And this video got taken down, of course, but now it's back again! Episode 1 - 01:28 Episode 2 - 10:33 Episode 3 - 23:31 Episode 4 - 36:38 My Rambled Ending - 48:40 Part 2 out now! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6POge_E_S1U.html Patreon link - www.patreon.com/mylittlethoughttree
The ending always made me so happy because I’ve heard so many retellings of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth and he always turns back and Eurydice always goes back to hell like there’s just no other way But Chihiro doesn’t turn around until she’s safe and all her efforts weren’t for nothing She knows she’s leaving Haku behind but she knows it’s for the best. If she goes back then he would also be stuck there because he could never leave her, but if she leaves then they might all have a chance
The Underworld/Hades, not Hell. They're not the same place. Hades isn't even a place of torture, although it's not a pleasant place either. Tartarus is the place of torment.
@@Luka1180 True. But the New Testament also uses the word Hades, and the word hell comes from a translation to the similar Old Norse word Hel. Hel in Norse mythology is very similar to Hades from the Greek mythology.
@@Luka1180 *Hades isn't even a place of torture, although it's not a pleasant place either* Hades is where Elysium and the isles of the Blest are located. Those are great places.
Been waiting to see a good breakdown of a Ghibli film and this was exactly as meticulous and introspective as I'd have hoped. Great video and looking forward to the next part.
Two years later and I have the same thoughts! I’ve been searching for years for a good video essay made by someone who thinks similarly to me and has passion in what they’re saying. I learned a lot and I’m so grateful for this video!
Thanks! I will definitely continue. I think it's become like holy grail quest to get to the end of this film. Technically, I did already write the entire script analysing the film a few years back, but it's very rambling and I can write something better now by redoing it bit by bit like this. Hoping to upload another 40 minute chunk like this sometime this month or next month
@@mylittlethoughttree I’m amazed how much, the minute details, you could detect in this film. Love your analysis. Have you done the same to Tonari no Totoro? It seems a simple tale but I’m sure you have seen much more beyond I could.
30 minutes in, something I don't think I've heard you suggest. Yes, her parents represent the arrogance of humanity, but as it is a spirit-filled place with spirit food, there is also a draw to the unknown that adults may be too numb and disillusioned to even consider avoiding. To Chihiro, everything new is still a little terrifying.
@@mylittlethoughttree I heard somewhere that the parents turn into pigs not just out of greed/gluttony/consumerism but because the food was actually left there as offerings to the spirits, i.e. not to be eaten by mere mortals.
i love the idea that everyone calls her by a different name, they choose a new identity for her that isn't her's and she has to cling to and remember her true identity, not letting anyone else tell her who she is
20:00 So I know this is like a year late, but I think this place actually is an abandoned amusement park and this room is likely the main entrance where lines of people could queue up. Throughout Japan in the 90s there was a huge boom in the amusement park market and they sprung up all across the country, and then once the economic bubble collapsed a few years later they were quickly abandoned. Japanese viewers would likely recognize these old abandoned theme parks being overtaken by nature, and it's an a great metaphor for the waste of humanity as well as the concept of stepping into another world.
I feel like that part where Chihero runs away from her pig parents and into the street (the world) her calling for her mommy. That sums up my early 20s. Lol
Seeing this movie as a parent I just wanted to validate all Chihiro's emotions and give her a big hug. Feel so sad for the way her parents treat her. On another note I see Aku as a river who is supposed to be free. And that's what he forgot and we as a society also forgot. We take and polluted as we want. No freedom on nature.
I think what I really love about this film (beyond the incredible visuals, emotional moments, beautiful, haunting score and just pure gorgeousness) is how open to interpretation it is. It can apply to so many things, and I was very interested in your description of the street filled with dark, translucent spirits as people who ignore and don't notice others. This interpretation also applies to Chihiro's parents. They ignore her and don't support her emotionally. All in all, a wonderful, thought-provoking analysis. Thank you. :)
You could talk endlessly about spirited away, princess mononoke and other films of stuido Ghibli - I'd tune in for all of it . Might I also suggest 'The Fountain', in that movie you can glean new deeper understandings within after seeing it 3, 4 and 5 times .
It was. I used to watch this movie in latin american spanish and she never reads it in that version. Maybe that tells you something, since the latin dub was based on the japanese dub.
