Have you ever fallen in love with a movie before even watching it? Before knowing its story, its characters, or even what it was really about? Maybe you’ve only seen a few scenes, but somehow, something clicks. You just know that this movie is going to be special.
That is exactly what happened to me with Spirited Away. It was love at first sight. And yet, strangely enough, I spent years waiting to watch the movie in its entirety.
The problem was simply finding somewhere to watch it. I didn’t want to resort to illegal streaming sites with poor-quality video, so Spirited Away remained, for years, one of those movies I somehow knew I was going to love without ever having actually seen it.
Then, finally, I watched it on Netflix for the first time.
My gut feeling was immediately confirmed. It was even better than I had expected. The movie was, quite simply, a masterpiece, a Miyazaki masterpiece.
Since that first complete viewing, Spirited Away has become my number-one Ghibli film, my number-one anime, and, honestly, my number-one movie. Period.
Before I Knew the Story
My first encounter with Spirited Away was not the movie itself, but a collection of clips I came across here and there on YouTube and other platforms.
One scene in particular stayed with me and filled me with a strange sense of wonder: Chihiro sitting alone on an old train bench. Beside her sits a black, almost shapeless figure wearing a strange white mask (No-Face). A little further away, a translucent dark silhouette of a man stands quietly in the train.
It is one of those images that seems to have escaped the movie and taken on a life of its own. Even if you have never watched Spirited Away, chances are you have seen this scene (or at least an image from it) somewhere.
And before I had any idea what was happening, it raised so many questions in my mind.
Who was this little, seemingly fragile girl, sitting alone on a train surrounded by such strange characters? Where was she going? Why was she there? And most of all, why did she have that expression on her face?
She looked sad, but resolute. Vulnerable, yet, somehow calm.
Chihiro: Something Different
At the center of this entire story is Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who, in my humble opinion, is the most perfectly realized character Miyazaki has ever created.
Of course, I won’t pretend to speak for the artist. I’m not an artist myself, and I have no idea what went into the process of creating her. But I can look at the result, and what I see is a character that feels made with an extraordinary amount of love and passion.
Miyazaki has created many wonderful characters throughout his films, and some of them are among the most lovable characters in animation. I think of Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, or Anna from When Marnie Was There. They are beautifully written, memorable, and easy to care about.
But Chihiro is different.
There is something about her that Miyazaki somehow gave only to her.
The Setting of the Story
The bathhouse, where most of the story takes place, can only be reached by crossing a bridge. It is managed by Yubaba, an old lady who is a mix of a witch (she turns Chihiro’s parents into pigs) and a mother, with her enormous baby.
But Yubaba is not the classic antagonist, like the witch in Snow White, who we can immediately recognize as a bad person. From my point of view, Yubaba is not that bad. She simply applies the rules that govern this world. Those rules may seem cruel and inhuman to us, but that is simply how things work in this world.
No-Face is another example. At first, we may see him as a monster, but then we see how docile he becomes when sitting next to Chihiro on the train. Or Kamaji, the six-armed man, who could easily be mistaken for a monster, but who helps Chihiro.
Why do all these characters eventually help Chihiro, even the seemingly cruel Yubaba?
Is it the Chihiro effect?
Do all these characters, without admitting it, somehow fall in love with Chihiro? Deep inside, do they simply not want to hurt her? Even more than that, do they want to protect her, just as Haku does?
Well, I’m going to stop here. I don’t want to spoil the movie with this article. Instead, I want to invite every parent to watch it with their kids. And even if you don’t have kids, you can still watch it—share it with someone you love.
This movie is a masterpiece from every point of view: the story, the animation, and even the music.
Where to Experience Spirited Away
Want to discover more of Spirited Away after reading this article?
📚 The original comic books
You can find the Spirited Away comic books in our Books & Kukkii collection.
Spirited Away Film Comic: All-in-One Edition
Spirited Away Picture Book : Picture Book
🎵 The soundtrack
Listen to Joe Hisaishi’s beautiful soundtrack on Spotify or YouTube.
🎬 The movie
And, of course, you can watch Spirited Away on Netflix.