Saturday, September 6, 2014

Spirited Away: Friends Across the Seas

This really is a beautiful movie. I know it took the animators a long time and many all-nighters to complete the work that went into it. The first time I saw this movie I had trouble connecting with it. The differences between Japanese and American story-telling made it hard for me to really appreciate it. I think it takes time to get used to and if you sit back and really look at it, it is a great movie.

I love this background!


One of the things I really did appreciate about this film, even though I didn’t understand it at the time, was the difference in the story-telling. I had never seen a story like this told on the screen, and even more complicatedly, animated. It wasn’t the typical “circle of life” story, and yet it was. We get to see Chihiro change from a whiny little girl into someone who can defend herself and others. I appreciate how Hayao Miyazaki tends to make most of his main characters heroines and they are often people who he has seen develop in his life. Being a girl this makes it easier for me to relate to. Even though there may be some cultural and artistic differences, I can totally relate to how this little girl feels.




Being thrown into this world of culture can be strange at first, but just give it some time; maybe it will grow on you too. 

Feeling a little spirited away by this

So after having had some time to sit down and digest this film in the best way a non anime watcher can I decided this film is pretty good.  So the basic premise is that a little girl Chihiro and her parents go into what they believe is an abandoned amusement park to find what appears to be an all you can eat buffet.  Little did the parents know that the food would turn them into pigs.  At this point the topic of cannibalism could pop up if there was bacon or sausage there since the pigs could be other people who stumbled in but the movie does not address that.  So in order to survive in the spirit world she must take a job at the local bathhouse.  From there on it is various subplots.  
The parts I want to talk about the most are some of the reasons why I hate anime.  The first is fluid animation and the lack of blinking in characters.  Luckily I didn't have this problem (Well blinking could be better) for the animation it is pretty solid.  Especially with some of the creatures which are pretty cool.  The character which I want to note the most which I think is everyone's favorite or 2nd after the baby turned rat is No face.  I'm gonna skip the part where he has a mask as his face since that really isn't his face.  His animation of being slightly transparent is pretty cool  and the expression and feeling are amazing especially cause his "face" does not move.  It is all sounds or body gestures which is pretty cool to have a character that does not talk or visually show emotions through his face.  Well he talks but that is when he eats people and it is their voice.  
Another aspect that was cool mostly because of my film background that the hero was a girl and was independent.  I bring this up because I have watched things about the Bechtel test and the Anita Sarkesen(I think I spelled that right) feminist frequency videos about a lack of good female characters out there.  Though I think the use of "Love" in the movie seemed weird.  I guess it works but I think I would of used friendship instead since both the characters are young and it never advances into anything serious.  
Overall this film it is pretty good.  The characters are all likable even the villain.  The story can be confusing but it never gets so confusing you give it up or can't remember what you have seen.  The animation is Beautiful even next to some of the big Disney movies.  This film as does make me curious to watch some other films by Hayao Miyazaki so that's pretty good!

Spirited Away

Okay, well that movie was definitely an interesting one. And most of you probably don't know this but that was actually my first time ever watching that movie. But I have watched many of Hayao Miyazaki's films.

Overall, I loved its color and its animation was spectacular, most definitely on my favorite list now. But the one thing that I thought was kind of odd was "no face". Although his name is "no face" he still had a mask to symbolize where his face would most likely be if he did have one. Not to mention how he acted towards Chihiro when she didn't want anything that he provided causing him to become filled with sadness and greed once he entered that bath house.

Also, I absolutely loved the moments of comedy relief near the end with the baby once he was turned into a mouse as well as the little black bird with him. Just the way he mocked Chihiro by stepping onto the smudge mark where she squished the cursed slug. It was kind of a way where he was trying to conquer his fear of germs like he talked about when Chirhiro originally met him in his cushioned room.


But overall, this was an amazing flim and I most likely wouldn't mind watching it again if I got the chance to.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Always With Me

Doodled a fast Chihiro because watching the movie again made me wanna draw her~

Hello~ Your wonderful host/discussion/person who awkwardly sits in front of you hoping you all want to talk about the movie you just watched here~ I think we had a really great start to the Signs and Wonders season, and I can't wait to see the further dialogue generated in the blogs.
Most of all, I was super excited that for many of you this was your first time seeing this movie. Its my third, and I can say that this movie definitely gets better the more you watch it. I picked up on a lot that I didn't the first two times - I'll admit, the first time I watched it I was horribly unimpressed with the film as a whole, I thought the plot was a muddled mess and that things were solved too easily. And yet everyone praised it almost unanimously, I was ashamed that I didn't feel the same way.
Even now, I can't say that its my favorite Miyazaki movie. But there is a distinct difference between personal favorite and the 'best'. Favorites can be liked for many reasons, and when something is your favorite you can easily ignore flaws (if anyone was curious, my favorite Miyazaki movie is a tie between Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky).
This latest viewing though has definitely, at least for me, assured that this is Miyazaki's best.
One of the biggest problems in this movie for me when I first watched it was that Chihiro seemed to become a better person too easily, and came to solutions with no effort. Watching it this time I focused on her progression from a selfish brat to a heroine, and it can be hard to track because being thrown in that environment changes her naturally and at times subtly (especially when you are distracted by all the other things happening, like No-Face's subplot), but it was by no means easy. I tried to put myself in her shoes, and I realized that I took for granted so many things she did. Climbing down those stairs to get to Kamaji? She was so terrified that she had to slowly skooch along. Not only that, but trusting the word of someone you don't know, in a place you don't belong. Believing in Haku had to be so difficult, especially when she found out about what the others thought about him. And yet without him she would not have even made it through the first night.
The first time I watched the movie I also didn't understand how Chihiro was able to solve Yubaba's final test, but I have a theory now. Zeniba tells Chihiro that you never truly forget anyone if you've met them. Haku showed Chihiro which pigs were her parents, so according to what the film told us she would have remembered. I still don't know if that's the solution, or if the fact that she even could solve it makes sense, but I know that this time I was rooting for her. When I watched it the first time I was frustrated that she got out of a seemingly difficult test so easily, and felt like she just was able to do so because she was the main character and this had to end happily. This time I was a lot like all of the bathhouse workers, waiting in nervous anticipation. I had seen all that Chihiro had gone through, how much she had grown, and I believed in her to know what to do. I wanted her to be able to get her parents back, because she had worked so hard to get to this point.
Chihiro is a great character, and I think Miyazaki created an amazing role model for young girls around the world.


