Tsao- Spirited Away

Going down the list of movies on the syllabus that we'd eventually watch in this class at the beginning of the semester, the one movie that I recognized and was excited for was Miyazaki's very own, Spirited Away. This movie was my first Miyazaki film, and was the movie that lead me to fall in love with almost all of Miyazaki's films.

picture from here

This story is about a young girl named Chihiro, who adventures into the "spirit world" with her parents. They turn into pigs while indulging themselves with food that they did not pay for, and Chihiro ends up signing a contract with Yubaba, the witch who overlooks the bathhouse that Chihiro will be working in. With the help of Haku, a dragon-spirit trapped in the body of a boy, Chihiro is able to successfully infiltrate into the spirit world and work there until she can get her parents back.

Throughout the movie, one can really see the development and growth in Chihiro. She is very timid and scared of everything in the beginning of the movie, and thinks of only herself. It can be seen when she is complaining and whining in the car with her parents, that she wants things to go her way only. However, at the end of the movie, Chihiro is very brave, and loyal to Haku. She has learned the value of her friendship with Haku, and would do anything to save him. She realizes what's important and not important to her.

Another thing worth noting in this film is the issue of identity as seen plenty of times throughout our past anime movies. When Chihiro signs the contract with Yubaba, she agrees to start going by Sen. Haku reminds her that it is important to remember her name, who she is and where she came from. Eventually, Chihiro helps Haku remember where he comes from, and feels fulfilled knowing where he is from.

I wanted Chihiro and Haku together from the very first scene they were together, and to be honest, at the end of the movie, I was very satisfied that Chihiro was successful in helping Haku. Their love for each other is just so heartwarming. Still the best Miyazaki film, in my opinion.