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! th-cam.com/video/6POge_E_S1U/w-d-xo.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.
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.
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.
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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 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 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. :)
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
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.
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🏯
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.
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
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 .
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.
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 !
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.
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
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 😆
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
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 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.
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
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).
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 ^^
second time seeing this video and im even more astounded than the last time to see how much meaning there is to a "children movie" and also how marvelous you are at noticing those little things and comparing them to our life which gives me chills everytime and makes me understand life better, I beg you to continue this series, it is all i wait for.
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
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!
Yes please! I would love to see the rest of the film's analysis, especailly the visit to Zeniba and the final scene! Stumbled on this and binge-watched all the spirited away videos, the depth and elegance was captivating and thought provoking.
I have been listening to this while doing some art based on the film and I could easily listen to you for another hour! Your analysis is incredible and the way you have presented it is perfect. 👍
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
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 !!
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 😅😆
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 :)
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.
honestly you can see all of the work you put into this video, you should be very proud of yourself and what a good movie to choose from the millions of amazing movies. honestly Spirited Away has a special place in my heart and i loved the video
this was so well done and i’m so excited to finish this video! spirited away was such an amazing movie and definitely one of my favorites so it’s really cool to hear such a good analysis of this movie!! well done! 💜💖🤍
For some reason I started crying about 90 seconds in when you were discussing the card and the piano started playing. The impact this movie has had on me is absolutely insane, that a video essay about it makes me tear up and cry.
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.
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 LOVE this! Video essays breaking apart beautiful films is one of my very favorite things I've ever found on youtube, and your work is no exception. I like the way you described the symbolism of the shots, and I love how Miyazaki nearly always has a boy and girl in his stories, but they *save each other*, which is so unique. Also I never connected the two-sided, two-faced statues to Yubaba/Zaneeba!! So cool!
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.
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.
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?
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 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.
I would absolutely love to see more! I really enjoyed your thought process about this movie and would love to listen to your analysis about the rest of the movie!
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 genuinely found myself caught binging on your channel without a thought and after a day or two of only watching your content it has become very difficult to go back the secular average pop culture/conforming youtube, netflix, ect for any kind of entertainment. I feel like you breath so much life into things that otherwise would go without holding as much value and make me appreciate life and the things I see so much more. This series and the Breakfast club one have been on my mind for days and I feel like everything else I watch has become so boring and dreary in comparison. I honestly want to thank you for putting the time and effort into making such beautiful content.
I have so many questions about this movie... There are so many little details and I have so many questions about the various scenes/settings. Please keep continuing with the analysis!! Thank you so much!
Well if there's any specific questions you want my take on, feel free to comment them. Otherwise, I have continued the analysis, I released part 2 a few days ago, funnily enough 😆
@@mylittlethoughttree Yes!!! Something that really intrigues me is the 6th station scene. In American movies, everything is symbolic for something else... Everything is pretty explainable. But the train scene is so complex, and I can't piece everything together (which is why I think Studio Ghibli movies are even better), but can you explain what the train symbolizes? What are the spirits? What are the signs that we see while in the train?
Absolutely love and am so grateful for your play by play analysis. I had a Japanese boyfriend when I first saw this movie, and my American ass just couldn't wrap my head around all of the eastern concepts. I asked him to try and explain, and his response was just that I should watch other Miyazaki movies 🙄.
This is a really great analysis, I loved watching!!! Only thing that made me go "uh are you sure?" was when you thought the statues were of yubaba... They're actually another type of spirit from Japanese folklore, a Dōsojin which protects travellers
You put a really good message out there when you were talking about moving on in the struggle with what to hold onto and what to let go. They hit a nerve it struck me so deeply I’ve had to leave my whole life behind twice leave all those friends everyone I knew and then start again but the third time around it felt like why does this matter I’m just gonna have to leave again but with what you said it hit my mind I don’t have to our lives may change drastically but that doesn’t mean I need to push it all behind I can still hold onto something
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 great. i've been looking for a good video to analyze the movie completely, i think you explained it so well and the videos details are amazing. i love this video sm
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.
Thankyou! Nice to see you eager, your enthusiasm means a lot 😊 Between you and me. I don't think the second episode of this is too many weeks away now. One or two, with any luck
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.
