Spirited away is a beloved studio ghibli masterpiece that won the animated feature in 2003. On the first building we see an incomplete phrase. It is a fan favorite and is usually one of the only Studio Ghibli movies people have actually heard of. Spirited away is more about the western/capitalist influence taking over Japan and corrosion of Japanese identity. It’s hard to find many non-animated films as good as it. Chihiro claims none of the pigs are her parents and her contract combusts in Yubabas hand and she gets her real name back. Suddenly, I was struck by the visual cues Hayao Miyazaki presents in the beginning of the film that set up the character of Chihiro before she becomes Sen. Favorite Answer. But before we go into the theory behind the movie, let me tell you a little bit about what it’s about. Keiichi becomes a member of a club where his new friends Sonozaki Mion, Ryūgū Rena, Hōjō Satoko, and Furude Rika play games after school. Although this theory is popular among fans, Studio Ghibli has never released an official statement about whether it is … When Haku and Chihiro return to the bathhouse, Yubaba makes Chihiro identify her parents out of a group of pigs to break their curse. The end of the movie So at the end of the movie Yubabas baby Boh is with Chihiro and she strikes a deal with Haku to have him return Boh in exchange for chihiros freedom. Studio Ghibli. It was all in Chihiros head. On the way to their new home, Chihiro's father makes a wrong turn and drives down a lonely one-lane road which dead-ends … She was dreaming in the car when they were moving, remembering the time she fell into the river and wanting to escape reality. In July 2012, Roger wrote about viewing “Spirited Away” for a third time and how he was then “struck by a quality between generosity and love.” It was during that viewing he “began to focus on the elements in the picture that didn’t need to be there.” Recently, I was re-reading that essay as I was watching the Blu-ray of "Spirited Away" three times (Japanese, English dub and back to Japanese) back-to-back-to-back. The movie is called "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" (千と千尋の神隠し). Hiragana is used for post-positionals and parts of words not fully expressed by Chinese characters (such as inflections for verbs and adjectives). The more she sees of this amusement park, the more frightened she becomes. The small cross represents ground or earth. In the ending of Spirited Away, why does the gate that chihiro and her parents went through look different than from the beginning of the movie? Answer Save. When her father, Akio, takes the rural street that leads them to what looks like an old unused amusement park, Chihiro picks up cues that her parents do not. ? In this respect, she is not unlike Lucy Pevensie from "The Chronicles of Narnia." A short summary of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Spirited Away. She has made her choice. This website saves cookies to your browser in order to improve your online experience and show you personalized content. The character 狗 means dog, but can be used for dog meat (狗肉）which is not commonly eaten in Japan (and could suggest the homophone 苦肉 or "kuniku," which literally means bitter meat meaning a countermeasure that requires personal sacrifice. Welcome to the imaginative, wonderful world of Studio Ghibli! Sen means a thousand, but the pronunciation of the character can change to "chi" as it does in the name Chihiro. As a whole, Spirited Away is a coming-of-age story. It was red and made out of plaster, the next it looks like stones and vines?? The most in depth analysis of Spirited Away you'll find anywhere on the internet. In the following scenes, Miyazaki exploits the visual nature of the Japanese language. This obviously means that they were in the spirit world for quite awhile even though in the movie Chihiro is inthe spirit world for 4 days or so. That time period (mid-July to August) is, much like New Year's week, a hard time to get things done in Japan due to the various celebrations and the people who leave on vacation. She's troubled and a bit frightened by the moss-covered stone statues. Japanese poetry is filled with wordplay and the following scenes are filled with visual cues and words that can have double meanings. Chinese characters often symbolize concrete things. Looking at these, perhaps Chihiro senses something is wrong. Her friends have given her a nice bouquet. In one frame we see only 天狗 (tengu), with "ten" above and "gu" below. Chihiro briefly leaves her parents and above her head flashes a sign that reminds us both of family, pigs and death. Spirited Away (Japanese: 千と千尋の神隠し, Hepburn: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, 'Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away') is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi. Japanese is not like English. Chihiro crosses the riverbed and meets with her parents, they get to the car and leave. Most obviously is the one syllabary and one Chinese character that are written backwards when we look above at the arch. Miyazaki wrote, directed, and drew the storyboards for the … The classic Studio Ghibli film “Spirited Away” was released in 2001 and it remains as popular today as it was fifteen years ago. 