Wisecrack Explains The Hidden Meaning Of Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is an animated classic, and it’s probably one of the most recognizable movies from Studio Ghibli. Besides being stunningly beautiful, the movie is also rife with philosophy and symbolism, and Wisecrack has decided to delve deeper into it.

It’s no mystery that Miyazaki is very devoted to having his work all about preserving nature, and Spirited Away has a very interesting theme about the effects of progress on tradition. After the bombs were dropped during the war, Japan saw a sudden economic boom akin to that of Western Capitalism, and tradition saw itself taking a backseat in culture.

With Spirited Away, we see several characters falling into the pit of gluttony, hence we have characters like Chihiro’s parents turning into pigs and No Face becoming a giant creature that eats practically anything. There’s also the fact that Chihiro is told by Haku not to forget her real name, a symbolism to tell Japan not to forget its traditions and origins despite the presence of progress.

Any hardcore anime fan has seen Spirited Away at least once, and Miyazaki is a celebrated artist whose influence on the industry is enormous. Sure anime has been associated with material that has too much fanservice and Weabo Japanese wannabes, but it’s movies like this that make one proud to be Otaku (a word for Weabos back in the ‘00s).

See Also: Inspiring Trailer For Never-Ending Man, A Hayao Miyazaki Documentary