Starting this off, I’m not going to lie, I saw this anime movie feature when it first came out. I was a child back then, and this film managed to scare me. However, recently I decided to revisit this due to high recommendation of a friend. Never would I have ever guessed that this film would rank so high on my list. Being a child that was easily frightened, the unique animation had sent chills down my spine… but with age, I’ve came to enjoy the plot and characters within this series.
First, let’s go over the basic plot of this anime. It might seem stereotypical, but this anime introduces the idea of a young girl stumbling into a magical and unheard of world. However, despite previous adaptations of this simplistic idea, Studio Ghibli brought something fresh and interesting to the table. We’re brought into a world featuring a bathhouse for spirits, complex characters, and blooming romance. For those who don’t find amusement in the romance genre, don’t fret. It’s not a major thing in the plot considering that the main character is ten, whoever, it does introduce the power of ‘true love’. With that essential power at their disposal, our protagonist learns how to work with this world to save her parents and to escape in the meanwhile.
Next- let’s jump into the characters. The first thing I’d like to announce is that the characters are in no way bland. Each person has their own personality, appearance, and importance in this. Character reliability is also put into play here. Our main character, Chihiro, is at first terrified by this whole experience. However, with the help of Haku (a strange boy who aids her in her search to go back home), she’s introduced into the basic lore of this world. Along the way she meets a series of foes and friends who she later learns to get along with. They bond, and over a period of time she becomes content with these spirits. The characters all play important parts in Chihiro’s journey even if it’s a faceless spirit, a huge baby, or a dancing light post. I don’t know if it was only me, but I loved being introduced into the different types of characters in Spirited Away.
Okay, now onto the more technical parts of this anime ; the anime and sound qualities. The animation is pretty good, as it’s not that straining to watch. I don’t have much to compare it to, but definitely it gets the job done beautifully. The sound quality was good, as they gave distinguished noises to multiple things.
Now to wrap this up. I highly enjoyed this feature. Hands down, I recommend this to both anime fans and not. It’s a good movie, and it DEFINITELY deserves the high rating it has on MAL . Even though it might not be for everyone, a bigger half of anime fans mark this film as one of their favorites. And after watching this, I can definitely understand why.