Thank you for making this video! This is one of my favorite movies and everything you talked about makes sense and I always wondered why the Dad was so stubborn. 😆
i’ve watched a couple of videos analysing this movie but i must say, this is by far the best analysation of this film. you weren’t into so much depth of detail, which rlly made me want to rewatch the movie in a new mindset. keep up the good work, i love u and ur videos🥺✨
I am a bit late to the party here, but I've only recently discovered your channel--that's my excuse! I look forward to watching the next episode(s), as Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki film. I don't know if anyone has commented on this before, but I always thought of that room at the end of the tunnel as just a waiting room of sorts, although it does indeed bring to mind train stations. Waiting room or train station, though, I agree that it is definitely a liminal space between the mundane world and the spirit world. One interesting thing to note is that the sign on the outside of the building (the side in the spirit world), reads 復楽, which roughly means "return to joy/pleasure." Perhaps this has something to do with a reconnection to the joy of the pre-modern world? That might be a bit of a stretch, but it's worth thinking about. It also occurs to me that if you add the character for "garden" (園) to the end, you have the translated title for Milton's "Paradise Regained" (楽園 means "paradise"). I don't know if we should read too deeply into that, but again, it's interesting to think about.
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.
Like your earlier uploads, Lola Sebastian just had a strike, after a video that opened with a lovely tribute to the film that if anything serves as a nice promo. :'-( The rest of the video was about Disney, but I can't tell you too much since I paused it to do something else and then it was gone. That was a year and a half after you posted this, so glad to be able to watch yours.
This movie has such meaning to me. Thank you for this video! (P.S. the only thing I could think about throughout the whole movie was for Chihiro to get back to the car in time to put her flowers in water)
This movie holds a great big part of my heart, and to see someone analyse it's scenes and details so painstakingly is just perfect. Living in a third world country with all the shit we're forced to deal with can really make you grow ruthlessly fast and distance you away from that childhood innocence that every kid deserves. Watching this movie is the only time I feel like a normal teenager, who should be allowed to have that freedom to think and act of our own accord, and to feel emotions and vulnerability.
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!
th-cam.com/video/6POge_E_S1U/w-d-xo.html
Patreon link - www.patreon.com/mylittlethoughttree
44:42 .. Hawk your marxist hollow modernity-beliefs somewhere else, They dont belong in the world. +
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 yea I know lol I just said hell cuz it’s easier to understand for most people
@@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.
Interestingly, Chihiro lives not far from the park. Wonder if she'll wander back there sometime and if so, what she will find.
@@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.
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.
That's a very good point, I don't think I did mention that anywhere, thanks! 😊
But it is Chihiro's Dad that draws her into the spirit world. I think he does that precisely because he's drawn to it, too.
@@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.
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.
Ah that's good of you to say, thanks for taking the time to let me know, glad you enjoyed it, means a lot
@@mylittlethoughttree you are god
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!
I love it, I never could quite understend all the elements of this film, I hope it is possible for you to keep this great job!
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
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I totally agree Tysm and Good Luck I Really hope to see more of you and it in the future...🥺🙂🥰😘💕
@@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.
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.
*Haku
@@westerfrost3701No she’s right. The foolish samurai should never cross the river and go back in time.
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 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. :)
i completely agree, thank you for putting this into words for us
Actually in some of the scenes, the dark translucent beings are watching Chihiro and some even look out their doors at her. They do notice her.
Here's a good and important quote:
"Your Children Aren't You. Your Children are their own person and they Matter!"
Proper capitalization also matters >:(
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
Lol u are the funniest person on earth
Fckn same.
Juicy little piggy-Radiohead
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 way Haku told Chihiro: "When i was a river, you once fell into me" its so romantic
fell*
@@og-supercadbury thanks commander
@@JoeJoeJoe25 its what im here for
Why?
I love seeing her stand up to that old witch. I couldn't do it
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🏯
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.
I’m sorry for your loss. Can’t imagine how hard that must be to live with
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
same
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 .
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.
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 !
Like Chihiro I too was suspicious about that abandoned town.
Yeah, same here.
Chihiro was voiceing how I felt.
Something about that food the first time I watched it? It just felt, so, so....off
Yeah same, when I was little and first watched this film I did not like the vibes of the train station and town.
Im pretty sure Chihiro reading the note out loud was just voice over added in the English dub.
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.
And it is Risa (理砂), not Lily.
Yeah, & she reads “your best friend, Rumi” not Lily. But the card reads different
@@KnotPhound Well, it does mean losing that element which means you're also missing valuable information. Unless you can read Japanese.
@@Luka1180 Obviously
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
Great detailed analysis of this wonderful film! Impressive work. Please continue on with this analysis 🙏.
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 😆
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
Ok but kohaku being a real loyal friend to a kid he met and saved once probably 4+ years ago is just mind boggling mans a total MVP
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 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.
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
That was a really sweet perspective 🥰 可愛い
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).
Passing through a dark tunnel is a metaphor for death and for birth, so that works in both directions.
That was genuinely so beautifully said and thought out. ❤ gave me food for thought
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 ^^
Oh, that is interesting
second time seeing this video and im even more astounded than the last time to see how much meaning there is to a "children movie" and also how marvelous you are at noticing those little things and comparing them to our life which gives me chills everytime and makes me understand life better, I beg you to continue this series, it is all i wait for.
humorous and insightful analysis, i enjoyed this! also appreciated the "this is not a damsel in distress story" comment.
