Like I said yesterday, no legit posting begets a double session for today. In the first post we're looking at a sekrit favorite movie of mine, Spirited Away.
I had at most a passing familiarity with Anime. Like many who had no interest in it, I viewed it like a lot of people view sushi if they've never tried it - not for me, those that probably like it really love it and it might be okay if I just work up the nerve to try it. Of course I love sushi, having dove headlong into the wonderful world of sushi it was only a matter of time before the same sort of thing happened again. On a friend's recommendation I had picked up a copy of Akira, the prototypical anime production based on the sprawling graphic novel about the aftermath of World War 3 and post-human developments. While I understand a great deal was simplified and simply cut altogether, it was a paradigm shift for me, as I had been a child when it was first released in America and had no exposure to it growing up in rural Wisconsin. When I finally saw it it was like nothing I had seen at that point. Words won't really do it justice here, but suffice to say the themes and imagery, no matter how intense or over the top, were vivid, distinct and visceral. Still, there were some cultural idiosyncrasies I didn't pick up on, so repeated viewings, particularly on a larger TV, really paid off in enlightening what I was seeing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found myself drawn more to the quiet moments, the mood of the tension and lulls in action. When the same friend heard this, he said he knew just the movie for me to see - Spirited Away. Trusting the excellent recommendations previously, I once again dove in, picking it up on a whim. I was enthralled by what has turned out to be a personal favorite of mine, a quirky and quiet movie about growing up and letting go, while figuring out who you are.
Ostensibly a children's movie, it was released to wide acclaim in Japan and picked up for distribution here in the States by my beloved Pixar, whom I feel can do no wrong. By the time I bought the DVD it had already won the second ever Oscar for Animated Movie, was the first Anime movie to be nominated and the only foreign language film to win for Animated movie, ever (this was all right on the box art, lest I dismiss it). The work of Hayao Miyazaki and produced by the always quality Studio Ghibli, the Japanese equivalent of Steven Spielberg or Brad Bird working with their respective Disney/Pixar proxy, it was his first film after a brief break in his career, having already made major success with previous works like My Neighbor Totorro, Porco Rosso and the mild American breakthrough Princess Mononoke. In his home country this movie was a blockbuster, surpassing rival Titanic and grossing over 300 million world wide. In actuality anyone from anywhere else than the US probably thinks I'm wasting my time evangelizing for this movie, but so many of my American brethren have never seen it, so I persist. It was a huge hit and Disney was giving it the push it needed here. It did incredibly well on the festival circuit and was the biggest movie in Japanese history. For it's American release it made 10 million. Yeah. Apparently not much of a market here.
But while the box office may not have been a fertile ground for Spirited Away, home viewings are a great experience. My friend couldn't say enough good about it. So, expectations high, I watched in silence on a quiet Sunday night in the fall. It was a cool, breezy night and I had my windows open, chain smoking with my lights off. I distinctly remember the bewilderment and awe I felt over the amazing visuals - I'm sure I had a my eyebrow raised the whole time in skeptical bemusement. Start to finish it was an engrossing adventure and just like when I had first seen Akira, Spirited Away was something (no pun intended) completely foreign. I hadn't really seen anything like it. It was quiet and subtle at times, while often displaying some absolutely ethereal and appropriately other-worldly art that teased my brain with it's strange designs and choices. I clearly remember feeling anxious while watching the opening 20 minutes, wondering nervously what would happen to this defenseless but spoiled child who stumbled into a strange and unwelcoming place. I, of course, had no background in any kind of Japanese culture so the idea of the spirit world or bath houses so I assumed there was a danger and permanence to whatever happened.
Something about the tone or the setting just hooked me and I bought it completely. While I, as a 20 something American, couldn't identify with the precocious protagonist I could certainly understand the terror of being lost in a strange place and feeling abandoned. Part of me thinks that's why Miyazaki's movies are so endearing, just like Pixar's - they may be outlandish or fantastic but they remain, at their core, unmistakably human stories that audiences are able to become invested in. While I have obviously watched it many times since that incredible initial viewing, any time I have rewatched it has been on a quiet night, most often by myself. It probably sounds strange but it just doesn't feel like a day time movie.
While I could continue praising this under-appreciated film, it really can stand on its own able legs. It's thoroughly fantastic and enjoyable. After all, look how much I've written without even speaking of the plot. You really owe it to yourself to just take a look, even if you have no interest in Anime in general. Take a night for this bizarre and serene adventure. It's won Oscars! What more could be said?
