You know what time it is – that time of my life when I decide to revisit things from my childhood and realize just how much I’ve changed in a few years.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve looked at Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki movies in the last few years. I’ve watched all of them in succession and love them to death. I’ll talk about my favorites for years. While I have a soft spot in my heart for Howl’s Moving Castle, the movie I always come back to as my ultimate favorite is Spirited Away, a great movie for kids and adults.
I’ve gone back and forth, but it always tends to go back to how this film has impacted me and my life growing up. But upon rewatching it recently, I’ve finally started to realize that I’m not even connecting with the same character I used to – instead, I’m connecting with the one I never thought I would like. And as an adult… yeouch, I’m feeling my age.
fan of the Pokémon anime, then you’re likely to communicate with Ash or whomever. If you’re watching Demon Slayer and you happen to be a younger teenager, you’ll probably connect with Nezuko or Tanjiro rather than the adults. It’s just natural.
For me, I always connected with Chihiro. I mean, Spirited Away, in general, is a real hero’s journey and tells a fantastic story from Chihiro’s point of view. Even as an adult, I find her story fascinating and full of life.
However, in my older age (at 26 versus 23 when I rewatched it for the first time), a lot has changed, and now I’m shocked at who I connect with.
the best horror movies, so creatures like No-Face don’t faze me anymore. But, man, I wasn’t a fan of him. However, now, I’ve started to connect more with the creature…and I think I know why.
Movie box offices rely on sequels, reboots, and remakes instead of original ideas because they know it sells, so the greed only grows. Influencers try to promote items to us because we won’t be the “it” girl if we don’t buy them.
While No-Face isn’t that kind of person, the idea that he wants more and more is something that anyone can relate to – and it’s something I’ve experienced in the past as well.
ranting about Solo Leveling to getting hyped about sports anime to so much more. But somehow, I felt myself connecting even more with this than I ever did before.
And it’s moments like this, where I take a seat and really think about everything I’ve done over the last few years, where I find myself connecting with a story that I honestly did not expect this time around. I’m thankful for it. And it makes me want to recommend it to anyone who will listen.
No-Face may feel scary, but in reality, I think we have a little bit of him in all of us – at least at some point in our lives. We only have to be brave enough to acknowledge it and fight that loneliness with the best weapon of all – kindness.