Spirited Away - Why Work Is Toxic

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Hidden in the fantastic otherwordly narrative of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is an allegory about society’s toxic obsession with work. The Studio Ghibli classic was released in 2001 and commented on Japan’s losing its soul to capitalism in the context of the country’s “lost decade.” Yet the film is eerily relevant to our contemporary idea of hustle culture. While Chihiro may think her liberation comes from 24/7 hustling, in fact this is what keeps her down. It’s something more intangible and more spiritual that provides her freedom. Here’s our Take on how Spirited Away pulls the mask off living to work, and shows us the need for another dimension to life.
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[@thetake]

Get a full month of MUBI FOR FREE: mubi.com/thetake (With the support of Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union)

[@tysonwilliam1722]

It's a trap... or a billet to find your freedom !

[@trinaq]

Please do a take on "Howl's Moving Castle" or "Your Name!" 💜

[@EmperorZelos]

wehy do you have to add shit into a story that doesn't belong there? For fuck sake.

[@MsDaydream3r]

*Future Video Suggestions:* -The Bully Trope -The Sibling Rivalry Trope (possible examples: Zuko/Azula, Thor/Loki, Romulus/Remus, Cain/Abel) -The Weird Boy Trope (possible examples: Jughead Jones, most Tim Burton protagonists, Sheldon Cooper) -The Mentor Trope (possible examples: Mr. Miagi, Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan Kenobi)

[@ListenUpMusic]

Work is toxic? THIS IS A MARXISM PROPAGANDA! FACT! By JD

[@milo_thatch_incarnate]

I think the saddest, most tragic part of this whole movie is when Lin says “I’ve got to get out of here. Someday I’m getting on that train.“ It’s the “someday” that gets me. If you don’t actually make plans for it… If you don’t actually bite the bullet and radically flip your life on its head, “someday” slips silently, unnoticed, right into “I never did it“. And that is so, so, tragically common among BILLIONS of people out there. Everyone has a “someday I’m getting on that train“. It’s one of the biggest tragedies there is.

[@silverwebb8691]

Oh, wow...

[@davidd4696]

someday is death

[@akitaro4307]

i love her character :((

[@DearStephanieX]

Wow you said it so well…

[@sindrisnrsigursson3079]

“That train used to run both ways”

[@kaitlyn__L]

I understand such an essay can’t cover every aspect, but I think there was a missed opportunity to discuss Baba’s twin sister, who lived a simple life out in the countryside and was a much nicer person for it. She literally represented how wealth corrupts, since she was identical to her sister to begin with.

[@tarationg]

Factssss

[@AbbeySy]

Yessss

[@Ilikefrogs..]

This is so true.

[@erinrising2799]

such a good point

[@delusionalunicorn5324]

I was waiting for them to talk about her.

[@garethgriffiths1674]

The toxic introduction to your new job: " Here we are like one big family."

[@robertlaidlaw4592]

yup tis is the quote, an empty vacous family who never cares about one another and will criticize any mistake you make.

[@creepy_artist]

Heck my last boss portrayed the company that way and several people were being underpaid even tho the service we gave was expensive, God knows where all that money goes, but even the enviroment in the company was toxic

[@TranceCore3]

That was what they did at home depot, and I'm like bruh I don't even know any of you people. they say that in the military too, and when they say that, they actually mean it, because your co-workers are literally the only people you're gonna see basically for the rest of your life until you end the contract.

[@davidlafleche1142]

I came from a big family. I didn't like my relatives on either side.

[@salildeshpande7]

I try to keep my social life separated from my co workers

[@siansteinbergevans8719]

I rewatched Kiki’s Delivery Service and it was one of the saddest portraits of how draining and brutal the service Industry is. Kiki lives away from home at 13 to begin her witch training, but there’s no magic training she just starts working, and she makes her job the one things she enjoys: flying her broom. And the work literally makes her so depressed, it’s a thankless job, she has no time for a social life, and she’s losses her belief in herself and so losses her powers. It’s only then that she has to take a break, and all is well. That film is a cautionary tale for why turning a beloved talent or hobby into your job ruins its fun/enjoyment.

[@amalee4197]

@@luceromoreno9081 If I may, what do you think is the best way to balance hobby as a career in order to not getting burn out? I think it's kinda complicated to draw a line between them

[@kafpachecoparizot9518]

nope. It's about animus integration

[@Martin-yh7vi]

@@amalee4197 In my opinion, the problem is that there are a lot of companies that like to exploit people. So no matter what you do with yourself, there is no balance in the workplace unless the company you work for fixes the workplace for a better and much fair environment for its employees. That's why you see people comparing it to modern slavery, with how hard it is to get a new job in the big city or not having a choice for any matter. You just have to grit your teeth and live with it until you hopefully find an alternative. For example; in japan, animators and voice actors (actually, a lot of 9-5 office jobs are like that there) are notoriously underpaid while required to overwork themselves. Even recently, Blizzard has been sued for sexual harassment and discrimination. While in truth, they actually have been doing this for years. So in my opinion, you should do what is required of you but don't put your all to a company that probably doesn't give a shit about you. If you feel like putting a lot more effort in a project then that's fine. However, you shouldn't do that in every project you are a part in. You have to leave some (for the lack of a better word) brain cells for yourself. Because more work = more stress which equals to depression and anxiety. And you should make sure that you are properly compensated for work that you have done. Cause at the end of the day, its an equal exchange with the company you work for. They don't own you nor do you owe them anything.

