In the Middlebury program, every weekend is a movie night where we all get together and watch a Japanese movie. One of the movies that we watched is a famous Japanese film called “Spirited Away”. It is an anime film released in 2001. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. He is quite famous in Japan and is known around the world as an outstanding filmmaker and storyteller. Prior to learning Japanese, I did not watch much anime at all. I remember as a young teenager watching “Dragon Ball Z” on the Cartoon Network, but since that time if I watched an animation film at all it was usually Pixar, e.g. Finding Nemo, The Incredibles etc.
However, Japan is famous for “anime” which is a distinct form of animation films. Many of my fellow students are ardent fans of the genre and frequently discuss their favorite films, characters and directors. Their enthusiasm is an honest reflection of the powerful reach of Japanese culture. I was advised by many Japanese friends and even a few Japanese professors that the film “Spirited Away” was among the finest Japanese anime films even though it came out over two decades ago. In fact, it is Japan’s highest grossing box office film and it also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
I really enjoyed watching this movie which follows the story of a ten-year-old girl who is moving with her family to a new neighborhood, but along the way is transported to a magical place where her parents are turned into pigs by a witch. She then goes to work for this witch in a bathhouse in order to return her parents to normal and to find a way back to the real world.
Along the way, the movie takes many unexpected twists and turns and is full of incredibly intriguing and eclectic characters. There are also many mystical elements in this coming-of-age story as it is infused with and relies heavily on Japanese Shintoism. It highlights the social tensions that exist between Japan’s traditional culture and its westernization and embrace of capitalism and consumption. This central message explains why the main character’s parents were originally transformed into pigs. They engaged in overconsumption of food as soon as they were transported to the mythical world.
Overall, I thought this was a very good film and I highly recommend it to those interested in finding a cinematic gateway into Japanese culture and society.