WOW!

That was the first word that came out of my mouth as soon as the DVD Player began exhibiting the beauty of the anime’s artwork — the abundant greenery, the exquisite details in the walls, the vibrant hydrangeas and every other wild flower you can think of… Everything looked crisp and clear; the only flaw in which is the usual trademark looks of Hayao Miyazaki’s characters. But even that couldn’t really be counted as a flaw, because ordinary-looking lead characters have always worked to Miyazaki’s advantage. They are the type that regular viewers can easily relate to. Intertwine them carefully with Miyazaki’s penchant for colorful storytelling and you’d have another winner in your hands.

You are carried off to a new world, the center of which is a huge bathhouse that caters to gods and other heavenly beings. It is something new and cute and wild and disturbing. It pitches you to a roller coaster of people and events that seem reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. It introduces you to many metaphors and philosophies, but it doesn’t drown you with false profundity and ennui.

The plot is very simple, yet very direct. It does not wax poetic or lyrical, but makes use of symbolism that are amusing in their strangeness, all the while teaching valuable things that both children and parents can learn from: life and being able to savor the things around you, instead of taking them for granted. This fantasy/adventure portrays humans as “stench”, which probably pertains to our habit of letting ourselves be engulfed by our surroundings, by technology, by what is standing right in front of us.what are the things that have affected our way of thinking? Chihiro’s “rescue” of the River God, another symbolic occurrence, sends a jolt in that direction.

Amidst all these, Chihiro finds an old face — one that is called Hope — even as she struggles through the difficult routines and makes new friends. She meets the hardworking Kamaji, the sympathetic Rin, the queen of the bathhouse Yubaba, and the one that would bring her love, Haku. On this train of thought, I would like to again commend Miyazaki. He is the only one who can make pre-adolescent love not seem so trivial or uninteresting or worse.overly dramatic. He did the same for Mimi Wo Sumaseba (Whispers of the Heart), which brings me to the conclusion that his idea of romance is something pure and innocent.

If you are a Hayao Miyazaki fan, you must definitely add this title to you collection. If not, you must give this a try so you could see that not all anime run on a formula. Fantasy? Adventure? Love? Fairy Tale? Neither words nor sentences can illustrate how brilliant this piece is. But, truth be told, “Spirited Away” is actually the best phrase that describes the experience.

Individual Rating: Art: 9; Story & Plot: 10; Characters: 10; Sounds: 9

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 5th, 2002 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Spirited Away, Anime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.