memetic generation. Zero creativity.” This reflects ongoing concerns about generative AI, like ChatGPT, scraping data (possibly including Ghibli’s works) without permission, a point of contention in the art community.

Meanwhile, Routine’s rise and fall illustrate how memes tied to specific events or people often fade quickly. As Know Your Meme notes, the humor in Routine parodies came from mocking a hyper-optimized lifestyle, but once that joke ran its course, the meme struggled to reinvent itself.

Final Thoughts: What Makes a Meme Timeless?

Shadow36’s post, while controversial, offers a valuable perspective on meme culture in 2025. Ghibli’s resurgence shows how a culturally significant style can be endlessly remixed, thanks to tools like ChatGPT, while Routine’s decline highlights the limits of context-specific trends. As internet culture evolves, the memes that endure are those that can adapt, resonate, and inspire creativity across communities—qualities Ghibli seems to have in spades.

What do you think? Are Ghibli-style creations the future of memes, or just another viral trend? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!