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
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!
Bruh did this man really analyse every line in a scene
That’s some effort like the grind
Yes please! I would love to see the rest of the film's analysis, especailly the visit to Zeniba and the final scene! Stumbled on this and binge-watched all the spirited away videos, the depth and elegance was captivating and thought provoking.
I have been listening to this while doing some art based on the film and I could easily listen to you for another hour!
Your analysis is incredible and the way you have presented it is perfect.
👍
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
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 !!
Thanks! More is on its way. I think it's become something of a mission for me to analyze the entire film 😆
Please keep this up im loving the detailed analysis
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 😅😆
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 :)
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.
honestly you can see all of the work you put into this video, you should be very proud of yourself and what a good movie to choose from the millions of amazing movies. honestly Spirited Away has a special place in my heart and i loved the video
I would love one of these on "when Marnie was there" it's such a good look at personal identity and valuing yourself!
That movie broke me emotionally! It was so beautiful! 😭❤
this was so well done and i’m so excited to finish this video! spirited away was such an amazing movie and definitely one of my favorites so it’s really cool to hear such a good analysis of this movie!! well done! 💜💖🤍
This is a phenomenal analysis, and your soundtrack is perfection. Well done!!!
Thankyou! That's good to know about the music as well, thanks for taking the time to tell me 😊
For some reason I started crying about 90 seconds in when you were discussing the card and the piano started playing. The impact this movie has had on me is absolutely insane, that a video essay about it makes me tear up and cry.
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.
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.
Amazing Analysis....Thank you for this in depth study of this amazingly beautiful movie.
The only reason I finally got around to watching Spirited Away was because I saw you had a video analysis on it.
I liked it! 😁
'i doubt you'd want to hear me talk about this for 5 hours' you're wrong. I love this. I'd listen to this for 10 If you put it out 😭
Great job! Enjoyed watching the video. Looking forward to watching further analysis.
Thanks! I actually started work on the script for the next episode of this series yesterday, so I'm hoping it'll be up sometime this month
Thanks for the in depth breakdown. This is one of my favorite Ghibli movies. It's a comfort movie for me.
I LOVE this! Video essays breaking apart beautiful films is one of my very favorite things I've ever found on youtube, and your work is no exception.
I like the way you described the symbolism of the shots, and I love how Miyazaki nearly always has a boy and girl in his stories, but they *save each other*, which is so unique. Also I never connected the two-sided, two-faced statues to Yubaba/Zaneeba!! So cool!
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.
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.
This is an absolutely incredible breakdown of this masterpiece of a film. Well done and I look forward to watching future breakdowns of this film
I'm glad this is still available to watch! Nice breakdown of the beginning of the film!
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?
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
It is so strange to see the name has been changed into a completely different one without any reason. 理沙 is read Risa, not Lily at all.
It is so strange to see the name has been changed into a completely different one without any reason. 理沙 is read Risa, not Lily at all.
I really appreciate you taking the time to edit, write, and post this. This work is an inspiration. Hope to see more from you. Many thanks.
please continue this series, its amazing!
This is so entertaining yet relaxing for my anxious brain ❤ i would absolutely love to see more
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.
I used many of the points in this video for my Film Studies exam. Hopefully I'll get a good grade.
I would absolutely love to see more! I really enjoyed your thought process about this movie and would love to listen to your analysis about the rest of the movie!
It is sad to lose connections that we feel are so precious.
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.
You're welcome!☺️ There's a lot more music used in my follow up videos, so I hope you get more from them
@@mylittlethoughttree Sure, I'll check it! Thanks again.
I loved your analysis. Can’t wait for the next one and I will definitely be watching and rewatching Spirited Away!
I genuinely found myself caught binging on your channel without a thought and after a day or two of only watching your content it has become very difficult to go back the secular average pop culture/conforming youtube, netflix, ect for any kind of entertainment. I feel like you breath so much life into things that otherwise would go without holding as much value and make me appreciate life and the things I see so much more. This series and the Breakfast club one have been on my mind for days and I feel like everything else I watch has become so boring and dreary in comparison. I honestly want to thank you for putting the time and effort into making such beautiful content.
I have so many questions about this movie... There are so many little details and I have so many questions about the various scenes/settings. Please keep continuing with the analysis!! Thank you so much!
Well if there's any specific questions you want my take on, feel free to comment them. Otherwise, I have continued the analysis, I released part 2 a few days ago, funnily enough 😆
@@mylittlethoughttree Yes!!! Something that really intrigues me is the 6th station scene. In American movies, everything is symbolic for something else... Everything is pretty explainable. But the train scene is so complex, and I can't piece everything together (which is why I think Studio Ghibli movies are even better), but can you explain what the train symbolizes? What are the spirits? What are the signs that we see while in the train?