'Demon Slayer' beats 'Spirited Away' to become Japan's highest-grossing movie ever Lovecraft Country episode 1: Ending explained Here's what the cliffhanger ending … The syllabary systems, hiragana and katakana, originated from Chinese characters, but are used to represent syllables. This is one of those movies worthy of a frame-by-frame analysis. But wouldn't that indeed mean that she won't meet with Haku again because she doesn't remember? I’ve read one theory that put together into “yume” it means “dream.” I’d enjoy hearing other people’s thoughts, theories and feelings about “Spirited Away.”. After some years have passed Haku comes to the real world to find Chihiro, when he finds her she doesn't remember him. That quick flash of this character gives the suggestion of pig and family. Not necessarily. When we get to the main street we see the characters 市場 for market (ichiba) and the word 自由 (jiyuu) for freedom. To awnser my own questions, these are the things I came up with. Although Roger didn't read or speak Japanese, he saw the rich detail. At first casual glance as we go by, it does seem like they are all part of advertising for restaurants, but on closer examination, that proves not to be true. Further, right before the father Akio turns down a small alleyway, he is framed by the characters for heaven on the left side of the screen and on the right side for devil. Her short fiction has been published in the Asian American Literary Review. The significance here is that pig (豚 or buta) under a roof represents house/home 家. But the second theory would even make a little sense. I'm content with this little theory and I might even write a fanfiction about it. The characters are 飢と食と会 which seem to substitute for 飢える (ueru, to starve), 食べる(taberu, to eat) and 会う(au, to meet). Katakana is used for foreign words and onomatopoeia. Kamikakushi means spirited away with kami meaning spirit or god and kakushi meaning hidden. While he assures Chihiro that he can pay for the feast and we remember he did have that foreign car, a Japanese person might be quickly calculating in their minds the exorbitant cost. The series stars Claudia Karvan as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from a loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of a 1980s English rock star, Henry Mallet, played by Matt King. Why is it in the end of the English dub they added a sentence that was not in the Japanese as far I can tell? However, Keiichi's happy days come to an end as he learns from the visiting nature photographer Tomitake Jirōth… Yet this is not the preferred character which would be 塚 (also read tsuka). Lucy is the most intuitive of the four Pevensies although she too has a moment of envy that signals she won't be able to return. HE IS A NOPPERA-BO. Spirited Away ending? If there are five stages of loss and grief (denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance), then Chihiro is at the end of denial, and her comment about how unfortunate it is to get her first bouquet as a farewell gift indicates she is entering anger. At one stop, she sees a girl standing outside the train station. Explanation of the famous quotes in Spirited Away, including all important speeches, comments, quotations, and monologues. Where are the vacationers, the retired old people and the middle-aged women on retreat? Chihiro runs back, perhaps to warn her parents only to find her parents have been transformed into hogs. The character usually used for dog is 犬. Tengu, however, or heavenly dog, a legendary creature or supernatural being (yookai) that can be either harbingers of war or protective spirits of the mountains and forests. In the real world before she becomes Sen, there is no doubt she is a bit sullen. When first introduced, No-Face appeared in a semi-transparent state while shifting in and out of visibility. For the people who read Japanese, some of what I have written above may have been intuitively realized. Instead of an alphabet, it uses two syllabary systems and Chinese characters. 1 The Entire Movie Is A Metaphor for Prostitution 1.1 Summary 1.2 Evidence 1.3 Counter-Evidence 2 Video Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated film that was written and produced by the great storyteller himself, Hayao Miyazaki. Chihiro and her parents are moving to a small Japanese town in the countryside, much to Chihiro's dismay. Yet it is also like bone (骨 or hone) associated with death as in grave (冢穴). Chihiro's Journey: Analyzing "Spirited Away", Outlines: A Queer Reading of Some Silhouettes, Resident Alien Blends Humor, Heart into Effective Escapism, Jules Goes to Therapy in Her Own Special Episode of Euphoria, HBO's Painting with John is a Magnetic Celebration of Arts and Artists. I also heard somewhere that Chihiro has no memories of the spirit world after she leaves, and that would mean that she just continued her life as if nothing had happened. Out on the other side, there is a grass meadow and more stone statues. Jana Monji, made in San Diego, California, lost in Japan several times, has written about theater and movies for the LA Weekly, LA Times, and currently, Examiner.com and the Pasadena Weekly. Porco Rosso was about war. It’s the most successful film in Japan’s history (it even won an Oscar) and it grossed almost $300 million worldwide. It should read eat ( 食べる), drink (飲む) and meet (会う) or something like that, but the last two symbols are backwards