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Spirited Away
I've never viewed anime before. I've never had any interest in anime. However, I'm a big fan of animated movies. My lack of interest in anime was because I had always assumed that the quality was poor at best. Hoping to enlighten myself, I marched to the video store and returned home with a copy of "Spirited Away."
A movie that gets something like 97% positive reviews has got to be good, doesn't it? A movie by the most famous anime director. Sounds great. Into the the DVD player goes the disc. To make a long story short, two hours later my wife and I look at each other and say: "What the f*ck!"
Can someone explain to me what I am missing? I thought the movie was terrible. I don't mind the acid trip aspect as long as there is some meaning to the movie. All I could discern were random characters and random plot lines. A movie such as this has to have a real quest. The main character had a goal, but never went on a true quest. The plot was way too disjointed to have anything approaching a quest. At times it seemed that the main character totally forgot about returning home and/or freeing her parents. Most of the characters were totally unsympathetic. The characters that I wanted to learn more about were never developed. And to add insult to injury, we never did learn why this spiritual world existed, or any deeper meaning behind it.
I know that I don't have an understanding of Japanese mysticism and folklore. I'm sure that I was missing something because of that. That, however, doesn't make up for the fact that the story sucked.
Can someone explain to me just what I was missing? Or do others agree that this movie was lacking?
A movie that gets something like 97% positive reviews has got to be good, doesn't it? A movie by the most famous anime director. Sounds great. Into the the DVD player goes the disc. To make a long story short, two hours later my wife and I look at each other and say: "What the f*ck!"
Can someone explain to me what I am missing? I thought the movie was terrible. I don't mind the acid trip aspect as long as there is some meaning to the movie. All I could discern were random characters and random plot lines. A movie such as this has to have a real quest. The main character had a goal, but never went on a true quest. The plot was way too disjointed to have anything approaching a quest. At times it seemed that the main character totally forgot about returning home and/or freeing her parents. Most of the characters were totally unsympathetic. The characters that I wanted to learn more about were never developed. And to add insult to injury, we never did learn why this spiritual world existed, or any deeper meaning behind it.
I know that I don't have an understanding of Japanese mysticism and folklore. I'm sure that I was missing something because of that. That, however, doesn't make up for the fact that the story sucked.
Can someone explain to me just what I was missing? Or do others agree that this movie was lacking?
Comments
See most of the time when it comes to Japanese movies, and anime, and whatnot things exist because... well they just do. No reason, that's just how things are. It's not like Western stuff where they feel the need to explain why things are such a way. I guess its a cultural thing, and it's something you see in a lot of anime, especially Miyazaki stuff (it's the same kind of thing if you watch Totoro or Porco Rosso.) Although the concept of being "spirited away" is a cultural Japanese thing, that they believe people can be taken by spirits (hence the name,) and in some cases they return, but not usually. Probably just an old piece of folklore to explain disappearances.
The movie has a quest, and its not to this spiritual world, or to the hot springs, or to Ubaba's sister's. It's an internal quest of Chihiro. The whole movie is about her growing up, and becoming more adult, and independent. In the car in the beginning she's very sorta aloof, and sad about moving; then as her parents decide to explore the station-ish place she is latched onto one of them. By the time she gets her parents back she's no longer sad, she's far more confident, and she's not afraid at all.
Now the criticism that she forgets her goal is a plot point of the movie. Haku clearly explains that when he takes her to the pig pens. That's how Ubaba keeps people there, she steals their names and gives them new ones, and by stealing their names she also makes them forget their pasts (ie. Sen/Chihiro's parents.)
Also there isn't really anything random in this movie, that doesn't tie into the overall whole of the movie (I say almost since I don't know what the heck the radish guy was for.) But everything that happens has significance. Chihiro makes friends with No-face, who steals her the tokens she needs for the Stink-beast, who turns out to be a great water dragon that she cleans up and it gives her that medicinal ball, which she gives to Haku in order to heal him after he steals the golden stamp from Ubaba's sister, etc...
I'd say that maybe Spirited Away isn't the best anime to start out with, it's probably best to start with something like My Neighbor Totoro if you want to watch Miyazaki, then probably Castle in the Sky, then Porco Rosso, then Nausicaa, then Princess Mononoke. That sort of goes from the less complex movies to the more complex ones, so it would get you used to it. Of course there are also a ton of other great anime movies, which you can basically pick out based on the genres you like.