Anime....Not animaniacs

Anime....Not animaniacs

I just got back from watching my first anime movie "Spirited Way".  It was this 10 year old girl who had to move to a new town.  As she and her parents drive around their new town, they come across this old building with a tunnel that leads to a place for the spirits.  Unaware of where they are, this girl manages to loose her parents find a building that happens to be a sauna for the spirits to rest.  Freaking out by the new creatures around her, she goes back to where she lost her parents and finds them turned into pigs.  Even more freaked (more like spazzing) she runs around scaring other spirits of her humanness.  Along comes a friend to help her along her journey to regain her parents, save a friend in need, and learn the true meaning of working hard and respecting others.  

One thing that was brought to my attention was "No face".  "No face" is an outcast who was not allowed into the sauna and was basically shunned for life.  Irony was he had a mask for a face.  That still counts as a face.  He was all alone until this girl comes in and shows him kindness by letting him in the sauna and by giving him recognition.  Everyone else said he was a monster until he gave them "gold" (which turned out to be really nothing at all).  Everyone then accepted the gold and him.  But when he offered the girl gold, she turned it down.  Money can't buy friendship, the kind of friendship worth having.  

Even though this is a terrible movie to start when you're just grasping the concept of anime, it was a great movie (even through all the confusion and Radish spirit).  The characters did grow and they did learn something, which hopefully taught the other viewers something as well.

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

Storytelling At Its Finest

                      Last Thursday night was the first time I had seen "Spirited Away". 
 Yes, tragic, I know.  I had wanted to see it for quite some time, but never got around to it.  And boy, was I missing out! 

As soon as the first scene with Kamaji the boiler man came on, I was hooked, and remained so the rest of the way.  The character of Kamaji is brilliant, creepy, mysterious, and intriguing.  I love how he resembles a spider in the design of his six arms and two legs, his dark glasses, and best of all, his bushy mustache.  I was fascinated with the set-up and animation of this scene.  The sootball workers were a delight to watch, and for a bunch of simple, tiny, wordless creatures, they carried a huge personality.  They, along with so many other characters (and particularly the lead character, Chihiro), are so relatable and that's what makes this film so much fun to watch.  

This film is unlike any other in that it pays very close attention to the timing and pacing of each scene.  When Chihiro is stumbling about in this bizarre world, the viewer immediately identifies with her because the timing is perfect.  Whereas most animated movies of today seem to move about quickly from one thing to the next, this one takes its time, and really answers the question of "What would one really do, or how would one really act, in this situation?"  One scene that comes to my mind is where Chihiro is cautiously making her way down a ridiculously long flight of narrow stairs.  The animators did a brilliant job of focusing in on Chihiro's every movement, so that it felt you were right there with her.  The animators know this world so well, and they keep you in wonder as you slowly become acquainted with the world.  
I think a problem with some of today's animated movies is that they don't spend enough time shaping their world because they themselves simply aren't acquainted with it very well.  They just "follow the rules" as it were and create movies that follow very familiar story lines  because, well, because that's the way they think it's supposed to be done.  Well, not so.  The unpredictable films that keep you guessing are always the best ones.  In this movie, the characters are so well realized, that they drive the story, instead of the story driving them.    

JAPAN - Spirited Away

Spirited Away was by far the cutest film I have ever seen in a long time. I absolutely love when films are produced in a feminist stand-point because I feel like I can relate to them more, considering I'm a female myself. I definitely won't mind watching more movies related to this one in the future. Thursday was my first time ever watching this, and I was more than surprised to love it more than Disney's Frozen.. shocking right? My favorite part of Spirited Away is the story line of the unbreakable love between Chihiro and Haku. This love is a strong bond that not even Yubaba's spell could destroy. Rather Chihiro destroyed her spell instead by squashing it. XD!! This movie overall gave me the chills as well as butterflies because it truly reminds me of myself and my loved one. I really do believe true love can conquer anything. I also love the heroism involved between these two as they never give up on each other. I think we personally all need to learn these qualities that Chihiro has shown us at the end of the movie. Spirited Away is most definitely reccommened by me to all ages. LOVED IT! ^_^