I'm sure i'm not the first person to think of this but while i was on a Ghibli film marathon i go the idea that all studio ghibli films either take place in either the Spirit World, or the Human world, or both. For instence, Spirited Away is mainly in the spirit world, with the beginning and end in the human world. Howl's Moving Castle and Castle In The Sky both take place in the spirit world and My Neighbor Totoro takes place in the Human world, with Totoro, (the death spirit) coming from the spirit world to warn the kids of their mothers death. Both humans and spirits can cross to the other world regularly, which would explain why there are humans in Howl's Moving Castle, and spirits in My Neighbor Totoro. I would go into more detail but i wanted to make it quick.

I don't think I can agree with this theory. There's nothing in Laputa or Howl to suggest a spirit world, they are merely alternative, fantasy worlds. One has futuristic powers and technology, the other has magic.

Porco, Nausicaa, Arietty, Earthsea... all set in alternate universes.

Mononoke - set in our real world in feudal times but with spirit symbolism added in. I don't see this as a spirit world, but our real world with spirits depicted in it as the Japanese people beleived at that time.

Whisper is a real story and the fantasy elements in that are just in a person's imagination - same with Kaze Tachinu.

Its a nice theory but I don't think it fits.

Awesome first post by the way - and welcome to the Tavern!

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Another issue is that many (maybe most?) are based on existing works, usually novels, so for such a theory to apply, every one of the original works' settings would have to be adjusted to fit into that kind of framework.

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I thought of this theory mainly because when i first watched Spirited Away like 8 years ago i always wondered what was out there besides the bath house. and this theory explains that its just other spirits/people living their day to day lives,

Absolutely! The world shown in Spirited Away is very much based on Japanese beliefs and the shinto religion as well as lots of folklore if I am not mistaken. Other Ghiblis like Pom Poko and Mononoke examine other areas of the same mythology.

This doesn't put them in a spirit world though, it merely shows the connection of our world to a world of spirits and other creatures that are bound up in Japanese folklore.

As Arren says, many Ghibli works, especially several recent ones, are based on pre-existing books, often by western authors and these works don't propose spirit worlds, only alternative worlds.

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"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

Welcome to the Tavern, Microbyte...

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I'm good with fan theories, so I can help you fit Nausicaa, Porco, Arrietty, and other films into this theory. I will post with results eventually.

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Alright....Here is what I've got so far....


Nausicaa also supports this theory because the people of Nausicaa inhabit the spirit world (aka the toxic jungle, somewhat) and make the Insects angry (the insects are the spirits). The reason that the Toxic Jungle is only so little is because Nausicaa takes place at the beginning of the timeline, so the Toxic Jungle is just a Jungle-sized pocket of the world. The Toxic Jungle grew and wiped out the humans, creating the spirit world. but wait, Flare!!! You say! Two things: The Insects don't resemble spirits, and Nausicaa is post apocolyptic.

Good points. The first question can be answered by one word: evolution. The insects gradually evolved to look more like the modern spirits in Spirited Away. As they evolved, their intelligence grew, and they transformed the Toxic Jungle into a place that better suited them: a bathouse in a Spirit world. By this time, they have all forgotten about things such as the apocolypse. They are two obsessed with helping their customers and money to remember. They still have glimpses of their memory, though, as they are disgusted by Chihiro because of what humanity did to them in Nausicaa, so they can at least remember that much.
But how does Yubaba fit in? To be continued next time on: Flare's support for fan theories.

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That is one WAY OUT theory, Flare... Way out there... lol

In one way do I agree with you. Nausicaa is supposed to be in an apocolyptic era after mankind has virtually wiped out the human race...

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Yeah, I'm working that in next time. I like to say I'm good with fan theories.

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I'm cool with fan theories within movies, but across movies set in obviously different universes... nah, I don't buy into that stuff.

I thought my theory of the 3 old gentleman musicians in Whisper being shown as young men in Pom Poko was pretty far out there, but this...

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"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)