Check out my breakdown of Ghibli's Pom Poko: th-cam.com/video/uWKS-8q8sp4/w-d-xo.html Also, the mythology behind Ponyo: th-cam.com/video/w3daCR2J230/w-d-xo.html Princess Mononoke: th-cam.com/video/f53ZCld72FI/w-d-xo.html One Piece th-cam.com/video/UAoCC2pXWmU/w-d-xo.html Naruto: th-cam.com/video/lVUxytLlJx4/w-d-xo.html & Avatar: The Last Airbender th-cam.com/video/ZrKGg6a7riM/w-d-xo.html
I don't quite get one point. Yokai and Kami are not essentially different. There are many Yokai that have a specific form. So why would it be weird that the first creatures Chiro sees have shapes.
@@LamiNalchor I said traditionally Kami are thought of as unseen, but I've heard from a few experts that there is a clear distinction between kami and yokai. I go into more detail in this video (sorry for the bad audio) th-cam.com/video/BkmH7_tUr8Y/w-d-xo.html
Thanks I learned loads from your video Though I think the mythology references are the first layer , and they are a tool to tell the story of a girl being sold to prostitution. In Edo Japan , many of the brothels were bath houses , controlled by a female pimp called a hot water old lady yubaba, the prostitutes once joined the brothels had to change their names and once they buy their freedom back they can use their original name again. There is a saying in Japanese that customers are gods, so all of these patrons are depected as gods and they choose which girls serve them. And hayao added some human background for prostitutes' lives , the girl had to do it to save her parents who were greedy and gluttony.
I actually replied this to another comment but I wanted to share it with you as well. It's funny because I have 2 experiences of watching this for the "1st time". One was with an older sister while I was very young and didn't understand English (we we're watching the dubbed version) and I legit thought of this as a boring weird movie but I remembered some "iconic parts" for me (them in the sky and dragon Haku's scales falling off?). The other "1st time" for me was with another older sibling closer to my age which was after a few years. I was so dumbfounded with how amazing it is and that's when I realized that it was actually my 2nd time watching it because I remembered some scenes. Needless to say, I learned the art of rewatching 🤣.
I've just watched it for the first time and was totally blown away. It's the first time in a long time that I've been so engaged and invested in the story and so spellbound by the world.
Ye i really want to see them together again but they couldn't make season 2 so they just spread rumors that when kakashi was about to kill zabuza haku jumped infront and he died he sacrificed and then they also said that mondo killed chihiro by a dumbell (no hate pls)
Emily Norris The one on the bridge, I know his head didn’t move, but he was still looking hence why that scene even exists and why they made a point of her looking back at him. It also makes sense considering his infatuation of Chihiro the rest of the film
No Face is not evil. He simply absorbs what is around him and reflects it back. In the bathhouse, he was confronted with greed, and so reflected it back. Sen did him a kindness, letting him in out of the rain, so when "talking" to Sen, he was absorbing her kindness and gave it back. At "Granny's" he was presented with illustriousness and kindness, and again, gave it back. He simply just "is". Not good, not evil, just "is".
Yeah! It's like he's a mirror, a reflection of the world around him. And like you mentioned he just "is", kinda like the world. The world is just the way it is, and he is simply a clone of that. Maybe in a way he dosen't just symbolise greed, but rather reality. But I don't know and I am most likley wrong lol
I was thinking if she could meet Haku while she was still alive in the river when she was young maybe it’s possible for her to still meet him again without actually have to be dead. I always thought it would be great to have a second movie of when she becomes an adult and with her kid somehow got lost and go back to the land of spirit and meet everyone of the bath house again because maybe they need some help?? Idk just some thought
@@seulgixsus that would have happened if it was a Hollywood movie but is a Ghibli movie. They won't stretch the story to earn more, they keep it original as it is.
Same. It's that damn mountain of living mud. And the pigs. Sacred me so much I told my parents "we can never go to China because they'll be turned into pigs and I'll have to clean mud."
Spirited Away has some creepy moments, but most of it feels safe and ordered. The scariest movie of my childhood was Mononoke Hime, which likewise uses mythological elements except half of the gods are either out to murder everyone or literally rotting or both.
@@BonaparteBardithion Honestly Mononoke Hime is not really a movie for kids in the way that it depicts violence, greed, and the balance of humans and nature (or rather lack thereof).
@@Pixee._. Yeah, that's true. Didn't stop us from on watching it a lot. It helped that our parents watched it with us, so we could discuss the nature themes with them. Definitely not one you put on and walk away.
@@Pixee._. On the PG 13 rating explanation it read: some mild fantastic violence and suggestive language. I remember so clearly because it was the first American rating I saw. I watched carefully twice more to catch the innuendos as I could not understand American accents that well, yet. But was shocked about the dismissiveness of the violence.
I just realized that when Haku warned Yubaba about her most precious thing being switched, the first thing she looked was at the gold in front of her. It took her a while to look at Boh... That's... kinda sad tbh
@@Typho0nify yeah, I get that but maybe I was hoping that maybe, just maybe that she as a mother would still, idk, thought of her child first... Maybe I was too naive for thinking so 🤦♀️
@@seokjinniekook07 then she would still look at her child first, then the gold, cause the thoughts process like that takes like... 1 second, i believe, to form. But she instantly look at the gold first, meaning her instinct was to not go to her child like we thought throughout the film, but to herself and the money. Even her behavior of sheltering the child to that point in the film, I have come to the conclusion that it was not for fear of Bo being sick and not for Bo being afraid of the world, we can see how much he prefer the world and his aunt to his room after going on the journey. She did all that for her own pleasure to pamper and loving the child. So still, for herself.
@@dieuanhnguyentran9520 well to be fair it was "thing" that was said it. And yeah I can see someone doing it even without thinking the gold is most precious or important. Give someone the choice of losing gold or a son and he may chose his son even if he thought about the gold first when said that. But all in all good catch 👍
And maybe thats for the best. I found myself comparing american/disney pixar movies to ghibli movies and american movies tend to milk on the nostalgia of the originals as a cash grab, detracting from their richness in a way. I think these films are made more powerful by standing alone and leaving some gaps for you to meditate on.
The adventures of Baron from "Whisper of the Heart" are undeniably continued in the later film "The Cat Returns". Personally, I felt that Whisper of the Heart was a stronger film on several levels, and they shouldn't have used Baron later in it's quasi-sequel. However, the soundtrack for The Cat Returns is absolutely amazing!
At the end, when she's told she must not look back when they leave - there is a moment where she almost turn back, but then her hair band glints, and she stops herself. The hairband was made by Zeniba, Bo and NoFace, and Zeniba said it would protect her. The 'no looking back' is a well known theme, but what about the hair band?
It is common in East Asian folklore that when something is handmade, a part of the maker’s spirit is imbued into the object that was made. Hence why East Asians belief that after hundreds of years old objects would gradually develop their own “spirit” and become sentient. In the movie, the hairband was made by Zeniba, No Name, Bo and the bird, and they all wished to keep her safe and help her return home. So that’s what the hairband did, it kept her safe and made sure she will be able to escape to the human realm.
Maybe it's about weaving, not exactly hairband. It could be something like shimenawa, straw rope used as a spiritual barrier in shrines and holy places.
@@poppypollen4362 Oh yes definitely. This idea of weaving having religious/spiritual significance was explored in the anime Your Name, with the concept of Musubi.
Spinning and weaving also have spiritual/divine symbolism in European mythology and folklore. Just think of the claim in Rumplestilzkin,, that the miller's daughter could spin straw to gold. Or in the fairy tail Frau Holle (sorry, don't know the English name) where spinning is a major theme. There is the saying, true wealth is a wife who can spin (or weave, in some versions of the saying). In Greek mythology, you find a lot of importance in weaving. There is the weaving competition between Athena and Arachne and also the saying, a goddess's clothes have no seams, alluding that they were woven so skilfully that they were made straight into their final shape with no need to cut and sew. Even in Japan, weaving seems to be important. In one story, Ameterasu and Susano-O have a violent disagreement, ending with Susano-O smashing her loom with a dead pony.
@@StarlasAiko omg Ameterasu and Susano-O are actual people in stories?! So glad I opened and read this thread.. I only know those names from Naruto Shippuden xD [both are badass nijutsus haha] I gotta go goodle this. Thanks for the info! :O
6:21 is when we see Chihiro holding her breath. To hold one's breath is also a belief in Asian culture as a way to not attract/be noticed by the spirits. Breathing is a sign of life and spirits may get jealous of that and may cause harm. People still do this practice when they walk pass a graveyard.
I had a Jappenese friend who whenever we went on field trips in primary school, which we had to drive by a graveyard to leave to go most places, would hold her breath and whenever someone asked her why, she'd say, "I don't wanna make them jealous."
Idk if its just me- but the art and aesthetic makes me feel so weird, like i want to be there. the attention to detail on the conceptual designs are fascinating...
you missed one thing that was more news than folk lore, the stink spirit with the bicycle. The bike is significant. a couple of years before they made this movies they cleaned the moat of the imperial palace in tokyo. people had been dumping garbage in there for years and the thing that the media lit on to was that someone had even tossed a bicycle into the moat. By putting the bike in and drawing attention to it Miyazaki is saying this was the spirit of the imperial palace-close to the emperor himself-which is why he was so very important.
@@jessicav931 www.mentalfloss.com/article/60237/15-fascinating-facts-about-spirited-away Look at point 5. This is the first article i found about this evidence
@@jessicav931 I also found this quote from another website linked just after. "Spirited Away (2001), features an encounter with a Stink Spirit, which turned out to be a River Spirit with a lost identity caused by pollution; Miyazaki mentioned in an interview that the spirit represented a polluted river in his hometown he helped clean" www.theodysseyonline.com/hayao-miyazaki-environmentalism-and-pacifism
When Chihiro signs the contact, she actually writes her surname wrong (her name is 'Chihiro Ogino' and she writes the kanji for 'Ogi' wrong.) One theory why is that she wrote it wrong on purpose so that Yubaba never stole her real name from her so she never forgot her name, and therfore she could return to the human world at the end. Another theory is that Yubaba's ability to make people forget their names was already coming into force, and Chihiro was already starting to forget her name. I think both are pretty cool theories.
@@elenatruj my sister is 5 and has know to write her name for a while. Granted she doesn’t know how to read much but your name IS the first thing you learn to write and read in school lol
I love the attention to detail in this film. Here's an example: their Audi Quattro has the steering wheel on the left. They drive on the left in Japan, so cars would normally have the wheel on the right. That means that the father imported that car, presumably from Germany and presumably at fabulous cost. It's one of the first things that establishes greed as the central theme.
Also when he uses the breaks on the car, the break is animated to push back against his foot, which was a specific “no lock” break feature of that car model
The “don’t look back” deal also appears in an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible story. A family fleeing an evil city is told not to look back, but the mother does and gets turned into a pillar of salt.
@@bartoszjaroszynski4711 no bible and Quran are different Bible is a collection of writings from different author while Quran is recitation of prophet Muhammad and also bible has many different information than Quran so please don’t say that it’s short from bible they maybe the books from god but it has different informations
called Daikon [www.google.com/search?biw=627&bih=270&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ACYBGNT_UqoRMNMH5zoXA6h7VgTwBL0D-Q%3A1575303496354&sa=1&ei=SDnlXbWgFfa90PEP0r6qoAQ&q=daikon+in+anime&oq=daikon+in+anime&gs_l=img.3...30482.35646..37139...0.0..0.147.1000.8j3......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67j0.nz0ZsKWpbZU&ved=0ahUKEwi15MDqrpfmAhX2HjQIHVKfCkQQ4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc=9FOTIgprJW5JdM:][en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikon]
I agree. I love this movie so much ! One of my favorite movies ever ! I have seen it for at least 50 times. I still watch it for atleast 2 or 3 times a year. It never gets boring for me or any less fascinting.No mater how manny times i have seen it.
My wife has been listening to the meanings behind Spirited Away by someone who used to work at Ghibli I believe, and it is probably a matter of fact, many people will never know all the intentions behind this film Miyazaki made. Apparently Haku is Chihiro's older brother. She has a memory of him saving her from the water and she looks naked. There is some concept in Japan about exchanging one's life for another, and in this case Haku died saving Chihiro's. The mother's slightly resentful attitude towards Chihiro is hinting at this as well "stop holding me so tight" or "be careful" when they cross the stones on the water. Her mom needs help from her dad, but she never helps Chihiro, so she is a bit of a neglected child without any motivation. When Kamaji comments "that is true love" after Chihiro tries to help Haku and takes the train to Zeniba, is pointing to returning the favor to him for saving her life, and she is about to take the one way train, meaning it's where people go to die and never come back, so essentially she is risking her own life.
out of the tens of comments I have read containing theories about who died and what really happened, this one really feels accurate and it just clicked with me. it feels so plausible - he died in the river which is why he became a river spirit. of course when it's said "this is true love" it's not meant romantically, but I never thought of it as being brother-sister love. also I adore the interpretation of the one way train! I only have one question - isn't it a bit too coincidental that his name is the same as the one of the river he died in? I am trying to figure this out..
@@andrapalada6385 I would recommend listening to Toshio Okada, although most of this videos are in Japanese. To my understanding, Haku became a river god due to his good deed of saving his sister, so his full name is not his human name. Even Chihiro doesn't know she had a brother. The bath house is a place where lots of lost spirits reside, and when the river dried up, Haku became a lost spirit thus forgetting the river god that he is. Something like that.
@PatchestheHyen4 It's all fun, and he could be wrong of course, but there is enough evidence to support it. The Totoro theory is a bit silly because there is no visual support for it and it's not Ghibli's style to make it that way.
That does make sense, in the beginning of the movie, I totally recognized how both her parents kind of seemed neglectful, but I wasn't sure if I was overthinking. Glad to hear someone else thought the same. Both the parents seemed to not hear Chihiro at all, and it felt like the parents were just doing their own thing -- only the two of them. Felt like they were ignoring her in a way. Only saying things like "Hurry up" Also I love the idea of the "true love" not meaning romantically. I love when I see other forms of love shown.
wow trank u for this because when I watched the movie, especially with haku saying he's met her before in the beginning, I had this lingering feeling that he might be her older brother but I didn't have any ground to believe it really or have it proven even till the end of the movie! but with this info and also reflecting on how he could've turned into a river spirit after dying there to save chihiro, it makes so much sense :o it just threw me a bit off in the movie when they mentioned love because I couldn't understand when that relationship couldve had developed (in a romantic sense).. it was also really admirable and sad how he let chihiro go to be free and told her to not look back at all costs, he truly doesn't regret saving her at the risk of his own life >.
I feel like No-Face was like a personality trait which was, ultimately personified as a character. The lack of identity of the character thus became the identity. He just tried to blend in whatever atmosphere he was put in. And moreover he tends to exaggerate the behaviorism of the said environment only to stand out as compared to others since he always longs for a sense of identity. In the Kami world it was depicted as a world dominated by consumerism. When No-Face was able to enter that realm, he consumed everything he could put his eyes on. He even deceived the people there by giving them gold. Since greed and gluttony drives the people of the realm, they tried their best to appease him. Which, made him stand out.
That's very astute, and I agree! I think No face has more to do with psychology than youkai. I've often identified with No Face very much as someone with DID (who having 160 "identities" really has none at all in a way, can adapt to be anything according to the circumstance, even taking on foreign accents and stuff). This movie has been really therapeutic in a way for me and especially in the character of No Face. :)
@@edzeppelin6674 That's why No Face as a character stood out more than the main characters for me. And I'm sure that's the case with most of the other viewers as well. And I agree with you!