I had at most a passing familiarity with Anime. Like many who had no interest in it, I viewed it like a lot of people view sushi if they've never tried it - not for me, those that probably like it really love it and it might be okay if I just work up the nerve to try it. Of course I love sushi, having dove headlong into the wonderful world of sushi it was only a matter of time before the same sort of thing happened again. On a friend's recommendation I had picked up a copy of Akira, the prototypical anime production based on the sprawling graphic novel about the aftermath of World War 3 and post-human developments. While I understand a great deal was simplified and simply cut altogether, it was a paradigm shift for me, as I had been a child when it was first released in America and had no exposure to it growing up in rural Wisconsin. When I finally saw it it was like nothing I had seen at that point. Words won't really do it justice here, but suffice to say the themes and imagery, no matter how intense or over the top, were vivid, distinct and visceral. Still, there were some cultural idiosyncrasies I didn't pick up on, so repeated viewings, particularly on a larger TV, really paid off in enlightening what I was seeing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found myself drawn more to the quiet moments, the mood of the tension and lulls in action. When the same friend heard this, he said he knew just the movie for me to see - Spirited Away. Trusting the excellent recommendations previously, I once again dove in, picking it up on a whim. I was enthralled by what has turned out to be a personal favorite of mine, a quirky and quiet movie about growing up and letting go, while figuring out who you are.
Ostensibly a children's movie, it was released to wide acclaim in Japan and picked up for distribution here in the States by my beloved Pixar, whom I feel can do no wrong. By the time I bought the DVD it had already won the second ever Oscar for Animated Movie, was the first Anime movie to be nominated and the only foreign language film to win for Animated movie, ever (this was all right on the box art, lest I dismiss it). The work of Hayao Miyazaki and produced by the always quality Studio Ghibli, the Japanese equivalent of Steven Spielberg or Brad Bird working with their respective Disney/Pixar proxy, it was his first film after a brief break in his career, having already made major success with previous works like My Neighbor Totorro, Porco Rosso and the mild American breakthrough Princess Mononoke. In his home country this movie was a blockbuster, surpassing rival Titanic and grossing over 300 million world wide. In actuality anyone from anywhere else than the US probably thinks I'm wasting my time evangelizing for this movie, but so many of my American brethren have never seen it, so I persist. It was a huge hit and Disney was giving it the push it needed here. It did incredibly well on the festival circuit and was the biggest movie in Japanese history. For it's American release it made 10 million. Yeah. Apparently not much of a market here.
But while the box office may not have been a fertile ground for Spirited Away, home viewings are a great experience. My friend couldn't say enough good about it. So, expectations high, I watched in silence on a quiet Sunday night in the fall. It was a cool, breezy night and I had my windows open, chain smoking with my lights off. I distinctly remember the bewilderment and awe I felt over the amazing visuals - I'm sure I had a my eyebrow raised the whole time in skeptical bemusement. Start to finish it was an engrossing adventure and just like when I had first seen Akira, Spirited Away was something (no pun intended) completely foreign. I hadn't really seen anything like it. It was quiet and subtle at times, while often displaying some absolutely ethereal and appropriately other-worldly art that teased my brain with it's strange designs and choices. I clearly remember feeling anxious while watching the opening 20 minutes, wondering nervously what would happen to this defenseless but spoiled child who stumbled into a strange and unwelcoming place. I, of course, had no background in any kind of Japanese culture so the idea of the spirit world or bath houses so I assumed there was a danger and permanence to whatever happened.
Something about the tone or the setting just hooked me and I bought it completely. While I, as a 20 something American, couldn't identify with the precocious protagonist I could certainly understand the terror of being lost in a strange place and feeling abandoned. Part of me thinks that's why Miyazaki's movies are so endearing, just like Pixar's - they may be outlandish or fantastic but they remain, at their core, unmistakably human stories that audiences are able to become invested in. While I have obviously watched it many times since that incredible initial viewing, any time I have rewatched it has been on a quiet night, most often by myself. It probably sounds strange but it just doesn't feel like a day time movie.
While I could continue praising this under-appreciated film, it really can stand on its own able legs. It's thoroughly fantastic and enjoyable. After all, look how much I've written without even speaking of the plot. You really owe it to yourself to just take a look, even if you have no interest in Anime in general. Take a night for this bizarre and serene adventure. It's won Oscars! What more could be said?
