Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki

Growing up, we were all told of magical lands and mystical creatures we could only ever imagine. These
wonderful fairytales have been recreated through books and movies, one of these being Spirited Away.

Spirited away is a movie based in Japan about a young girl named Chihiro, who finds herself trapped in the
Spirit World with little chance of escaping. I won’t go into too much detail of the plot, because I found that the
main theme of this movie was not what happened or the characters, but the input of reality into the movie,
especially the Japanese belief in spirits and the spirit world.

The belief in ghosts, demons and spirits has been an important part of Japanese folklore throughout history. It
is entwined with mythology and superstition that originated from Japanese Shinto, along with other religions
brought to Japan from China and India. Stories, legends and mythology have been told and retold over the
years by various cultures, all having a meaning to explain why the world is the way it is. Spirited away
incorporates many spirits such as the Stink God, No-Face, Zeniba and Yubaba and many more.

No-face is a mysterious spirit, who is unable to talk, yet has a special interest with Chihiro. He follows her into
the Bath House where she now works, but becomes very greedy and selfish. Chihiro tries to help him, but he is
not himself. No-face is an important part in the movie. He helps Chihiro find that the Spirit World is dangerous
and can completely change you in an instant. Another important character is Haku. Chihiro first meets Haku
when he saves her from been discovered. They become great friends and help each other remember who they
really are. Names are an important part of this movie, without her name, Chihiro would never be able to
return to the human world. Luckily, Haku helps her remember her name after Yubaba- a witch in charge of
Chihiro- changes Chihiro’s name to Sen, making her Yubaba’s property. After Yubaba steals Chihiro’s name,
Haku warns her not to forget her name, otherwise she will be trapped in the spirit world forever. Sen must
remember who she is and what makes her unique. Sen succeeds in keeping her identity and in the end helps
Haku regain his, freeing them both.

In Spirited Away, every character is a mix of good and bad qualities and actions. Even those who seem good at
first, such as Haku and No-Face, have their share of evil qualities. By the same token, those who seem bad in
the beginning, such as Zeniba, Kamaji, and Lin, become instrumental in Chihiro’s escape. Chihiro herself is
extremely unpleasant at first, and she reveals her better nature only after she becomes Sen. Spirited Away’s
blurred line between good and evil is a much more accurate reflection of the real world outside the film. In the
end, evil is not vanquished but pushed aside as characters make choices that weaken bad influences. These
choices have a ripple effect: Sen’s acts of goodness bring out the latent good in those she encounters. The only
character who seems to remain unchanged by Sen’s example is Yubaba, but even Yubaba has qualities, such as
her love for Boh, her baby, that keep her from being an absolute villain. This theme is unusual for an animated
film, as most films in the genre clearly divide good and evil.

I would definitely recommend Spirited Away; I found it was a different and heart-warming movie with an
interesting plot. As Hayao Miyazaki once said, a movie is not just something you watch, it a moment you feel
and experience like you were there yourself, the magic and mysteries are not just on the screen, they are real.

Bebe Lees