Hayao Miyazaki’s: Spirited Away

By: ChichiriAXS

Hello people, it’s me again, Chichiri. I’ve noticed that both Meiko and I, along with most of the viewers of this site, have seen Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Yet, no one has sent a review on it. Don’t worry, I’ve come to the rescue.

Spirited Away is a story about a young girl named Chihiro and her experiences. The movie starts out with her in the backseat of a car, with her parents in the passenger and driver seats. Apparently, the family is moving to a new home near the hills. They can see their house, but the road would force them to take a long way, when the house is only a couple hundred feet away. Chihiro’s father decides to take a shortcut. He is driving maniacally when he suddenly stops in front of a statue. Behind the statue is a tunnel. Her father’s curiosity leads them through the tunnel and on the other side, where there is some type of town. It is deserted, but they find an open hut with massive amounts of food in it. Chihiro’s parents begin to tear down the food hungrily, almost cave-like. Chihiro wanders off onto a bridge. She sees a boy, whom we later find out is named Haku. He tells her to leave because “they” are coming. Suddenly, day grows into night and spirits arise everywhere. Chihiro runs back to her parents, only to find them still eating, but this time, they are pigs.

Chihiro is in an odd new world filled with spirits and other creatures she could have never imagined. She will have to learn how to live in this world and make herself a useful part of society. She will have to make friends where she can, for humans are looked down upon in this world. Finally, she must learn to muster up the strength inside to save her parents from their incredible transformation and find a way out, with the interference of an enemy, of course.

Spirited Away is a great movie. It has a great story and the characters are fun and energetic. Though it is only a movie and not an entire series, the plot and the role of each character is fully realized in this movie. Along with this, Spirited Away has great, refreshing animation and a grand, unique setting. Yet another great thing, the voice acting in this movie is great, matching up to the personalities of the characters very well, which helps the viewer get a feel for the characters quickly. The only problem is that there isn’t many fighting scenes or anything of that sort. It didn’t bother me, but it may be a drawback for others. Overall, though, it is an awesome piece of work that everyone should take the time to enjoy, not only children. It is a terrific story unlike anything else.

You can buy Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away at www.animenation.com for $26.99. It’s an amazing masterpiece well worth that amount of money. If there is anything wrong with the information, not opinion, in this review, please contact me at ChichiriAXS@yahoo.com. Until the light shines through.

Webmistress Meiko's Comments: This is one of my all time favorite anime movies. The animation is beautiful, the colors are so lively! Miyazaki and Studio Gibli is so amazing. I have also seen Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. All of which are great movies! You can probably find this movie at any half way decent movie rental store, but it is also definatly worth the money to own. Don't buy it online, because you can find it for a few dollars less in most places you can buy videos and dvds!