In Chinese folklore, there's literally a ghost called no-face ghost. And yes, it is a ghost that longs for an identity, and is believed to kill humans in order to manifest their identities.
The 'don't look back' is also a famous saying for spiritual words in Southeast Asia.. for example if we passed by some house that has been abandoned for years, don't look back to it..
Sara39 Marz also in a greek telling where a guy goes to the underworld to get back his love Euridice, he’s not allowed to look but throughout the whole way back to earth, otherwise she will go back to the underworld and not come back to the living. during the way he’s not sure if he’s really there anymore (no faith) and looks back and loses her) so kinda the same of « don’t look back »
The parents turning to pigs is clearly influenced by greec mythology, in the odyssey when Ulyss’ friends were transformed onto pigs after eating on Circe’s Island
In Homer's Odyssey, Circe turned Odysseus' men (and other humans before them) into various animals, depending on their own personalities or nature. Most men were turned into pigs, which resulted in the more popular translation of her turning them all into pigs.
Jesus turned the Gerasene Legion into pigs. Legion = military Gerasene / garrison (there's no historic place called Gerasene) Circe is the root word that "church" comes from. Jesus comes from the word yeshua. Yeshua = joshua Jesús (in Spanish) = 'hey Zeus'/ Heil Zeus Greek "ge" = earth / world Latin "sus" = swine / pig Ge+sus= EarthPig / jesus Like when Christianity committed and is still committing genocide around the world for the Prophet / profit Worship / war ship
Watched it when I was 7 and cried. Just finished watching it again at 25, cried even harder, and understood why I love this movie so much. Best animated movie of all times.
you missed a major one that i think miyazaki hinted at in an interview: The Spirited Away originally were children that disappeared but miraculously reappeared years later unchanged. think children carried off by fairies to return decades later the same age. The dark truth was the children were stolen by slavers or sold to slavers by their parents. slaves lived very bad lives, especially girls sold to brothels, so most died without ever returning home. years later the parents would find an orphan and claim it was their long lost child returned by the spirits. a bit like the "zombies" in Haiti that DNA testing proved were just abandoned mentally disabled people. the parents who claimed they were their "zombified" children risen from the dead were simply grief stricken and in denial.
read about one form of Japanese doll associated with infanticide [www.google.com/search?nfpr=1&sxsrf=ACYBGNT5aPIXKXqoy2kzL8El3Km5rtc-XQ:1575304528354&q=Kokeshi+doll+infanticide&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi998zWspfmAhUCPa0KHQq5AfgQBSgAegQIDBAn&biw=549&bih=236]
Spirited away gives me a feeling that I can’t explain but somehow I can relate to. Like you’re in a new place and you’re not sure if you can trust the people there or if they can even trust you. 4 months later: I feel severely detached from reality. 2 years later: i am diagnosed with psychosis and derealization 💀
Fax that’s true but for me it’s a feeling of happiness and I feel like I can finally rest instead of not trusting people I feel like I’ve seen them and have a bond with them
I think spirited away is a good representation of how life can just "happen" to you, as well as how you choose to interact with it. Each character and the way they carry themselves can resemble how life happened to them, most of them being consumed by their demons and desires, which could suggest why most of them look like spirits or animals (or pigs like Chihiro's parents). This would show how they don't have any control over themselves, and are also all so attracted to Chihiro's smell. When Chihiro first enters the bathhouse, Lin says it'll only take "a couple days" before Chihiro's smell wears off, possibly another metaphor for Chihiro's naturally innocence and humanity.
@steveneardley7541 trains are also sometimes metaphors for life. When someone enters new life is born, when someone exits death occured. Where you are seated represents the position you were born in and how you interact resembles how you deal with life. You could accept your given position or change it by wandering around or even trying to change classes
When Haku runs, in the beginning of the film, his body moves in a very specific way. He does not run like a sprinter. His movement is centred around the centre of his hips or Tan Den. His upper body and arms do not move so much.When I first saw the movie, I was struck by his running style and the animators who depicted it. I was 31 and had been training Aikido for 5 years and saw all the same principles of movement I was studying. I began to call it a "samurai run". Thus hinting to us early in the film that Haku is a warrior. Look for this kind of movement in Lupon the Third's samurai character Ge Gen, just before he draws his katana, the hips do the running while the upper body is left light relaxed and ready to draw and cut. In "Castle of Cagliostro" after Lupon is shot, Goimon says he felt better after food and that "treatment" Ge Gen gave him. This is a reference to Ge Gen also being an acupuncturist and a samurai, but it is such a throw away line most people would miss it. Love the cultural references. Fantastic movies.
Haku's warning to not look back while she was leaving is similar to the greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The myth says that when Eurydice died, Orpheus, devastated, descended to Hade, where he sung his grief with his lyre. Managing to melt even Hade's and Persephone's hearts, they decided to let him take his wife back. But under one condition: He should never look back to see his wife until they arrive in the living world. Unfortunately, once he stepped into the light, he turned his head to see her, not considering that she was still in the dark. A glimpse was enough and Eurydice was lost forever. This story is also quite similar to Izanami's and Izanagi's story from japanese mythology.
Speaking of Persephone, when she was brought down to the underworld she couldn't just leave because she'd eaten food there (a few pomegranate seeds if I remember correctly), which is similar to the folklore that was brought up in relation to Chihiro needing to eat.
@@shinratensei622 The original Shinto is an animistic religion, which is quite universal among pre-agricultural societies. It's similar to the Celtic/Ancient Greek religions, but in the West Christianity wiped them out.
There’s a moment in this movie where Sen says “He needs to get out of there. It’s bad for him”. I think that alone tells us everything we need to know about him. I’m not the best at describing exactly what it means but from how I see it, Sen is saying you become whatever you surround yourself with. He in essence isn’t good or bad but a reflection of the people he is around.
I love that you pointed this out! I completely missed it. I loved that Chihiro specifically said it's bad for him. Not that it's bad for the bath house.
I see No-Face as representing the mysterious, incomprehensible and often dangerous side of the spirit world. He is not intentionally dangerous, just misunderstood and mishandled. If you treat him respectfully, he will treat you respectfully, and the opposite.
@@alijandro5571 for me, it's because chihiro was the only one that was kind to no face, so he was trying to depict it back(trying to help her and give her gold) while the others were treating him like a god because of their greed, maybe that's why he wants chihiro to accompany him.
Chihiro was gone for years. At the beginning, the cave wall is red and there’s a distinct stone path before that mini statue in front of the entrance. Everything looks generally clean and new. When they leave the tunnel, the cave wall is a different material (gray stone slabs) and has overgrown vines covering it. There are also evident hints of age with the moss covering the statue now and weeds hiding the once clear stone path. This takes years to grow out and I’m more surprised how the car lasted without showing rust or engine failure but ig they still had to make it convenient for them. I really wish there was some after-story for this like how they find out just how long they were gone, what the whereabouts are for their other relatives, news reports going crazy on hearing about a missing family found in the same state they declared disappearance all those years ago. It seems exciting to watch, even if sadly, that second after-story doesn’t necessarily include Haku in it.
I always assumed that they couldn’t have been gone THAT long, otherwise the movie may have made SOME mention of it. I assumed most of the changes were just the spirits playing one last joke on them by dirtying up their car. Heck, isn’t it possible that the place ALWAYS looked that old, but because it was trying to lure them in, it made itself look a little nicer?
In european folklore, the time passes differently in the world of the Faefolk. What seems like a day in the Faerie are 9 years in the human world, if I’m not mistaken That could be an interesting reference
@@abdulsameeh_666 They're both also done by Miyazaki. I prefer them because of the settings, music and characters mostly. If you like Spirited Away, then you might like these two.
Your “interpretation “ is actually very well researched and correct. I have a degree in Japanese art and rarely have seen anybody make correct interpretations and conclusions when it comes to referencing art from Japan or china. Good job
For me, spirited away & all Miyazaki's masterpieces show strength & bravery of girl/woman characters to overcome difficulties. Not acting like damsel in distress~ waiting for "prince charming" . I learnt more values in miyazaki's & studio ghibli's compared to Disney's.. 😉
very true! Disney conditioned the mind of young girls that they need someone specifically a man for them to feel loved or empowered...wherein reality, it should begin inside of us in order for us to feel empowered and loved.
me too. I never really got into disney as a little girl but I wanted to be nausicaa so bad. all of his girls are so brave, they have love interests but its not their only quality. Their progression as characters always set such an example for what kind of person i wanted to be when I grew up.
@@celestialgoddess8055 I am sur if you get a closer look, you will find a lot of Disney movies have empowering message.. not even just the new ones like Frozen, Moana or Brave.. What about Pocahontas, Mulan? You are comparing traditional stories that were told for centuries that Disney remade into movies. I do not think that Disney is trying to condition anyone into thinking they need any outside help to be able to feel empowered or loved.
Not folkloric, but a cultural practice. In Japan and generally in East Asia, you don't traditionally write your name by hand to serve as a signature, but use a seal: hanko or inkan in Japansese. These are the same as the artist's stamp you often see on Japanese prints, often in red ink, but those are a more elaborate version of the hanko used by people for regular legal purposes. Use of officially registered hanko (jitsuin) is necessary for any important legal transaction, like buying a car or property, or getting married. Other hanko are needed for banking (ginkou-in) or less formal routine business like paying bills (mitome-in). This, I think, has a lot to do with the importance of the hanko which Haku stole from Zeniba and why recovering it was so urgent. We see how Yubaba obtains power over others by use of contracts, and then by appropriating part of their name. With Zeniba's hanko in her possession, Yubaba could have obliged her to any contract she wished, and then stolen her power by taking her name. "Zeniba" incidentally means "money granny" (gamers may recognize "zenny" currency from Japanese games) so it's ironic that she's the un-covetous sister uninterested in material wealth but which may explain why her hanko was made of gold. Also, the first character of her name may be pronounced "sen", a homophone of the name Yubaba leaves Chihiro with.
I don't know if they believe it now, but I wonder if older generations believed that their hanko, especially their jitsuin, held some kind of mystical powers relevant to their meanings. If your jitsuin meant "good fortune", then anything it was applied to would bring you good fortune. If you purchased real estate, applied your jitsuin to the documents, and you turned it into a rental property, it would bring you good tenants who paid their rent on time and the property itself never has any major problems. If you're in possession of someone else's hanko, especially their jitsuin, that same power could come to you, but perhaps at a price. Hence the curse it put on Haku, and possibly Yubaba. True, they would obtain wealth (mainly Yubaba) from running the bath house, but they would end up with greedy and unscrupulous staff who only care about the money (as we saw when the River Spirit left all of that gold behind), and not taking care of their customers. It would be up to the actual owner of the jitsuin to decide how their misfortune (curse in the case of the movie) could be remedied. If it's as simple as returning the jitsuin then so be it. Or, as was Zeniba's edict, truly loving somebody (not just infatuation or lust; *compassion*) is required, then so be it. Chihiro not only loved Haku, but she showed the same kind of compassion (maybe not as much) towards Boh, Yubaba, Lin, and others.
@@PatrickRsGhost The thing about folklore is that it enters the culture via common usage, anecdotally. This is always in play within a living language and as an otaku for singer Hamasaki Ayumi I can relate one anecdotal piece which entered folklore. She was purported to have written a song to honor the memory of a car full of female fans which was stuck on train tracks and demolished by a train.[ see folktale for similar story.americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/ghost_handprints.html] which Ms Hamasaki (Ayu-chan) has denied over and over. Folktales constantly appear. LOL
Yesss! Even as a foreigner living in Japan at the time, I had a hanko myself, with my name written in katakana on it. And I used it just like I use my signature. To sign contracts, documents, cards, etc.
Chihiro's train journey through the flooded villages is also an allegory for the endangered villages of Japan (as well as the whole world). Kamazi says train used to go both ways, but now he only goes one way. This he describes the outflow of young people from the villages to the big cities. Not mythology, but also a reference as river pollutions.
@@dream_candy2173 I performed at a centennial performance for the town I live in in California and he was one of the people directing it My orchestra teacher shook his hand and he also listened to us perform a few times
I identify so much with Chihiro. I'm also a single child and moved when I was about her age. I was a scared child, never leaving my mum's skirt for too far. My parents are also similar to hers: not really caring about just roaming about and trying things out. Beside Mononoke-hime this was one of my first Ghibli movies I ever saw a little girl. Now as a 29-year old I feel more like Chihiro by the end of the movie: standing up for herself and more self assured. I just love it very much.
The name "Chihiro（千尋）" has more meaning. It means "extremely wide" or "endlessly deep. It can also be used to praise waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and majestic nature. It is one of the most beautiful and magnificent names in Japan. But when Yubaba saw the cowardly behavior of Chihiro, she took the name away from him, saying that such a name was not worthy.
Incorrect, 尋 means to inquire. Chihiro means a thousand questions or inquiries. 広 is also "hiro" and means wide. EDIT: Doubly incorrect, Yubaba made no mention of Ogino Chihiro being unworthy of her name. All she says was that it was fancy. Chihiro also showed no cowardice, nor was she called a coward by Yubaba. The name reduction is a direct part of the contract binding Chihiro to being hired at the bathhouse, designed to make her eventually forget about her old self.
Quick note: from the topic of 10:57 it is said in Japan that the reason why Chihiro could escape from the spirit world is because she miswrote her name in a different Kanji…!! Her first name is 萩(Hagi)野(No) . If you look closely to Chihiro’s Hand writing, the 萩(Hagi) Kanji is different!! If you dismantle the Kanji, it is broken down to 3 parts, the top part which is called Kusa-Kanmuri, the left part which is called Nogi-Hen, and the right part which you can read as Hi(火) meaning fire. In Chihiro’s handwriting, the 火(Hi) part is changed into 犬(Inu), meaning Dog. THIS KANJI DOES NOR EXIST AND IT IS NOT HER REAL NAME!! Giving your name to Yubaba is like giving your soul or identity in the normal world to her. (idk if this is a Japanese thing but a name/Kanji carries lots of meanings and values.) That’s the reason why in the movie Chihiro almost forgot her own name. She almost forgot her real name bc in a way she sold her soul to Yubaba in the spirit world. Because Haku reminded Chihiro’s own name to her + she miswrote her name in the contract with Yubaba, Chihiro could escape the spirit world. (Sadly, although Haku recalled his real name (thanks to Chihiro,) I doubt he could escape the spirit world... after all he is a river which does not exist anymore and it is difficult to believe that he too will miswrite his own name) Wow that became long, okay byeeee🥰
Names being important to one's identity and having potential power over someone is kind of generally human, though some cultures put more emphasis on it than others. But, ha! Saved by bad/childish handwriting!
i would recommend reading "The Art of Miyazaki's Spirited Away" as it includes a ton of his concept sketches/paintings + ideas he was trying to convey! Its one of my favorite books since I like flipping through and enjoying the artwork
I think that Chihiro losing her name in the bath house is symbolic of how when you are going through massive change in your life as a young teenage and learning to be independent as well as trying to define who you are, you often lose track of your origins by getting lost in societal expectations.
If a name represents your individuality, I feel it that Yubaba, the boss, is taking away her employees names. It could be a commentary on corporatism, but a hopeful message too: just because we need to get that job, doesnt mean we need to let them take our individuality away.
