Movies and Worldview: Spirited Away

Stories are an integral part of our lives aren't they? They are an art form, a type of communication, that we use to convey how we see the world. Our values and the values of our culture seep into the story. We paint the world we see through stories. Movies are just another medium for storytelling. And one of my favorites to be honest. They must be a favorite of yours as well because the most popular post on my blog continues to be Movies and History: El Dorado, where I examined the relationship between a movie and real history. You see? We all know movies communicate more than you first suspect. Recently I had the opportunity to examine a movie called "Spirited Away" for the sake of a school project. But I couldn't just leave it at that. I had to share some of my findings with you. The question I had to examine the movie through was this: 

What does this foreign film communicate about its worldview and how should I respond as a Christian? 

What is a Worldview?

This word is heard a lot in Christian circles today. But what does it mean? And how does it apply to movies like Spirited Away? Put in a long fashion, a worldview is the framework of our most basic beliefs that shapes our view of the world and is the basis of our decisions and actions. Put in a shorter fashion, a worldview is like glass lens you see the world through. Ever heard the expression "through rose-colored glasses?" It's a similar concept. 

"[Worldview] is like an invisible pair of eyeglasses - glasses you put on to help you see reality clearly." ~ Jeff Baldwin

What Worldview does is act as a foundation. Imagine a pyramid with Worldview on the bottom. Your foundation is how you see the world. The middle layer, on top of your worldview, are your core values. At the top of the pyramid are your actual behaviors. You see? How you see the world shapes your value system and ends up dictating how you behave. 

In addition, there are....

Four key areas a worldview will impact:  

• How you relate to God (Ultimate Being)
• How you relate with Humanity
• How you relate with Nature
• How you relate with yourself

Having taken the time to figure out my own worldview personally, I was now ready to dive into this foreign film and discover which worldview it was communicating 

So let's get to the fun part already!

Chihiro with Haku

The Story

"Spirited Away" was written by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. Since its release in 2001 it has been the most successful film in Japanese history. If you have never heard of Miyazaki, he is often called the Walt Disney of Japan. His many films have the reputation of being magical and memorable. 

The story centers around the rather whiney little Chihiro as she moves with her family to a new city. Their journey becomes sidetracked when they wander into what appears to be an abandoned theme park. But when the sun sets everything changes. Chihiro's parents have been transformed into pigs and strange, bizarre spirits are now roaming the lighted streets! Chihiro must overcome her fears if she wants to free her parents and escape this place. 

Many challenges await her. Chihiro finds a job in a bathhouse for spirits, loses her name, and must decide whether to really trust the mysterious Haku is she wants to succeed. Along the way, the small girl finds her bravery and makes unforgettable friends in this sweeping adventure

For fun, you should definitely check out the trailer!

Worldview of Spirited Away

A River Spirit

For any of you who have already watched the film, you know it's not like our normal American-made movies. It doesn't include our normal cast of fantasy characters. And why would it? It was made in Japan! It's interesting to note that Miyazaki intended this movie for a child audience. Japanese children must be made of tougher stuff than American kids! All the bizarre spirits and witches in this film are what big sisters like me call "monsters." So what's the deal here? 

It's pretty simple. These movies were made by a Japanese storyteller. He naturally draws from a widespread worldview in his country. A belief system commonly known as Shintoism. 

Shintoism: a devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called Kami, to shrines, and to various rituals. 

The Kami would be the assorted spirits you see in the movie. They are neutral, neither good nor evil, so long as all things are kept in balance. This is because, in Shinto, no one in inherently bad. Evil is like a disease that infects someone. Shintoism has no absolute truth and no ultimate god. Only these nature spirits. So, very loosely, here are the... 

Rules of Shintoism: 

• Do not break harmony with the Kami (nature spirits)
• Do not disrupt worship of Kami
• Do nothing to disturb harmony of the world
• Do not harm natural world

A lot of Japanese culture is steeped in this religious worldview. So, it comes as no surprise to find it in Miyazaki's "Spirited Away." You can see evidence of it in almost every one of his films. I watch a lot of Japanese anime as well and I'll tell you the Shintoism is there too. It's expected. What does that mean for Christians? Can we enjoy stories like this that hold a worldview different than our own? 

Soot Spirits 

How Christians should (or should not) respond

Just for kicks I went out and looked for reviews on this movie written by other Christians. I was met with very different perspectives of this film. 