[@trapsenpai]

@@kafpachecoparizot9518 what do you mean?

[@BurroSupreme]

Damn, this hit home a little bit. I went to school to hone my photography skills and get better at it, simply because I loved doing it. Now, I can't stand taking pictures. The market for it is too competitive, and even then it doesn't pay well, companies will steal almost anything that's posted online, even if it's watermarked, and everyone I know who knows that I'm a trained photographer wants me to always photograph their weddings, baptisms, portraits and all that stuff, for free, with zero thanks. It's like when owning a pickup truck suddenly everyone needs your help moving something. This constant demand for my skills taxed me to the point that I haven't picked up my Nikon in several years. I feel repulsed by it, and I feel like I've forgotten how to do it anymore. I've tried to get back into it for my own enjoyment, but it just feels like a damn chore. I never should've let others convince me to monetize it.

[@kaylynnanson6231]

I feel like Spirit Away was telling the audience that we should work for personal fulfillment and growth, not for wealth, which is empty. Hence why the gold the workers accumulated from No Face turned into dirt later on. When our work is meaningful, we will feel better about ourselves and what we do. Working ourselves to exhaustion is just a highway to early death and misery.

[@mischellyann]

If everyone worked for "personal fulfillment and growth", there would not be enough food, clothing, or other necessary items in the world. Do you think every farmer and factory worker loves their job, but if they didn't do it, you couldn't survive.

[@kaylynnanson6231]

@@mischellyann The farmers and nurses I know do it because it's a job they want to do and feel passionate about. Plenty of people do what others call necessary work and just happen to find it fulfilling. What is empty is hustle culture, which places pursuit of wealth above everything.

[@kaylynnanson6231]

@@jlushefski that's fair. I'm currently working in a similar situation now while I save up to go to school for my dream job as a surgical technician. My current just isn't ideal by any means but I don't want for anything and my employer treats me well. Thank you for your input.

[@H2Ojellyfish]

I guess that's why 40% of Americans are quiting their jobs

[@kaylynnanson6231]

@@H2Ojellyfish there are actually a variety of reasons. Not just those.

[@cravidana1182]

This mentality is so toxic. And worst thing is seeing people like Elon Musk and other billionaires selling the story of "work hard, don't sleep, don't go out, just work" and you will be where I am". Seriously? As if People were poor because they didn't work hard enough or smart enough, not because of cast, race, land, gender, hoarding labor conditions and plunder. Not because of anything anyone did or is doing to anyone else. And worst part is seeing many poor people buying these ideas and internalizing them. They are lying to you. As an African person from a colonized country, my ancestors were enslaved and in my country, we still have this mentality. Work, work, work. If you rest, go out, if you just don't like your work, if you're depressed, you're lazy. You should never complain and only work. As if our worth were directly linked to our work. Because as slaves, that was the case, our worth were tied to our work. Only recently my mom understood that, she understood how she has been working her whole life with less opportunities than men, earning barely enough to raise three children and never resting and how this is toxic. I hope more people understand, you're not born to work to make other people rich. You are born to be happy, and work, when it's good work, when it's work that matters, even if it's frustrating at times, it does make you happy.

[@DreadPages]

Thats fine and dandy. But people always want more than they have. And those musks and gates are responding to those who want to make it to the upper levels of incomes. In many developed countries its very easy to live a comfortable life with very little work effort. It just depends on what you'll be missing out on. A new car every 12yrs instead of 6. Get every other next gen phone, or every 3rd, instead of every single one. A smaller house/apartment. Less spending means less need to work. I agree thst your work doesn't have to be your purpose in life. But simply wanting happiness shouldn't really be your purpose either. Many people don't have purpose. Especially men. Find purpose. Be it your kids. Your marriage. A hobby. Your health. If you're lucky, your career. Find thay purpose and nurture it snd throw resources into it. Do that and w.e work you put in, be it 32hr to 60hr work weeks, won't make it seem so burdensome. Because work gives you resources to add to your purpose. Fulfilling your purpose and accomplishing your goals will give you way more happiness as a byproduct than anyone actively looking for happiness will actually find.

[@jhxcczs]

I completely agree.

[@cravidana1182]

@@DreadPages You say people will always want more than what they have. Yes, that's true, because the majority of people don't have the bare minimum to survive. And no, it's not possible in a developed country to live a good live, even working full time. I live in France. We have universal health care, free education, etc. Still you don't live a good life with the minimum wage. You survive. I don't have children, I rent an apartment because, I work full-time and earn minimum wage. I survive. I don't have the latest cellphone (I am very environmental, so I only buy things that I really need), I don't own a car, not even have a license to drive, I don't go out (I get tired of people very quickly), etc. Still, I survive. I have co-workers with children, with more responsibilities than I do and I see how hard it's for them to make ends meet on minimum wage. Surviving and living are two different things. We can't even go on vacation or eat at a restaurant once or twice a months to enjoy life a bit. We live to work. We get our pay, we pay our bills, and we do it again, over and over. And when I say that we should try to be happy, it doesn't mean that we should just do nothing and be happy. No human being would be happy doing nothing, not for too long. I mean, we should find things that fulfill our existences. And we aren't alive just to be pieces in the machine of capitalism.

[@CamilaFuentes0227]

Wow this is one of my favourite comments on all KZbin, well said!