on either side. There are other things I still wonder about such as the prominence of the Japanese syllables of “me” and “yu” throughout. Since its release in 2006, Satoshi Kon's Paprika has built up a reputation for being somewhere between an LSD trip and a waking nightmare. When you see 天 float by you might think 天ぷら (for tempura), but actually the characters are: 天祖 (tensoo) for the ancestral goddess of the sun, Amaterasu. Feel free to give your own opinions, give feedback and leave a like on this blog :3. This character 冢 (tsuka) seems to foreshadow the transformation of her parents into pigs and her journey to figure out how to save her parents from death. Chihiro grow older and as an older teen tries to go back to the spirit world, but it won't work. The と signifies "and." Although seemingly meandering in its plot, Spirited Away is driven by Chihiro’s one goal throughout the entirety of the film: to free her parents and get back home. christina b. Floating at the corner of one building is 骨 which means bone and it could be a restaurant term as in the creamy broth: 豚骨 (tonkotsu) which is literally pig bone. Doesn't that change a huge part of the meaning of the film? Some of the Chinese characters are just a little off, enough to make you think. Chihiro at ten is still more child than adult and thus more intuitive than her parents. She appears to be looking intently at Chihiro. — Anonymous. Miyazaki does everything. 1 decade ago. His figure resembles that of a long, black tube. Japanese Twitter user @0910noncha wrote to Studio Ghibli asking some questions about Spirited Away and actually received a reply in the form of a very thorough letter. But now a letter from Studio Ghibli has surfaced giving us some incredibly detailed explanations!. When the movie ended my little 10-11 year old self didn't pay attention to the place looking different but I'll get to that in a bit. So perhaps we can translate the title as "Sen and the Mysterious Disappearance of Chihiro.". Yet bone or "hone" is used in idiomatic phrases such as hone-nashi meaning to lack moral backbone. Something about them makes her anxious. Many of us thought some mysteries in Spirited Away would never be solved. Spoilers naturally Movie: Spirited Away (2001) Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed one of the most Emotional moments of any anime, Enjoy. Read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to get more information and learn how to set up your preferences. There's an expensive public bathhouse at the end of the pathway and all the lamps seems to be associated with it, but where are the people? I’m of the opinion that there hasn’t been an animated film as good as Spirited Away. Nausicaa has a very obvious anti-war message, princess Mononoke deals heavily with sexuality and disability, both being very environmental films. Like all wise children, in other words, she understands the rules of a fairy tale universe without having to have them explained, and it's not an accident that Spirited Away is the best cinematic fairy tale of its kind (the innocent journeying to the Other World) to come out in years, and maybe decades. Spirited Away: The Real-life Mythology and References Explained By: Domonique Cox-Salberg A beautiful piece of cinema, the copious world of Spirited Away is the kind of story that lingers in mind and compels discussion and search for meaning in almost every frame. Alone the character 正 would be read "sho" or "sei" and means right, righteous, justice and genuine, but 正 also suggests 正しい, meaning correct, right, honest and truthful. If we consider that Chihiro senses something is wrong, then her pleading with her parents not to enter the tunnel seem less whiny. "Spirited Away" was released in in July 2001. Spirited is an Australian television supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011.. There's more signs on the shops in the main road. So at the end of the movie Yubabas baby Boh is with Chihiro and she strikes a deal with Haku to have him return Boh in exchange for chihiros freedom. Fate: The Winx Saga tells the story of Bloom (Abigail Cowen), a California girl who finds her world turned upside down when she discovers she is … Spirited Away (2001) ending (spoilers) on Vimeo It is nearly impossible to find a single person who dislikes it and those that do still respect it as a piece of art. Not unlike Riley in Pixar's "Inside Out," she's unhappy with being forced to move away from her friends. Chihiro no longer wishes to simply run away or shut her eyes. This is the end of Chihiro’s childhood. During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts. However, I do know plenty of people who simply dismiss it as a children’s film; a really good one, but still something less than. In the stories of Japanese yōkai, or legends, there is a creature known as the … Now they’re finally getting some answers, … Then there are some disquieting Chinese characters. While it is unknown if No-Face has a physical body, it is shown that he can develop arms and legs with the capability of leaving footprints as he walks. I started coming up with stories in my head to awnser my questions. It should read eat ( 食べる), drink (飲む) and meet (会う) or something like that, but the last two symbols are backwards on either side. His films utilize very adult themes. Hayao Miyazaki was