“Radish spirit” Lol that sounds like something a parent would make up so their child would eat radishes. “Eat your goddamn radishes or the radish spirit will _h a u n t y o u.”_
It's funny. In Harvest Moon/ Story of Seasons and the Fantasy series Rune Factory Radishes and Turnips get mixed up. Probably due to translation issues. Sometimes they're turnips and others they are radishes. So something funny in one of the Rune Factory games called Frontiers. A man called Erick who tells you a story about what will happen if you don't harvest your turnips on time and let them grow past their season, hinting That they grow into monsters.
Although beautiful, spirited away has this uneasy feeling attached to it. It’s like ghost stories and myth that are somewhat similar in many different cultures around the world. I guess that shows the real spiritual realm existence and how it interacts with human, each culture interpret them differently but the basics are still the same
I thina I know what you mean. As this was one of the first Ghilbli Films I saw and what I first associated with anime, I always connect this beautiful still kinda odd, otherworldly feeling with those films. I like it but the films never leave me without a huge impact on my inner mood. I always feel so deeply touched in a weird an calm way haha idk if anyone can even follow
Tell me I wasn't the only who used to find this scary af when you where a kid. Like FRICKIN PEOPLE TURNING TO ANIMALS OR THAT OLD GRANNY THAT HAUNTED MY DREAMS. Yeah rip my childhood
Dianna Stroud when I was young I was told the if I was bad la llorona would come and take me (my Hispanic grandmother told my siblings when they were younger and they told me because it’s a rather large age gap between me and my siblings)
One if the reasons why this movie is great is the fact that it's wholesome, creepy, cute and very detailed at the same time in some scenes. Just saw it one week ago for the first time and it made me feel like a kid
"Don't look back" because she will be dragged again by that world, it makes sense too because there were two-faced statues that may resemble the two dimensions. And if you look back in that way, your perspective will turn back into the realm. Just like what happened at the starting point where her parents started acting odd (remember her mother told first to get back in the car but after they passed the boundary they suddenly got eager to get in) but idk why Chihiro did not get carried away unlike her parents (they oddly became stubborn all of a sudden). It must be inspired by the concept of Roman Mythology about Orpheus and Eurydice. But the concept is adapted to the enchanted realm.
also i noticed that her mom said in the beginning when they were entering the tunnel that not to cling on her or she might trip and chihiro was like scared and all. she said the exact same thing when exiting it and chihiro was scared. i think it might mean that she forgot everything that happened in the spirit world
Maybe the hair string Zuniba gave her protected her from not looking back. If you look back at the scene when she is about to look back, she doesn't ad the string shines
Maybe if she looks beck she would turn into a stone just like the stone people that were scattered across the land. They have a face in the front and a face in the back. Cause they looked back maybe? Interesting
One interpretation for Faceless that I had found on 107 facts about Spirited away is this: No Face could be a silk worm spirit, since he spends most of his time eating, has its mouth separate from its fake face, and in the end stays with Zeniba to spinn
You missed the fact that most of the workers in the Onsen are referred to multiple times as slugs and frogs. Specifically, the males besides Haku are all called frogs, and have faces that resemble them, while the short kinda pudgy women are called slugs. This may be a reference to the Japanese folktale about Jaraiya, a noble's son who was forced to flee for his life after a snake demon murdered his father. He became the student of a Sage who taught him frog magic, and formed a relationship with the Sage's other disciple, Tsunade, a woman who was learning slug magic. Another thing to mention is that I've heard Rin and the girls working with her in the pink uniform being referred to as foxes, indicating that they may all be kitsune. However, I am unsure of the veracity of this one.
lin's character is based from a white fox called the byakko which is believed to bring happiness and good luck also lin was one of my favorite characters (:
I can't believe I've never seen this movie before! I can't describe the feeling when watching it. It was as if a spell was cast upon me. Truly a *masterpiece*
As a Japanese, this video is fascinating, to me "千と千尋の神隠し" AKA "Spiritual Away" is understandable because I grown up with Japanese environment every single detail in this movie is kinda familiar with us but maybe not for many people especially people who are with Western culture. Shin-to is not a single religion for Japanese it's also our wisdom and I can say our identity of Japanese. Anyway I have fun with watching your video thanks. One thing about "Kao Nashi" AKA "No Face", Hayao Miyazaki mentioned about Kao Nashi in an interview, he said "everyone has Kao Nashi" and he created Kao Nashi as metaphor for criticizing internet culture in Japan, in Japan, people are completely hiding who they are in the internet and don't face to a real life and they communicate with someone they don't know each other it means they communicate with No Face. They're following what they want not what actually happening now. That's why No Face is so greedy. Sorry for my poor English.
I am buryat mongol so our traditional religion is mix of Buddhism and shamanism , and it is a little bit similar to shinto. We pray to spirits of nature, and to our ancestors. Living in Russia, most of the movies and cartoons don’t represent our culture and beliefs, it is mostly kind of European western perspectives on things. So the first time i saw spirited away , I was mesmerised, because finally I saw something that represents our culture our ancestors beliefs. I understood the spirits idea, why parents were not supposed to touch the sacred food , those little things , like when haku said that he is a spirit of the river I immediately understood what’s going on , even without knowing much about Japanese culture. it is one of the best movies I have seen. I wish there would be more like this
You're right, "Stan culture" has taken hostage a lot of people's lives. Everyone seems to be hiding behind a celebrity's face nowadays. I also sense a "No face" in me, sometimes I feel like I don't know who I truly am or what my purpose is in this world. I just feel lost, like a wanderer. But I've got faith that I will find myself someday 🍃
This is a silly thought but the scene where the River Spirit was being cleansed probably represented something about humans and how they're polluting the earth. The whole 'humans are polluting the earth' concept is actually a very common theme in Ghibli's films (Princess Mononoke and Ponyo to name a few, and Miyazaki overall just hates people). Yubaba also mentions that humans like to ruin everything and thus the spirits have to come back to the bathhouse to replenish themselves from the filth the humans gave them. This is evident where the River Spirit is revealed to be loaded with trash, human trash to be exact. Bikes, laundry machines and even toilets. He's been so polluted by humans he's been completely transformed and even turned away by the other spirits. When he arrives at the bathhouse, Chihiro does her best to cleanse him. She is persistent and does all she can, even if she was clumsy and distressed. Although her efforts weren't so effective, it made a statement, and ushered all the other bathhouse workers to help. This shows that the only way to help the environment is to work together. If no one makes a move, if the spirit hadn't entered the bathhouse, it'd probably be filthy and disgusting forever, eventually rotting away. But with the teamwork presented in the bathhouse, it shows that it is possible. It is possible to cleanse this world if we all tried and cared together. But that's just a theory, a film theory-
Wow that's whole different perspective. Thank you. That's why they turn them into animals then....either you serve the enviroment as a human and work or you get turned into a animal that already serves the enviroment. Wow
Have you seen arjuna? Thats a good safethe planet kind ofanime. I never got to see all of the episodes just a few & i love it. One of my fav older animes 🙂😍
5:40 this part of the movie reminded me of The Greek myth, Hades and Persephone. Or just that concept of if you eat something from the underworld you are doomed to stay there.
Persephone was given berries by Pluto, that way when she returned to her mother and away from the underworld she would miss Hades and would want to return to it. Pluto is the god and Hades is the name of the underworld.
i know its sad i wished that happened too😭 but when haku promised he will see chihiro again, he meant he will help her when shes dying or will see her when she dies and in the afterlife where they finally unite.
Tbh Spirited Away is the only mythical movie through which I travel into another world, I don't feel like I belong here, I'm somewhere else while watching it. This movie is a masterpiece. ❤
it is, and movies like frozen and all are nothing in front of it. its like spirited away is the whole universe and and all other animated movies are lie tiny ilittle stars
I can add a medical note: The bloated bellies associated with starvation are a symptom of Kwashiorkor, which results in edema arising from protein deficiency.
I watched spirited away for the first time recently. The experience of being totally lost and disoriented is conveyed so strongly, it reminds me of being on a cruise ship for the first time or getting lost at a place like Cedar Point when you're younger. The experience watching Spirited Away brought me some of that childhood fun of getting lost in a really big place. It's something I want to keep experiencing.
The eating-something-stay-in-The-world idea also appears in the story of Hades and Persephone, persephone eats six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and therefore stays in the underworld for six months of each year
Also, the story of Orpheus in Greek mythology, where Hades said he could retrieve his wife from the underworld as long as he did not look back at her, is very similar to how Chihiro cannot look back in order to escape the spirit world!
I particularly liked the Yu Baba character and also the explaination of its possible origin, given in this video. Being Russian, I liked the idea of its resemblance with Baba Yaga, a character in the slavic methology. But Yu Baba is much more elegant. She goes to the gym and puts on make up every morning, for sure )))) Actually, she resemles certain kind of modern business women who are cruel to their stuff and are overcaring to their only offspring. It even reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada and its Miranda Pristly who was gorgeously played by Meril Strip just five years after Spirited Away were released.
Spirited away is an absolute masterpiece from everyone who has worked on it, drawings, animations, storytelling, research, history ... ... The creativity in this film can hardly be put into words, it touches your mind. I enjoyed every second of the explanatory video, great research Sir, thank you very much!
i watched this movie when i was little on cartoon network didn't know nothing about this show all i know was i was being entertained by all these unique characters. As i got older i always wonder what was the name of the movie I've watched when i was little. i searched up cartoon network movies couldn't find it. I asked my friends they didn't know. i was so bummed out i thought it was a dream. Until quarantine happen and Thanks to TH-cam recommendation i found the movie
It’s lockdown and I just watched this. I have learnt so much from this. Chikhiro just follows instructions exactly in the movie regardless of who gives them and everything turns out fine. She is fearless and friendly despite how scary the characters appear. This might be hinting to me how I should live my life.
"just follows instructions exactly in the movie regardless of who gives them and everything turns out fine." Well, instructions given to her by Haku at least. I guess nothing wrong with that if the person giving the advice actually means well for you
Princess Mononoke was my first film to see from Studio Ghibli, back when I was a little kid. It's safe to say that it, along with a few other Japanese shows like the anime Inuyasha, and Spirited Away fueled my desire to learn more about Japan. The lore and how it ties into history is beautiful.
The test that Chihiro is faced with, to recognize her parents, is likely inspired by the tale of Krabat, a sorcery apprentice who is to be liberated by his lover. She is tasked with recognizing her lover Krabat from a group of ravens.
the 'sakura petals' haku seems to blow for distraction in the beginning are actually his own dragons' scall - which is seen in the end when he transforms from the dragon back to his human form, when chihiro remembers his real name
Considering the entire movie was an ode to Japanese culture and how it must be preserved and protected it seemed to me that No Face was supposed to be the personification of western culture and mass consumerism. I may be wrong since it’s been year since I’ve seen this movie, but I always thought it felt out of place and that was for a reason.
@@ruberipi6811 Yeah. I'm sure Emperor Meiji meant well, and Japan did desperately need to catch up technologically, if nothing else, but I do get the impression that the obsession with Western culture that he started went way too far.
I am a Japanese. By information you gave, I could realize almost all of Yokai in this film were familiar ones for Japanese. But because They are so cute compared to tradition pictures, I didn't have any idea link to them. Thank you!
I'd like to add the symbolism of the Sanzu river in that scene where Chihiro tries to go back but then ends up in this body of water and can't leave. The Sanzu river for shinto is considered the river which the dead has to cross in their journey in the afterlife and that separates the material living from the spirits. I think there's a good connection here, since when it's still sunny, there's nothing there, but at sundown, there's already water in which spirits arrive through boats. It is also the water in her feet that makes them heavy and stops her from getting up and leaving.
I was hoping I'd understand two things here: 1) why no-face was able to detect Chihiro while she was holding her breath on the bridge 2) why no-face did not disappear since he had not eaten anything from the spirit realm up until eating that frog - Haku gave Chihiro something to eat so she wouldn't disappear from the spirit realm 3) why all of the creatures in the spirit realm could detect a human and why they looked down upon humans Besides the mythology, here is why I think Spirited Away stuck with us through all these years and inspires us to watch it again from time to time: * Chihiro's journey into the spirit realm and getting trapped due to her parents' selfishness reminds me of the unfairness of birth: you are born into this world without choice because your parents chose to have your for their own selfish reasons * being enslaved by YuBaba via the name change: your name is your identity. As an immigrant I noticed that my name was difficult to pronounce so I changed it for fitting into American culture. At some point I realized I had lost my identity and worked so hard for the machine to become a part of it and be accepted by my environment. * everyone's eventual admiration of Chihiro: her childhood innocence and the fact that she always put her best foot forward in every situation shows us that truth eventually wins. Her child-like belief that everyone is good inside and does not mean to be evil. Her proclivity to rely on TRUTH to solve her problems rather than give into nihilism, deceit, and greed.
Wow. That’s a good analysis. This is why I say ghibli movies are the best animated movies cuz they have a deep meaning. The way they conveyed love was subtle and not to the extent of kissing like you see in all these Disney movies. It wasn’t forced, it felt true.
For your first question, I've been putting a lot of thoughts into it too. So, Here is what I think about it. No-face is a passive spirit, it merely reflects the environment and how everyone is towards him. For that reason, he is mostly unnoticed and ignored by others, as if he is invisible. On the bridge, Chihiro is invisible too because of holding her breath, so in a sense, she is in the same state of being or condition as No-face. I think that invisibility was the main connection between them. I think on a deeper level, Chihiro's sense of invisibility comes from her relationship with her parents who are insensitive towards her desires and opinions, like moving to a different place for living without taking Chihiro into consideration. But of course these are just my ideas, they may be totally misguided, and the true intentions of the movie may be other things. For the second question, I would say that No-face is already a spirit, so he wouldn't need to consume anything from the spirit world to not disappear. But Chihiro was a living human there, so she needed to consume something from that world to become adjusted to the new condition in which she was trapped. Chihiro was an intruder to the spirits world in a sense unlike No-face who very well belonged to that world.
I disagree with "your parents chose to have your for their own selfish reason". Humans, as all other animals, just follow the natural instinct of preservation, not only the preservation of the self but ultimately the preservation of the species. That itself defies the concept of selfishness. It is through knowledge and reason that we attribute the sense of selfishness to giving birth.
@@msolano00 I wouldn't put humans and animals here on the same footing. Humans, unlike animals, can actively and consciously choose to have or not to have children.
@@nightingalenef1764 i agree. Family planning is unique to humans as is "having kids to trap the other". Also, some animals , like rabbits n chickens, eat n kill their offspring. So we cant say we are like other animals. We have more control...n therefore more selfish.
Persephone also ate the seed of the pomegranate while she was in the underworld, forcing her to come back and live there for 6 months every year, despite Demeter having rescued her up to the world of the living again. Wow, you did so much research for this!! Love the detail of the mask jaw being hinged by rope like the Noh masks. Wonderful.
The city in the ocean is similar to filipino mythology. It is said to host spirits. There are still rumors about sightings to the city lights in some small villages.
Homer Perez hmm what do you mean by city in the ocean? Do you mean sunken city or small town on an island? That is interesting. If you could share some stories you've heard that would be great!
@@sandravlogs3184 it's in a province in Philippines, a lot of people said there's like a mysterious island, city or community. Also people are finding this community-like bc they ask for shipping delivery of items but they can't find. They said its biringan
With the big leaves they wear on their heads, the remind me of kappa, japanese water spirits. But that could be just me. Kappa aren't usually depicted as ducks, they're usually more goblin-like, with either a sake dish or a large leaf of their head that they fill with water (or sake, depending on the myth).