[@cravidana1182]

@@DreadPages oh, and you say we should find a purpose, and if we do, working 32 or 60 hours won't be a burden. You listed some examples of purpose, one of them, being a parent. First, no human being has only one purpose in life. Different aspects of our life fulfill us. Work is one of these aspects. Family, hobbies, etc. That's why we should have time for all of them. But hey, let's be simplistic, let's say your purpose in life is to have kids. A woman just had kids. Done. Now she can back working 60 hours a week, is that it? You don't need to have enough money to raise your children, to have time to take care and to spend quality time with your family, to have time to relax and enjoy yourself (me time), no, no, no, you don't need any of it. Give me a break. Ask any human being who has worked 60 hours a week how they feel. How is their mental health. If they are happy. Please, ask them. 🙄

[@derrick.t4031]

The part where you talk about Chihiro and child labor, that part always effs me up, because in society in general, the unprecedented pressure upon children to dedicate their time and lives to getting well-paying jobs is abhorrent. We don't even teach children how to take care of themselves anymore. How to do taxes, budget their money, take care of their mental health, spot unhealthy/toxic relationships, safely navigate the internet, etc. We just focus near exclusively on dedicating ones life to nothing but work from an early age.

[@poulamighosh4080]

You are so true. Even childlike impulses of playing creating arts making friends or to explore in general is denied in this pursuit of perfection.

[@thatgui88]

Yeah especially in Hispanic culture. We literally work the most hours at least in America. I very glad that I have a house paid off so don't have to work so hard.

[@thatgui88]

@@poulamighosh4080 yeah as an adult you have to act your age, you cannot have hobbies that children enjoy like videogames or comic books

[@gabrielanava9996]

FACTS

[@deannal.newton9772]

@@thatgui88 Even when you are a kid you barely even have time for those things because of school work, homework, and extracurricular activities that essentially force a child to behave like an adult whether they want to or not.

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

I gotta use the generic proverb: "We don't live to work. We work to live"

[@MotoRide.]

@Firelord Eliteast67 Yeah, no. I still only work to live. My job is NOT my life. It's a mean that enables me to live and enjoy myself in my free time.

[@ToxicallyMasculinelol]

I've really had enough of people projecting their own mental loops onto me and the rest of civilization, as if it's our fault they can't find an equilibrium. and so patronizing being told by unproductive people that I'm actually miserable and just haven't realized it yet because I'm not enlightened to the genius malingering of late-stage capitalism

[@Rhygenix]

@WeaponizedCarrots Lol this was the case before money. Without work, you starve and die.

[@danielleleclair7506]

Community and connection has been replaced with capitalism and corporations.

[@Rhygenix]

@@danielleleclair7506 When was the last time you talked with your neighbors or invited them for dinner?

[@konraddygudaj257]

"Staying In This Room Is What Will Make You Sick!" Spirited Away

[@trinaq]

That's true, one of my favourite quotes of all time! 💕

[@Aiden-fc8zf]

Bruh

[@Ari-yy7pm]

Pre-Covid quote

[@l4dy0c3]

Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I've stayed in this room, this one area, for entirely too long and I feel stuck and forever in a rut. I have a plethora of ideas that would be interesting to dive into and explore, but I've no room to bring in anything new. Being here and jobless has had me question my self-worth and occasionally panic about what I'm going to do in the future when certain people are no longer around. Yea, I can get a job but none of them seem to have their employee's well-being in mind, only the bottom line and I don't want any part of that. I left my last job because I thought it was a great environment at first but then started to notice how...not great it was and the toll it was taking on me both mentally and physically. My self-worth is tied to my usefulness. If I'm not bringing in money or helping money increase without a job, then what am I doing and what do I need to do to rectify that while everyone else around me is working themselves unhappily to the bone? I cook, kinda clean, and stay available for when others need me, but it doesn't feel like enough so I end up back in the "what new hobby can I get into that will produce a product that I could sell" line of thinking, or what others call a side hustle. When my mind gets filled with those like these to an overwhelming degree to the point it starts to affect my mood, I end up isolating myself from others and going to sleep. I've been sleeping a lot lately...

[@quintincastro7430]

@@l4dy0c3 "I get up just about noon My head sends a message for me To reach for my shoes then walk Gotta go to work, gotta go to work, gotta get a job"

[@nexuscross3233]

"MAN" "Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; The result being that he does not live in the present or the future; He lives as if he is never going to die, a then dies having never lived." -The 14th Dalai Lama

[@DRay62889]

Wow...that really hit close to home...

[@nocturnaljoe9543]

Damn, boyah.

[@JasminHLo]

deeply profound with elements of truth about the hustle lifestyle

[@DaveButtons]

I felt that

[@nieblamulticolor]

ouch that's so true...

[@ontaka5997]

The irony is that Hayao Miyazaki is a workaholic and the employees working under him were expected the same. Although constantly working overtime is quite normal in Japan, the anime industry is extreme even by Japanese standards. However, Studio Ghibli may be less extreme because they mainly produce feature films instead of weekly TV series, where you would get constantly crushed by the deadline.

[@user-fx7mq9yl3p]

Hayao is hypocrisy for entire of his life. I'm sorry for his son never can get his childhood he deserves

[@asterinez]

“flying used to be fun until I started doing it for a living” this sentence from kikis delivery service will forever stick with me, if you don’t take care and turn a hobby into work, ur passion will eventually die…

[@pilouuuu]

Work is toxic when it's meaningless, menial, and when you don't see the results. Sadly most people in this society think that taking time to smell the roses is being lazy.