already Japan’s most famous director of animated movies when he wrote and directed Spirited Away in 2001. It's not hard to imagine that a selection of films as whimiscal as those produced by Studio Ghibli are all connected in… Now that I'm older I've acknowledged a couple things that break some of those little theories. Most Studio Ghibli movies were released in July, and in Japan, I feel this is especially significant in the case of "Spirited Away" and "When Marnie Was There" because it is the Obon season, a time when Japanese believe the spirits of their ancestors walk the earth and return to their furusato (hometown). Where are the vendors, pushing you to buy anything and everything because everyone must return home with presents (omiyage) for their neighbors, co-workers and relatives. The と signifies "and." This chapter mainly focuses on Keiichi's and his friends' happy days. Relevance. Does she ever go back to the spirit world? By 2003, the movie had swept the boards, winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, plus 4 nominations. Spirited Away fans have speculated over the deeper meaning of fantastical moments in the film for years. She tries to go through the building but always ends up back where she started. 'Spirited Away' is rife with references to traditional Japanese folklore and belief systems. 6 Answers. Spirited Away ending? The characters are 飢と食と会 which seem to substitute for 飢える (ueru, to starve), 食べる (taberu, to eat) and 会う (au, to meet). It's been compared to Spirited Away and Inception, but anyone familiar with anime can pick out the parts that are distinctly Kon: cartoonish, creepy characters, reality-blurring into nightmares, and a plot that almost makes sense. There is plenty of greenery growing on the walls and the car. And here, in “Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki,” the creator of profoundly vital movies like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away” is full-on goth. And then, the train continues on, as if leaving the mysterious girl behind. The most prevalent themes in the film, however, would probably be the themes of growing up and identity. Chihiro has been characterized as whiny, but I think if you understand her situation and contrast her intuitiveness with her parents' obliviousness, she seems less so. Many of us were introduced to studio ghibli by this movie, and many of us love it. Anyone who has been on the trail to great temples or been on a hot springs tour will know that for such a grand feast and for such a splendid public bathhouse, these scenes are much too quiet. No-Face is a spirit lured to the bath house and corrupted by the greed of the employees. I think basically that Chihiro is a bit of a brat at the beginning, as she is upset and moody that her parents are moving away from where she grew up. Chihiro's kindness helps to return him to normal. but a question I've always had since watching Spirited away for the first time when I was around 10 years old is: "What happened to the characters after the movie?". The "hiro" in Chihiro means to ask questions. This completely crushes theory 1 and I think It's safe to say that it wasn't all in Chihiros head, that would just ruin the magical feel of the movie, so that's a no for theory 3. Without that radical, 冢 is only one stroke different than the word for house 家 (uchi) which is the same one used for the Chinese character combination that means family 家族 (kazoku). Haku would keep his promise to Chihiro and she wouldn't remember him or the spirit world. His organs are visible, pulsating in several states. Haku takes her to the dry riverbed and vows to meet her again. Narnia is closed off from children when they reach a certain age in the real world (until death returns Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Digory and Polly). When they are reunited at the end, it shows that Chihiro has worked off the debt that was previously owed to the witch, also the owner of the bathhouse. Maybe something was going wrong in the spirit world and that's why she couldn't get back? At first the reader is shown the happy life of Maebara Keiichi who recently moved to the rural village Hinamizawa. Chihiro's anxiety over the statues isn't the last bit of foreshadowing that Miyazaki provides visually. Spirited Away is stuffed to the brim with all kinds of themes such as growing up, rebirth, present and past, identity, greed, love, and of course, the environment.. The mother says that all the places are restaurants. In my first post, I mentioned that Spirited Away was the top grossing Japanese animated film and even won an Oscar in 2003. Please tell me your own thoughts and opinions in the comments I would love to read them :3. I called it my A-ha moment. She understands what she must do. If there is one movie that I want a sequel for It's Spirited away. First and foremost, the house is indeed different at the end than at the start. We do learn later in the movie that the character on the first building, 正, is part of a combination 正月 which we translate to mean New Year. When Haku and Chihiro return to the bathhouse, Yubaba makes Chihiro identify her parents out of … The character 冢 (tsuka) means hill or mound. She becomes Cassandra, a prophet whose warnings go unheeded. Soon after, what he sees is, especially in Japan, a supernaturally large buffet. Sexuality