I love the effort youve put into this and I hope your work is uploaded somewhere safe from ghibli ♡ but I just want to point out that the card chihiro reads says "your best friend, Rumi". Not lily. This is a reference to the Japanese voiceactor for chihiro, Rumi Hiiragi. I love the english dub but she sounded very gutteral when she said rumi so i get the confusion ^^
Answer to question posed at 10:00: Don't tear up the foundations of you, becoming someone different. That's what Yubaba tried to force by calling her Sen. But rather, add onto who you are. Friends were very important to Chihiro, and she added onto that. Not only did she make more friends, she added principles of hard work, perseverence, love, hope and fearlessness, focus, respect ,etc. A scene that describes this is her encounter with No-face. She was kind and considerate toward him (or it) but never took off her mind from saving Haru when he was badly injured. Only later did she realize that Haru was someone she met long before. If they were reunited, could she not be reunited with her friends, Lily, her family? That's the message of Spirited Away🏯
Thankyou! Glad you enjoyed it, and nice of you take the time to leave a comment. I will continue to the very end, then hopefully do other ghibli films too 😆
One thing worth noticing is how Japan sees gender norms and the supernatural: first born sons would be raised dressed as girls cause that would protect them from harm and is very telling how Haku is clearly softer, more feminine coded than her dad (the one who pushes them to that situation with his arrogant remarks) and the guests in the bath house. Nurture and kindness are the ways to handle the spiritual world without being erased or devoured by it, but those aren't traditionally masculine traits.
The Zeniba/Yubaba statue is actually a Dosojin statue ! The Dosojin kami are protectors of travelers ,pilgrims, etc , their statues can be found guarding paths towards shrines , or at the borders of rural paths so that they can protect the travelers ! The Dosojin statues are generally phallus shape and depict a couple as the Dosojin deities are also spirits of birth and fertility. The Chihiro Dosojin statue however depicts a two-faced woman , which does work wonders with the twins ! I mean it certainly is done on purpose ! The Jizo statue that we see in Totoro , at the shrine where they girls take refuge in during the rain , is a special Dosojin statue, that protects children ! It’s amazing how many little hints of Shinto culture is sprinkled trough Miyazaki’s work !
I love your analysisis (analysi?), especially with studio ghibli movies! I'd love to see your take on Howls Moving Castle or Castle in the Sky, or even Parasite :). As a side note, I'm pretty sure anyone can copystrike videos and you can request for them to retract it, especially if you state fair use.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I'd love to do more Ghibli movies sometime, Castle In The Sky is in many ways my favourite. Parasite is a very good idea, although I haven't actually seen it yet. It's got such good reviews that I want to savour the chance to see it for the first time. Once I do see it though, I'll do a video and credit you for the idea. Also I don't know the plural of analysis either, I'll have to Google it 😆 Edit: it's analyses
Thank you so much for the great video! Spirited Away is probably my favorite animated movie and I've been waiting a lifetime for a deep and passionate analysis such as yours. There are so many layers and deeper meaning in this movie and I realized I missed out many of them. I'm terribly curious to find out your thought on the rest of the movie so I really hope you'll continue. Great job!
Wow, that's a hell of a compliment, I take it to heart, thankyou! It's been nice in general just to find other people who share my love and passion about the film, and to share it with them. I will continue to the end, in fact, I'll probably do other Ghibli films after that, even if it takes me years 😂 I haven't started work on the next video yet because there's various other series I'm also working on, but I hope to release another big 40 odd minute video before the summer
Thinking back, I don't think Chihiro and her parents necessarily Died while walking through that tunnel. When Chihiro and her parents were walking through that tunnel the tunnel it's self was actually a Torri and by walking through it Chihiro and her parents had entered The Realm of The Gods after coming out the other end.
I first stumbled onto ur channel through your analysis on Allison from the breakfast club because I had to write a film/character analysis for my class (which was such a great video btw!) but I just thought you should know that this is honestly such a great video and it makes me so happy seeing someone share the same love I have for this film as well. I've loved this movie since I was super young and your analysis of the first part of the movie made me wanna go and watch it for the 100th time all over again lmao! I just want to let you know that you've done a fantastic job at this and I'm excited to see what else you have in store :)
Thanks! That's a sweet comment, I take that to heart 🤗 it's such a great movie and I find it strange nobody else has tried analysing it scene by scene like this before. I've been working on the script for the next one of these videos recently. I'm hoping to upload it sometime either this month or early may
Very nice. But Miyazak has clearly stated this isn't a coming of age movie. It's a movie showing a young girl calling on resources she always had within her at her own age. I didn't take her dad as being arrogant at the restaurant, I saw him as being confident - not that he's rich, but that he has multiple resources he believes will handle any situation. Something that Chihiro will reflect in a different way. Haku is a river god, much like the spirit that was mistaken for a stink spirit. He's not young by any stretch of the imagination. He just keeps Chihiro at arm's length to protect her because he's under Ubaba's spell until the end.
