I think Spirited Away is overrated

Postby **Linksquest** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:52 pm

(my opinions from when i posted in the what anime are you watching thread which i would like to discuss here)

Spirited Away, I am sorry to say, was not as awesome as I had first thought. (no one stone me!) I thought it was a bit overrated. Hey, I'm not saying that it wasn't a good anime, and did i enjoy it? YES! But, for all the talk, I suppose I had high expectations. The animation was original, and what less could you expect with the genius of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli?! Some parts of it just didn't make sense to me:

[SPOILER] Why did that face-less guy have an obsession with Chihiro? Why did he randomely start eating people? Why, when they had left the bathhouse, did Chihiro suddenly trust the faceless- guy? Why did Chihiro "KNOW" that her parents weren't any of the pigs that Yu-baaba brought out? I mean... i thought that she would use all of her experience and things she learned from her journey to help with her decision, but, no... she just... said it, which i thought was really weird. [/SPOILER]

It ended way too fast for me. The pace picked up immensly near the end... which was mainly where things ceasing making sense for me. I think, if they made the end a bit longer, the end could have had less loose ends. Again, i thought it was good... good animation, music, concepts, story, characters... but it didn't all come together in a way that made me think: "Wow, this really lived up to my expectations."

Postby **Mr. SmartyPants** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:56 pm

Spirited Away made me lose my wife and kids... and my pickup truck! :mutter:

Postby **DaughterOfZion** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:58 pm

now that i think bout it i agree that parts didnt make sense

Postby **Roy Mustang** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:13 pm

Yay, some people agree with me.

But to tell you the truth, there is like only four movies from Miyazaki that I even like.

Wingzero22

Postby **Mangafanatic** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:19 pm

Just as a general comment, I think to say that a movie is overrated is somewhat unfair. Spirited Away was an amazing movie in every category by which movies are judged. However, when any person hears a movie highly praised over and over again-- they're going to get their hopes set so high that even the most fantastic movie couldn't meet those expectations. I wonder that the problem might not have been the value of the film but rather the quality of your expectations.

[spoiler]

Why did that face-less guy have an obsession with Chihiro? Why did he randomely start eating people?

Because she kindly allowed him into the bath house. He ate people, it would seem, so he could use them to give him a voice and many of the human characteristics which he lacked. (Notice he gained hair and the ability to speak [the frog's voice])

Why, when they had left the bathhouse, did Chihiro suddenly trust the faceless- guy?
It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I believe the food and everything in the bath house made him go crazy. I believe Chihiro alludes to this as she makes her way across the water to the railroad tracks with Rin.

Why did Chihiro "KNOW" that her parents weren't any of the pigs that Yu-baaba brought out?
Remember Haku told her to study the pigs who were her parents. I imagine she simply knew what her parents looked like, and, therefore, could determine that her parents were not among the pigs Yubaba brought out.

[/spoiler]

Those are my thoughts.

Postby **Linksquest** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:40 pm

Mangafanatic wrote:Just as a general comment, I think to say that a movie is overrated is somewhat unfair. Spirited Away was an amazing movie in every category by which movies are judged. However, when any person hears a movie highly praised over and over again-- they're going to get their hopes set so high that even the most fantastic movie couldn't meet those expectations. I wonder that the problem might not have been the value of the film but rather the quality of your expectations.

in RESPONSE

[SPOILER]

Because she kindly allowed him into the bath house. He ate people, it would seem, so he could use them to give him a voice and many of the human characteristics which he lacked. (Notice he gained hair and the ability to speak [the frog's voice])

Granted, but, would he have eaten her if she had taken the gold? That's the eery impression i got when watching.

It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I believe the food and everything in the bath house made him go crazy. I believe Chihiro alludes to this as she makes her way across the water to the railroad tracks with Rin.

She did make that allusion... but how did she even know that... there was too much suspension of belief in some areas... things that were supposed to make sense... knowledge that Chihiro had that left me wondering... "she's new to this world... how does she know this?"