[@GameFuMaster]

Work is toxic when you have to accept long hours just to get by. We've come to a place where 30 year home loans are the norm, compared to earlier times when a house was 2-3 years salary. Hard argue for higher wages when you live paycheck to paycheck.

[@gotthecutenessoverload1086]

@@GameFuMaster worst of all, when entry level jobs, even for blue-collar work, requires years of experience. Fresh graduates with students loans are now getting shafted!

[@antonk.653]

@Christian Villavicencio: Correct, beware the dangers of useless work. And yet, nothing of that sort is present in Spirited Away. I'm a bit surprised how they managed to squeeze socialist propaganda into this masterpiece.

[@n7bansheebait299]

And I think most people in this society are jackasses. So they can call me lazy all they want. It's just a word, it can't hurt me.

[@antonk.653]

@@n7bansheebait299 It's good to have thick skin, but I wouldn't call most people jackasses and lazy, quite the opposite actually.

[@lordfreerealestate8302]

My parents placed these expectations when I was a young kid. "Not working makes you lazy", "depression and anxiety is just laziness", etc. Now I know it is okay to rest.

[@dustywarren827]

You are easily influenced

[@Jobe-13]

“Depression and anxiety is just laziness” what a dangerous self-destructive mindset.

[@crownagex5687]

@@dustywarren827 umm, it was his parents? tf do u think?

[@xenonsan3110]

My parents did the same thing minus the comment about mental health. They did it with my brother too. I'm overworking myself typing this but at least I have the excuse of being a student trying to support myself while doing full time school. You bet your ass I'm going to kick back and relax after I'm all done 😂

[@dustywarren827]

@@crownagex5687 all of you are weak.

[@catherinecao4810]

Lin said that cleaning the big tub is “frog’s work.” Certain jobs are important, even vital to a business, but those jobs, and the workers who do them, are looked down on.

[@jordanneedscoffee]

It amazes me how many people look down on plumbers for example, even though plumbers make more money than most people, get trained in a shorter time period than most people, and do valuable work that literally saves lives. They say piping clean water to peoples' homes and the sewer system have saved more lives than doctors.

[@ToxicallyMasculinelol]

@@jordanneedscoffee it's because residential plumbers occasionally get poop water or food waste on their clothes, so they're often associated with uncleanliness. before indoor plumbing, the same taboo/stigma was branded on people who managed latrine pits or emptied chamber pots.

[@GIRRIG001]

My take away from Spirited Away was NOT about the "hustle". It was about life lessons. The protagonist learns to be resolute, resourceful and learns how to navigate dangerous situations by facing her problems head on, not shying away from them. At first she was scared to approach any character or travelling alone. Near the end of the movie she's fully independent and does what needs to be done for her friends and family. The last lines in the movie were the most poignant for me, as her mother remarks on how scary it can be going to a new school and making new friends, and Chihiro responds saying she'll be okay.

[@beefy68]

And I've read, that it was also because at time of war, children were also forced to work. So I guess it's also about child labor that Miyazaki want to portray too.

[@lolscrubs8977]

The thing about Chihiro saying that she'll be okay is only in the english version though. The original japanese version didn't have that.

[@Igorcastrochucre]

The scene where No Face offers her gold in front of the other workers and she looks at it, denies it and runs away stuck with me. So much could be read from that, she is humble, she does not care for money, he is trying to help but making everything worse.

[@NobodyC13]

It adds more weight that at the moment, her highest priority is Haku's wellbeing, whom she last saw flying away to the topfloor bleeding to death. Any other distraction bring Haku closer to death.

[@marinadeburgos8666]

Also, at that part of the movie No Face acted as a villain because he was imitating the enviroment: you have money and you will be respected Shen he went out of that toxic enviroment he went back into his neutral form

[@michaellauritano5252]

While I agree that toxic work culture is a real problem, I don’t think Spirited Away is anti-work. It’s definitely anti-capitalist, but we as an audience are definitely supposed to value Chihiro’s perseverance through work. Every time that she engages in work, she is rewarded with good will. Even Yubaba’s baby takes on a bit of physical labor (in mouse form) to make Chihiro a gift. And as many others in this comment section have pointed out, Studio Ghibli insanely overworks its employees! Kiki feels like a more natural fit for this take

[@rachelgpryor]

Thank you for pointing that out!

[@rachellivingston9232]

Well put!

[@MimiRox13]

Exactly!! Chihiro’s story is ultimately about growth and maturing which both take work! Work isn’t the problem, just how you use it in your life. Chihiro used it to make connections and save her parents~

[@WilfNelson1]

I agree and I can't help but notice the paradoxical message that work is rewarding intrinsically but money isn't. There is an implied argument you should work without money to not become a slave to wealth, but then be a regular slave because it is more 'wholesome'.

[@MimiRox13]

@@WilfNelson1 LOL I see what you’re saying, but people who work on self-sustaining farms and and “live off the land” don’t need money and aren’t slaves. People who study medicine and then treat people for free also aren’t slaves and don’t need to get paid to help other people. This is essentially what the movie is arguing: money should be a means to an end but not an end in itself. If people were motivated by the desire to be self-sustaining/interdependent then there isn’t a need to depend on money for motivation, happiness, fulfillment,etc. Money ultimately can’t provide any of those things.

[@gem3778]

After working at a call center for more than 8 years. This movie perfectly portrays how it feels to be reduced to a number

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

Same for being in retail for 8.5 years. It's bullshit. Hence why I'm trying hard to find a better job! I have an interview Tuesday! Wish me luck! lol. Hope you find it, too!

