All the Characters (well, three of them)

      This is the second time I have seen Spirited Away, and I definitely got a lot more out of it this time than last. The first time I watched it, I was very confused. I'd heard that it was based off of Japanese myths and folktales, but I think that confused rather than helped me. This second time I had a better idea of where the story was going, and I paid special attention to the characters, and especially to Chihiro's character transformation.
      Kayla pointed out that Chihiro's first act of selflessness was when she helped the little ashes carry the coal to the furnace. I think her character started to change even when she simply chose to trust Haku and go find the boiler man. She could have sat on the ground and pouted and made a scene and been turned into a pig, but she got up and went. Then she chose to be brave and insist that the boiler man give her a job, even though he wasn't at all friendly. Those were two big steps, and after that she just kept getting braver and more hardworking and less complaining....it was great.
     Lastly, I want to talk about Yubaba and Zeniba. They were so interesting, weren't they? Yubaba was greedy and had a lot of worldly wisdom. The first time I watched it, I thought she was the embodiment of evil; but she has her kind sides, such as caring (very poorly, but caring all the same) for her baby; also, she generally treats people gruffly, but she's not a tyrant, as long as they do a decent job and she gets her money. So, my point with Yubaba is, she's more of a human than a devil, I think. Her twin sister is actually quite similar. She's selfish, and if you're helpful to her, or if she takes a liking to you, she'll treat you well. If she doesn't like you, then watch out.
 

So many good characters