Let's focus on the negative first. This first reviewer gave Spirited away a -4 on their scale. The spirits and witches were clearly not a wise decision for good Christians to be viewing. There were no allusions to a Christ-figure or even a God. If the story does not support a Christian worldview then what purpose does it serve to watch it?

"Abhorrent ~ Creepy Worldview." ~ MovieGuide.org

Because someone says something in a way we disagree with, does that mean we can't hold a conversation with them? I wonder what MovieGuide would have to say about the Chronicles of Narnia? That had pagan symbolism in it too you know. Centaurs, fauns, unicorns, and Rivergods aren't Christian. And hey! C.S. Lewis turned Jesus into a lion! Just saying. 

When you set the Shintoism aside for a second you can see what else this movie offers. There are healthy themes of courage, loyalty, and growing up in "Spirited Away." The story also deals with things like greed, selfishness, putting other's needs before your own, and true love. Our Christian worldview deals with those as well doesn't it? 

I believe that a Christian who understands their own worldview can watch a movie like Spirited Away and still come away with a valuable lesson. Of course, we all should monitor what media we allow to influence our lives. I'm just saying you can't discount a movie's value based entirely on the cultural worldview. 

Beautiful Art from Film

Well! That was a mouthful wasn't it? Worldview really is an interesting thing when you start applying it to the movies and shows you watch. You learn a lot. Would you like to see more posts like this? Has anyone else watched Japanese films before? Questions or critiques are always welcome in the comment section below.

The Unpopular Opinions Tag

Okay okay, I was not officially tagged for this post. But the amazing Annika Smith @ Writer and Proud opened up the tag to everyone! So how could I resist? Plus, I needed something fun to work on this week what with all the rain we’ve been having. What’s more fun than sharing my unpopular opinions on books? Sharing my unpopular opinions on movies! We’ll get a bit of both in this tag so let’s get too it. 

A popular Book/Series you Didn’t Like

The Inheritance Series

This series only got worse. I can say this because I grew up as these books were coming out. Paolini was cool because he was a homeschooler and wrote fantasy about elves and riding dragons! But as I got older and broadened my reading horizons I realized how….how horrible the writing was. Paolini should really have waited until he matured a bit before subjecting us to his Star Wars/ Lord of the Rings mash-up. I think if he had infused his story with a bit more original flair it would have been a stellar story. By Eldest I was already sick of the story. I had to very literally force myself to finish the series just so I could bring the “plot” to a conclusion in my mind and be done with it. 

A Popular Book/Series Everyone Hates but I Love

I thought I would despise this book. Thankfully I was entirely wrong about it. Yes, it’s an older book and it’s not written to please our modern, short attention spans. And yet the language of this book, the depth and the symbolism, not to mention the historical satire, are phenomenal. I’ve only read it once so far but I’m looking forward to reading it again soon. 

A Love Triangle where the Protagonist Ended up with the Person you didn’t want them to be with. 

To be honest, I make a habit of avoiding books that are known for their love triangles. However, I have accidentally ended up seeing the movies so I’ll complain about the love triangles in them. 

The Host was messed up on so many levels. Two girls want two boys so it’s technically a love square? So there’s Wanda and she’s stuck in Melanie’s body. Mel likes this guy Jared and so naturally Wanda likes him too. But this Ian fellow loves Wanda. Now Wanda starts crushing on Ian even though Melanie hates his guts. Now both boys are fighting over both girls who for a time are stuck in one body. I told you it was messed up. I didn’t want the protagonist(s) to end up with anyone after all that. Singleness ain’t that bad people. 

Eh. The Hunger Games. Katniss and her indecisiveness. I read the first two books and watched all the movies so far. Every time I see it I keep thinking this story would be a hundred times better if that love triangle wasn’t there! 

A popular genre you hardly read

I might watch the movies because…well they’re there. But I don’t usually read the books. They all seem very cookie-cutter. On the whole, they are rather unoriginal as well. Another disaster has struck earth leaving it mangled with the exception of icon city ruins that are amazingly still structurally sound. A one-world, dictator-centered government has organized the population into clans, districts, guilds, tribes….you get the idea. The whole crux of the story is about teens being forced to do something (the plight of every modern teen) and finding a group of peers to survive the plot with. Along the way will be a hot boy or girl who is the perfect match for our protag and they amazingly survive the ordeal together. You know what might actually be original here? If the fat preteen survived. MazeRunner anyone? I really thought that kid might make it. I think he should have. 