I always assumed that the "No Face" character was a kind of symbolism pun from ancient Chinese cultures, especially Chinese Ghost stories. During various time periods in Japan, they often admired cultural things from China such as the Great Tang Dynasty, among others. Japanese culture clearly was inspired by works by Pu Song Lin's stories of Huli Jing (Kitsune vixen/fox sprites/demons) and various other Chinese ghost stories like Xi You Ji (Journey To The West/Monkey King). In ancient Chinese culture, which was a kind of strict shame culture of strict behaviors in manners, etiquette, self conduct, and like in Taosim "The Cultivation of One's Conduct" also influencing things such as Bodhidharma's "Chan" which is called "Zen" in Japan. Since the Culture Revolution, which somewhat per-started in the Chinese Ming Guo period, the Chinese challenged the "Honor" style leveraging of the shame culture, but since the Cultural Revolution which stripped away much of the old systematic rigid shame culture, it replaced it with something known today in China as "Face". But, even "Face" was something of importance in ancient times as well. Terms like: "Mian zi" (Face), "Lian" (Face), "Bu Yao Lian" (meaning "don't want face" - a shady person that disregards 'face' which is a kind of insult), Diu Lian (Loose face, Lost face), "Diu diu diu!" (a taunt meaning you lost your face and therefore shame on you), "guan mianzi" (care about face), save face/saving face, and there's many references to a kind of hand gesture towards children or young people in which someone places a finger on their cheek and then pulls and flicks the finger at the person whom is misbehaving sometimes by saying "diu diu diu" (lost-lost-lost/loose-loose-loose) in their way of saying "Shame-shame-shame!". This sort of thing is the source of many jokes, puns, and symbolism in many many stories in ancient Chinese literature and mythology including zen, Taoism, Buddhism, and others. Since the area known today as Korea known in ancient times as the Gaoli area of the Chinese empire, Koreans would also understand "Face", as would parts of Southern East Asia. So, it follows that the "No Face" character fits to many styles of ancient Chinese story-telling which Japan would also have known. A character that is a ghost/spirit/demon that has No Face, speaks volumes about the symbolism within the context of the culture. These are also HIGHLY sensitive concepts that easily upset people even in the slightest. In Chinese calling someone a "dog" is incredibly sensitive and offensive, let alone a "pig". But a demon/sprite/ghost without a face runs along this line of cultural symbolic meaning. Since the main character starts off in the film/story as a cranky child but shifts to a polite and well behaved girl trying to make right the mistakes of others speaks volumes about her because she is "saving face", but also "giving face". She is also polite to demons, ghosts, sprites, and respectful. She also is outshining her parents whom misbehaved. This is similar to a variety of Chinese stories like Confucius stories, or the symbolism of the lotus rising above the filthy murky waters, blossoming, and then thriving. The "No Face" character tempts her with greed, and riches. Even tho' she doesn't know that its fake wealth, she rejects these things in favor of something more valuable, which in the ancient culture would be filial piety (Confucius & Taoist ideals) or the honor of her family. Even tho her parents turned into pigs (a major symbolic insult and depiction of shame) she does the right thing by enduring hard labor, striving through harsh conditions, cruelty, and being offered greed and wealth by someone that both metaphorically and literally HAS NO FACE has a meaning on a deep and overt level. Not only did this character hide their face with a mask, and have no face, but everyone could clearly SEE that he has no face at all, and they still grovelled at him in a negative feedback of greed, gluttony, and power. Selling themselves for vanity and fake wealth by an insidious person WITH NO FACE. This character is NEVER satisfied, and never fulfilled either. But, when she rejects these temptations, and stands up for her true values and truths in order to SAVE her parents, it ends VERY well. She saves a River God, which is yet another ancient symbolic story telling device, but the gluttonous No Face follows HER, and reforms himself. So, in a way, she is like a Bodhisattva. The story is also NOT a romantic story. And she is friends with a White Dragon... similar to Bai Long Ma (The White Dragon Horse Price of the "Ao" surname dragon family from Feng Shen Ban/Feng Shen Yan Yi ancient text) in Xi You Ji (Journey To The West) and also makes reference of a river (a typical Taoism/Dao De Jing reference by Laozi/Lao Tsu). She helps a Dragon, whom mutually helps her, and is her friend somehow in the past. She saves a river god. She saves the No Face to reform. and She saves her parents. She manages to take bad situations, and turns them around by doing the right thing, and going past her comfort zones, with courage, because she has "Mian zi" or Face, and therefor is an Honorable girl. She's a role model, and similar to a hero inserted into a fable which is meant to teach you a valuable moral lesson you could apply to your own life. A depiction of cultural values. No matter how many times I have watched this film, I always notice something else, or something more. There are so many layers of symbolism, and symbolic meanings. In many ways this is more typical of Chinese cultural values in ancient times, but also how they told stories, and why. There's a kind of poetic style of expressions or idioms that people use in Chinese called a "cheng yun" which is 1 line of 4 words. They are often abstract words, but the entire meaning is very BIG even tho its a small phrase. There are some of these Cheng Yun in Pigeon English that we still use like "Long Time No See" (Hao jiu mei jian) meaning "Its very nice to see you because its been a long time, and I miss you". But, by saying the symbolic Chen Yun you speak just a few words, but you have conveyed a bigger meaning in a short instance. They often doe this in the ancient story telling narrative styles. If a god is in disguise, and you behaved dishonorably. You might literally loose your face in the story. Or, if you are a very bad person and the gods or sprites observed this, they would trick you with a get rich quick scheme and you might end up with a literal DOG LEG, which to a person reading ancient Chinese literature would be a major shock because of what "dog leg" means, which is very shameful. But, this is always why demons often resemble an animal, or a foolish character becomes an animal like pig, or something else. Death itself is also a sensitive subject, which is also why these stories involve ghosts, spirits, demons, fairies, sprites, etc. The demons want to eat human flesh, suck human blood, or suck some kind of power or energy from a human and take your virtues by turning it into a a vice. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", because you might be tricked by someone to do something immoral and loose your face, virtue, or honor.
S H Based on the 90 likes, the two other comments, and the fact that I actually read all this, maybe you should check your definition of the word nobody :)
being chinese myself, i can relate to everything you said and it’s so fascinating how chinese culture and stories can hold so much meaning and such deep values and lessons. it’s also amazing how this movie can encompass that into it.
I just finished watching Spirited Away (again) and damn, Spirited Away never ceases to be a truly beautiful work of art, there is something ineffable about it that warms the soul. Miyazaki, that wonderful bugger, I wish that Hollywood had even a fraction of his talent and that 2D animation in movies had not died an undignified death at the money grubbing hands of Disney.
There is a filipino folklore too that is the same as this. There's a city that will suddenly appear but those who are living there are NOT normal people. But you can't enter to that city easily and they said if you did enter into that place, and you eat this specific food in there which is a "black rice", you'll be trapped in that city FOREVER.
The truly interesting thing about Kaonashi is that he's actually meant to be autobiographical - a metaphor for Miyazaki himself, and his experiences before founding Studio Ghibli. That's why he's such a unique yōkai. In terms of his nature, Gentle Soul had it right: He's an empath. When he is in the Onsen, he absorbs its greed and becomes greedy. But when healed by Chihiro, the greed is driven out of him and returns him to a "blank slate." Zeniba, being the sort of witch she was, caused Kaonashi to reflect her kind and mannerly nature.
Check out my breakdown of Ghibli's Pom Poko: th-cam.com/video/uWKS-8q8sp4/w-d-xo.html
Also, the mythology behind Ponyo: th-cam.com/video/w3daCR2J230/w-d-xo.html
Princess Mononoke: th-cam.com/video/f53ZCld72FI/w-d-xo.html
One Piece th-cam.com/video/UAoCC2pXWmU/w-d-xo.html
Naruto: th-cam.com/video/lVUxytLlJx4/w-d-xo.html
& Avatar: The Last Airbender th-cam.com/video/ZrKGg6a7riM/w-d-xo.html
StoryDive thank you!! well researched videos
My favorite part was "I will try my best with pronunciations, but I'm sure I'll make mistakes. Gomensai." XD
I don't quite get one point. Yokai and Kami are not essentially different. There are many Yokai that have a specific form. So why would it be weird that the first creatures Chiro sees have shapes.
@@LamiNalchor I said traditionally Kami are thought of as unseen, but I've heard from a few experts that there is a clear distinction between kami and yokai. I go into more detail in this video (sorry for the bad audio) th-cam.com/video/BkmH7_tUr8Y/w-d-xo.html
Thanks I learned loads from your video
Though I think the mythology references are the first layer , and they are a tool to tell the story of a girl being sold to prostitution.
In Edo Japan , many of the brothels were bath houses , controlled by a female pimp called a hot water old lady yubaba, the prostitutes once joined the brothels had to change their names and once they buy their freedom back they can use their original name again.
There is a saying in Japanese that customers are gods, so all of these patrons are depected as gods and they choose which girls serve them. And hayao added some human background for prostitutes' lives , the girl had to do it to save her parents who were greedy and gluttony.
Spirited Away is one of those movies you wish you could see for the first time again
For me it's 'Your Name' and 'A Silent Voice'
I just did it was great lol
I actually replied this to another comment but I wanted to share it with you as well. It's funny because I have 2 experiences of watching this for the "1st time". One was with an older sister while I was very young and didn't understand English (we we're watching the dubbed version) and I legit thought of this as a boring weird movie but I remembered some "iconic parts" for me (them in the sky and dragon Haku's scales falling off?). The other "1st time" for me was with another older sibling closer to my age which was after a few years. I was so dumbfounded with how amazing it is and that's when I realized that it was actually my 2nd time watching it because I remembered some scenes. Needless to say, I learned the art of rewatching 🤣.
I've just watched it for the first time and was totally blown away. It's the first time in a long time that I've been so engaged and invested in the story and so spellbound by the world.
Ye i really want to see them together again but they couldn't make season 2 so they just spread rumors that when kakashi was about to kill zabuza haku jumped infront and he died he sacrificed and then they also said that mondo killed chihiro by a dumbell (no hate pls)
No one talks about how noface is the only spirit that sees Chihiro on the bridge, even when she’s holding her breath.
yeah, i was wondering about that too
Well we don't know if he really saw her
Emily Norris he obviously did, otherwise the scene of him looking at her makes no sense and has no context
Ferxani What scene? He kept his head straight
Emily Norris The one on the bridge, I know his head didn’t move, but he was still looking hence why that scene even exists and why they made a point of her looking back at him. It also makes sense considering his infatuation of Chihiro the rest of the film
No Face is not evil. He simply absorbs what is around him and reflects it back. In the bathhouse, he was confronted with greed, and so reflected it back. Sen did him a kindness, letting him in out of the rain, so when "talking" to Sen, he was absorbing her kindness and gave it back. At "Granny's" he was presented with illustriousness and kindness, and again, gave it back. He simply just "is". Not good, not evil, just "is".
Very interesting! And I thought Noface to be the hole in our psyche that can't be filled.
@@derBene This info is the actual Chinese legend. No Face has no face...except what you give him. That's why his face is a Kabuki mask.
Yeah! It's like he's a mirror, a reflection of the world around him. And like you mentioned he just "is", kinda like the world. The world is just the way it is, and he is simply a clone of that. Maybe in a way he dosen't just symbolise greed, but rather reality. But I don't know and I am most likley wrong lol
Just like we all "are". Not good, not evil. We're a product of the invironment that surrounds us and the experiences we've had throughout life.
"no face"
*when you realize that if Chihiro’s parents had just brought their lunch everything would be different*
RIGHT!!!? But also if they did that welp the movie would not be hear soo THATS A GOOD THING THEY ATE THERE 😂😂😂
@@kainightcore_slowed6952 bahaha
Ahaha :D
Lol! Or if they had left before sunset. Remember, Haku told her to leave before it got dark, but it was too late
hahahaha so true
I just realized when Haku said he promise will meet Chihiro again, it means that he will meet Chihiro again when Chihiro is dying or dead.
So dark
I was thinking if she could meet Haku while she was still alive in the river when she was young maybe it’s possible for her to still meet him again without actually have to be dead. I always thought it would be great to have a second movie of when she becomes an adult and with her kid somehow got lost and go back to the land of spirit and meet everyone of the bath house again because maybe they need some help?? Idk just some thought
@@seulgixsus that would have happened if it was a Hollywood movie but is a Ghibli movie. They won't stretch the story to earn more, they keep it original as it is.
Neel Mohammad Chowdhury I know that but after watching the movie for the 50th time, I’m just dying to see another one😅
Um...
When I was about 7 this was one of the scariest movie I've ever watched.
Same. It's that damn mountain of living mud. And the pigs. Sacred me so much I told my parents "we can never go to China because they'll be turned into pigs and I'll have to clean mud."
Spirited Away has some creepy moments, but most of it feels safe and ordered. The scariest movie of my childhood was Mononoke Hime, which likewise uses mythological elements except half of the gods are either out to murder everyone or literally rotting or both.
@@BonaparteBardithion Honestly Mononoke Hime is not really a movie for kids in the way that it depicts violence, greed, and the balance of humans and nature (or rather lack thereof).
@@Pixee._.
Yeah, that's true. Didn't stop us from on watching it a lot. It helped that our parents watched it with us, so we could discuss the nature themes with them. Definitely not one you put on and walk away.
@@Pixee._. On the PG 13 rating explanation it read: some mild fantastic violence and suggestive language. I remember so clearly because it was the first American rating I saw. I watched carefully twice more to catch the innuendos as I could not understand American accents that well, yet. But was shocked about the dismissiveness of the violence.
knowing haku is a dragon i thought those "white sakura petals" were scales
sakura petals are basically always in the same shape in Japan. Those are probably scales
Those are scales.
They are scales. As homie here pointed out, in japan sakura petals are always the same shape.
Am i the only one who tought they were glass or water drops?
@@matildefazzari3085 that would also make sense because he is of water
I just realized that when Haku warned Yubaba about her most precious thing being switched, the first thing she looked was at the gold in front of her. It took her a while to look at Boh...
That's... kinda sad tbh
Well. That's the main theme of the movie right? Greed & materialism
@@Typho0nify yeah, I get that but maybe I was hoping that maybe, just maybe that she as a mother would still, idk, thought of her child first...
Maybe I was too naive for thinking so 🤦♀️
Or maybe she saw her boy in front of her eyes and always protected him from the outer world.. so she never imagined him to be getting replaced ..
@@seokjinniekook07 then she would still look at her child first, then the gold, cause the thoughts process like that takes like... 1 second, i believe, to form. But she instantly look at the gold first, meaning her instinct was to not go to her child like we thought throughout the film, but to herself and the money.
Even her behavior of sheltering the child to that point in the film, I have come to the conclusion that it was not for fear of Bo being sick and not for Bo being afraid of the world, we can see how much he prefer the world and his aunt to his room after going on the journey. She did all that for her own pleasure to pamper and loving the child. So still, for herself.
@@dieuanhnguyentran9520 well to be fair it was "thing" that was said it. And yeah I can see someone doing it even without thinking the gold is most precious or important. Give someone the choice of losing gold or a son and he may chose his son even if he thought about the gold first when said that. But all in all good catch 👍
golden rule of studio ghibli: no sequels. ever.
And maybe thats for the best. I found myself comparing american/disney pixar movies to ghibli movies and american movies tend to milk on the nostalgia of the originals as a cash grab, detracting from their richness in a way. I think these films are made more powerful by standing alone and leaving some gaps for you to meditate on.
Its the best thing.