[@NOOB-ps8km]

​@@7Write4This9Heart7good luck mate. Hope it goes well.

[@Space_Ghost_Hunter]

I always saw No Face as a symbol for our ego, how he desperately just wants to be noticed and accepted, giving gold away, but with an insatiable appetite and once placed in an environment of hedonism goes absolutely mad and becomes a monster, but once he's taken away, and more importantly, given a job to do and focus on, he becomes calm and useful. Something to be learned in that.

[@xXNekou]

damn, I never thought of that but it fits perfectly

[@pitonpriscal3379]

When I was child, I've always seen him this way before this video

[@Samuel42069]

fuck the job

[@thebuddyholly]

Same

[@sheilawidjaja7331]

When I was a kid, I used to dream of becoming a doctor or an astronaut, etc. Now, I just dream of making passive incomes so that I can be free!

[@CrimsonNineTail]

They taught that stuff in the 90s too. I mean, we all had those "I want to be an astronaut, or a doctor" dreams as kids in those days. Just to find out it takes much more to become those things. I hope this makes sense.

[@sheilawidjaja7331]

@@CrimsonNineTail True man. These days, we all discover that working hard or getting a doctorate doesn't guarantee you in becoming a millionaire. Only working smart can.

[@Ray03595]

@@sheilawidjaja7331 yeah, get the right jobs in finance you can make more than a doctor, with way less debt spent on education, and you dont have to work crazy hours. But i know being a doctor makes a lot of ppl happy. and for some they just followed what their parents told them to do and that's just their job. i would hate to devote so much of my life to studying to be a doctor if i didnt really want to be one.

[@goodnightmyprince6734]

@@sheilawidjaja7331 Don't forget having the "right connection" too and networking

[@LowestofheDead]

"The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads"

[@Apricot90]

I once tried to follow this hustle culture and it made me sick to death.. Now I have a chronic autoimmune condition and my life span is shortened.. thank you society

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

I'm so sorry.

[@pattipooh]

@Hi there damn, are you doing okay ?

[@pattipooh]

@@Apricot90 dam this some of the realest shit ive read on da internet

[@kaitlyn__L]

@Hi there that’s relatable, I had stress migraines and stress vomiting all the time in school, and had to stop college due to the health problems this brought on. I had no support because I was “gifted and talented”, so everything was treated as if it was easy for me, and in fact sometimes they even piled on extra work like accelerated classes. Which led to a huge homework burden and stuff like that. I’m still in the midst of recovering many years later. I still sometimes feel bad and worthless for not “powering through” and getting my degree but my health would have suffered even more if I somehow had done so, such that I probably wouldn’t have been able to put the degree to use anyway. So like the other people said, focus on yourself, and your needs, and your energy. Build stamina slowly, foster mindfulness, and self-care. You’re so strong to have gone through all that, so you can leverage that strength toward loving yourself.

[@gianmarcorusso1713]

@@Apricot90 You did well.

[@parkb5320]

I’m in my 50’s and I wasted my life. I’ve never been happy. I’ve had good times, but there is no good part of my life. I can’t say my childhood was good, my teen age years were good or my 20’s, 30’s, etc we’re good. I’ve spent my life working jobs that I hate and that’s because I have no idea what I want to do. I’ve never had a passion, a dream, a job that I really want to do. And now it’s too late. I live in Japan where there is pretty much an age limit on when you can switch jobs. People don’t want to hire older people especially in a job that they have no experience in.

[@9990zara]

falling into despair because of work is sadly, not an uncommon thing. i say this at the risk of sounding like a motivational book, but you have to remember: life doesn't end until it ends. your life isn't over at 50! many people say their happiest years are when they're older! and because this is not an uncommon problem, this also means there's solutions. i can't tell you what's right for you, but i'd recommend to search for happiness outside of work- there's plenty of research and advice on this topic. most of all, remember that your work isn't your life. even if it takes most of your time now, you will retire one day, and have plenty of time to make yourself happier. the search of happiness itself can be a goal! as long as you don't give up, there's still hope your life can improve.

[@Mazou-tj4ne]

Aww, I feel bad about you. I hope that your life gets better.

[@mdichou]

watch the movie Ikiru (1952) it may help a bit

[@n0wheregrrl]

I feel you, and honestly it's a bit of a relief to know at least I'm not the only one. "I've never had a passion, a dream, a job that I really want to do." That's me in a nutshell.

[@j0ellyfish]

People just pass it off as "Depression." Uh, no. It's being realistic.

[@greenghoul157]

Overworking is a real problem in Japan, Miyazaki always put an important message in his films

[@z.spinney2058]

What I adore endlessly about Miyazaki's films is that love between characters isn't about traditional romance but about growing as a person through relationships with others and with nature. It's such a whole and complete portrayal of what love should be and these movies were such a crucial part of my childhood. It's so rewarding to go back and pick up on deeper messages that I subliminally picked up on as a kid but can now understand more completely. 💗💗💗💗

[@justanawkwardnerd]

Right? It's just the beautiful way they bond with people, care about them, learn about them, and grow themselves. It being romantic or familial isn't the most important thing about their bond, but the fact that they care at all and learn to show it. It's wholesome and so powerful in a way you don't often see in other works, and I think what helps is that having a significant other isn't a goal you need to check a box off for to feel accomplished, and the youth of the characters not finding it a necessity, either. They're just enjoying life loving on these people in their lives, no matter what that love looks like.

