Author: Dickens

Source: Point Ten Investment

Introduction: When I first watched "Spirited Away" over a decade ago, I was deeply touched by this movie that appears warm but carries sadness. There are always certain plots and dialogues that can make you silently shed tears. Behind this movie that has caused a huge sensation in Japan and internationally, it reflects a huge background of an era: Japan's 20 years of economic decline (The Lost Decade)! This article is from zhihu, vividly depicting the economic implications behind "Spirited Away".

[In a borderless era, those without a foothold are the most despised. A foothold means the past, means history. In my opinion, people without history and nations that forget the past can only disappear like mayflies, or like a hen that only knows how to lay eggs, until they are eaten.] - Hayao Miyazaki, "Chihiro in the Strange World - The Theme of This Movie", November 6, 1999.

Chihiro Ogino was a 10-year-old girl in 2001, in other words, Chihiro Ogino was a child born in Japan in 1991. Japan experienced a long period of economic downturn from the collapse of the bubble economy in 1991 to the early 2000s, a decade known in Japan as the "Lost Decade", with the people of Japan in 1991 being referred to as "The Lost Generation".

The character Chihiro represents this "Lost Generation", and Miyazaki wanted to tell the story of Chihiro's loss to show the Japanese at that time how to find and return while lost. The two "Chi" in "Chihiro" added together make 2000, symbolizing that the movie will explore Japan's "search" at the turn of the century in the year 2000.

Behind the lost Chihiro is the lost Japanese economy. The entire animation uses the story of a lost little girl as a metaphor for Japan's "national loss", discussing how contemporary Japan should find a way out, and how this lost generation can redeem themselves.

This is the design principle of the whole movie story. All the settings in the story are in service and based on this core design principle.

The 'Lost in the Country' of japan

Why did the Spirited Away family get lost? After their Audi turned from National Highway 20 to National Highway 21, the parents took a shortcut to save distance, which eventually led to the whole family getting lost. This symbolizes Japan transitioning from the 20th century to the 21st century, and due to the previous generation taking shortcuts instead of following the right path, it has led the entire Japan into a lost state similar to a bubble.

When the parents decided to take a shortcut, Chihiro already had a foreboding feeling. She kept struggling and shouting loudly 'I won't go,' but her parents' insistence forced Chihiro to reluctantly follow. This actually corresponds to the younger generation in Japan's real world, being dependent on their elders, having their life paths 'prescribed,' and being led down a pre-determined path full of sorrow and helplessness.

What does the white dragon symbolize?

Many film critics define 'Spirited Away' as a love story, believing it to be the love between the White Dragon and Chihiro. However, this is not the case. Let's first answer: Why is it called the White Dragon? 'White' is the color of Japan's deities, including the national flag with large white parts; while 'dragon' in Japan is also a symbol of the orthodox imperial family, as well as a symbol of the water god.

The relationship between Haku and Chihiro can be seen from some of their dialogues in the film:

At the beginning of the film, Haku calls Chihiro a "good kid," not just once, which means in Haku's eyes Chihiro is just a child.

Chihiro asks Haku, "How do you know my name," and Haku replies, "I've known you since you were very young." Why does Haku say this? In the end of the film, Chihiro helps Haku retrieve his real name, which is "Ryūnosuke Kohaku Nushi" (also translated as "Zensuke Kohaku Nushi"). The name "Ryūnosuke" is derived from the name of a deity recorded in the "Nihon Shoki" and "Shoku Nihongi" - "Ryūsona". Therefore, when Chihiro hears Haku's name, she comments, "Such a great name, like a deity." So, what kind of deity is "Ryūsona"? It is said that "Ryūsona" descended to the human world before the Emperor Jinmu arrived in Japan, ruled the Yamato region, then was deprived of power upon Emperor Jinmu's eastern expedition, and thereafter became a vassal of the Japanese Emperor Jinmu. However, "Ryūsona" has always been regarded by some Japanese as the god of the ancestors, the origin of Japan's collective spiritual consciousness. In other words, in the film, Haku symbolizes the essence and tradition of Yamato before it was plundered by the Emperor, representing Japan's past. Therefore, it's not surprising that Haku calls Chihiro "child" and tells her "I've known you since you were very young."

As a symbol of water and river, Haku represents the beginning of life. Chihiro once fell into the river of Haku, depicting the amniotic fluid of a fetus and the mother's womb, and the dragon represents masculinity, so Haku also symbolizes Chihiro's (Japan's) past and origin.

However, unfortunately, the river representing the source and belief of the 'Yamato' was buried and filled in by construction due to the development of the times; Bai Long, in order to learn magic, was used by Yu-baba, engaged in many bad activities, slowly forgetting his true name. Just as Boiler Grandpa said: 'After Bai Long became Yu-baba's apprentice, his face became uglier and his eyes became more fierce.'