The adventures of Baron from "Whisper of the Heart" are undeniably continued in the later film "The Cat Returns". Personally, I felt that Whisper of the Heart was a stronger film on several levels, and they shouldn't have used Baron later in it's quasi-sequel. However, the soundtrack for The Cat Returns is absolutely amazing!
That’s maybe for the better, most sequels are bad and milk off of the original movies success, ruining the original movie.
I couldn't survive a sequel to Grave of the Fireflies. It's the best film I never want to see again, let alone a sequel.
At the end, when she's told she must not look back when they leave - there is a moment where she almost turn back, but then her hair band glints, and she stops herself. The hairband was made by Zeniba, Bo and NoFace, and Zeniba said it would protect her. The 'no looking back' is a well known theme, but what about the hair band?
It is common in East Asian folklore that when something is handmade, a part of the maker’s spirit is imbued into the object that was made. Hence why East Asians belief that after hundreds of years old objects would gradually develop their own “spirit” and become sentient. In the movie, the hairband was made by Zeniba, No Name, Bo and the bird, and they all wished to keep her safe and help her return home. So that’s what the hairband did, it kept her safe and made sure she will be able to escape to the human realm.
Maybe it's about weaving, not exactly hairband. It could be something like shimenawa, straw rope used as a spiritual barrier in shrines and holy places.
@@poppypollen4362 Oh yes definitely. This idea of weaving having religious/spiritual significance was explored in the anime Your Name, with the concept of Musubi.
Spinning and weaving also have spiritual/divine symbolism in European mythology and folklore. Just think of the claim in Rumplestilzkin,, that the miller's daughter could spin straw to gold. Or in the fairy tail Frau Holle (sorry, don't know the English name) where spinning is a major theme. There is the saying, true wealth is a wife who can spin (or weave, in some versions of the saying).
In Greek mythology, you find a lot of importance in weaving. There is the weaving competition between Athena and Arachne and also the saying, a goddess's clothes have no seams, alluding that they were woven so skilfully that they were made straight into their final shape with no need to cut and sew. Even in Japan, weaving seems to be important. In one story, Ameterasu and Susano-O have a violent disagreement, ending with Susano-O smashing her loom with a dead pony.
@@StarlasAiko omg Ameterasu and Susano-O are actual people in stories?! So glad I opened and read this thread.. I only know those names from Naruto Shippuden xD [both are badass nijutsus haha] I gotta go goodle this. Thanks for the info! :O
6:21 is when we see Chihiro holding her breath. To hold one's breath is also a belief in Asian culture as a way to not attract/be noticed by the spirits. Breathing is a sign of life and spirits may get jealous of that and may cause harm. People still do this practice when they walk pass a graveyard.
I had a Jappenese friend who whenever we went on field trips in primary school, which we had to drive by a graveyard to leave to go most places, would hold her breath and whenever someone asked her why, she'd say, "I don't wanna make them jealous."
In some languages the word for 'spirit' and 'breath' is the same. (Finnish and Norwegian for example)
@cutie puff There are a lot of fan theories regarding this. Some fans postulate that No-Face is another human who is trapped in the Spirit World.
Growing up in Australia we ALWAYS held our breath when driving past a grave yard
@@annaliseaudrey963 i didn't know you guys do that as well. I always thought only we Asians do.
Idk if its just me- but the art and aesthetic makes me feel so weird, like i want to be there. the attention to detail on the conceptual designs are fascinating...
Me too I wanna be at the bath house it's seems so fun the aesthetic is really good too 😁✨
That's what I felt before >_
that's exactly how I feel! It gives me this odd sense of familiarity? Idk how to describe it thoroughly with words
@@seph1109 Exactly!!
@@sweetlyx_sugar5552 for me it would be those streets those lighting and all is just unknowingly familiar or mysterious don't know how to describe
you missed one thing that was more news than folk lore, the stink spirit with the bicycle. The bike is significant. a couple of years before they made this movies they cleaned the moat of the imperial palace in tokyo. people had been dumping garbage in there for years and the thing that the media lit on to was that someone had even tossed a bicycle into the moat. By putting the bike in and drawing attention to it Miyazaki is saying this was the spirit of the imperial palace-close to the emperor himself-which is why he was so very important.
Very interesting. Thanks for the info, you have a link where i can read more about this?
^ That's some cool stuff here I'd love that
@@jessicav931 www.mentalfloss.com/article/60237/15-fascinating-facts-about-spirited-away Look at point 5. This is the first article i found about this evidence
@@jessicav931 I also found this quote from another website linked just after. "Spirited Away (2001), features an encounter with a Stink Spirit, which turned out to be a River Spirit with a lost identity caused by pollution; Miyazaki mentioned in an interview that the spirit represented a polluted river in his hometown he helped clean"
www.theodysseyonline.com/hayao-miyazaki-environmentalism-and-pacifism
@@belovedplague Very nice. This is good to know
When Chihiro signs the contact, she actually writes her surname wrong (her name is 'Chihiro Ogino' and she writes the kanji for 'Ogi' wrong.) One theory why is that she wrote it wrong on purpose so that Yubaba never stole her real name from her so she never forgot her name, and therfore she could return to the human world at the end. Another theory is that Yubaba's ability to make people forget their names was already coming into force, and Chihiro was already starting to forget her name. I think both are pretty cool theories.
Or she's just a kid and she simply mispelled her last name 🤷♀️ Luckily for her too, phew!
its coz yubaba was impatient and took the contract before chihiro could finish signing it
The first one I think is less likely as Chihiro was already forgetting her name, she only remembered because of the card that came with the flowers 💐
@@billievanderpol That’s what I thought when I watched the movie lol, Occam’s Razor.
@@elenatruj my sister is 5 and has know to write her name for a while. Granted she doesn’t know how to read much but your name IS the first thing you learn to write and read in school lol
I love the attention to detail in this film. Here's an example: their Audi Quattro has the steering wheel on the left. They drive on the left in Japan, so cars would normally have the wheel on the right. That means that the father imported that car, presumably from Germany and presumably at fabulous cost. It's one of the first things that establishes greed as the central theme.
Well said
the audi was the first thing i noticed, i was wondering what it’s purpose was
Also when he uses the breaks on the car, the break is animated to push back against his foot, which was a specific “no lock” break feature of that car model
@@irene6907 of course the Quattro all wheel drive,her father used it to go through the forest to reach that tunnel
Lol
Ikr when I noticed the audi I was like hmm they are rich
The “don’t look back” deal also appears in an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible story. A family fleeing an evil city is told not to look back, but the mother does and gets turned into a pillar of salt.
@Jazmin Asinas-David looks like somebody knows the Bible! the cities were Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Quran tooo
@@7snaiana187 because the quran is the bible in short.
greek mythology too, i was so sad when chihiro looked back after she went through the tunnel
@@bartoszjaroszynski4711 no bible and Quran are different
Bible is a collection of writings from different author while Quran is recitation of prophet Muhammad and also bible has many different information than Quran so please don’t say that it’s short from bible they maybe the books from god but it has different informations
My favorite sentence, “inspired by the bigger radishes he’s seen.”
called Daikon [www.google.com/search?biw=627&bih=270&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ACYBGNT_UqoRMNMH5zoXA6h7VgTwBL0D-Q%3A1575303496354&sa=1&ei=SDnlXbWgFfa90PEP0r6qoAQ&q=daikon+in+anime&oq=daikon+in+anime&gs_l=img.3...30482.35646..37139...0.0..0.147.1000.8j3......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67j0.nz0ZsKWpbZU&ved=0ahUKEwi15MDqrpfmAhX2HjQIHVKfCkQQ4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc=9FOTIgprJW5JdM:][en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikon]
My friend compared me to the Radish God .
@@Joe-fx2pz lmao
Those were some scary radishes...
This movie was everything for me growing up. I’ll be 30 in a couple of months but secretly wish this was a real world😭
Who knows? What if you reincarnate into it?
Janine De Vera pffffffff
Riiiiiight?
According to Castaneda, it kinda is... but those guys are not nearly as cute as depicted in the movie
I agree. I love this movie so much ! One of my favorite movies ever ! I have seen it for at least 50 times. I still watch it for atleast 2 or 3 times a year. It never gets boring for me or any less fascinting.No mater how manny times i have seen it.
Zeniba’s lamp is a tribute to Disney’s Pixar for helping Studio Ghibli with the English dubs
Yes the voice for chihiro is also the voice for lilo in lilo and stitch
@@lilylemon2225 and lin’s voice is the same VA as megara!!! *saw it on some comments*
@@lilylemon2225 omg I'll never see the movie the same way again 😭
Literally the first thing I thought when I saw the lamp was "Oh shit is that supposed to be the japanese version of the pixar lamp?"
In Toy Story 3, Bonnie has a stuffed Totoro! :)
My wife has been listening to the meanings behind Spirited Away by someone who used to work at Ghibli I believe, and it is probably a matter of fact, many people will never know all the intentions behind this film Miyazaki made.
Apparently Haku is Chihiro's older brother. She has a memory of him saving her from the water and she looks naked. There is some concept in Japan about exchanging one's life for another, and in this case Haku died saving Chihiro's. The mother's slightly resentful attitude towards Chihiro is hinting at this as well "stop holding me so tight" or "be careful" when they cross the stones on the water. Her mom needs help from her dad, but she never helps Chihiro, so she is a bit of a neglected child without any motivation. When Kamaji comments "that is true love" after Chihiro tries to help Haku and takes the train to Zeniba, is pointing to returning the favor to him for saving her life, and she is about to take the one way train, meaning it's where people go to die and never come back, so essentially she is risking her own life.
out of the tens of comments I have read containing theories about who died and what really happened, this one really feels accurate and it just clicked with me. it feels so plausible - he died in the river which is why he became a river spirit. of course when it's said "this is true love" it's not meant romantically, but I never thought of it as being brother-sister love. also I adore the interpretation of the one way train! I only have one question - isn't it a bit too coincidental that his name is the same as the one of the river he died in? I am trying to figure this out..
@@andrapalada6385 I would recommend listening to Toshio Okada, although most of this videos are in Japanese. To my understanding, Haku became a river god due to his good deed of saving his sister, so his full name is not his human name. Even Chihiro doesn't know she had a brother. The bath house is a place where lots of lost spirits reside, and when the river dried up, Haku became a lost spirit thus forgetting the river god that he is. Something like that.
@PatchestheHyen4 It's all fun, and he could be wrong of course, but there is enough evidence to support it. The Totoro theory is a bit silly because there is no visual support for it and it's not Ghibli's style to make it that way.
That does make sense, in the beginning of the movie, I totally recognized how both her parents kind of seemed neglectful, but I wasn't sure if I was overthinking. Glad to hear someone else thought the same. Both the parents seemed to not hear Chihiro at all, and it felt like the parents were just doing their own thing -- only the two of them. Felt like they were ignoring her in a way. Only saying things like "Hurry up"
Also I love the idea of the "true love" not meaning romantically. I love when I see other forms of love shown.
wow trank u for this because when I watched the movie, especially with haku saying he's met her before in the beginning, I had this lingering feeling that he might be her older brother but I didn't have any ground to believe it really or have it proven even till the end of the movie! but with this info and also reflecting on how he could've turned into a river spirit after dying there to save chihiro, it makes so much sense :o it just threw me a bit off in the movie when they mentioned love because I couldn't understand when that relationship couldve had developed (in a romantic sense).. it was also really admirable and sad how he let chihiro go to be free and told her to not look back at all costs, he truly doesn't regret saving her at the risk of his own life >.
I feel like No-Face was like a personality trait which was, ultimately personified as a character. The lack of identity of the character thus became the identity. He just tried to blend in whatever atmosphere he was put in. And moreover he tends to exaggerate the behaviorism of the said environment only to stand out as compared to others since he always longs for a sense of identity. In the Kami world it was depicted as a world dominated by consumerism. When No-Face was able to enter that realm, he consumed everything he could put his eyes on. He even deceived the people there by giving them gold. Since greed and gluttony drives the people of the realm, they tried their best to appease him. Which, made him stand out.
That's very astute, and I agree! I think No face has more to do with psychology than youkai. I've often identified with No Face very much as someone with DID (who having 160 "identities" really has none at all in a way, can adapt to be anything according to the circumstance, even taking on foreign accents and stuff). This movie has been really therapeutic in a way for me and especially in the character of No Face. :)
@@edzeppelin6674 That's why No Face as a character stood out more than the main characters for me. And I'm sure that's the case with most of the other viewers as well. And I agree with you!
I'm baked but i understand you bro!
In Chinese folklore, there's literally a ghost called no-face ghost. And yes, it is a ghost that longs for an identity, and is believed to kill humans in order to manifest their identities.
@@jeromekay2581 Damn I didn't know that. Thank you for that insight
The 'don't look back' is also a famous saying for spiritual words in Southeast Asia.. for example if we passed by some house that has been abandoned for years, don't look back to it..
Sara39 Marz also in a greek telling where a guy goes to the underworld to get back his love Euridice, he’s not allowed to look but throughout the whole way back to earth, otherwise she will go back to the underworld and not come back to the living. during the way he’s not sure if he’s really there anymore (no faith) and looks back and loses her) so kinda the same of « don’t look back »
But why??
@@rebeccaclark2614 In my culture, if you look back, those 'entities' will follow you.
@@sarahmarz7048 same in Indonesia. But it was a belief from old tradition. Most city-kids nowadays wouldnt know about it.
It presents determination and focus
The parents turning to pigs is clearly influenced by greec mythology, in the odyssey when Ulyss’ friends were transformed onto pigs after eating on Circe’s Island
Yes, good call. I forgot it was after feasting.
In Homer's Odyssey, Circe turned Odysseus' men (and other humans before them) into various animals, depending on their own personalities or nature. Most men were turned into pigs, which resulted in the more popular translation of her turning them all into pigs.
@@PatrickRsGhost Thanks for the clarification, I didn't know that !
Jesus turned the Gerasene Legion into pigs.
Legion = military
Gerasene / garrison (there's no historic place called Gerasene)
Circe is the root word that "church" comes from.
Jesus comes from the word yeshua.
Yeshua = joshua
Jesús (in Spanish) = 'hey Zeus'/ Heil Zeus
Greek "ge" = earth / world
Latin "sus" = swine / pig
Ge+sus= EarthPig / jesus
Like when Christianity committed and is still committing genocide around the world for the
Prophet / profit
Worship / war ship
@@moodist1er odd flex but ok
Watched it when I was 7 and cried. Just finished watching it again at 25, cried even harder, and understood why I love this movie so much. Best animated movie of all times.
Mononoké and Porco Rosso still better tho ngl
I'm 26 this year, rewatch it again, and cry even harder 😭 Everything feels so deep.
I just watched it again. Reminds me of sentimental times with my family long past.
Don't watch Grave Of The Fireflies.
That had me a 35 year old man in tears many times 😢
I saw this movie when I was like 4 or 5 and IT WOULD NEVER LEAVE MY VHS PLAYER 😭
I kid you not, when I was 9 years old. I legit thought this movie was a horror movie because of the pigs and night street. 🤦🏻♂️
Man i was scared of Monster inc opening, but not this lol
I'm 19, just watched the movie and I thought the same lol
the pigs really got me..