I love the framing of the shot at 32:14 , Chihiro hidden from the sun by cliff. Haku, already enlightened to the truth of the situation, standing in the bright rays of the setting sun.
Thank you. You have no idea how helpful your analysis is to me. Spirited Away was my daughter's favorite movie. She died three years ago. The parallels are uncanny.
Just finished rewatching the movie for god knows what time, and this is really helping me with closure hah. I really want to see more of these characters, throughout the entire movie I felt like there were things I wanted to know so much more about- the spirits in the train , why Lin can't just purchase a ticket with the money Yubaba gives her (unless she's working for food and lodging ) , how did Lin and the other spirits even get to that point in life in the first place ? So many questions, and no answers. I feel like its better this way though. It definatley extends the movies lifespan in our minds (and hearts heh 💛 )
I agree entirely. That's the wonderful thing about this movie. Even in going through, trying analyze everything, there will still be so, so much I fail to offer answers for, and that's exactly how it should be, because that's its beauty
I will NEVER understand the stupidity of giving copyright strikes to videos like this when they can get people who have never seen the movie to go watch it. Why would they want to get rid of free promo? I mean, anyone who has seen the movie and watches this video isn’t going to be turned away from watching it again. Anyone who hasn’t seen it and watches the analysis will either go watch it because this video made them interested, or would never have watched it anyway. So what is it hurting? SMH
Yeah, this is literally free marketing 😆 Japan's culture around it is different, I think. It does annoy me, if I'm honest, though. Disney are greedy and want to earn revenue from your videos, Studio Ghibli outright tried to get my channel terminated. Thank God they didn't succeed
I’m here from your beautiful comment in the piano theme song video :) Edit: orgh damn this was good man! Waow. You are an amazing analyst, you have such interesting points. I don’t mind how you get stuck on one point for long haha cause what you say is just so so interesting. And you are funny too :) I’m dying to see more of these from you!!! I’m so glad you commented on the other video
Thankyou! That's kind of you to take the time to tell me that. I felt a bit uncomfortable with promoting my channel in that way off the comment, but having written about that song, it would feel strange not to mention this video 😅 Glad you enjoyed it though. Makes me feel more excited about releasing the next one of these
This is an excellent analysis. Something I observed in your analysis is that you often fall back on an interpretation of Chihiro's entering the spirit realm and not being able to fit in with it as a way of exploring what it's like to be moving from one culture to another, or immigrating to another country. This is one piece of what I think the film is saying but I don't think it's the final word on what it means (not that I think you're saying that it is). The shock of moving from one culture to another is one branch of a tree that roots Chihiro's different experiences in the symbolism of transition. The fact that this film is a coming-of-age story is evidence of this; such stories are about a character having to transition from childhood to adulthood. There are different kinds of transitions that this film is expressing, including transitioning from life to death, and then to life again (coming of age is actually a version of this. When you lose your innocence, you die. In order to live again, you must adapt to the new world and reclaim some aspects of your innocence, like you were saying. This is what Chihiro does by eating the food Haku gives her, which adapts her to the new world, aka lets her former self die, and later learns to reclaim her identity from childhood through various encounters with other individuals, which is coming alive again.) You pointed out this symbolism that happens early on in the film when Chihiro and her family go through the dark tunnel and emerging on the other side, but you miss the resurrection part of the story where Chihiro comes alive again, symbolized by the end where she and her family leave the spirit world. Coming to life again is important in this story, because a successful transition has to include that. The film includes numerous examples of people who never successfully made it through the transitioned so they could live again, the best example probably being Chihiro's parents and Haku. For the former, they have failed in their transition from childhood to adulthood because they lack the innocent humility that Chihiro has, which is shown by their presumptuous greed, which results in them becoming pigs. Haku also remains in death after losing his childish innocence (and to some degree, his moral compass, just like Chihiro's parents) because he has forgotten who he is and where he comes from; he has learned how to adapt to the world around him, but doesn't know how to remember his childhood. Chihiro succeeds in her transitioning because she learns how to both adapt (aka, let herself die) and reclaim her original self by standing firm in her convictions, which are part of her identity she developed as a child (come alive again). The process of adapting (dying) and remembering your identity (coming alive) is necessary in every transition we experience in life. This can include immigrating to a new country, but it also includes a child having to move to her own school (which is the case for Chihiro), starting a new job, learning a new skill, starting a family, entering retirement, and far more. Adapting to new surroundings is necessary to survive, but it requires you sacrificing the person you were before to some extent, which is why it's like death. But if you adapt to it too much and lose your identity that you gain as a child, you become too much like it (which is the case for characters such as No Face. No Face becomes similar to the world around him, but has no identity. He and the other characters try to convince Chihiro that she must do this too, but she stands firm in what she knows is right, and is thus able to win her freedom and return to life).