Remember Haku told her to study the pigs who were her parents. I imagine she simply knew what her parents looked like, and, therefore, could determine that her parents were not among the pigs Yubaba brought out.

She went with him, but i remember that she couldn't find her parents in all that sea of pigs... when she offered the healing thing from the water spirit, all the pigs wanted it and she couldn't find her parents... besides... they all looked the same... it would have made more sense if someone had asked her "how did you do that?" and then she explain how.
[/SPOILER]

Postby **Katrina** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:01 pm

In responce to some of the spoiler-hidden comments, Japanese films are usually much more subtle and leave more open to the audience to decide. That's my opinion anyway.

Postby **Puritan** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:37 pm

I personally though that Spirited Away was a very pretty and well-done anime, although I agree with Mangafanatic that the hype for almost any big film becomes so over-rated that it becomes impossible to meet people's impossible expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I thought the story and set-up were both original and well-done.

[spoiler]I don't know if the face-less one would have eaten Chihiro if she had taken the gold, although that was definitely a possibility. I think the point was partially that the bath-house was corrupted and the face-less one was trying to express his gratitude in the tainted manner of the bath-house folk, who seemed to only be worried about money. And I think the reason Chihiro was able to see that is because she saw how the people in the bath-house were controlled and changed by Yubaba. From the corruption of Chihiro's parents by bath-house food to the money-hungry workers to the paranoid and selfish baby to the evil actions of Haku, all of it seemed to be related to the corruption of the bath-house and its money-loving owner, Yubaba. I think it was implied that she learned this by experience rather than just assumption or prior knowledge.

As for the pig thing, to me this was a little opaque but it appeared to me that it implied that Chihiro either knew her parents well enough to find them in pig form or (what I consider more likely) she understood the greed of Yubaba and guessed that her parents wouldn't be in with the pigs. Yubaba hated losing anything and was incredibly selfish, so it would make sense from her nature to guess that she wouldn't take the risk of having Chihiro randomly select her parents. Thus it would make sense for her to not have Chihiro's parents in with the pigs, but Chihiro had come to understand Yubaba's nature and saw through the trick[/spoiler]

Postby **Arnobius** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:47 pm

Well, this is what happened: The original plot involved Chihiro was going to overcome the first witch, and then face the second as her even more evil sister. Miyazaki was told that this would require an extra hour of plot development, so he dropped the idea.

The subtitles have a little more mention of the things that are glaring plot holes in the dub, but it still comes off like a "fill in the blanks" exposition.

It wasn't his best, but I preferred it to Mononoke and Laputa.

Postby **Maverick** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:26 pm

The way I see it, no matter how well a show is rated, people are going to have their own personal opinions. I agree with saying that it is unfair to say something is overrated, as that implies an offense against the show, having done nothing wrong in and of itself. However, I do feel sometimes, that shows that are in the huge hype, I may not like as much... still, that is a personal thing that relates to my view of the show... not the show itself.

I'm glad that I'm not an anime critic. (Or movie or music, for that matter..)

I loved Spirited Away myself. It just grabbed me from the get go, and I fell in love with the story. But, to me, it is more of a personal thing... I'm just into that sort of craziness stuff.

Website · Postby **beau99** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:57 pm

Spirited Away overrated? No.

Miyazaki's best? Heck no. That would be to Castle in the Sky.

Facebook · Postby **Neko Niisan** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:06 am

[SPOILER]

She went with him, but i remember that she couldn't find her parents in all that sea of pigs... when she offered the healing thing from the water spirit, all the pigs wanted it and she couldn't find her parents... besides... they all looked the same... it would have made more sense if someone had asked her "how did you do that?" and then she explain how.

In response to the medicine thing.