Same. But now i realise it's a masterpiece
samee I was 8 our teacher let us watch it in class and I was terrified
you missed a major one that i think miyazaki hinted at in an interview: The Spirited Away originally were children that disappeared but miraculously reappeared years later unchanged. think children carried off by fairies to return decades later the same age. The dark truth was the children were stolen by slavers or sold to slavers by their parents. slaves lived very bad lives, especially girls sold to brothels, so most died without ever returning home. years later the parents would find an orphan and claim it was their long lost child returned by the spirits.
a bit like the "zombies" in Haiti that DNA testing proved were just abandoned mentally disabled people. the parents who claimed they were their "zombified" children risen from the dead were simply grief stricken and in denial.
read about one form of Japanese doll associated with infanticide [www.google.com/search?nfpr=1&sxsrf=ACYBGNT5aPIXKXqoy2kzL8El3Km5rtc-XQ:1575304528354&q=Kokeshi+doll+infanticide&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi998zWspfmAhUCPa0KHQq5AfgQBSgAegQIDBAn&biw=549&bih=236]
Omg i just watched that video about the “zombie” case in haiti lol
@@lionelbelanger6242 The link doesn't work. Can you just tell us what to search for?
@@laura121684the brutal history of Kokeshi dolls Christopher Price's essay
@@laura121684daikon radish and daikon radish in anime
Spirited away gives me a feeling that I can’t explain but somehow I can relate to. Like you’re in a new place and you’re not sure if you can trust the people there or if they can even trust you.
4 months later: I feel severely detached from reality.
2 years later: i am diagnosed with psychosis and derealization 💀
Spirited Away kinda feels like that lol but it's your imagination to see on this way
Fax that’s true but for me it’s a feeling of happiness and I feel like I can finally rest instead of not trusting people I feel like I’ve seen them and have a bond with them
Shit same man
so it moved you, that's a good thing, isn't it?
@@mojorising0071950 yes!!
I think spirited away is a good representation of how life can just "happen" to you, as well as how you choose to interact with it. Each character and the way they carry themselves can resemble how life happened to them, most of them being consumed by their demons and desires, which could suggest why most of them look like spirits or animals (or pigs like Chihiro's parents). This would show how they don't have any control over themselves, and are also all so attracted to Chihiro's smell. When Chihiro first enters the bathhouse, Lin says it'll only take "a couple days" before Chihiro's smell wears off, possibly another metaphor for Chihiro's naturally innocence and humanity.
The long train ride would symbolize life as a passive observer, which it often is for a child.
@steveneardley7541 trains are also sometimes metaphors for life. When someone enters new life is born, when someone exits death occured. Where you are seated represents the position you were born in and how you interact resembles how you deal with life. You could accept your given position or change it by wandering around or even trying to change classes
When Haku runs, in the beginning of the film, his body moves in a very specific way. He does not run like a sprinter. His movement is centred around the centre of his hips or Tan Den. His upper body and arms do not move so much.When I first saw the movie, I was struck by his running style and the animators who depicted it. I was 31 and had been training Aikido for 5 years and saw all the same principles of movement I was studying. I began to call it a "samurai run". Thus hinting to us early in the film that Haku is a warrior. Look for this kind of movement in Lupon the Third's samurai character Ge Gen, just before he draws his katana, the hips do the running while the upper body is left light relaxed and ready to draw and cut. In "Castle of Cagliostro" after Lupon is shot, Goimon says he felt better after food and that "treatment" Ge Gen gave him. This is a reference to Ge Gen also being an acupuncturist and a samurai, but it is such a throw away line most people would miss it. Love the cultural references. Fantastic movies.
Jigen? Lupin the third?
Excellent detail!
Does this explain why naruto runs with his arms behind him?
Nice catch 😲 I didn't even noticed til this comment
I also noticed how Haku runs. XD
Haku's warning to not look back while she was leaving is similar to the greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The myth says that when Eurydice died, Orpheus, devastated, descended to Hade, where he sung his grief with his lyre. Managing to melt even Hade's and Persephone's hearts, they decided to let him take his wife back. But under one condition: He should never look back to see his wife until they arrive in the living world. Unfortunately, once he stepped into the light, he turned his head to see her, not considering that she was still in the dark. A glimpse was enough and Eurydice was lost forever. This story is also quite similar to Izanami's and Izanagi's story from japanese mythology.
Thanks! I remembered this myth but couldn't remember the names
Also in SouthAmerica Mytho
Because shinto is mixture of Indian,western and Buddhists culture
Speaking of Persephone, when she was brought down to the underworld she couldn't just leave because she'd eaten food there (a few pomegranate seeds if I remember correctly), which is similar to the folklore that was brought up in relation to Chihiro needing to eat.
@@shinratensei622 The original Shinto is an animistic religion, which is quite universal among pre-agricultural societies. It's similar to the Celtic/Ancient Greek religions, but in the West Christianity wiped them out.
I was very curious when Haku said "don't look back" I was very worried that Yubaba will kill him.
SAME
@tracey 😭😭
@tracey 😭
Oh noooooo
@tracey wait what?! he dieddd?? howw?!!
There’s a moment in this movie where Sen says “He needs to get out of there. It’s bad for him”. I think that alone tells us everything we need to know about him. I’m not the best at describing exactly what it means but from how I see it, Sen is saying you become whatever you surround yourself with. He in essence isn’t good or bad but a reflection of the people he is around.
Now I get it! thank you!
I love that you pointed this out! I completely missed it. I loved that Chihiro specifically said it's bad for him. Not that it's bad for the bath house.
that’s why noface was always looking for sen :’)
I see No-Face as representing the mysterious, incomprehensible and often dangerous side of the spirit world. He is not intentionally dangerous, just misunderstood and mishandled. If you treat him respectfully, he will treat you respectfully, and the opposite.
I saw him as the human ego
I feel he may be depicting a pedophille? Probably not tho
@@alijandro5571 no, thats just horrible...
@@Sam-kl7zw Sorry its just a theory, he seems like a bad guy to me- when sen asked what he wanted he said he wanted her, it just creeped me out
@@alijandro5571 for me, it's because chihiro was the only one that was kind to no face, so he was trying to depict it back(trying to help her and give her gold) while the others were treating him like a god because of their greed, maybe that's why he wants chihiro to accompany him.
Chihiro was gone for years. At the beginning, the cave wall is red and there’s a distinct stone path before that mini statue in front of the entrance. Everything looks generally clean and new. When they leave the tunnel, the cave wall is a different material (gray stone slabs) and has overgrown vines covering it. There are also evident hints of age with the moss covering the statue now and weeds hiding the once clear stone path. This takes years to grow out and I’m more surprised how the car lasted without showing rust or engine failure but ig they still had to make it convenient for them. I really wish there was some after-story for this like how they find out just how long they were gone, what the whereabouts are for their other relatives, news reports going crazy on hearing about a missing family found in the same state they declared disappearance all those years ago. It seems exciting to watch, even if sadly, that second after-story doesn’t necessarily include Haku in it.
Omg that would be great
No wonder why the car is so dirty at the end
I always wondered what happened to the house they were supposed to move into after they were missing for weeks or years.
I always assumed that they couldn’t have been gone THAT long, otherwise the movie may have made SOME mention of it. I assumed most of the changes were just the spirits playing one last joke on them by dirtying up their car.
Heck, isn’t it possible that the place ALWAYS looked that old, but because it was trying to lure them in, it made itself look a little nicer?
In european folklore, the time passes differently in the world of the Faefolk. What seems like a day in the Faerie are 9 years in the human world, if I’m not mistaken
That could be an interesting reference
i like that he just basically said "screw that. spirited away is the BEST film to ever exist. periodt." like yes boii
Princess Mononoké and Porco Rosso are way better.
@@linkthepig4219 what's that animated movie?
@@abdulsameeh_666
They're both also done by Miyazaki. I prefer them because of the settings, music and characters mostly. If you like Spirited Away, then you might like these two.
@@linkthepig4219 is it different from spirited away I want a new experience
@@abdulsameeh_666
Oh yeah both are really unique, they're just both from the same creator and both have a similar visual style
Your “interpretation “ is actually very well researched and correct. I have a degree in Japanese art and rarely have seen anybody make correct interpretations and conclusions when it comes to referencing art from Japan or china. Good job
But what happened to Lin, Lin said she want to get out of that world someday, right???
she doesn't know her full name, so she will be trapped forever in this world.
Also she looks more like a human than bath spirits... maybe she was trapped too
She probably doesnt remember her name anymore, kinda sad but she has friends with her at least
She doesn't rlly want to get out of the spirit world, she just wants to get out of that bathhouse and to move some where else. 😊
Lynn is a spirit as well.
I think in the companion book she's some kind of white tiger spirit who shapeshifts. Like Haku.
For me, spirited away & all Miyazaki's masterpieces show strength & bravery of girl/woman characters to overcome difficulties. Not acting like damsel in distress~ waiting for "prince charming" . I learnt more values in miyazaki's & studio ghibli's compared to Disney's.. 😉
very true! Disney conditioned the mind of young girls that they need someone specifically a man for them to feel loved or empowered...wherein reality, it should begin inside of us in order for us to feel empowered and loved.
Exactly like princess monoko
me too. I never really got into disney as a little girl but I wanted to be nausicaa so bad. all of his girls are so brave, they have love interests but its not their only quality. Their progression as characters always set such an example for what kind of person i wanted to be when I grew up.
@King Pistachion Disney is better in your opinion, but I like ghilbi more because of it's unique plot and deep lore.
@@celestialgoddess8055 I am sur if you get a closer look, you will find a lot of Disney movies have empowering message.. not even just the new ones like Frozen, Moana or Brave.. What about Pocahontas, Mulan? You are comparing traditional stories that were told for centuries that Disney remade into movies. I do not think that Disney is trying to condition anyone into thinking they need any outside help to be able to feel empowered or loved.
Not folkloric, but a cultural practice. In Japan and generally in East Asia, you don't traditionally write your name by hand to serve as a signature, but use a seal: hanko or inkan in Japansese. These are the same as the artist's stamp you often see on Japanese prints, often in red ink, but those are a more elaborate version of the hanko used by people for regular legal purposes. Use of officially registered hanko (jitsuin) is necessary for any important legal transaction, like buying a car or property, or getting married. Other hanko are needed for banking (ginkou-in) or less formal routine business like paying bills (mitome-in).
This, I think, has a lot to do with the importance of the hanko which Haku stole from Zeniba and why recovering it was so urgent. We see how Yubaba obtains power over others by use of contracts, and then by appropriating part of their name. With Zeniba's hanko in her possession, Yubaba could have obliged her to any contract she wished, and then stolen her power by taking her name.
"Zeniba" incidentally means "money granny" (gamers may recognize "zenny" currency from Japanese games) so it's ironic that she's the un-covetous sister uninterested in material wealth but which may explain why her hanko was made of gold. Also, the first character of her name may be pronounced "sen", a homophone of the name Yubaba leaves Chihiro with.
I don't know if they believe it now, but I wonder if older generations believed that their hanko, especially their jitsuin, held some kind of mystical powers relevant to their meanings. If your jitsuin meant "good fortune", then anything it was applied to would bring you good fortune. If you purchased real estate, applied your jitsuin to the documents, and you turned it into a rental property, it would bring you good tenants who paid their rent on time and the property itself never has any major problems.
If you're in possession of someone else's hanko, especially their jitsuin, that same power could come to you, but perhaps at a price. Hence the curse it put on Haku, and possibly Yubaba. True, they would obtain wealth (mainly Yubaba) from running the bath house, but they would end up with greedy and unscrupulous staff who only care about the money (as we saw when the River Spirit left all of that gold behind), and not taking care of their customers.
It would be up to the actual owner of the jitsuin to decide how their misfortune (curse in the case of the movie) could be remedied. If it's as simple as returning the jitsuin then so be it. Or, as was Zeniba's edict, truly loving somebody (not just infatuation or lust; *compassion*) is required, then so be it. Chihiro not only loved Haku, but she showed the same kind of compassion (maybe not as much) towards Boh, Yubaba, Lin, and others.
@@PatrickRsGhost The thing about folklore is that it enters the culture via common usage, anecdotally.
This is always in play within a living language and as an otaku for singer Hamasaki Ayumi I can relate one anecdotal piece which entered folklore. She was purported to have written a song to honor the memory of a car full of female fans which was stuck on train tracks and demolished by a train.[ see folktale for similar story.americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/ghost_handprints.html] which Ms Hamasaki (Ayu-chan) has denied over and over. Folktales constantly appear. LOL
very interesting observation, thank you.
Yesss! Even as a foreigner living in Japan at the time, I had a hanko myself, with my name written in katakana on it. And I used it just like I use my signature. To sign contracts, documents, cards, etc.
Chihiro's train journey through the flooded villages is also an allegory for the endangered villages of Japan (as well as the whole world). Kamazi says train used to go both ways, but now he only goes one way. This he describes the outflow of young people from the villages to the big cities. Not mythology, but also a reference as river pollutions.
I got that from it, too. It was a beautiful but sad allegory to the real life issue of Japan's disappearing countryside villages.
I met Miyazaki a few years ago. Hes really nice😁 makes me love his movies even more
lucky you
Noemi Garcia Omg that’s cool. Where did you meet him!?
@@dream_candy2173 I performed at a centennial performance for the town I live in in California and he was one of the people directing it
My orchestra teacher shook his hand and he also listened to us perform a few times
Luckyyyy
Few of the lucky ones indeed. Miyazaki is a legend. I'm so late into his movies but I'm still glad I found it.
Not related to this well-informed video, but I fell hard for Kohaku when he first appeared 😂 My 15 year old heart just adored him
lol same
Me too. Up until now he remains in my heart 😍
sameeee lolol
Same hahahaha
literally my first love
I identify so much with Chihiro. I'm also a single child and moved when I was about her age. I was a scared child, never leaving my mum's skirt for too far. My parents are also similar to hers: not really caring about just roaming about and trying things out. Beside Mononoke-hime this was one of my first Ghibli movies I ever saw a little girl. Now as a 29-year old I feel more like Chihiro by the end of the movie: standing up for herself and more self assured. I just love it very much.
EveWasTaken edge lord “my life is hard you should sympathize with me” you sound like a bitch
I sin For Jeff the irony
@@PS-eu5gf while you sound like an asshole :)
For me it's why the story sticks with you - it has so many characters who grow and transform by the end of the movie, especially Chihiro
@@PS-eu5gf stfu you idiot
The name "Chihiro（千尋）" has more meaning.
It means "extremely wide" or "endlessly deep. It can also be used to praise waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and majestic nature.
It is one of the most beautiful and magnificent names in Japan.
But when Yubaba saw the cowardly behavior of Chihiro, she took the name away from him, saying that such a name was not worthy.
Him...? Chihiro is a girl, right?
And of course we find that Chihiro had nearly drowned in Haku's river, in another allusion to her name.
@@94nolo Lost in translation, I think the commentor is not an english native
Incorrect, 尋 means to inquire. Chihiro means a thousand questions or inquiries. 広 is also "hiro" and means wide.
EDIT: Doubly incorrect, Yubaba made no mention of Ogino Chihiro being unworthy of her name. All she says was that it was fancy. Chihiro also showed no cowardice, nor was she called a coward by Yubaba. The name reduction is a direct part of the contract binding Chihiro to being hired at the bathhouse, designed to make her eventually forget about her old self.
I can't believe I started watching ghibli movies this year, their movies are incomparable, so touching and unique
Me too!! I want to thank Netflix for that lol
Can you recommend the good ones? I’m worried I might find them boring (except for spirited away of course)
@@user-qt9kh2ub6u you can try howl's castle ive only recently got back into watching ghibli
@@user-qt9kh2ub6u mononoke
I have only watched spirited away and i m already loving ghibli .