This has been bothering me since I first watched this movie as a kid, if someone could clear this up for me I'd be extremely grateful! What is that soft food item that the father picks up right at 29:10 with lines and little nubs on it? I've been to Japan and had lots of different food but still have no idea whatsoever what that is meant to be!
On the first watching, Spirited Away moved me in to tears. Not because it was sad or anything. It was just so beautiful and I simply fell in love with movies again
Your analysis reignited my passion for the movie and I gonna do a spirited away Fanfiction with a crossover with ancient Greek 'Spirits', because let's be honest, Haku would have been a Rivernymph in ancient Greece. 🤣 Perhaps some of the Nymphs go to Japan to the bathhouse for spirit politics?
Thanks! Good of you to say, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The video only just came back up the other day after getting taken down. I plan to continue to the very end of the film, but since Studio Ghibli are likely to keep making it difficult, I'll probably release episodes in big blocks like this one...so I couldn't possibly say how long it'll take till I upload the next one, but it'll happen, I promise you that 😅😆
Many companies in Japan order their employees to move to different branch of the company. In a lot of cases the employees cannot refuse because it affects their career. However, progressive companies doesn’t do this a lot though
I love this film and this video has me fascinated with you, quite gently, talking about it, layer after layer. When I first watched it I remember feeling, or interpreting, the parents as being blind, but also being pulled along by a rush, the undertow of the story which I, the viewer, know to be a fairy tale. Watching this video made me consider the words "..., it's an adventure!" much more carefully. The parents are convincing themselves of the worth of their currently changing circumstances. To make a metaphor: faced with a slope, they have launched themselves at it, intending to channel their momentum into making the journey easier. This may apply to the dad most literally, but I don't think the mother is that different, considering her reactions that you highlight. I'm sure there is much more to enjoy than this - but the point struck me & I wanted to share :) Having now finished watching the video. Yes please. Continue :)
It's disappointing Ghibli were being assholes about it. Instead of making this sort of content for their fans, working WITH this creator (not against him trying to make their own money). He thought of this. Instead , they punish us fans for enjoying the art. I'm asking myself if it's worth being a fan of an organization that makes such shitty decisions. They're lucky they make nice art.... but they're not the only ones making nice things in 2020.
So, you asked to comment if that building with the water fountain is a train station, and I think it is, even if it doesn't look like one exactly. The furnishing and look of the interior remind me of an old station like Grand Central in New York. I think it being a station plays into the movie's theme quite nicely, even. When I first watched this movie, I didn't pick up on much, but one thing I did notice was how spirits and people treated things differently. The adults in the movie treat everything with a singular, often disposable purpose. This road will take us to our house. This place was a theme park. This food is here to be eaten. From the way they eat the food even, things are being used up and then discarded, you can see the dishes breaking and food lost on the ground. The spirits live in nature though, and it wouldn't surprise me if things and places are being used over and over for whatever purpose suits them best, buildings included. It makes sense in the narrative, at least, because the way that Chihiro gets across the water again is by train, so at some point she would have to go through the building again. In other words, the building isn't always a train station--thinking otherwise is very human--but it has to be one at some point for Chihiro to get back to the real world. The magic of the spirit world blurs where we are anyway.
I think there is also significance of Shinto gate propped up against tree. Symbolically in Japanese culture, the Shinto Gate marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. This world and the world of spirit. It is after this moment that Chihiro sees the liitle houses in the forest. Spirited Away is one of my favourite movies thank you for interesting analyses.
I like this review, you've made me think of a number or aspects that I hadn't noticed before. However, I think you missed something about Haku at 45:07. Haku never was a boy, he's a spirit, specifically the spirit of Kohaku river. It's true this isn't male saving weak female, it's mentor guiding the hero. The gender of hero and mentor is irrelevant. Haku has lost his way and become enslaved, but he's still a competent, strong part of the spirit world and acting as guru to Chihiro, who is the archetypal hero(ine) on her journey of discovery. I had never noticed the connection between the stone face and the twin witches, but the two-faced one at the entrance to elfland is so obvious in hindsight, now you pointed it out. I'm looking forward to more of your analysis.