[@z.spinney2058]

@@justanawkwardnerd exactly!!! Different kinds of connection are treated as beneficial and necessary, regardless of whether or not they're romantic. 💗

[@justanawkwardnerd]

@@z.spinney2058 It's the kind of thing that really inspires me to live my life and value myself and relationships to have something like this myself. What a lovely way to live your life, you know?

[@z.spinney2058]

@@justanawkwardnerd I totally agree 👍

[@z.spinney2058]

Wow, thanks for the likes!!

[@bitterOrangish]

Ironic considering Studio Ghibli is/was known for working their animators to death

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Especially in Japan, the work culture is very notorious. I think Aggretsuko is a perfect example of portraying work culture in a satiric and relatable way.

[@trinaq]

Wow, that's shocking! Maybe they were subtletly alluding to this all along?!

[@bitterOrangish]

@@trinaq Maybe, though Miyazaki was also well into the hustle and grind culture. Just the cold way he speaks about his children gives me chills.

[@josueamericanistarv]

The moral of the movie is "work hard for a higher purpose" not "don´t work hard."

[@marycruzart]

@@josueamericanistarv every big corporation thinks they are working for a higher purpose, or at least they sell that idea to the public. elon musk thinks he is working for a higher purpose.

[@Dayviono]

I first watched Spirited Away when I was a kid with little to no comprehension. Fast forward to now it left an impact on me because It is dazzling yet so deep.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Hustle-Culture is toxic, as 'Some More News' pointed out epicly.

[@sciencegeek46]

I was laid off at the beginning of the pandemic and it opened my eyes to how working as much and as hard as I was was the cause of my incredibly painful health problems. Now I'm trying to go back to work, but if I don't work full time I won't have health care (even if I do, my employer has a terrible health plan) and if I work part time I won't make enough to live. It sucks because I feel doomed to burn out of any position I have. If I didn't have to work soooo much (i.e. of my wages were higher and I could make enough to live working part time) then I could contribute better and I would be very happy working. I feel like I have no choice. I don't really know what to do except quit jobs when my health gets too bad, live off savings for a while, and then try desperately to get hired somewhere without taking a steep pay cut. I worked soooo hard in highschool and college too, only to realize that my degree doesn't get me employed, or a higher wage, and I still make half as much money as my brother does with half the education. It makes me want to give up and try to live self sufficiently, but even that is outside my grasp. You have to have tons of money to buy property, even if I just want to live quietly and grow my own food. Something has got to change.

[@imperfectstranger8807]

Why don't you leave the west. Use a skill you have (even the language you use can be a skill) to make money online & move somewhere more simple. If that seems so absurd then what is it you're holding onto that's keeping you where you are & is it worth your vitality and true happiness?

[@NoLedge]

The revolution is coming sister. People are tired and waking up... These excuse makers u see in the thread and online will wake up one day very soon when they realize they will not be millionaires or billionaires. Best thing to do is gain skills, and political knowledge. God bless✌🏼

[@NoLedge]

@@imperfectstranger8807 why must she leave the west to live comfortably... Why not educate ourselves about our current economic and political situation and team up with like-minded folk to improve our own communities? The reason is because there's capitalistic traps that take our time, and attention away. The science behind marketing, sales and consumerism is beyond what most think it is. We've been engaged in class warfare, and the victims are barely starting to wake up. Hopefully we'll be free soon.

[@imperfectstranger8807]

@@NoLedge it was merely a suggestion, an option since the current way doesn't seem to be conducive. I can't change other ppl, only love and change myself and fill myself with enough love that I can spread to others. In my experience environment plays a huge role on my ability to connect with myself. More internal struggling for me and many people struggling with Capitalism's grip. Without having to deal with the financial pressures pushed by this capitalist society, where questions like why are you working so hard to the point of death don't have a no- brainer "duh I got bills to pay" answer. Taking those pressures away makes it way easier for someone like me, brand new in my spiritual journey & sensitive to the energies here to really focus on the inside and be open to connecting with others. I also feel I'd meet a lot more people who are spiritual outside of the west. I'd have access to better quality foods and other healthful resources for cheaper. I'm not sure where my journey is taking me, but it's what I'm working towards now in hopes that I'll reach a point where I can help others more. Change starts from within, so I'd like to move to an environment that's more conducive to this changing process. And I'm not seeing that in America & from what I'm seeing not in Europe either. But ppl think we have to stay and keep putting up with it, I know that's not the case.

[@tiddlypom2097]

@@imperfectstranger8807 Where are you thinking of? I've thought about leaving, but I'm not sure where to. This problem is has infected a lot of the world. Highly industrialised places like Japan and Korea have long been notorious for their work culture, and China seems to be going that way. Many other places have a lot of poverty, with slums and/or an underclass of working poor. And sometimes serious political and economic instability. Then add in increasing environmental issues like climate change.

[@TheWeaklyPaper]

I feel like the baby not wanting to leave their room was meant to show the exact opposite side of the coin. Where everyone else was obsessed with money, the giant baby hadn't done anything and hadn't grown up. They were so scared of doing anything that they never improved. Chihiro is the midpoint, the workers and Ubaba were the extreme towards overworking and greed, and the baby was the extreme towards not working at all and laziness. Dedicating every single hour of your life to work and money is toxic, but so is being so obsessed with freedom and comfort to the point that you never develop or prosper is also toxic

[@slevinchannel7589]

Hustle Culture is such a Big Issue that it just makes me lose my words, causing me to not have much to say about it... Sorry for making a rather useless comment...

