Derganz Baker-- I REMEMBER

The movie Spirited Away was an amazing movie of love and growth. The movie is centered on a 10 year old girl named Chihiro who is stuck in the spirit world. Chihiro is trapped in the spirit world because of her parent’s gluttony and greed. Her parents ate all the food that was meant for the spirits; because they did this they were turned into pigs.  Greed is an element that shows itself a few times in this movie. One of the greediest people in the movie was Yubaba, the witch who was in charge of the spirit bath house. Several times we see her counting money or looking at jewelry. No-Face, a client that causes lots of trouble, keeps passing out little gold nuggets. Everyone in the bath house tends to his needs so they could get more money. In the end all the nuggets turn to dirt. To me it shows money cannot buy happiness.

While working in the bath house one of Chihro’s first jobs was to take care of a sludge monster that was large and smelly. Chihiro was the only one who noticed something was wrong with him. She pulled on a handle and all this garbage came out. Turns out that he was a polluted river spirit. To thank her, the river spirit gave Chihiro some kind of healing ball which she later used to heal Haku.

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Another element that Chihiro has to deal with is tradition and religion. The movie is about how humans should behave when entering the spirit world. They have to show respect or there will be consequences. Another example of religion and tradition in the movie is the bridge that Chihiro has to cross with Haku. Because Chihiro is a human she must hold her breath to cross.  There is also a lot of water in this movie which goes along with Shinto religion. Water can mean birth, and Chihiro is not the same girl that was at the beginning of the film. Chihiro went from being a little girl who with no self-confidence to a strong independent girl. She didn’t just help save her parents; Chihiro helped Haku remember his name, found a place for No-Face, and showed Yubaba that she shouldn’t underestimate people.

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Derganz Baker-Blinded by Rage

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The movie Nausicca was by far one of my favorite animes of the class. It’s a movie about a courageous young princess who risks her own life to save her people. Nausicca had a gift; she had the ability to calm giant insects from the toxic jungle. We first see this at the beginning of the film when Nausicca saves Lord Yupa from an Ohum. She calms the beast and sends it back to the jungle. Even at young age Nausicca had this gift, she once tried to hide a baby Ohum from the village. Her father took it away from her and told her that insects and humans can’t get along. She begs them not to kill it then falls to the ground crying. In her heart she feels that someway both insects and humans can get along.

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Nausicca was a true heroine. She was loved by everyone in the valley. She put herself in front of an angry herd of Ohum. In the end she was mowed over and thrown into the air. She lands on the ground dead. At first we think that she is really dead, but what kind of movie would that be. The Ohum realize that she means them no harm and bring her back to life. She turns out be the prophesy; she is the one in blue that will bring harmony.  Nausicca didn’t like all the killing that was going on. Throughout the film she tells people to stop. After she found her father dead she attacked the soliders killing many of them, after all that bloodshed she broke down in tears.  

Princess Nausicca is kind of like another princess that we encountered earlier in the year in the movie Princess Mononoke.  San is another great example of a true heroine. She too put her life on the line to try and protect her forest and the creatures in it. She tries to kill her biggest enemy who was destroying her forest. She also goes to battle with the leader of the boar clan because he was blind…and a bit stubborn. She knew that she could not let him fight without her.

Both women make great role models. They weren’t the typical princesses who sat in a tower waiting for their prince to come. Every girl should learn how to be just like Nausicca and San.