2014/12/18 · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Japanese History and Culture #Asian Culture and Media Studies
paper · doi:10.4324/9781315703152-19
openalex publication_date 2014/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/05
In 2001, Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) established Hayao Miyazaki as the undisputed leader in a national obsession with anime. The film, however, was not unequivocally praised as a masterpiece. Many Internet commentators complain that Spirited Away was less enjoyable than Miyazaki’s earlier films, especially those produced before Princess Mononoke. Spirited Away seemed somehow empty. Such was my own reaction; it was not as entertaining as Laputa: Castle in the Sky or Kiki’s Delivery Service. It was not as didactic as Princess Mononoke. It seemed that the film wanted to say something, but I was unsure of its message.