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Wikidkid101
Totoro
Registration Date: 10.27.11
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| Spirited Away: Is it the best? |       |
We all know on this website that because Spirited Away was the film that got Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli noticed in the western part of the world, especially the UK and I am guessing America to, does it, like most critics say, make it the best Ghibli film. Personally I don't think it does, I know this sounds like all I am asking for is your favourite Ghibli film but it isn't, I mean you can put a film that isn't your favourite but you still think is better, or like me it could be your favourite film that is what you think is Miyazaki's best work. I thought it would be good to find out if people think Spirited Away is the best and if so why and if not why not. This very much based on personal opinion.
I am not looking for an essay or a biopic on your opinions but I just thought it would be interesting to see why people if any do not think it is Miyazaki's best.
Personnally I don't think it is, Don't get me wrong it is an amzing animation one of the best out their, as well as one of the best films overall in the world, but when I watch it then watch Howls Moving Castle, it feels like their is something missing from Spirited Away, that almost WOW factor for the want of a better word, that I get when I watch Howl's, Mononoke and Totoro, when I watch it I get to the end and think that was fantastic but I can't watch it straight away, but with others like Totoro or Howl's I could do that, I could watch it then watch it straight away again. I think it is because it wasn't the ending I wanted for the film personally as I journeyed through the plot with Chihiro/ Sen, or maybe because the story is not as lighthearted as that of Howl's or Totoro, But because of this it Just isn't to me Miyazaki's best.
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 01.04.2012, 04:51 PM |
  
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hopexx5
Totoro
Registration Date: 01.17.11
Location: UK
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I think of spirited away as thinking outside of the box, I don't generally watch it as much as i do other ghibli products. But that does not mean it ranks low in my books.
I would give it a 9/10 its one off the max for me because i cant quite connect to it the way i can with others, an example being whisper of the heart.
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| 01.04.2012, 06:47 PM |
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Tea Master Tall
Totoro
Registration Date: 04.01.07
Location: United States
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I don't think Spirited Away is his best. It is truly a masterpiece, but personally, not my favorite. However, I don't think I could ever put Howl's Moving Castle over it. It seems that Howl's plot never really... dragged me in like his other films. The animation is really cool and it probably has the best English dub, but I don't think it comes up to the standard of quality set by Spirited Away. Just my opinion. I probably will never know what my all time favorite Ghibli is, so blah. Right now, I have really taken a liking to Kiki's Delivery Service, though. Oh, and of course, Whisper of the Heart! Those are the 2 films that seem to be closest to me right now. My favorites will probably keep changing through out my life, though.
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Post last edited by Tea Master Tall on 01.05.2012, 01:00 AM.
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| 01.05.2012, 12:59 AM |
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captain george
Ohmu
Registration Date: 11.09.11
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Its all a matter of opinion i guess... While i wouldent consider Spirited Away to be the best Ghibli film there is, its in my opinion by far the most imaginative. How Miyazaki thought up some of the scenes/charector's/setting is.... unthinkable.... You could spend months dissecting it because theres just so much going on with it. Its got so many brilliant moments that it would be unfair to just talk about one or two as you could do with most films.
For me, its not as entertaining as Porco or Laputa and it doesnt give me the warm and fuzzys like Totoro and Whisper, but in terms of wonder and imagination, its out of this world.... Literally 
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| 01.05.2012, 03:07 AM |
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AzViking
Kodama
Registration Date: 01.05.12
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Earlier today I put together a list of my top 10 ghibli films, thought long and hard about it, and ended up putting spirited away as my #1
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| 01.05.2012, 11:30 PM |
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Wikidkid101
Totoro
Registration Date: 10.27.11
Location: A Small Island somewhere in the world
Posts: 523 |
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Cool!! Welcome to the site AzViking, post as much as you can and get yourself known on the threads and forums.
Again Wlecome!!
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| 01.06.2012, 12:52 PM |
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Calforsale
Totoro
Registration Date: 01.19.10
Location: Sydney, Australia
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quote:
Originally posted by Tea Master Tall
However, I don't think I could ever put Howl's Moving Castle over it. It seems that Howl's plot never really... dragged me in like his other films. The animation is really cool and it probably has the best English dub, but I don't think it comes up to the standard of quality set by Spirited Away.
I agree with you so much. I don't really think that Howls is that great, and it is probably my least favorite ghibli movie.