I understand how the characters were connected, but that doesn't make up for the fact that they were random and weren't developed. Who was No-face? How did he get there? What was he in another life? Why was the stink beast in that form? Why did Yubaba and her sister have a falling out? And on and on and on and on...
Just because there is a convenient connection does not mean that the characters had any meaning other than pure plot convenience. That was one of my main gripes.
As to Chihiro's internal quest... I got that. However, it seemed way too contrived to me. It just didn't feel believable or human.
There were also many loose plot points. Within hours of entering the world, Chihiro begins turning transparent. Eating the berry cures her. Yet we never see her have to eat anything with similar magic for the rest of the movie. This is just one example, although I could list a couple more.
I actually enjoy movies that do not follow the typical Hollywood plot structure. My favorite movies are very anti-Hollywood, and many of my favorite movies have been Japanese live-action movies. That's why I really thought that I would like Spirited Away. The problem I had was that the movie did not evoke any strong feelings in me. If a movie doesn't move me emotionally, then I'm going to feel like a wasted 2 hours. Sadly, that's how I felt with this one. I guess anime may just not be my cup of tea.
Oddly enough, the plot of this movie was very Hollywood. The details might not have been "Hollywood," but the plot was. Namely, marching along a set path to come to the inevitable happy ending. There was a happy ending for the girl, the parents and the water spirit. Some of my favorite movies are movies that, like in life, understand that not every story has a happy ending.
By the way, did anybody see the movie "The Cube?" I saw it in France where it was very popular. It bombed here in the USA. This was a movie where a lot was left unexplained, but yet I still loved it. The reason I loved it is because I cared about the characters. That's what sucked me in. It's well worth a rental if you are a sci-fi fan. The sequels, however, are supposed to be terrible.
Also, all those questions you asked in your previous post, those questions didn't come to mind when watching the movie. I don't think answering them is really necessary either. I'm also curious, did you watch the movie dubbed in English or did you watch it in Japanese with subtitles?
Second post; like Scott said, you should blanket term anime and say that you won't like it because you didn't like Spirited Away. That's fine, different strokes for different folks. But not all anime is Miyazaki. Anime is done in every genre you can imagine, and probably a few more. So if you like action movies, watch the first 5 episodes of Cowboy Bebop like Scott said, if you want a more light hearted action watch Trigun, if you want something very dramatic and action then watch Gundam SEED. Comedy - Azumanga Daioh; Adventure - One Piece; and so on and so forth (since people can probably think of better stuff too.)
Now those are all series' which you'll probably like more then anime movies since there is more character development, and probably more explanation as to why things are how they are.
On a side note, someone really needs to come up with some sort of anime primer. Like if someone is interested in seeing anime for the first time they should watch x, y and z. I think you probably have to include Bebop in that, and maybe FLCL, other then that I'm not too sure.
Why the Stink Monster was the way he was, and not in his true form of a Great River Spirit? That would be because he was coming to a bathhouse, for the purpose of getting clean, because the environment he lives in is such a polluted hell-hole.
No-Face could simply be one of the myriad local spirits that inhabit the countryside of Japan in myth. He may not have had a former life at all, simply coming into being from the nothingness of the world.
Also, I'd like to respond to kilarney's comment that most of the characters were unsympathetic. That is because Sen is a human, in a spirit's world. She is also the lowest on the social pecking order because she's the new kid on the floor. There isn't much reason for them to be sympathetic at all. It's only through her actions that she can get accepted and befriended.
A question for Rym:
If you have a girlfriend in Japan, why haven't you gone to see her? I've spent some time in Japan and loved it. It isn't necessarily as exotic as some other countries I've been to in Asia, but that does not make it any less special. For a geek like yourself, it should be akin to Mecca. I surprised you would pass the opportunity to go. Or have you gone?
"WHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~‽‽‽‽‽‽‽"
By the way, Howls Moving Castle is next on our queue. Is it safe for 3 & 5 yr olds, and is there anything I should know about it before hand that would help me understand it? (I've seen Ponyo with the kids and we all liked that one).
Howl's Moving Castle should be fine for your children, imo. I don't remember anything that can be perceived as scary.
Stick with Kiki's Delivery Service or My Neighbor Totoro.