 

A popular/beloved character you dislike

 Katniss Everdeen - Divergent Girl who looks like Katniss - Host Katniss who wears her hair down

Is anyone else seeing a pattern in these three dystopian heroines? Or is that just me? They’ve all got the same expression! Not to mention pretty much the same looks. On a surface level I can enjoy each of these girls as characters because they provide entertainment when I have nothing better to do. On a more fundamental level they each annoy me. Would it kill them to focus on the problem more than the one or more guys there are interested in? Was Joan of Arc hung up on a guy during her military missions? Didn’t think so. 

A popular author you can’t seem to get into

Sarah J Maas and her Throne of Glass series. I’ve been hearing good things about these books but I just haven’t had the time to bury myself in it yet. It’s been too long before I got into a real fantasy. Brings back memories from when I role played on a forum with elves and alchemists and other fun stuff. If anyone out there would like to recommend or discourage me from reading the books then say so in the comments! 

 A popular trope you’re tired of reading

Missing Parents

I don’t want to bash every story where the parents are missing. But let’s face it, those stories are everywhere. On the one hand, this trope adds something to the character’s backstory and motivation. I can really understand it’s worth. It sets the protagonist apart  from the norm which is a good thing most of the time. But seriously people!? Not every hero in every book has to be an orphan or have absent parents to be awesome. 

Instant love with a hottie

How can I say this best? There’s this thing called real life, and in real life instant attraction to a hottie is real. Instant love? No. Ain’t no such thing and it gets old real fast when I read about it in every new book I pick up. What I crave are models of real-ish relationships that actually grow over time. Huge respect goes out to authors who take the time to plot out a relationship like this. 

The Love Triangle

Ughhhh. Again, this doesn’t happen in real life! If it does you have serious communication/decision-making issues and you need some time to figure out who you are as a person before dealing with all that drama. Singleness hasn’t killed a character yet! I’d love to see more characters in books who stay single for legitimate reasons. Anime has this down-pat, why can’t books keep up??

 

A popular series you have no interest in reading

Harry Potter 

Don’t throw things at me just yet. I’ve watched all the movies and I actually grew attached to the characters. I thought they were well rounded and showed great growth through the series. And yet….I have no real urge to read the books. Call me lazy if you want but there it is. 

Game of Thrones

I’d never even heard of the series until the show came out. In the first few seconds I was all “How awesome is this? A fantasy show with real drama mixed in with a political theme!” And then the nudity. And the blood. And the nudity again. Nope. Lost all interest in the series after that and haven’t even had the desire to try and go through the books. 

A show/movie/adaptation you liked better than the book

The Hobbit Movies

*prepares to be hit with rotten tomatoes and sharp objects*  Don’t kill me till I’ve explained myself! I am a huge fan of the book and the Lord of the Rings book series. Usually, I’m a purist when it comes to movie adaptations to books. Lately though I’m been taking a more lenient view on it. Movies are an art medium just like everything else. With each medium, you have to adjust the story to fit well into the chosen medium. Considering what they had to work with, I really enjoyed the characters and development of the three Hobbit movies. That terrible river scene that looked like a video game though? That could have easily been deleted. On the whole, I think it stands well alone from the book and with it. Just like the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.  

A popular style of cover that you can’t stand

Women randomly Posing

This sort of cover instantly lets me know that a majority of the book is going to be about a) a girl with issues. b) a romance. c) a shallow, shallow plot. So if I pick up a book with this sort of cover I’ll usually just put it back on the shelf. 

THE EYE

Enough of this already! Not only is it super creepy, but it’s overused and entirely unoriginal. You’re not the Eye of Sauron so please stop trying. This sort of cover is meant to be dramatic I think? Or show off a really cool eye? Look, Anime’s already got you beat again in the super-cool eye department. Another problem I have with the eye cover? I get frustrated at the author for this. You mean your entire story can be summed up in this image of a creepy eye? That’s all you got? You need help. 

What happened to dramatic works or art for a book cover? What happened to original concepts to express the unique texture or feel of a story? I love finding beautiful book covers. Follow PaperFury on Instagram if you want to see some breath-taking book covers. 

That’s it, folks! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Taking a note from Annika’s book I’ll open this tag up for anyone and everyone who wants to have fun with it. If you do take up this tag put the link in the comments so I can come see your unpopular opinions!