MORE CARTOONS ANYONE? TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED : "SPIRITED AWAY"

I want to give a shout to all my fellow “otaku” s out there! Now, for those of you who aren’t in the “know”, Otaku is a term used for an “anime” fan. Animes as you may or may not know are Japanese animated films and series. They follow a certain style have zillions of sub-categories and trillions of fans… Well not trillions but a goodly number, anyway. The only thing is that liking anime is considered the height of “nerdliness” in polite society and “otaku”s, the hardcore fans are at the top of the pyramid or lowest on the food chain depending on which angle you look at it from. Now, my knowledge of “anime” ain’t what it should be but I am a fan. Ooh yes. And there are some films that deserve world acclaim whether you’re an otaku or not… Among these gems (not little ones; think diamonds the size of your head) are the works of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. His drawings are truly magnificent, the stories imaginative and magical… He founded Gibli Studios and along with other brilliant artists they continue to churn out one work of art after the other) Not all of these reach a wider audience of course but “Spirited Away” most certainly did, winning awards all the world round and alerting quite a slice of the population to the existence of the genre… It’s a classic by a classic director, and I reckon if we’re doing “extraordinary cartoons” it sure deserves its place in the archives. And besides, if you’re looking for an introduction to anime, you won’t get a better one than this…
Chihiro is a little girl, and she is NOT happy. She and her parents are moving to a new city and she is not looking forward to getting used to a new school there. What starts off as an innocent stop on the way at a seemingly abandoned fairground turns dangerous however when they come across an open but unattended food store. Her parents tuck in at once and… Turn into pigs! Chihiro is terrified, because the sun goes down and the whole place comes to life exposing a magic bathhouse (remember, Japan is full of public bathhouses, going to one is considered quite everyday and normal) run by an evil witch and other magical creatures. The bathhouses are for the various spirits and gods (remember that spirits of rivers and forests along with various other gods are common in Japan too) and the only way to survive in this magical world (unless you have eaten some of the magic food and turned into a pig – in which case you get eaten incidentally) without disappearing (literally) is to find work in the bathhouse and “legitimize” your existence there if you will… Luckily a mysterious boy named Haku shows her the ropes and she starts work in the bathhouse, however she is determined this is not the end of matters. She will find a way of getting the better of the owner of the bathhouse, save her parents and return to her own world no matter what it takes…
Now, I don’t need to spell this out to you but this is pure, unadulterated escapism. And the great thing about animes is… They’re Japanese! As in they are not the Western stuff we enjoy, but are quite used to. Think of it as having a curry or sushi. You crave a change. You like eating exotic food. OK, you don’t eat it the whole time, but oh boy, do you love it when it comes along. These, I always find, are a double dose of escapism. Firstly you are swept up into a magical world, far, far away from all your daily strife… And secondly, although the world you step into has some “footholds” from the real world (they have to if you think about it) well, they’re from a culture you hardly know! I mean maybe you know a lot about Japan but even so it’s a culture you don’t live in (I’m assuming you’re a “Westener”) and don’t experience every day. The end result is you feel as if you ‘re catapulted to another planet for hours, you enjoy yourself thoroughly then come back to earth refreshed and renewed. All for the price of movie ticket /DVD. Don’t be shy now, step right in… You surely don’t have to be cool the WHOLE time… =)