Haku may be the ancient embodied spirit of a river, but he has the form of a boy, which reflects his personality and outlook - as a spirit, he's not had to grow up.
@@rmsgrey I agree that Haku's representation reflects vulnerabilities and handicaps. I can also agree that he currently has the form of one who was a boy and was abused. I was pointing out our guide's statements that Haku "is" a boy and "is supposed to be" a boy. He's not that, he's a powerful spirit who was crippled and enslaved by Yubaba's craft, much like Chihiro's about to be. He's supposed to be that spirit again, not a boy. But of course, we're not to see this yet; instead we see only his present aspect as a broken young man, that Chihiro may be able to bond with as they work together to free themselves from Yubaba.
If you love someone you let them go. I think the reason Haku told her to not look back is because she wouldn't want to go home and it'll just be a ugly farewell with lots of ugly crying and begging to stay from Chihiro. Haku wanted their last moment together to be graceful and a happy one for his own sanity and for Chihiro's sake. Thinking this just makes me feel more sad...the ending is so bittersweet!
1:44 anyone else notice how in the letter the person drawn looks a lot like Haku? Also the note says “Hope we meet again” which is similar to the conversation Chihiro and Haku had at the end of the film. The name “Lily”, signed in the card, is signed in a very similar color that Haku wore. This could be foreshadowing.
I think this is a very good point, I'd never picked up on that. It's then not just foreshadowing but an important reminder that everything Chihiro has to work through in the spirit world is a way of working through her feelings about Lily and about moving home. Arguably then, the journey into the spirit world is a journey inside herself
I don't know much about Japanese culture so I could be wrong but the bouquet from Lily at the start of the film stands out to me when Chihiro says "I finally get a bouquet and it's because we're moving away" and then Mom says "Don't you remember dad bought you a rose for your birthday?" She sounds like she's interested in the idea of romance at least. Like, maybe she's started thinking about holding hands and getting flowers as gifts. And the first time she gets flowers from someone who isn't family, she's gotten them from her best friend and she's miserable because she's moving away from her old life. Her hope for flowers from a boy seems hopeless now that she's going to be in a new school with new people. And instead of Mom noticing and saying something nice like "You know honey, being the new girl means boys will take notice of you" her mom treats her like a little kid by responding literally to what Chihiro says.
I've only watched for first 7 min, and decided to not to watch anymore. Not that this or what you do is bad, you always do amazing job and I really enjoy them. I am Japanese and I always watch this movie in the original Japanese and never dubbed version. I never knew how English version changed so much of the line. Mother never said "hold tight to that card" in Japanese, but only "you dropped the card". Mother also never says "it is an adventure" but "please hold yourself (or behave yourself already), today is a busy day." This is only what the mother says when picking up the card and opening the window. I also never knew that the flower she got for her birthday was from her father. It was only said "well you've received for your birthday." English version put too much information in dialogue in my opinion, and is very different from the original line. Therefore the analysis you do based on the dialogue is not exactly the characters they originally were.
That's understandable. As somebody who studied a lot of ancient poetry and myths that were translated into modern English, the meaning always does change in places. The English dub even made some weird changes that I can't understand and would like to discuss someday but otherwise, I just treat it as it's own variation of the art, rather than a worse adaptation. I figured analyzing the original Japanese, when I only speak English, would mean I'd miss out on things anyway, so I might as well follow the version where I can better understand the tone and expressions
Otalib in the second part of the movie, its ending was unacceptable. I want to understand why Haku didn't go with Chihiro, even though I remember her costume's name, and why tell her not to look back while she goes back to her world 😡
I find it genious how all of the evil characters in this movie are overweight. Even no face when overweight was evil but otherwize they are mostly friendly. I think this is linked to the idea of greed. The reason this is important is because in japan most people are thin and they actively strive to not be overweight. Its part of that culture. Maybe im overlooking this and im analysing something that isnt there but if so its accidental genious. Like... think of an overweight kind character.
I have one question: How? I watched this movie a long time ago, I was a little kid (8 0r 9 years old). I just moved with my family to a new country on the other side of the world (I'm 16), and suddenly this movie pops up in my head and I'm wondering why. Now I see this video and you explain everything so perfectly!
it's interesting how the analysis refers always to western historical mythologies yet the film is japanese. a lot of this film comes from a much different place than romans or greek literature.
