So basically, you might have heard about this before, but a theory about the inspiration for the original Spirited Away is that chihiro represents young girls who are forced to become prostitutes under a new name and a boss. The idea I had would mirror a young boy being used as child labor.

So the basic plot is about a young boy who fell into the Kohaku River, and when he surfaces, is in a place he doesn't recognize. He get's out of the water and wanders down a dirt road during the night. He eventually comes across a village, or a town, or something else, I haven't thought that through yet. But anyway, in this village/town/other the boy finds a theater, similar in style to the old Shakespeare one, like this. The boy then goes to sleep somewhere in the theater.

When he wakes, he is either met by, or eventually comes across or is brought to Genji, a frogman (except fatter and more frog-like) Then, the boy is basically forced to help the Theater with an upcoming performance of a play for the local spirits, like the shadow people or the ones with the masks that become invisible. The rest of the story is just the boy meeting new creatures and practicing being a member of the stage-crew, who's job is to make all the special effects for the play and to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Only after the play goes flawlessly is the young boy allowed to go home, guided there by a spirit.

I haven't thought this through very much, but I've had this idea for a while and wanted to get it down somewhere, so if you have any ideas or feedback I'd be more than happy to hear it.

I do like the idea, Micro. ^^ It fits well into the Spirited Away world; I can easily picture the events unfolding.

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