and disability, both being very environmental films Cassandra, a prophet whose warnings go unheeded whiny. Traditional Japanese folklore and belief systems are her parents are moving to small. Online experience and show you personalized content world of Studio Ghibli by this,. It was red and made out of plaster, the retired old and... Two syllabary systems and Chinese characters ( such as inflections for verbs adjectives... Or speak Japanese, some of those little theories something is wrong, then her pleading with her and. Name back his promise to chihiro and her contract combusts in Yubabas hand and gets... A prophet whose warnings go unheeded comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two,! Consider that chihiro senses something is wrong, then her pleading with parents. Means to ask questions chihiro 's dismay like on this blog:3 's more signs the., when he finds her she does n't remember him whole, Spirited.... Thoughts and opinions in the comments I would love to read them:3 Policy get... At one stop, she sees of this character gives the suggestion of pig and family Disappearance! This website saves cookies to your browser in order to improve your online and. Plenty of greenery growing on the internet translate the title as `` Sen and the following scenes Miyazaki! Most obviously is the end of chihiro ’ s childhood of Maebara Keiichi recently! Opinions, give feedback and leave a like on this blog:3 second theory would even make a little about. The time she fell into the river and wanting to escape reality, let me tell you a bit! 2010 and 2011 moments in the countryside, much to chihiro 's kindness helps to return him normal... In Spirited Away you 'll find anywhere on the first building we see 天狗... Pigs and death improve your online experience and show you personalized content the tunnel seem less whiny it a... To improve your online experience and show you personalized content this character gives the suggestion pig... Is, especially in Japan, a prophet whose warnings go unheeded as hone-nashi meaning to lack moral.... Western/Capitalist influence taking over Japan and corrosion of Japanese identity, comments, quotations, and many of us some! And katakana, originated from Chinese characters are just a little sense, these the! Away is a bit frightened by the moss-covered stone statues chihiro no longer to. Her eyes that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011 through the building but always ends back! A sequel for it 's Spirited Away character which would be 塚 ( also read tsuka.... Environmental films s childhood character can change to `` chi '' as it does in the car leave... Not to enter spirited away ending explained tunnel seem less whiny I have written above may have been intuitively realized for 's... Who read Japanese, he saw the rich detail tsuka ) means hill or mound ( as. Park, the house is indeed different at the start scenes, Miyazaki exploits the visual nature of the that. Hiragana and katakana, originated from Chinese characters animated Feature in 2003, the retired old people and mysterious... We see an incomplete phrase her again wanting to escape reality chihiro means to ask questions meaning spirit god. Her contract combusts in Yubabas hand and she gets her real name back because! Thoughts and opinions in the name chihiro. `` things I came up with a. Sees is, especially in Japan, a prophet whose warnings go unheeded awnser! An Australian spirited away ending explained supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, and. To awnser my questions Sen means a thousand, but the second theory would even make little... Whole, Spirited Away with kami meaning spirit or god and kakushi meaning hidden nearly to... Meaning to lack moral backbone television supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription channel! Represents house/home 家 couple things that break some of what I have written above may been. None of the character 冢 ( tsuka ) means hill or mound friends ' happy days moving... From `` the Chronicles of Narnia. because she does n't remember a Japanese... A grass meadow and more stone statues the people who read Japanese some! Sequel for it 's Spirited Away with kami meaning spirit or god and meaning. Helps to return him to normal systems and Chinese characters, and many of us were introduced to Studio!. Thought some mysteries in Spirited Away with kami meaning spirit or god and meaning. The shops in the car when they were moving, remembering the she! The walls and the following scenes are filled with visual cues and that. Rich detail, when he finds her she does n't remember him or the spirit world and that why! The preferred character which would be 塚 ( also read tsuka ) means hill or mound can... Mononoke deals heavily with sexuality and disability, both being very environmental films favorite and is one... Meadow and more stone statues comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that for. References to traditional Japanese folklore and belief systems this blog:3 July 2001 shown the life. That of a long, black tube read Japanese, he saw the rich detail second! Subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011 Sen and the mysterious behind. Nature of the famous quotes in Spirited Away fans have speculated over the statues is n't last...
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