Quick note: from the topic of 10:57
it is said in Japan that the reason why Chihiro could escape from the spirit world is because she miswrote her name in a different Kanji…!!
Her first name is 萩(Hagi)野(No) . If you look closely to Chihiro’s Hand writing, the 萩(Hagi) Kanji is different!! If you dismantle the Kanji, it is broken down to 3 parts, the top part which is called Kusa-Kanmuri, the left part which is called Nogi-Hen, and the right part which you can read as Hi(火) meaning fire. In Chihiro’s handwriting, the 火(Hi) part is changed into 犬(Inu), meaning Dog. THIS KANJI DOES NOR EXIST AND IT IS NOT HER REAL NAME!!
Giving your name to Yubaba is like giving your soul or identity in the normal world to her.
(idk if this is a Japanese thing but a name/Kanji carries lots of meanings and values.)
That’s the reason why in the movie Chihiro almost forgot her own name. She almost forgot her real name bc in a way she sold her soul to Yubaba in the spirit world.
Because Haku reminded Chihiro’s own name to her + she miswrote her name in the contract with Yubaba, Chihiro could escape the spirit world. (Sadly, although Haku recalled his real name (thanks to Chihiro,) I doubt he could escape the spirit world... after all he is a river which does not exist anymore and it is difficult to believe that he too will miswrite his own name)
Wow that became long, okay byeeee🥰
Names being important to one's identity and having potential power over someone is kind of generally human, though some cultures put more emphasis on it than others.
But, ha! Saved by bad/childish handwriting!
The kanji is supposed to be 荻(Ogi) but you are right about it being miswrote.
This has no relation to the topic, but I translated this comment to French.
She started to forget her name
i would recommend reading "The Art of Miyazaki's Spirited Away" as it includes a ton of his concept sketches/paintings + ideas he was trying to convey! Its one of my favorite books since I like flipping through and enjoying the artwork
I have that book already. It's quite insightful, and demonstrates an incredible creative mind.
Your profile pic is beautiful, who is it?
Have this book too. Its quite informative
oh, where can we get it?
kateulinaa i got mine in kinokuniya bookstore
I think that Chihiro losing her name in the bath house is symbolic of how when you are going through massive change in your life as a young teenage and learning to be independent as well as trying to define who you are, you often lose track of your origins by getting lost in societal expectations.
If a name represents your individuality, I feel it that Yubaba, the boss, is taking away her employees names. It could be a commentary on corporatism, but a hopeful message too: just because we need to get that job, doesnt mean we need to let them take our individuality away.
“Radish spirit”
Lol that sounds like something a parent would make up so their child would eat radishes.
“Eat your goddamn radishes or the radish spirit will _h a u n t y o u.”_
Radish spirit is very cute
It's funny. In Harvest Moon/ Story of Seasons and the Fantasy series Rune Factory Radishes and Turnips get mixed up. Probably due to translation issues. Sometimes they're turnips and others they are radishes. So something funny in one of the Rune Factory games called Frontiers. A man called Erick who tells you a story about what will happen if you don't harvest your turnips on time and let them grow past their season, hinting That they grow into monsters.
There’s a webtoon called “Nothing Special” where there’s a radish spirit who’s a supporting character :D
At the beginni when chihiro enters the bath house the radish spirit is not wearing a shirt and then at the end he has a shirts lol
Although beautiful, spirited away has this uneasy feeling attached to it. It’s like ghost stories and myth that are somewhat similar in many different cultures around the world. I guess that shows the real spiritual realm existence and how it interacts with human, each culture interpret them differently but the basics are still the same
YES. Had a very quesy feeling throughout despite the beautiful calming art and music
But somehow, this movie art and everything in it, made me think about spiritual realm in different way. It's not fearsome. It's wholesome.
I thina I know what you mean. As this was one of the first Ghilbli Films I saw and what I first associated with anime, I always connect this beautiful still kinda odd, otherworldly feeling with those films. I like it but the films never leave me without a huge impact on my inner mood. I always feel so deeply touched in a weird an calm way haha idk if anyone can even follow
It's bc it's demonic
You should check out Carl Jung's collective unconscious. He believed that people had genetically inherited ideas which appeared as similar myths.
Tell me I wasn't the only who used to find this scary af when you where a kid. Like FRICKIN PEOPLE TURNING TO ANIMALS OR THAT OLD GRANNY THAT HAUNTED MY DREAMS. Yeah rip my childhood
I was too old to be scared by it, but the sudden appearance of the Old Water Spirit's face out of the water threw me off the first time I saw it.
I feel you.. This movie hunt my entire childhood..
not surprising my brain forgot parts of it like that river god mask lol
Dianna Stroud when I was young I was told the if I was bad la llorona would come and take me (my Hispanic grandmother told my siblings when they were younger and they told me because it’s a rather large age gap between me and my siblings)
Sushi M i didn’t and my mom gave it to me as a kid when i was sick & 8
One if the reasons why this movie is great is the fact that it's wholesome, creepy, cute and very detailed at the same time in some scenes. Just saw it one week ago for the first time and it made me feel like a kid
"Don't look back" because she will be dragged again by that world, it makes sense too because there were two-faced statues that may resemble the two dimensions. And if you look back in that way, your perspective will turn back into the realm. Just like what happened at the starting point where her parents started acting odd (remember her mother told first to get back in the car but after they passed the boundary they suddenly got eager to get in) but idk why Chihiro did not get carried away unlike her parents (they oddly became stubborn all of a sudden).
It must be inspired by the concept of Roman Mythology about Orpheus and Eurydice. But the concept is adapted to the enchanted realm.
also i noticed that her mom said in the beginning when they were entering the tunnel that not to cling on her or she might trip and chihiro was like scared and all. she said the exact same thing when exiting it and chihiro was scared. i think it might mean that she forgot everything that happened in the spirit world
The comparison to Orpheus and Eurydice escaping the underworld is a pretty solid concept, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before
perhaps because she hasn't developed greed like them... she still has a pure heart
Maybe the hair string Zuniba gave her protected her from not looking back. If you look back at the scene when she is about to look back, she doesn't ad the string shines
Maybe if she looks beck she would turn into a stone just like the stone people that were scattered across the land. They have a face in the front and a face in the back. Cause they looked back maybe? Interesting
One interpretation for Faceless that I had found on 107 facts about Spirited away is this:
No Face could be a silk worm spirit, since he spends most of his time eating, has its mouth separate from its fake face, and in the end stays with Zeniba to spinn
You missed the fact that most of the workers in the Onsen are referred to multiple times as slugs and frogs. Specifically, the males besides Haku are all called frogs, and have faces that resemble them, while the short kinda pudgy women are called slugs. This may be a reference to the Japanese folktale about Jaraiya, a noble's son who was forced to flee for his life after a snake demon murdered his father. He became the student of a Sage who taught him frog magic, and formed a relationship with the Sage's other disciple, Tsunade, a woman who was learning slug magic.
Another thing to mention is that I've heard Rin and the girls working with her in the pink uniform being referred to as foxes, indicating that they may all be kitsune. However, I am unsure of the veracity of this one.
I know I watch too much anime when I first thought you were referencing Naruto lol.
Naruto reference..??
I know for sure she hasn't watch Naruto and she gave this example without knowing she was referencing Naruto on her comment.
this is the folk tale they used to design the sannin
@@Abstract.mind92 masashi used the folktale to design the sannin
that pig scene scared me the most in this movie. the entire movie felt like a dream
This is THE greatest movie of all time. I feel like every time I watch it I discover something new about it. It’s just incredible.
@King Pistachion I would :)
@King Pistachion i would
@King Pistachion i would
Why do you morons have to exaggerate? This is one of many great movies across many genres. No need for hyperbole
@King Pistachion i would
lin's character is based from a white fox called the byakko which is believed to bring happiness and good luck
also lin was one of my favorite characters (:
Haven’t watched a ghibli film for awhile guess it’s that time of year again
I can't believe I've never seen this movie before! I can't describe the feeling when watching it. It was as if a spell was cast upon me. Truly a *masterpiece*
No cap
absolutely
As a Japanese, this video is fascinating, to me "千と千尋の神隠し" AKA "Spiritual Away" is understandable because I grown up with Japanese environment every single detail in this movie is kinda familiar with us but maybe not for many people especially people who are with Western culture. Shin-to is not a single religion for Japanese it's also our wisdom and I can say our identity of Japanese. Anyway I have fun with watching your video thanks.
One thing about "Kao Nashi" AKA "No Face", Hayao Miyazaki mentioned about Kao Nashi in an interview, he said "everyone has Kao Nashi" and he created Kao Nashi as metaphor for criticizing internet culture in Japan, in Japan, people are completely hiding who they are in the internet and don't face to a real life and they communicate with someone they don't know each other it means they communicate with No Face. They're following what they want not what actually happening now. That's why No Face is so greedy.
Sorry for my poor English.
I am buryat mongol so our traditional religion is mix of Buddhism and shamanism , and it is a little bit similar to shinto. We pray to spirits of nature, and to our ancestors. Living in Russia, most of the movies and cartoons don’t represent our culture and beliefs, it is mostly kind of European western perspectives on things. So the first time i saw spirited away , I was mesmerised, because finally I saw something that represents our culture our ancestors beliefs. I understood the spirits idea, why parents were not supposed to touch the sacred food , those little things , like when haku said that he is a spirit of the river I immediately understood what’s going on , even without knowing much about Japanese culture. it is one of the best movies I have seen. I wish there would be more like this
You're right, "Stan culture" has taken hostage a lot of people's lives. Everyone seems to be hiding behind a celebrity's face nowadays. I also sense a "No face" in me, sometimes I feel like I don't know who I truly am or what my purpose is in this world. I just feel lost, like a wanderer. But I've got faith that I will find myself someday 🍃
This is a silly thought but the scene where the River Spirit was being cleansed probably represented something about humans and how they're polluting the earth.
The whole 'humans are polluting the earth' concept is actually a very common theme in Ghibli's films (Princess Mononoke and Ponyo to name a few, and Miyazaki overall just hates people).
Yubaba also mentions that humans like to ruin everything and thus the spirits have to come back to the bathhouse to replenish themselves from the filth the humans gave them.
This is evident where the River Spirit is revealed to be loaded with trash, human trash to be exact. Bikes, laundry machines and even toilets.
He's been so polluted by humans he's been completely transformed and even turned away by the other spirits.
When he arrives at the bathhouse, Chihiro does her best to cleanse him. She is persistent and does all she can, even if she was clumsy and distressed.
Although her efforts weren't so effective, it made a statement, and ushered all the other bathhouse workers to help. This shows that the only way to help the environment is to work together.
If no one makes a move, if the spirit hadn't entered the bathhouse, it'd probably be filthy and disgusting forever, eventually rotting away.
But with the teamwork presented in the bathhouse, it shows that it is possible. It is possible to cleanse this world if we all tried and cared together.
But that's just a theory, a film theory-
Wow that's whole different perspective. Thank you. That's why they turn them into animals then....either you serve the enviroment as a human and work or you get turned into a animal that already serves the enviroment. Wow
Spirits live in nature . When humans destroy nature they destroy the spirits world
Have you seen arjuna? Thats a good safethe planet kind ofanime. I never got to see all of the episodes just a few & i love it. One of my fav older animes 🙂😍
Miyazaki based this scene off of a real experience he had, finding a bike in a river while cleaning it
@@lula3696 Woahh never knew that
I love how i'm watching this in my Film Studies class, and that the homework is to watch this video and take notes from it!
AmberIsntHere Wow so cool
No fair 😭
Love your life girl .😭😭
I’m Japanese. I’m so grateful you introduced the Japanese film and Japan to the English speakers, and your Japanese is great!
5:40 this part of the movie reminded me of The Greek myth, Hades and Persephone. Or just that concept of if you eat something from the underworld you are doomed to stay there.
Same with food from the faerie realm in British folklore.
Yes they are both in fack kinda the same but faires dont have good intentions hades did
the no looking back at the end also involves greek mythology as well.
Same with the Philippine Culture. Never eat anything given to you by dieties. Or you'll be doomed to stay with them for eternity.
Persephone was given berries by Pluto, that way when she returned to her mother and away from the underworld she would miss Hades and would want to return to it. Pluto is the god and Hades is the name of the underworld.
I just wanted to see Haku and Chihiro unite again before the movie ended .
I was hoping for a sequel.
i know its sad i wished that happened too😭 but when haku promised he will see chihiro again, he meant he will help her when shes dying or will see her when she dies and in the afterlife where they finally unite.
Tbh Spirited Away is the only mythical movie through which I travel into another world, I don't feel like I belong here, I'm somewhere else while watching it. This movie is a masterpiece. ❤
Spirited away is the best animated film ever made
Correction : Best film ever made.
Yes
Indeed.
Arguable but still so right.
it is, and movies like frozen and all are nothing in front of it. its like spirited away is the whole universe and and all other animated movies are lie tiny ilittle stars
I can add a medical note: The bloated bellies associated with starvation are a symptom of Kwashiorkor, which results in edema arising from protein deficiency.
"-emia, meaning 'presence in blood'"
I LOVE all of his films ❤❤Howls moving castle is my favorite 😍
Me too I love the characters the music and it's adorable and romantic ( ˘ ³˘)♥. (づ￣ ³￣)づ
Do u watch it by yourself or with ur boyfriend?
@@Daddyiscool450 Well...no but he like it :') I wish I can
@Claire that weird I expect it or be darker in the book
@Claire I did,and I loved it as well. I think the movie and the books can be considered complimentary to each other. they're all very dear to me❤
I watched spirited away for the first time recently. The experience of being totally lost and disoriented is conveyed so strongly, it reminds me of being on a cruise ship for the first time or getting lost at a place like Cedar Point when you're younger.
The experience watching Spirited Away brought me some of that childhood fun of getting lost in a really big place. It's something I want to keep experiencing.
The eating-something-stay-in-The-world idea also appears in the story of Hades and Persephone, persephone eats six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and therefore stays in the underworld for six months of each year
3 seeds, which are the 3 months of winter
Also, the story of Orpheus in Greek mythology, where Hades said he could retrieve his wife from the underworld as long as he did not look back at her, is very similar to how Chihiro cannot look back in order to escape the spirit world!
AydenHansen101 you’re right! I forgot about that part
@@AydenHansen101 You're thinking of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hades was king/god of the underworld and lived there.
In my country, it is said that if you are whisked to the spirit world and is offered food there, you must not eat it because you can never go back.
I always wanted to see what happened when they get back. Were the movers like wtf where did you go?😂
HAHAHAHAHA
oml why did i not think abt it they wouda been so confused lol
also dis comment deserves more likes
I was thinking the same! 😂
Lmao🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I particularly liked the Yu Baba character and also the explaination of its possible origin, given in this video. Being Russian, I liked the idea of its resemblance with Baba Yaga, a character in the slavic methology. But Yu Baba is much more elegant. She goes to the gym and puts on make up every morning, for sure )))) Actually, she resemles certain kind of modern business women who are cruel to their stuff and are overcaring to their only offspring. It even reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada and its Miranda Pristly who was gorgeously played by Meril Strip just five years after Spirited Away were released.
slavic methology - so they invented it)
Spirited away is an absolute masterpiece from everyone who has worked on it, drawings, animations, storytelling, research, history ... ... The creativity in this film can hardly be put into words, it touches your mind.
I enjoyed every second of the explanatory video, great research Sir, thank you very much!
i watched this movie when i was little on cartoon network didn't know nothing about this show all i know was i was being entertained by all these unique characters. As i got older i always wonder what was the name of the movie I've watched when i was little. i searched up cartoon network movies couldn't find it. I asked my friends they didn't know. i was so bummed out i thought it was a dream. Until quarantine happen and Thanks to TH-cam recommendation i found the movie
Me too! I thought it was just a DREAM!
