[OT] Anyone catch "Spirited Away"?

[Torx]

I happened to get into Seattle Sunday and saw Miyazaki's "Spirited Away", the highest grossing movie never to open in the US . . . until it opened in the US, that is.

I'm curious to hear what people thought of it, and any juicy ideas anyone gleamed in order to turn into good d&d idears.

I personally liked the movie (not as much as I liked his "Princess Mononoke"), but I loved the spirit world that was created. There was an interesting mix of characters and races, something new always keeping you interested. In particular, I liked the boiler man and his soot-mates. I also liked the idea of both river spirits (I won't say any more, no spoilers here).

But most intriguing was their use of magic. That's how I always dreamed magic to be as a child, not the complex arcane rules that d&d makes me envision. The careless casual use (seemingly not paying attention as a room cleans itself up), visual effects (Haku's blossom spell at the beginning on the bridge), and having limits, while never having to explicitly explain "why?".

All-in-all - good movie, definitely for children, but I'm glad I saw it - and it gives me some great ideas, akin to Alice in Wonderland and Sigil.

 

[psionotic]

Thanks for the mini-review! Although I'm not much of an anime fan, Princess Mononoke is one of my favorites, so I have high hopes for Spirited Away. Alas, its not playing in my area yet, but I realllly want to see it.

 

[barsoomcore]

Just got back from "Spirited Away" -- thought it was tremendous. Miyazaki is a great gift to world culture.

It's not as tightly plotted as "Mononoke" was, that's for sure, but the dubbing is MUCH better. It is in fact the only dubbed anime I've ever seen that didn't totally suck. Usually the dubbing is so awful that (like with "Mononoke") it detracts so much from the picture I can't watch. But getting John Lasseter behind this one was a stroke of genius.

Anyway, highly recommended, even if you've never seen an anime before. It's unlike anything you've seen, I guarantee. And for anime fans, Miyazaki's imagination and attention to graphic detail remain as spectacular as ever. Definitely to be seen on the big screen.

 

[Epametheus]

Heh. I saw a fansub of it a couple months ago; it's a very odd movie, to put it mildly. Spirited Away isn't remotely as violent as Mononoke Hime (okay, Mononoke Hime is easily the most violent thing that Miyazaki's ever made, and probably the only thing he's ever made that might not be okay for children to watch).

And yeah, the river spirits are interesting...

Spirited Away is certainly a much trippier movie than Laputa: Castle in the Sky (and to those who know what Laputa means, 1) it's intended as a reference to Gulliver's Travels, and 2) no, Miyazaki probably did not know what it actually means)..

 

[Gizzard]

Yes, I saw it and enjoyed it. I cant think of a Miyazaki film I didnt enjoy though, when it comes right down to it.

Odd happening: I was in Japan with some friends when the movie opened; two of our group decided to go see it even though they speak almost no Japanese. So, if you think it was trippy in English, imagine seeing it without being able to understand the dialogue. ;-)

Favorite Miyazaki: Porco Roso. I heard somewhere that he considers that one of his lesser films, but for me, the old planes and the bittersweet pig are just right.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

for anyone who has no idea what they're talking about (like i did)

http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/spiritedaway/index2.html

is the official site, and has a trailer...

 

[Kibo]

Miyazaki is a genius, that's for sure. I saw Spirited away at the Uptown in seattle. (One thing that ticks me off about seattle is how you have to usually go way out of your way to see some movies like Spirited Away. They're rarely the nicer theaters, and always the ones with the worst parking and other transportation options. Usually I blame the [explitive] who own the Landmark theater chain, and it married to that info-ho Danni Ashe.)

Anyway, he just has this infectious blend of message, humor, and flat out sweet drama that never fails to please.

If you like the little soot guys, or if you know younger kids, check out My Neighbor Totoro. The dub is decent suitable for all ages (adults included)and just a sweet all around movie. Kiki's Delivery Service doesn't suck either.

For fare that's somewhat less kid friendly, I like Nausicaa (post WWIII holocaust that promotes an equitable relationship with the enviroment). People die, over all a pretty high body count, but not terribly gory.

Laputa is pretty sweet too.

(Princess Mononoke I would say is a five out of four star movie, and most of these and spirited away are what I would consider his solid four star flicks.) Everyone has their favorites though.

You almost can't go wrong with anything he's done though.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi all!

I saw Spirited Away last weekend and I thought it was simply fantastic! The little sootballs were particularly enchanting.

I must admit I had not previously seen any of Miyazakis work before this but Princess Mononoke is on the horizon for this weekend.