Spirited Away Analysis

Picture 5Coraline really stands out in her yellow raincoat and boots among the bleakness of her surroundings, perhaps an emphasis on her uniqueness as an individual. © Focus Features, 2009

In contrast, the idea of collectivism can be felt throughout Spirited Away. Many times, Chihiro is thrust into situations where she has to mingle and become unnoticeable. The first instance is when she is about to cross the bridge to the bathhouse with Haku; she is told to hold her breath so that the spirits around them do not notice her, a human. When she accidentally gasped in surprise after seeing a talking frog, an uproar among the spirits is immediately ignited. The second situation is when Chihiro is told to start working in the bathhouse. Soon

The film is abundant in its references towards Shinto teachings and traditions.The line between good and bad is clearly drawn in Coraline; it is Coraline versus the Other Mother. In Spirited Away, however, there is no fixed figure of evil and we can observe cases of moral ambivalence in the seemingly bad characters (Boyd & Nishimura, 2016, p. 9). Miyazaki himself said that he doesn’t intend to to portray [Yubaba] as a simple villain, that a person’s actions is driven by many other factors (Toyama & Team Ghiblink, 2001). Perhaps this has roots in the yin-yang philosophy, where it is believed that even the most evil of hearts has a good side, too, and vice

From the story and our main character, Chihiro, I am able to observe the followings: 1) the Eastern ideal characteristics for children are the ability to conceal emotions, seek harmony with their surroundings, as well as resilience and hard work; 2) Chihiro’s parents are the reason she is dragged into her misadventures, reflecting the idea that a child will bear the consequences of his/her parents’ actions; and 3) there is a shared responsibility in developing a child’s character, as seen in all the help Chihiro gets from the people she meets to reach her goal, saving her