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I think the best movie would be Naussica. It has such amazing messages and themes in it, it is such a powerful movie. My favorite is Laputa though lol.
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| 01.06.2012, 11:01 PM |
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hopexx5
Totoro
Registration Date: 01.17.11
Location: UK
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My favorite would be Princess mononoke to be honest.
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| 01.07.2012, 09:59 AM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
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quote:
Originally posted by captain george
Its all a matter of opinion i guess... While i wouldent consider Spirited Away to be the best Ghibli film there is, its in my opinion by far the most imaginative. How Miyazaki thought up some of the scenes/charector's/setting is.... unthinkable....
To western viewers, yes. But to Japanese viewers it would all seem very familiar and understandable, none of it would seem strange or fantastical, no more than a typical western mythology or folklore tale would seem strange to us in the west - think Pocahontas or Beauty and the Beast. How strange and fantastic do those seem to you? Not at all - that is how Spirited Away seems to Japanese viewers.
Possibly a Japanese audience might see the film as if taken through the eyes of a person from an older generation, a little old-fashioned but the content isn't really unusual for them. The specific story might be and the animation quality and directing, yes.
As a few others have said, Whipser of the Heart I think tells a more worthwhile story in a stronger way.
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| 01.07.2012, 10:21 AM |
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Orphic Okapi
Baron
Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
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quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
quote:
Originally posted by captain george
Its all a matter of opinion i guess... While i wouldent consider Spirited Away to be the best Ghibli film there is, its in my opinion by far the most imaginative. How Miyazaki thought up some of the scenes/charector's/setting is.... unthinkable....
To western viewers, yes. But to Japanese viewers it would all seem very familiar and understandable, none of it would seem strange or fantastical, no more than a typical western mythology or folklore tale would seem strange to us in the west - think Pocahontas or Beauty and the Beast. How strange and fantastic do those seem to you? Not at all - that is how Spirited Away seems to Japanese viewers.
I don't know if that's entirely true. I know Miyazaki uses the framework of Japanese mythology to tell the story of Spirited Away, so there are probably elements to the film that are familiar to Japanese viewers (kind of like opening with "Once upon a time" would be familiar to a Western audience). But as far as I know, the most prominent characters and spirits in the movie are all of his own invention. No-Face is most definitely not derived from Japanese mythology. Yubaba is based on the Duchess from Alice in Wonderland, and so is more Western than Eastern.
I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of Japanese mythology, but I'm pretty sure Kamajii, the giant baby, and the bouncing heads are all straight from Miyazaki's imagination as well. The only character who is directly derived from Japanese myth is probably Haku, since most dragons had human forms and could transform back and forth between the two. But even then, it isn't really part of Japanese myth to have a dragon be the spirit of a particular river; that never really happens.
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| 01.07.2012, 12:52 PM |
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Wikidkid101
Totoro
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| 01.07.2012, 03:28 PM |
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It's funny. Spirited Away is the film that got me interested in Studio Ghibli. But now that I have seen earlier Ghibli works, I would have to say it is one of my least favourite. It's not a bad movie at all, I just....couldn't connect with it.
And I know that some may disagree with me on this, but I do not think it is Miyazaki's most imaginative film. Creating and drawing crazy creatures and animated fantastic fantasy sequences is definitely a challenge for anyone's imagination. But the characters and stories of something Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Princess Mononoke seem like they are even more imaginative, just in a different, slightly less "fantasy" way.
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| 01.07.2012, 06:46 PM |
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captain george
Ohmu
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i do consider all of Miyazaki's works to be imaginative, even stuff like the little book he wrote years ago about the boy who builds an aeroplane to take his handicapped sister on an adventure is sweet, charming and imaginative. But again, Spirited Away is the most imaginative thing he's done. Everyones got opinions and i do take on board that it may not seem so imaginative the the Japanese, but the story and the way its told, coupled with the charectors and amazing scenes make for one hell of a creative movie.
id like to know what he himself considers to be his most creative....
btw, iv never seen Pocahontas or Beauty and the Beast, so i wouldent know
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| 01.08.2012, 02:03 AM |
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I meant that because I can watch Howls more than Spirited Away I like it more IMO it is better. But on the subject of animation no question that Spirited Away is far more superior, but IMO I prefer the storyline, but thats becuase I find Spirited Aways plot very heavy compared to Howls and thats why I can watch Howls more than Spirited Away!!