Holy i- same guys
I was the same it was in the back of my brain
Congratulations
How do u like it after the second watch?
It’s lockdown and I just watched this. I have learnt so much from this. Chikhiro just follows instructions exactly in the movie regardless of who gives them and everything turns out fine. She is fearless and friendly despite how scary the characters appear. This might be hinting to me how I should live my life.
"just follows instructions exactly in the movie regardless of who gives them and everything turns out fine." Well, instructions given to her by Haku at least. I guess nothing wrong with that if the person giving the advice actually means well for you
Princess Mononoke was my first film to see from Studio Ghibli, back when I was a little kid. It's safe to say that it, along with a few other Japanese shows like the anime Inuyasha, and Spirited Away fueled my desire to learn more about Japan. The lore and how it ties into history is beautiful.
JackieTK Draws Ahhh you should definitely watch Only yesterday, also made by Studio Ghibli! Made me almost book a flight to Japan.
The test that Chihiro is faced with, to recognize her parents, is likely inspired by the tale of Krabat, a sorcery apprentice who is to be liberated by his lover. She is tasked with recognizing her lover Krabat from a group of ravens.
the 'sakura petals' haku seems to blow for distraction in the beginning are actually his own dragons' scall - which is seen in the end when he transforms from the dragon back to his human form, when chihiro remembers his real name
Considering the entire movie was an ode to Japanese culture and how it must be preserved and protected it seemed to me that No Face was supposed to be the personification of western culture and mass consumerism.
I may be wrong since it’s been year since I’ve seen this movie, but I always thought it felt out of place and that was for a reason.
Western culture must also be protected :D
@@donlansdonlans3363 Protected, maybe, but not shoved down our throats like it has been
@@ruberipi6811 Yeah. I'm sure Emperor Meiji meant well, and Japan did desperately need to catch up technologically, if nothing else, but I do get the impression that the obsession with Western culture that he started went way too far.
Ruberi Pi I mean like that was the emperor fam
@@ruberipi6811 No one is forcing you to watch Marvel movies and drive cars.
19 years later I'm still obsessed over this.
I am a Japanese. By information you gave, I could realize almost all of Yokai in this film were familiar ones for Japanese. But because They are so cute compared to tradition pictures, I didn't have any idea link to them. Thank you!
それな、言われてみればって感じ
I'd like to add the symbolism of the Sanzu river in that scene where Chihiro tries to go back but then ends up in this body of water and can't leave. The Sanzu river for shinto is considered the river which the dead has to cross in their journey in the afterlife and that separates the material living from the spirits. I think there's a good connection here, since when it's still sunny, there's nothing there, but at sundown, there's already water in which spirits arrive through boats. It is also the water in her feet that makes them heavy and stops her from getting up and leaving.
I was hoping I'd understand two things here:
1) why no-face was able to detect Chihiro while she was holding her breath on the bridge
2) why no-face did not disappear since he had not eaten anything from the spirit realm up until eating that frog - Haku gave Chihiro something to eat so she wouldn't disappear from the spirit realm
3) why all of the creatures in the spirit realm could detect a human and why they looked down upon humans
Besides the mythology, here is why I think Spirited Away stuck with us through all these years and inspires us to watch it again from time to time:
* Chihiro's journey into the spirit realm and getting trapped due to her parents' selfishness reminds me of the unfairness of birth: you are born into this world without choice because your parents chose to have your for their own selfish reasons
* being enslaved by YuBaba via the name change: your name is your identity. As an immigrant I noticed that my name was difficult to pronounce so I changed it for fitting into American culture. At some point I realized I had lost my identity and worked so hard for the machine to become a part of it and be accepted by my environment.
* everyone's eventual admiration of Chihiro: her childhood innocence and the fact that she always put her best foot forward in every situation shows us that truth eventually wins. Her child-like belief that everyone is good inside and does not mean to be evil. Her proclivity to rely on TRUTH to solve her problems rather than give into nihilism, deceit, and greed.
Wow. That’s a good analysis. This is why I say ghibli movies are the best animated movies cuz they have a deep meaning. The way they conveyed love was subtle and not to the extent of kissing like you see in all these Disney movies. It wasn’t forced, it felt true.
For your first question, I've been putting a lot of thoughts into it too. So, Here is what I think about it. No-face is a passive spirit, it merely reflects the environment and how everyone is towards him. For that reason, he is mostly unnoticed and ignored by others, as if he is invisible. On the bridge, Chihiro is invisible too because of holding her breath, so in a sense, she is in the same state of being or condition as No-face. I think that invisibility was the main connection between them. I think on a deeper level, Chihiro's sense of invisibility comes from her relationship with her parents who are insensitive towards her desires and opinions, like moving to a different place for living without taking Chihiro into consideration. But of course these are just my ideas, they may be totally misguided, and the true intentions of the movie may be other things.
For the second question, I would say that No-face is already a spirit, so he wouldn't need to consume anything from the spirit world to not disappear. But Chihiro was a living human there, so she needed to consume something from that world to become adjusted to the new condition in which she was trapped. Chihiro was an intruder to the spirits world in a sense unlike No-face who very well belonged to that world.
I disagree with "your parents chose to have your for their own selfish reason". Humans, as all other animals, just follow the natural instinct of preservation, not only the preservation of the self but ultimately the preservation of the species. That itself defies the concept of selfishness. It is through knowledge and reason that we attribute the sense of selfishness to giving birth.
@@msolano00 I wouldn't put humans and animals here on the same footing. Humans, unlike animals, can actively and consciously choose to have or not to have children.
@@nightingalenef1764 i agree. Family planning is unique to humans as is "having kids to trap the other". Also, some animals , like rabbits n chickens, eat n kill their offspring. So we cant say we are like other animals. We have more control...n therefore more selfish.
Im such a weeb that I got a Ghibli sleeve. I just sob and sob watching Ghibli films. I love them all so much. Thanks for this breakdown of the movie.
i'm also thinking about a ghibli character as a new tattoo. all ghibli characters are so iconic!
Persephone also ate the seed of the pomegranate while she was in the underworld, forcing her to come back and live there for 6 months every year, despite Demeter having rescued her up to the world of the living again.
Wow, you did so much research for this!! Love the detail of the mask jaw being hinged by rope like the Noh masks. Wonderful.
The city in the ocean is similar to filipino mythology. It is said to host spirits. There are still rumors about sightings to the city lights in some small villages.
Homer Perez hmm what do you mean by city in the ocean? Do you mean sunken city or small town on an island? That is interesting. If you could share some stories you've heard that would be great!
@@sandravlogs3184 it's in a province in Philippines, a lot of people said there's like a mysterious island, city or community. Also people are finding this community-like bc they ask for shipping delivery of items but they can't find. They said its biringan
@@josephjralcantara1916 hello, how can i read more about it? What is it called?
@@m.t2960 its biringan
@@josephjralcantara1916 thank you so much, i searched it very interesting
The DUCKS! But what about the DUCKS!!! What do they mean, where are they from?
In my script for this video I compared them to the Bird-like Yokai, Yosuzume, but decided the link wasn't close enough.
With the big leaves they wear on their heads, the remind me of kappa, japanese water spirits. But that could be just me. Kappa aren't usually depicted as ducks, they're usually more goblin-like, with either a sake dish or a large leaf of their head that they fill with water (or sake, depending on the myth).
Psyduck
@@Helance100 underrated comment😂
Leonardo Espinoza I want to know too!!!! 😭
I always assumed that the "No Face" character was a kind of symbolism pun from ancient Chinese cultures, especially Chinese Ghost stories. During various time periods in Japan, they often admired cultural things from China such as the Great Tang Dynasty, among others. Japanese culture clearly was inspired by works by Pu Song Lin's stories of Huli Jing (Kitsune vixen/fox sprites/demons) and various other Chinese ghost stories like Xi You Ji (Journey To The West/Monkey King).
In ancient Chinese culture, which was a kind of strict shame culture of strict behaviors in manners, etiquette, self conduct, and like in Taosim "The Cultivation of One's Conduct" also influencing things such as Bodhidharma's "Chan" which is called "Zen" in Japan. Since the Culture Revolution, which somewhat per-started in the Chinese Ming Guo period, the Chinese challenged the "Honor" style leveraging of the shame culture, but since the Cultural Revolution which stripped away much of the old systematic rigid shame culture, it replaced it with something known today in China as "Face". But, even "Face" was something of importance in ancient times as well.
Terms like: "Mian zi" (Face), "Lian" (Face), "Bu Yao Lian" (meaning "don't want face" - a shady person that disregards 'face' which is a kind of insult), Diu Lian (Loose face, Lost face), "Diu diu diu!" (a taunt meaning you lost your face and therefore shame on you), "guan mianzi" (care about face), save face/saving face, and there's many references to a kind of hand gesture towards children or young people in which someone places a finger on their cheek and then pulls and flicks the finger at the person whom is misbehaving sometimes by saying "diu diu diu" (lost-lost-lost/loose-loose-loose) in their way of saying "Shame-shame-shame!". This sort of thing is the source of many jokes, puns, and symbolism in many many stories in ancient Chinese literature and mythology including zen, Taoism, Buddhism, and others. Since the area known today as Korea known in ancient times as the Gaoli area of the Chinese empire, Koreans would also understand "Face", as would parts of Southern East Asia.
So, it follows that the "No Face" character fits to many styles of ancient Chinese story-telling which Japan would also have known. A character that is a ghost/spirit/demon that has No Face, speaks volumes about the symbolism within the context of the culture. These are also HIGHLY sensitive concepts that easily upset people even in the slightest. In Chinese calling someone a "dog" is incredibly sensitive and offensive, let alone a "pig". But a demon/sprite/ghost without a face runs along this line of cultural symbolic meaning.
Since the main character starts off in the film/story as a cranky child but shifts to a polite and well behaved girl trying to make right the mistakes of others speaks volumes about her because she is "saving face", but also "giving face". She is also polite to demons, ghosts, sprites, and respectful. She also is outshining her parents whom misbehaved. This is similar to a variety of Chinese stories like Confucius stories, or the symbolism of the lotus rising above the filthy murky waters, blossoming, and then thriving.
The "No Face" character tempts her with greed, and riches. Even tho' she doesn't know that its fake wealth, she rejects these things in favor of something more valuable, which in the ancient culture would be filial piety (Confucius & Taoist ideals) or the honor of her family. Even tho her parents turned into pigs (a major symbolic insult and depiction of shame) she does the right thing by enduring hard labor, striving through harsh conditions, cruelty, and being offered greed and wealth by someone that both metaphorically and literally HAS NO FACE has a meaning on a deep and overt level. Not only did this character hide their face with a mask, and have no face, but everyone could clearly SEE that he has no face at all, and they still grovelled at him in a negative feedback of greed, gluttony, and power. Selling themselves for vanity and fake wealth by an insidious person WITH NO FACE.
This character is NEVER satisfied, and never fulfilled either. But, when she rejects these temptations, and stands up for her true values and truths in order to SAVE her parents, it ends VERY well. She saves a River God, which is yet another ancient symbolic story telling device, but the gluttonous No Face follows HER, and reforms himself. So, in a way, she is like a Bodhisattva.
The story is also NOT a romantic story. And she is friends with a White Dragon... similar to Bai Long Ma (The White Dragon Horse Price of the "Ao" surname dragon family from Feng Shen Ban/Feng Shen Yan Yi ancient text) in Xi You Ji (Journey To The West) and also makes reference of a river (a typical Taoism/Dao De Jing reference by Laozi/Lao Tsu).
She helps a Dragon, whom mutually helps her, and is her friend somehow in the past.
She saves a river god.
She saves the No Face to reform.
and She saves her parents.
She manages to take bad situations, and turns them around by doing the right thing, and going past her comfort zones, with courage, because she has "Mian zi" or Face, and therefor is an Honorable girl. She's a role model, and similar to a hero inserted into a fable which is meant to teach you a valuable moral lesson you could apply to your own life. A depiction of cultural values.
No matter how many times I have watched this film, I always notice something else, or something more.
There are so many layers of symbolism, and symbolic meanings. In many ways this is more typical of Chinese cultural values in ancient times, but also how they told stories, and why. There's a kind of poetic style of expressions or idioms that people use in Chinese called a "cheng yun" which is 1 line of 4 words. They are often abstract words, but the entire meaning is very BIG even tho its a small phrase. There are some of these Cheng Yun in Pigeon English that we still use like "Long Time No See" (Hao jiu mei jian) meaning "Its very nice to see you because its been a long time, and I miss you". But, by saying the symbolic Chen Yun you speak just a few words, but you have conveyed a bigger meaning in a short instance.
They often doe this in the ancient story telling narrative styles.
If a god is in disguise, and you behaved dishonorably. You might literally loose your face in the story. Or, if you are a very bad person and the gods or sprites observed this, they would trick you with a get rich quick scheme and you might end up with a literal DOG LEG, which to a person reading ancient Chinese literature would be a major shock because of what "dog leg" means, which is very shameful. But, this is always why demons often resemble an animal, or a foolish character becomes an animal like pig, or something else. Death itself is also a sensitive subject, which is also why these stories involve ghosts, spirits, demons, fairies, sprites, etc. The demons want to eat human flesh, suck human blood, or suck some kind of power or energy from a human and take your virtues by turning it into a a vice.
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", because you might be tricked by someone to do something immoral and loose your face, virtue, or honor.
that was so informative, thank you!
I enjoyed reading your comment a lot. It was fantastic and so informative! Thank you for taking your time to write all this down 🥺💜
No one read all that bullshit
S H Based on the 90 likes, the two other comments, and the fact that I actually read all this, maybe you should check your definition of the word nobody :)
being chinese myself, i can relate to everything you said and it’s so fascinating how chinese culture and stories can hold so much meaning and such deep values and lessons. it’s also amazing how this movie can encompass that into it.
I just finished watching Spirited Away (again) and damn, Spirited Away never ceases to be a truly beautiful work of art, there is something ineffable about it that warms the soul. Miyazaki, that wonderful bugger, I wish that Hollywood had even a fraction of his talent and that 2D animation in movies had not died an undignified death at the money grubbing hands of Disney.
This was the scariest movie I have ever watched when I was younger, but now I know the meaning and that it is a masterpiece.
How old were you when you watched it?
same
This movie made me realize the meaning behind moving on and hiding emotions.
*The thing I hate about this video*
is it doesn't have enough views
Wow as a Japanese person watching this I am impressed, put enough information and really throughly explained it. Well done.
There is a filipino folklore too that is the same as this. There's a city that will suddenly appear but those who are living there are NOT normal people. But you can't enter to that city easily and they said if you did enter into that place, and you eat this specific food in there which is a "black rice", you'll be trapped in that city FOREVER.
okay i’m back still can’t get over with this movie.
It’s so satisfying to watch a video where they have done so much research
The truly interesting thing about Kaonashi is that he's actually meant to be autobiographical - a metaphor for Miyazaki himself, and his experiences before founding Studio Ghibli. That's why he's such a unique yōkai. In terms of his nature, Gentle Soul had it right: He's an empath. When he is in the Onsen, he absorbs its greed and becomes greedy. But when healed by Chihiro, the greed is driven out of him and returns him to a "blank slate." Zeniba, being the sort of witch she was, caused Kaonashi to reflect her kind and mannerly nature.