In the mission to steal the witch seal from Yu-baba, Bai Long was cursed and badly injured by countless white papers attacking him. When Bai Long was close to death, Chihiro's river god pill caused Bai Long to spit out the seal to save his life. If Bai Long represents Japan's past, then the seal he stole is the evidence of the witch Yu-baba's contract, or can be understood as a symbol of 'sovereignty', and the sheets of white paper naturally correspond to the 'unequal treaties'. Bai Long (the past Japan), forgetting himself, was used to steal and swallow the seal ('sovereignty') that should not be swallowed, and was cursed and chased by sheets of white paper ('unequal treaties'). Almost dying, finally with Chihiro's help, he swallowed the river god pill and spit out the seal (sovereignty) to survive. What does Yu-baba represent?

"Yuya" is a Japanese classical style bathhouse with a very strong traditional Japanese style, where all the employees wear traditional Japanese clothing. And on the top floor of this building full of traditional 'Wafu' style - 'Ten', is a completely Western-style room. In addition, the highest authority figure in the entire production system is a person who looks like a Westerner in terms of clothing and appearance, the Yu-baba.

Isn't this a metaphor for the relationship between Japan and the USA?

In this production system of 'Yuya', everyone is working hard, but the beneficiaries are the superior Western Yu-baba. Everyone has signed contracts with this Western Yu-baba using their names, everyone has forgotten their names, forgotten their origins, as if they have sold their souls; in this world governed by Yu-baba, anyone who does not work will turn into an animal, and everyone must create value for Yu-baba; moreover, this Western lady will occasionally transform into a white-haired eagle (national bird of the USA) to patrol this world that belongs to her.

What is No-Face?

Kaonashi, No-Face in Japanese, means 'having no face', representing a state of confusion, coldness, loneliness, and susceptibility to influence for Japanese people in the year 2000. In the brief conversation between Chihiro and No-Face, we can see that the author indeed has this kind of symbolism in the movie.

Chihiro's questions also serve as a philosophical inquiry by Hayao Miyazaki to modern Japanese people. Who are you? Where do you come from? Where are you going? Contemporary Japanese people cannot clarify these three questions: No-Face only knows unconsciously devouring all desires, while growing itself, it brings destruction to its surroundings and continuously distorts its appearance. This reflects Japan's blindly driven development, forgetting its origins, not knowing where it is heading.

The faceless man who remains silent insists on giving Chihiro medicine, gold, everything he thinks Chihiro would want. But as Chihiro said, 'The things I want, you can never provide.' This is probably a dialogue between the young generation and the older generation of Japanese people at a deep level of the soul, where what the lost older generation created is not what this generation truly needs; their created 'wealth' is 'worthless' to the younger generation. In the end, much like the White Dragon, the faceless man endlessly consumes only to achieve self-redemption through 'vomiting'. What does Yubaba represent?

"Things that happened in the past cannot be forgotten, just overlooked," this is what Yubaba said to Chihiro. Yubaba lives in the sixth station of the water train, all the numbers appearing in the film have profound metaphors. If one station represents a decade, then Chihiro would have to go back 60 years in order to talk to Yubaba. Counting back from the film's release in 2001, 60 years ago would be the 1940s, and what Japan did in the 1940s in the world needs no further explanation. Chihiro, along with the faceless man (modern lost Japan), replaces the White Dragon (past Japan) to apologize to Yubaba living at the bottom of the swamp. So Yubaba's identity is quite clear.

Yubaba lives in the 'heaven' of the bathhouse, while Yubaba lives at the distant 'bottom of the swamp', one representing day and the other representing night, an opposing relationship. Just as Yubaba said, she and Yubaba are twins but cannot get along at all. If Yubaba symbolizes 'Europe and America', then Yubaba undoubtedly symbolizes 'Asia'.

The image shows Yubaba's house at the 'bottom of the swamp', this 'Asian-style' building is in stark contrast to the 'Westernized' appearance of Zeniba in the bathhouse. And more cleverly, the character '荻' in '千寻' originally means a plant like a reed growing on the edge of a marsh, while '千寻' has the same meaning in Chinese and Japanese, 'divided by eight feet'. '千寻', describing something very deep or long. Therefore, the name '千寻' can be understood as 'a plant growing from the deep bottom of the water', echoing Yubaba's residence 'bottom of the swamp', which is the source of Chihiro's life, just as 'Asia' is the source of 'Japan'.

Conclusion:

In the film 'Spirited Away', there are actually many details that correspond to the core design principle of the film, the 'Lost Japan'. For example, the scene where Chihiro helps clean the rotten spirit's garbage actually symbolizes Japan's neglect of the environment due to development; another example is the Japanese title including '神隐' which implies hidden gods, and the pile of forgotten and abandoned stone shrines that Chihiro's family encounters at the beginning of the film actually speaks to the loss of Japanese people's belief in their origins... Only by finding appropriate and interesting 'design principles' for the story can a great story be achieved. The importance of 'design principles' in story creation is self-evident.

Hayao Miyazaki tells the story of a little girl entering a different world and getting lost, attempting to present his own answer to the spiritual aspect of Japan's 'lost national spirit' in contemporary times - carrying the lost self of the present, tracing back to the roots, apologizing and reflecting on past mistakes, finding oneself, figuring out who they truly are, only then will they know where to go!