[@DRay62889]

That is a very good point! I have a hard time maintaining balance in my life. It is easy to swing from one extreme to other as if to compensate.

[@slevinchannel7589]

@@DRay62889 Yeah.

[@conniefoxx9813]

Yes. Especially if you live somewhere that the government 'takes care of you'. That takes away one's feeling of independence and self-reliance.

[@ThisisKyle]

@@slevinchannel7589 Then why make the comment?

[@jeanettemily1109]

I’m digging this ongoing movement of rejecting hustle culture. As someone once said, you work and eat to keep on living, not to live to work and eat.

[@a.z.9957]

Yeah I totally agree! I hate it when a lot of famous people say "I am a hustler". As if that is something good. The biggest hustler in the music-industry are dead are mentally ill. Jackson, Whitney, Spears, GaGa ect... Work for your passion and be passionate for your work. And know that you inner worth is eternal and unconditional. No amount of wordly achievements can add or take away from your worth as a beeing in this universe 💖❤

[@slevinchannel7589]

@@a.z.9957 Hustle Culture is such a Big Issue that it just makes me lose my words, causing me to not have much to say about it... Sorry for making a rather useless comment...

[@Rusu421]

What if your doctor uses the same idea, heals not when you ask, but when the doctor wants to?

[@wvu05]

@@Rusu421 You are aware that clinics have business hours, right?

[@christianedwards9025]

@@wvu05 no because they're a dumbarse

[@elemanielpagan8519]

when I got my first legally official job in a factory at 16, I worked 27 hours in just my first 3 days and bragged about it to my friends afterwards, with my body aching and barely thinking straight with how tired I was, I now understand their reaction of worry when I said that rather than being impressed or proud of me. This was a great video.

[@ikki-gaming8933]

It was not your fault, this society is a big sect that wants you to believe that this is the right path, there is a great video of Jon Jandai about life being easy, he also fell for that trick of working hard. Jesus Christ said that we worry far too much about life.

[@ammstnchhh]

this movie never fails to make me cry, even more so with every rewatching

[@TheTrueWanderCat]

Interviewer: What are your career goals? Me: I simply do not dream of labor

[@kalliope5728]

same as in whats your dream job? i dont dream of jobs???

[@irondragonmaiden]

What everyone is thinking when they're asked that fucking question: I want money to pay my bills, jackass, why else do you think I'm here?

[@pattayaesl7128]

@@irondragonmaiden Job interviews are like interviews to be subjected to radical narcissistic abuse. Blow for blow, capitalista companies mirror the narcissist abuser. The corporation is a "person" in US law

[@GoodMorningUSA1]

@@kalliope5728 It's pretty obvious they mean what job would you like to do, as opposed to ones you would not want to do. If you are really into cars, naturally you should become a mechanic for example.

[@mischr13]

Interviewer: where do you see yourself in five years? Me: hopefully not here lol

[@carbodude5414]

You can't force people into giving up their freedom but you can sure as hell slowly convince them into doing so.

[@ennuiblue4295]

'There's no better slave than a man who thinks he's free'

[@kyubbikcat2281]

And this is how the United States achieves communism.

[@sunwheel5085]

I get your point but uhhh... I’m pretty sure that’s how Slavery originated was by forcing people. They had a choice to fight to the death or become slaves and live.

[@thecommentpolice]

@E. Cantu Wage slavery as well as police and surveillance states are already our reality.

[@ddandymann]

@@thecommentpolice Well the only historical alternative is serfdom so unless you have a brand new system that will solve all the problems that every other system has failed to solve then there's no point in moaning about it is there?

[@chxhxhxjxss6894]

When i was younger I always was very excited to work since it’s the ‘’meaning of life’’ I started my first real job at 17, im 18 now and just realized how working is a huge waste of your time and youth. after my shifts I feel dehumanized and barely can do something else, I have nightmares about working and sometimes I have to drink alcohol to fall asleep bc of how heavy I feel

[@sirweebs2914]

Hah welcome to life I worked a few different jobs from age 17 to maybe 19. Hated every god damn second of it and I still do when I work 1-2 months from time to time and Im 26 now. I managed to avoid work but as you get older it gets harder. Good luck maybe you find your calling who knows.

[@kronos0316]

Here is the trick, on your off time you do things that are fun to you. But you have to work the bills are not going to pay themselves. Plus you have to eat.

[@sirweebs2914]

But if you really want help I can tell you something I would've wished to know sooner. There are jobs you can work for 3 to 4 months without much free time but after that you can easily chill for like a year. Oil rigs for example or sometimes even fishing boats. There are alot more and I can tell you that this certainly is the way to go when you dislike work as much as I do.

[@hannahlou3406]

@@kronos0316 I think the problem is a lot of full time work only covers the basics, people don't have money or time to go and do nice things. Somewhere along the line average workers like checkout staff, waiters, cooks, care home staff and cleaners are only paid enough to survive, not to enjoy the fruits of their labour and have extra income, they even struggle to own houses.

[@craftiestcraftstress]

I know lots of people who work and they are miserable... I know lots of people who don't work and they are miserable... I know a handful of people who work doing what they love and they are very happy.

[@dexterwestin3747]

This is true. As Warren Buffett put it: "If you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life".

[@jordanneedscoffee]

It's hard to find something you love though. I find I get tired and burned out of doing anything if I do that thing too much, even if it's for fun and not for pay like games or snowboarding or white water rafting or anything really.