That would be because of my sheltered, western upbringing 😆 you are indeed correct. I'm aware the film is filled with Japanese mythology that it'd be worth mentioning, however I also know I'm not knowledgeable enough for that. The channel Storydive has already done it better than I ever could. So I suppose I didn't make that sort of thing the focus. The Greek myth I mentioned here wasn't to say that's what the bridge sequence was about. I just mentioned it to say "here's another example of something else that happens to express a similar point. Maybe mentioning that might help explain the meaning here clearer." Equally though, a lot of ancient myths in cultures all over the world do express very similar ideas and metaphors because humans all over the world grapple with similar feelings. Either way, you're correct. I know my video, no matter how long it is, will ever capture everything it should. All I can ever do is just babble on about the meaning and interpretations I personally drew from it. Sometimes other people will connect with some of my points, sometimes they won't: both are fine. It'd be insincere to present my interpretations as "the correct ones". All they are is me and, in terms of my aims, that's enough 😊
Oh, I hope that doesn't come across passive aggressive or anything. It's not meant to, just sometimes text can sound like that. If you have any insights about Japanese mythology though, please share them because it would help. Not only would I get to learn, but hopefully anyone else scrolling through the comments. Sometimes I think the best ideas vsn be found in the comments
@@mylittlethoughttree nah don't worry. tone is not easily expressed in the written word. but it does put forward a question of how people from around the world could interpret a lot of this film differently with different knowledge sets. maybe worth moving to japan for a while then seeing the film again 😌
I seriously can’t stop watching this. It may be your voice, it may be your perspective in films, either way I’m officially addicted. I can’t wait for your next analysis on the rest of the film.
I'd really love to see more of the film broken down into just as much detail as I've seen here. I find your interpretation on every aspect to be really insightful towards the kind of thought process miyazaki might have considered when making the film. Really great stuff !!
A point that wasn't explicit in the video: The parents' non-reaction to nearly crashing the car suggests that this is something unremarkable to them. Either they're so blind that it just doesn't register that they _could have died in a fiery wreck_ or they're just plain used to him driving recklessly and narrowly avoiding serious injury, so no longer react to it. Or, of course, a combination of both.
It could easily be argued that the dad's terrible decisions, while also symbolically representing the arrogance of humans, is the direct result of male entitlement, not simply a "dad" thing. Ask most women about the number of times a man has mansplained or talked over us or made decisions on our behalf and you'll undoubtedly hear plenty of examples of this -- it's extremely normalized, to the point that most men don't even notice when they're doing it. I think it's especially interesting and worth mentioning bc the majority of Hayao Miyazaki's films are very feminist-friendly and typically feature several important and complex female characters, and in addition to reoccurring themes of the encroachment of industrialization and "civilization" upon nature, also often touch on themes of how women are treated differently or disrespected by men, and Miyazaki himself has pointed this out in various interviews. Examples (w/spoilers): In Princess Mononoke, the women who live in the city of Irontown remind the men who talk down and dismiss them that they play just as much of a crucial role in ensuring their survival as the men do, and the same women are the ones who defend the fort when attacked by mercenaries, not to mention the character of Lady Eboshi who essentially founded the town and is a skilled fighter. Eboshi, while misguided with her main goals, is still no fool and fully understands that men can be dangerous, validating the fear of male violence that women viewers face daily, and women in the town understand this as well, especially having formerly lived in brothels themselves and likely having already experienced the worst of what men can be capable of. In the beginning of Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie is harassed by two male guards, which pretty much every woman can identify with, and which in itself is an acknowledgment of the unbalanced power dynamic that exists between men and women. Howl has a reputation for being a womanizer who steals women's hearts, both figuratively and literally, and when she is cursed and becomes an old woman who hitches a ride in Howl's castle, the viewers are given the clear impression that the reason she feels safe in doing so is because she looks so old and thus is seen as undesirable by Howl, so the risk of being objectified or targeted is minimal (even if we later learn he has actually already met her in the past bc of that trippy time jump scene and has been looking for her ever since). And despite Howl's reputation and pattern of chasing women to the point where the women in town fear him, his character is simultaneously portrayed as an entitled emotionally inept manbaby who throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way and ultimately has relied entirely on Calcifer to survive before Sophie showed up (and it's mentioned a few times how Howl doesn't appreciate and even takes advantage of all the work Calcifer does for him). In Spirited Away, not only is it her father's insistence that he's right that leads them into the forest in the first place, he clearly also feels entitled enough to take food from the spirit restaurant without asking or even talking to anyone who works there first. When Chihiro and his wife protest, this entitlement is emphasized by his comment "You've got Daddy here -- he's got credit cards and cash!" And it's only when he starts eating the food himself that his wife, who is initially hesitant to do so, follows suit, so the idea that the mother is equally as greedy or entitled as he is simply bc she's human doesn't seem to be supported there. While human greed (maybe even an enchantment over the food?) is probably why they couldn't stop eating once they started, it's this commonly held assumption that men know better than women and feel entitled to spaces that aren't meant for them that is reflected in the father's character. Tl;dr: male privilege gets ppl into trouble and Hayao Miyazaki knows it. Just my own thoughts. I particularly enjoyed the beginning car scene analysis though -- I never really considered the significance of that scene, much less the finer details of it like Chihiro's body language or the metaphorical importance of holding on to the people who are important to her. Miyazaki is a masterful artist through and through, and this Spirited Away series you've made has renewed my appreciation for him and his work.
