Spirited Away

Spirited Away begins as innocently and typically as any story. A child, Chihiro, is whisked away from her home and familiar life by her parents to move to a new place. She is distraught and listless as she lies in the backseat, staring at the ceiling and holding onto a flower bouquet that her best friend gave her as a goodbye gift. Chihiro’s connection with nature thus far ends here; it is superficial and store-bought. However, the moment that Chihiro’s father takes a wrong turn and ends up in a forest, the normal world that Chihiro knows is gone. Chihiro’s intuition tells her something is amiss when she sees the pile of discarded Hokora (small Shinto shrines). Her mother explains that “some people believe spirits live there” (19), looking at the pile with disinterest and even a slight disdain; this comment indicates that Chihiro’s family is not particularly spiritual. The lack of care for the shrines illustrates Modern Humanity’s Abandonment of Spirituality and Nature. When Chihiro spots a Dosojin (two-faced guardian of the Shinto temple) staring at her in the bushes, her expression looks as if she knows she and her parents are headed for a strange experience.  

A Dosojin appears again when they arrive in front of the amusement park entrance (and the entrance to the spirit world). It beckons Chihiro to follow her parents inside, and she does so out of fear, going against her instincts. Father ironically remarks, “I want to see what’s on the other side” (33), indicating their full transition into the spirit realm. This combination of a spirit realm with regular human beings creates a magical realistic atmosphere that Chihiro must navigate to survive. A Dosojin will appear again at the end of Spirited Away, this time with no face at all; the appearance of this statue might symbolize Chihiro’s commencement and completion of a journey. When Chihiro’s parents begin exploring the amusement park, they hear train tracks, foreshadowing Chihiro’s later journey with No Face. They smell food, a key motif in the story that acts as the mechanism by which humans and the spirit world connect with each other.

The parent-child dynamic established here shows unsympathetic parents who fail to support their daughter in a period of transition, uncertainty, and fear. On the car ride, Chihiro is upset about losing her familiar life, a natural reaction for a child. In response, Mother and Father only scold her for her lack of enthusiasm, for smashing the flowers from her best friend, and for whining. They show no compassion. Later, at the temple, when her parents decide to enter the temple and Chihiro is hesitant, Father calls her a “scaredy cat,” and Mother tells her to “just wait in the car then” (37). Chihiro’s parents are determined to satisfy their curiosity and bodily appetites with no regard to their safety or their daughter’s. Chihiro stands alone as the voice of restraint and reason. After entering the spirit realm, Chihiro demonstrates wisdom and self-control, while Father and Mother exhibit foolishness and selfishness, reversing the typical parent-child dynamic. This role reversal leaves Chihiro isolated and alone to navigate the spirit world without the help of her parents, who are supposed to care for her and keep her safe.

The manga adaptation of Spirited Away is written from right to left in traditional manga fashion. It utilizes screenshots from the film and katakana to illustrate sounds the characters hear or those they make as they perform actions. Adding katakana to the manga and screenshots allows the reader to feel immersed in a film story, rather than just a traditional manga. Furthermore, the screenshots chosen are of key moments and expression changes, providing a full picture of what Chihiro and the other characters are feeling and expressing. Isolating the story into five parts, beginning with its prologue and first act, creates opportunities for a deeper and more complete experience and analysis of the story as the reader is forced to slow down and examine each moment with its symbolism, foreshadowing, and detailed imagery.