If I remeber correctly then it wasn't that she couldn't recognise her parents, it was that she couldn't reach her parents due to the sheer number of other pigs. All of the other pigs where clamoring to get the medicine as if, they too where humans wanting to be free of they pig bodies. An style of alusion often used by more abstract anime produces and Miyuzaki is one of the most famous people for letting the viewer take there own opinions of a situation so that the story is a unique experience.
As to the Yababa's test, believing that the above is true then it can be taken that Yababa didn't believe that Chihiro could possibly recognise her parents as pigs yet decided to make sure that there was no chance in it, as cogatated by Puritan. Yet Chihiro could recognise her parents even as pigs and knew that they were not among the pigs in the test. This is not so much a hole for you to fill in as it is a old cultural connection that exists in Asian society. This believe is that you will always to bond to your family and be able to tell if it is them regardless of anything else. Unfortunately this does not translate into Western socienty very well.

[/SPOILER]

Postby **KBMaster** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 4:33 am

Well, Linksquest is entitled to his own opinion. I too found some parts to be vague and would have liked some closure. But this is what Miyazaki is. I have never felt any of his films held much real closure and leaves the audience to guess what happens after the ending. I loved the movie, but the ending was a tad disappointing.

Postby **Mega.EXE** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:11 am

i liked it i think nasucaa (spl?) is better though
eh oh eeh eh heh? NO-FACE RULEZ!

Postby **Aka-chan** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:16 am

The thing with Kaonashi is that he feeds on greed, giving what people want but ultimately taking everything. What was different about Chihiro is that she only took what she needed when she needed on top of being polite. So, if she had taken the gold, yes, he would have eventually devoured her. She came to understand this and the fact that he was taking the overwhelming greed in the bath house and thus fed him the cake (which causes you to expel bad things--as demonstrated with Haku). When this proved correct, she also understood that she needed to get him away from the bath house and all the greed that was there.

As for the parents as pigs thing, there seem to be some pretty good explanations already. I'll just add that Chihiro grows up over the course of these challenges and becomes more aware of herself. I think that knowing herself allowed her to also understand the strange world around her.

Postby **uc pseudonym** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 8:40 am

I am also among those who didn't think Spirited Away was particularly masterful. As I watched it I accepted what occured as it did and everything made sense to me. But in the end I felt very unfulfilled, as in, "That's it?" It struck me that there was very little of substance, of theme exploration worthy of the title masterpiece. After reading Miyazaki's thoughts on the film and his intentions for it I raised my opinion somewhat (and the protagonist's progression from annoying girl to someone you vaguely care about was essentially seamless).

Ultimately, however, I didn't see anything that separated it from a children's story with a somewhat more convoluted (though not necessarily well-crafted) plot.

Postby **MorwenLaicoriel** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:03 am

If I may give my two cents...

[spoiler]On "why does she trust No Face?"...I think part of what carries Chihiro through is that she's able to see a chance for good in pretty much everybody, and gives everyone a chance to redeem themselves. I think Chihiro saw that No Face was being corrupted by the bathhouse and his need to be accepted, and she wanted to help him get out of that place. In the end, I think she was right.

No Face wasn't the only one she helps in this way, either. Haku himself comes off as being cold and even selfish at times--but Chihiro sees that this is in part because of his contract with Yubaba, and she helps him break the contract. Practically all of the characters come off as being cold to her at first, but as she grows as a person she learns to treat them all with kindness and respect--and in the end, basically every character she meets grows to care for her. She even calls Yubaba 'Granny'--and you get the idea that, in the end, Yubaba isn't *too* upset to see her go.[/spoiler]

Postby **Mave** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:21 am

I personally enjoyed this series and found it refreshingly original. It's a nice change from random explosions, angsty shinigamis, power transformations, desperate high school girls/boys, characters with large swords who shouldn't have large swords and vampires.

The parts you questioned about made a lot of sense to me since I accept that Chihiro's change through the movie was spiritually-based. She eventually had the ability to sense things that most ppl can't/she couldn't before. I agree with most of answers that have been given to those questions.