It’s funny how a random misogynist troll showed up only to prove your point. Anyway, you are absolutely right about the implications about misogyny and patriarchal oppression in Studio Ghibli films, and it is really nice to see someone actually pointing out this out about both the stories and society. I’m sorry RU-vid tends to be full of way more misogynistic racist classist people in general (in the comments section, anyhow) but I really appreciated you taking the time and care to write down this analysis and I hope more people like me can get a chance to see it. Most people in this misogynistic society see literally _any_ pointing out of male entitlement, manipulating, or oppression in general as something misandrist because of how normalized the subtle, casual oppression is, which is why it’s such a breath of fresh air whenever someone like you does so anyway. Thank you for making this.
@@ImOnTeamBringIt Lol, if I hate men than Hayao Miyazaki does too. Like I said, Miyazaki himself has pointed out how important it is for him to make strong female protagonists because he is aware of how misogyny affects the world. It's too bad the thought of being that self-aware is so threatening to you. You might be able to more fully appreciate his works otherwise.
My favorite movie... nicely analyzed by someone who greatly loves it too. One extra thing: why a LHD car in Japan, where they drive on the left and have RHD cars? Any ideas?
A few days ago my husband and I watched this movie for the first time and we were confused and a little conflicted about whether we liked it. We watched it because we knew it was critically acclaimed, but it was so different from what we were expecting. I am an American so the cultural differences probably had a lot to do with it, but I've wanted to understand this movie since I watched it because I wanted to see why it matters so much to other people. Your video was very helpful! Thank you for posting it again! I hope a lot of other people will be able to watch it and gain a new perspective on this movie like I did.
This is a great analysis. I'd love to see something similar for Howl's Moving Castle. That movie seemed more scattershot than this one, but I think that's because it had a lot of symbolism or metaphor or something that I missed and it would be great to have an in depth breakdown to help me pick up what I was missing in it.
This is so underrated it annoys me. Thanks for your video. Thanks for posting the musics in description so I could meet it. I know the osts now because of you. Thank. You. Very. Much.
I think the ideal mix of innocence and confidence is what is actually referred to as "wisdom". Wisdom to me is confidence based on knowledge and experience without arrogance and know it all - ism, which is where the innocence and openness is still a part of it.
In Japan, it's often required that the father has to move. With government workers they are required to move with the idea of preventing government corruption. With most government worker it's about every 3-4 years. My university it was around 8. Private companies they have their own rules.
Why didn't Kamjī keep Haku still when he was struggling; thrashing about, and hitting drawers with his tail? Kamajī was just standing there and watching. Because Chihiro was only keeping Haku's jaws shut, he was free to thrash about with the rest of his body and make a mess. If only there were more people in the boiler room besides Chihiro; Haku, and Kamajī. They could've kept Haku still
Sorry, never liked this film. I'm Japanese and of course fully understand Japanese culture but this film never meant a thing to me. I kept wondering why any would enjoy such a meandering story. I did, however liked the design of the bathhouse.
