Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi: Character and Theme Analysis
The film Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi is a Japanese animated film. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli in 2001. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi is a fantasy film that addresses several themes and carries various messages. It is full of Shinto beliefs and symbolisms. Shinto elements can be found throughout the film, from character design to simple acts such as crossing a tunnel/bridge to reach another realm and eating that realm’s food in order to stay in it. This paper will focus on some of the themes presented in the film as well as some of its main characters.
There are two themes within the title of the film, one of them is Kamikakushi. Kamikakushi is an old Japanese folk belief that literally means, “to be hidden by a Kami/deity”. The closest English translation is “Spirited Away”. It was used as an explanation to sudden disappearances of young people. The term was used when people –usually villagers- searched for the mysteriously missing people for
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In Japan, relationships such as senior-junior relationships are firmly prescribed. In the bathhouse Yubaba is the senior and Kamaji is the junior who persistently disobeys Yubaba while still affording fundamental work to the bathhouse. What is interesting is the existence of Haku somewhere between the two extremes of this vertical relationship. The real identity of Haku is a river deity called Nigihayami Kohakunushi. It is implied that Yubaba stole most of his name and thus controlled him into being her apprentice. The name Haku (literally meaning “white”) brings impressions of being “pure” and “innocent”. However, Haku carries some dubious aspects to his personality. He, after all, works for Yubaba to learn her magic. He is also a thief that stole Zeniba’s (Yubaba’s twin sister)
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Akira Kurosaw’s Seven Samurai is a film that encompasses various ideologies in order to allow the audience to understand the lives of Japanese people during the 1600’s. The film delves deep in social issues of the roles of the people within the society, the expectations as well as the obligations within the respected castes and elements within groups of ; suffering, working together, protecting family and working for the better good of the community.
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In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the main characters are responsible for their own deaths because they refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions. Romeo acts irresponsibly throughout the play making inappropriate decisions. Juliet is persuaded out of her apprehensions by Romeo and is blinded by her unrealistic love for Romeo. However, the two lovers cannot be blamed entirely for their own deaths as other characters and the two lovers’ feuding families hold responsibility.
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Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire, takes place in the Land of Oz. It actually takes place forty years before The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum, and it tells the story of how Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, became so wicked (Fiction Book Review). This book was written in 1995. Maguire wrote this book in the early 1900’s when he was living in London. At this time, the Gulf War was just starting. Maguire was intrigued by the headline in the British Newspaper, the Times of London, that said, “Sadaam Hussein: The New Hitler?” Months later, there was an incident where several young schoolboys kidnapped and killed a toddler. While the British press was paying attention to the crime,
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James Goodwin, `Tragedy without Heroes' in Akira Kurosawa and Intertextual Cinema (Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1994), pp. 165-216
Japan is known for its unique gardening style, their diverse plants, their food, and their beautifully woven tapestries. Yet, most do not know about the history of their drama. Japanese Noh theatre is one of the most precise and prestigious art forms. It has been this way since the fourteenth century when Zeami first created Noh theatre. Zeami’s most famous plays, such as Kinuta, are still performed today. Japanese drama has not changed much since the fourteenth century because it has made a lasting effect on the culture. Noh theatre had a major influence on fourteenth century Japan and has affected modern day drama.
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