On an unrelated note, those ladies have the largest and scariest heads/eyes I've ever seen. How on earth would one of them have offspring? I mean, in all seriousness, who would marry her......Ah never mind.

Postby **MorwenLaicoriel** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:23 am

Mave wrote:On an unrelated note, those ladies have the largest and scariest heads/eyes I've ever seen. How on earth would one of them have offspring? I mean, in all seriousness, who would marry her......Ah never mind.

I think the same thing every time I see that movie. XD "Where the heck is that baby's FATHER? It seems like he had to be around fairly recently, since the baby doesn't look *too* old....except, Yubaba looks like she stopped having the ability to bear children 20 years ago."

Postby **Myoti** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:38 am

The pace picked up immensly near the end... which was mainly where things ceasing making sense for me.

I felt the same way about Princess Mononoke (another one I personally find kind of overrated). I mean, I understood most of both movies, but the endings of them just left me going "Huh?" (more on Mononoke, though).

I also go with everything UC stated.

On an unrelated note, those ladies have the largest and scariest heads/eyes I've ever seen. How on earth would one of them have offspring? I mean, in all seriousness, who would marry her......Ah never mind.

>_>

Postby **skyblue** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:54 pm

Spirited Away was okay. The problem I had with it was that the neding felt rushed. The beginning was slow (in a good way), but the end went down a cliff and sped up. Was it overated? Not really.

Postby **Lehn** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:12 pm

I wouldn't say overrated par say. I wouldn't watch it million of times, but I liked it the two times I saw it. I like Howl's Moving Castle much more then what I did Spirited Away though, myself.

Postby **USSRGirl** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:06 pm

Linksquest wrote:(my opinions from when i posted in the what anime are you watching thread which i would like to discuss here)

Spirited Away, I am sorry to say, was not as awesome as I had first thought. (no one stone me!) I thought it was a bit overrated. Hey, I'm not saying that it wasn't a good anime, and did i enjoy it? YES! But, for all the talk, I suppose I had high expectations. The animation was original, and what less could you expect with the genius of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli?! Some parts of it just didn't make sense to me:

[SPOILER] Why did that face-less guy have an obsession with Chihiro? Why did he randomely start eating people? Why, when they had left the bathhouse, did Chihiro suddenly trust the faceless- guy? Why did Chihiro "KNOW" that her parents weren't any of the pigs that Yu-baaba brought out? I mean... i thought that she would use all of her experience and things she learned from her journey to help with her decision, but, no... she just... said it, which i thought was really weird. [/SPOILER]

It ended way too fast for me. The pace picked up immensly near the end... which was mainly where things ceasing making sense for me. I think, if they made the end a bit longer, the end could have had less loose ends. Again, i thought it was good... good animation, music, concepts, story, characters... but it didn't all come together in a way that made me think: "Wow, this really lived up to my expectations."

Those who irrationally and unconditionally love Spirited Away....let them cast the first stone!! :: Drops a boulder on Linksquest's head :: You heathen. It's Miyazaki...it doesn't have to make sense.

:: Walks out ::

Postby **Linksquest** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:22 pm

USSRGirl wrote:Those who irrationally and unconditionally love Spirited Away....let them cast the first stone!! :: Drops a boulder on Linksquest's head :: You heathen. It's Miyazaki...it doesn't have to make sense.

:: Walks out ::

uh... Thank you?... and the point for that was... ? SPAMMAGE! XD

Postby **ShiroiHikari** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:53 pm

I didn't really think Spirited Away was that great either. Howl's Moving Castle was a lot more enjoyable for me.

Postby **Linksquest** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 8:53 am

ShiroiHikari wrote:I didn't really think Spirited Away was that great either. Howl's Moving Castle was a lot more enjoyable for me.

AMEN! I agree 100% :lol:

Howl's was underrated... not as many people have seen it... and they should!

I think Spirited Away is overrated

I think Spirited Away is overrated

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