Absolutely love and am so grateful for your play by play analysis. I had a Japanese boyfriend when I first saw this movie, and my American ass just couldn't wrap my head around all of the eastern concepts. I asked him to try and explain, and his response was just that I should watch other Miyazaki movies 🙄.
This is a really great analysis, I loved watching!!! Only thing that made me go "uh are you sure?" was when you thought the statues were of yubaba... They're actually another type of spirit from Japanese folklore, a Dōsojin which protects travellers
You put a really good message out there when you were talking about moving on in the struggle with what to hold onto and what to let go. They hit a nerve it struck me so deeply I’ve had to leave my whole life behind twice leave all those friends everyone I knew and then start again but the third time around it felt like why does this matter I’m just gonna have to leave again but with what you said it hit my mind I don’t have to our lives may change drastically but that doesn’t mean I need to push it all behind I can still hold onto something
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.
I think reading the book would be great for that. It definitely gives more context to the movie, and it's also a really fun book to read!=D
What a thorough and interesting explanation. Your voice is also quite soothing too, thank you 😊💫
A few people have said my voice is quite soothing now. I used to worry my voice was too boring or mumbly, so I take the compliment to heart, thanks 😊
My Little Thought Tree You should! It’s quite lovely 😊
this is so great. i've been looking for a good video to analyze the movie completely, i think you explained it so well and the videos details are amazing. i love this video sm
Thankyou, that's very kind. Glad you enjoyed it 😊
Loved this video, and the stupidest thing about what the studio are doing is that it's making me want to watch the film again.
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 love these analysis videos of spirited away. i hope you keep doing them :)
Yes please! I know for a fact that I DEFINITELY need more of this in my life:)) hope you continue to make more vids.... great work, my friend!
Thankyou! Nice to see you eager, your enthusiasm means a lot 😊
Between you and me. I don't think the second episode of this is too many weeks away now. One or two, with any luck
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 love film breakdowns like this, Keep up the good work
finally someone who can explain the movie. Arigato. Tysm
Thank you for making this video! This is one of my favorite movies and everything you talked about makes sense and I always wondered why the Dad was so stubborn. 😆
i’ve watched a couple of videos analysing this movie but i must say, this is by far the best analysation of this film. you weren’t into so much depth of detail, which rlly made me want to rewatch the movie in a new mindset. keep up the good work, i love u and ur videos🥺✨
you. helped me so much with my film analysis for class
Love this video! I like your take on this deeply symbolic film. Hope your channel grows
I am a bit late to the party here, but I've only recently discovered your channel--that's my excuse! I look forward to watching the next episode(s), as Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki film.
I don't know if anyone has commented on this before, but I always thought of that room at the end of the tunnel as just a waiting room of sorts, although it does indeed bring to mind train stations. Waiting room or train station, though, I agree that it is definitely a liminal space between the mundane world and the spirit world.
One interesting thing to note is that the sign on the outside of the building (the side in the spirit world), reads 復楽, which roughly means "return to joy/pleasure." Perhaps this has something to do with a reconnection to the joy of the pre-modern world? That might be a bit of a stretch, but it's worth thinking about. It also occurs to me that if you add the character for "garden" (園) to the end, you have the translated title for Milton's "Paradise Regained" (楽園 means "paradise"). I don't know if we should read too deeply into that, but again, it's interesting to think about.
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.
Like your earlier uploads, Lola Sebastian just had a strike, after a video that opened with a lovely tribute to the film that if anything serves as a nice promo. :'-( The rest of the video was about Disney, but I can't tell you too much since I paused it to do something else and then it was gone. That was a year and a half after you posted this, so glad to be able to watch yours.
This movie has such meaning to me. Thank you for this video! (P.S. the only thing I could think about throughout the whole movie was for Chihiro to get back to the car in time to put her flowers in water)
This movie holds a great big part of my heart, and to see someone analyse it's scenes and details so painstakingly is just perfect. Living in a third world country with all the shit we're forced to deal with can really make you grow ruthlessly fast and distance you away from that childhood innocence that every kid deserves. Watching this movie is the only time I feel like a normal teenager, who should be allowed to have that freedom to think and act of our own accord, and to feel emotions and vulnerability.
i got very very excited when i realised the episodes were all seperated in the time bar
Wow. Thank you for making these videos. I have been really going through a hard time and this channel has really helped me. :)
You're like my favorite channel right now
1:37 Chihiro’s best friend’s name was actually Rumi
Really seeing symbolism in everything, I'm pretty sure Miyazaki would have a good chuckle at that, old man is about as subtle as a hand grenade.