Interesting video ! I think though towards the end you make points that imply that the spirit world she enters is equivalent to the world of the dead, which I don’t think is exactly what’s happening here. In western cultures we tend to think of spirits as ghosts, and equate them with the dead. In Japan there has long been belief that spirits (“kami”) exist all around us and particularly in nature. The “houses” they pass by that Chiriho asks about for example are houses for “kami”, spirits that would exist unseen in our world, not just in a realm of the dead. Haku and the “stink spirit” are both examples that are a bit easier to conceptualize as kami, they are both guardian spirits of rivers. Also on that note I think it’s implied that Haku ends up at Yubaba’s bathhouse because his river (his home/domain) had literally been built over with construction (Chihiro mentions this). The other river kami that’s mistaken as a “stink spirit” also ends up at the bathhouse for a *similar* reason: his river has been polluted with human trash (human greed + consumerism at odds with preserving the purity of nature). It felt to me like Haku on one hand no longer has a river, and no longer had a “role” of sorts, so he goes go Yubaba and works for her, kinda how Chihiro also NEEDS to find a job/“role” given her circumstances. The “stink spirit” in contrast goes for a literal ablution- hoping to wash away the dirt and pollution that desecrate it. This brings to mind the custom of rinsing your hands and mouth with clear water before entering shrines in Japan, symbolically water cleanses/purifies. Anyway I forgot my point lmao
It's interesting how many of these analyses don't work as well with the Japanese audio and subtitles; It's mostly little things (obviously the movie doesn't change radically just because of the dub), but when talking about characters' attitudes, which are highly dependent on inflection and subtext, the analysis doesn't quite work.
Great movie. I think it was inspired by Wizard of Oz, with the young girl traveling to a fantasy world, witch sisters one good one bad. I thought it was better even, so beautiful ❤️
Chihiro ogino protagonista de la película el viaje de Chihiro lin es si mejor amiga conocio ella y tiene novio haku se enamoro de el principio de la película el viaje de Chihiro tiene sentimientos relación de el
Interesting how much more overgrown the "Theme Park" entrance is when they are leaving (25:09) than when they entered (16:01). This is emphasized by the leaves on the car, but the receding shot shows that the entire front of the building is overgrown -- the bricked up windows flanking the central arch, and even the road surrounding the small statue, are completely covered. I missed the extent of the change initially.
I like your analysis of the film through a western culture perspective. Part of growing up is leaving your comfort zone to venture out and gain courage and experience. I think Miyazaki wants to say in the beginning of the film is that people who are grown in the city, who are rich and whose lives are filled with technology distant themselves from the spiritual and other aspects of the supernatural world. In Asia, that’s not really a theme park, it’s actually an old street with night market. Many night market in Asia have temples and shrine built for people seeking spiritual guidance. There are conmen as well tricking the city people to fortune telling and so on in these night markets. I think Chihiro and her parents doesn’t know and have much experience in these things since they grew up in the city. This ignorance breaks them into the spirit world. Chihiro has to understand how to respect the supernatural and grow up in a way that things aren’t always tech related to solve. It’s a fantastic film showing how we all can connect with the world not explained by science and defeat by technology. There are things beyond those and this film showed it really perfectly. ❤
I just watched this movie for the first time yesterday and one thing that stuck out to me is that Chihiro clings to her mom going out of the tunnel the same we she did going in and her mom says the same thing both times, something like "Don't cling, Chihiro, I'll trip." That kind of confused me because she's supposed to be more confident. I think she definitely does gain confidence throughout the film but found it weird that those two moments were mirrored at the beginning and end of the film.
I really enjoyed your analysis but I alwasy got a very different vibe from the parents. In the car they seemed to be like they were probably tired, being almost at the end of their journey to their new home, but they still made multiple efforts to try and encourage their daughter to look at the move as a good thing, an adventure. Yes, the mom didn't make a big fuss over the flowers, but she did say she told her before(probably multiiple times) and that they would put them in water. There is only so much you can say to a sulky 10 year old who, lets face it, has probably not given a lot of thought or consideration into why they are moving or their parents feelings about it. Kids that age don't usually have to devote a lot of time or energy into considering other peoples thoughts and emotions on a deeper level. Pretty much from the moment they hit the dirt road it always felt to me like the parents had already been caught up in the magic. Like by crossing the spirit shrines they had gotten into range of the spirit world, and as we see by the wind pulling Chihiro both outside the tunnel and inside the open area, the spirit world is trying to pull them in. And if the whole idea of both the spirit world and yubaba is about identity then it could be argued that her parents could have a much less stable sense of identity than Chihiro. She is going trhough what seems like the first big shift in her world, but they are both adults, parents, spouses, involved in either a career role or the pretty much full time role as a housewife(which I gather can be much more socially judged in japan) They have all of the many different roles they have to play at home and in society and are also going through a major life change. So their almost insance reactions or non reactions to the crazy stuff happeneing alwasy seemed to me less like they were arrogent or greedy, and more like they were just more vulnerable to the magic of the spirit world.
Well its over a year ago but the rest of this review better be on your channel or I'll be very disappointed. You keep asking me to comment so here I am! #2 coming up!
