Miyazaki's Spirited Away

[Liminal Syzygy]

This is why some of us watch it in Japanese with subtitles.

Yep, I agree the Japanese voice acting for Spirited Away (all the Studio Ghibli productions for that matter) is much better than the English. Not to mention they have to jump through hoops and warp the English script in many cases to match the mouth flaps, while the Japanese is drawn to say specifically what they have already decided it is going to say.

Japanese dubs of English animation is often even worse, however. (Unlike Europe, foreign movies in Japan use subtitles, but for animations and other kid-oriented movies that obviously doesn't work so they released both dubbed and subtitled versions.)

 

[Stormfalcon]

Agreed, I even have the hacked up Warriors of the Wind version, it's so dear to me.

I'm definately miffed that I cannot find a copy of Nausicaa for region 1 though.

Take heart, though it'll be a long wait. Nausicaa should be on her way to R1 late this year (November/December release, IIRC). They just recently announced the cast list at www.nausicaa.net.

At least we'll have Porco Rosso to tide us over in April

 

[TheAuldGrump]

For the most part I hate anime. (Bad animation - very low frame rate, lousy shading.)

Miyazaki created all four of the anime that I like... Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service (For some reason the Clerk at Blockbuster sent me to the adult section to look for it, in reality it was of course in the family section...) and My Neighbor Totoro.

Of them Spirited Away was the best, and for folks who run Changeling: the Dreaming (and the eastern supplement Land of Eight Million Dreams) this is a wonderfully evocative film. The only anime I own, though Kiki and Toyoro are both on the list to buy later.

The Auld Grump, Castle in the Sky fell a bit flat for me - maybe because my hopes were so high...

 

[DM_Matt]

Okay, So I just watched this movie and I am not totally sure what is going on. I liked it, but in the same breath I was a bit disturbed...

What did others think of this movie..?

Try to find someone with an Academy copy. I heard that theirs has built-in explanations of the cultural werdities.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

Take heart, though it'll be a long wait. Nausicaa should be on her way to R1 late this year (November/December release, IIRC). At least we'll have Porco Rosso to tide us over in April

Not soon enough! I've waited YEARS for it!

Yes, instant gratification must be placated!

 

[MarauderX]

All right, you might find one negative word- the blood was a little freaky. The negative word being freaky. But... I just watched that movie and its sooooooooo good. I liked princess mononoke a little better, mostly because Spirited Away seems like a kids story, whereas Princess Mononoke seems a little more adult- all that violence and gore and freaky goop.

I gotta agree with ya. I suppose if you watch anime it starts to be a standard thing with the goop, violence, etc. but I thought the scale of humans in Spirited Away was much better than many others, as were the little things like conveying feelings through facial expressions.