Spirited Away

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⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

This is my second try with this movie because the first time I was just weirded out and ended up falling asleep by the end. I think going into it knowing this movie is weird as hell helped a bit. But also how does this movie have mass appeal outside of the shrooms consuming community? I find that so strange.

Anyways, I think this time around, I could definitely appreciate how this movie feels more from an artistic side. It looks amazing, the music is incredible, and the atmosphere is unique, mysterious and unsettling. I really did love these aspects of this movie and I wanted to really like it.

However the story is still nonsense. No scene logically follows the previous scene, there are no payoffs, the characters make no sense. The final climax, the main act of our hero, is her having a realization based on something from her childhood that is never hinted at at any point in the movie. It just makes no sense. There is no consistency and no rules. It really just feels like a script was written by watching a 6 year old playing for two hours.

I'm glad I gave this movie another chance and while I still appreciate Studio Ghibli, it is, in the end, still anime.

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