[@craftiestcraftstress]

@@jordanneedscoffee then it sounds like you love change... you should find a way to make money where you have the freedom to change often. Or be comfortable changing careers, there is nothing wrong with that.

[@monkeyman321]

I work 35 hours a week, make a decent amount for my country standards, and I'm miserable. I hate my job even if it only lasts 7 hours a day.

[@craftiestcraftstress]

@@monkeyman321 if you dont like your job get a different one, keep trying until you find the job you enjoy.

[@cravenlunatic1]

it's interesting because my first impression watching spirited away was that chihiro was a little spoiled. not like she was a bad person, but that she needed perspective, and that her experiences in the bathhouse gave her wisdom and taught her who she wanted to be. so in a way she did need to work, but she also needed to figure out where her boundaries were, what was too much work, and what mattered more. knowing about japan's history, specifically for miyazaki's generation, really gives me a new perspective on this movie.

[@retroman3252]

It's not just you... Westerners feel the need to re-contextualize a Japanese movie made for Japan when in fact it's better to shut up and listen. It goes the other way around too, most of Asia doesn't know for example what was the Nazi regime in WW2.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Indeed - but grammar though?

[@zakosist]

Chihiro never struck me as spoiled, but if anything someone who inherently is the opposite of spoiled: not wanting to show too much greed or carelessness, like the case where she refuses to eat with her parents or refuses to take more of those cleaning things than what she actually need to. She is naturally kind and non judging to everyone, even the outcast. And as a whole I got the feeling she was exactly the right person for the situation and what the world around her needed at that time. She did strike me as someone who was a bit "unprofessional", like she was clumsy and insecure and taking long to do things and had to build up character there. But spoiled is certainly not what I would call her at any point. Still good interpretation

[@cravenlunatic1]

@@zakosist I see what you mean. I think because i first watched this movie as a kid myself, i saw in chihiro behaviors that i or my friends would be reprimanded for, especially in the first few scenes. She sulks in the car, objects loudly to her parents, clings to her mother out of fear. These are the sort of things i knew adults didn't like kids to do, even though now i know it's just natural child behavior. I definitely see her differently now.

[@danceonyourtoes]

@@cravenlunatic1 yes i watched this movie repeatedly as a kid, and can concur that i felt the same way about chihiro being a bit ‘spoiled’ or rather, a normal immature western child. i think that has a point- miyazaki’s critique on modern capitalism and how that not only affects the parents attitudes and behavior, but also the children. chihiro is sulky and depressed from the comforts of modern japanese ennui, fearful of the unfamiliar, whiney and outspoken. after being thrown into the working conditions of the bathhouse, she learns the value of discipline, discomfort, and knowing which authority to respect. moments of her innocence lost was a critique on the cruelty of child labor but other part was that she gained a sense of maturity and purpose through the hard work, that was separate from ends of the work (money), that many kids in capitalist societies do not, like yubaba’s baby. her character was shaped through that labor and discipline but her spirit was not corrupted, and she could find moments of joy through the experience. in the end she found she could trust herself and her intuition, which chihiro in the beginning lacked.

[@hinata167]

It's weird because I remember hearing how the people who work for studio Ghibli are worked so hard that some even die

[@andreaf8404]

oh my god

[@marmadukescarlet7791]

Japanese toxic work ethic is beyond belief.

[@zitronentee]

@@marmadukescarlet7791 The problem is that, even when Japanese government acknowledge this problem, trying to solve it in many ways (giving a lot of day off, including paternity day off, heartbreak leave, etc), Japanese society still see taking day off as lazy. When Japan's environment minister took paternity leave, it made such huge headline. This problem affect the low birth rate.

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

Maybe these animators were secretly venting.

[@XanderVJ]

@@Demonetization_Symbol Not a chance, given that the movie was written by Miyazaki himself, and he's deeply rooted in that working culture. Which is ironic...

[@favb7931]

When I was a kid I promised myself to never be one those people that will do anything for money. This includes to never abandon my own moral values, my spiritual beliefs, my rationale, the voice of my inner child or my motivation. I made that promise when I was nine, about Chihiros age. And today I'm 18 years old. And I have never betrayed myself like that. And I never will.

[@hildegardvonbingen9092]

So you never had a Job and earned your own Money in 18 years? So I assume you hate work and find it degrading yet live from the money from your parents who have to Work for it or If they don't use their income you receive the money or in essence the labour of foreigners by coersion from the state?

[@charade8065]

@@hildegardvonbingen9092you can work without abandoning ones moral values and stuff.

[@thegaspatthegateway]

heroic. may you keep that promise and thrive! when I was 21, I had a mental health crisis and couldn't leave my home, let alone show up to work. and it was the dehumanizing banality of my job that contributed in part to my breakdown in the first place. At that low state, I swore I'd never demean myself and my spirit with jobs like that ever again. I swore I'd rather starve and die, on my own terms, and I **meant** it. that was... twelve years ago. I've worked "professionally" a total of two years since, and it was only doing something I enjoyed. I won't lie and say my life has been "easy" since then. my path has at times been strange, uncertain, obscure, and yet also magical and rewarding in ways I couldn't have thought to imagine. Life, uh, finds a way. My irrational obstinance HAS kept me from being complicit in crushing my own soul, even under duress. Money is a paper God-and, like a god, it only works because people agree to believe in it. And what's a god to a non-believer? One thing I can assure you, is every time some bullshit bill appears with all the ceremony of a chance card on a Monopoly board-some financial contrivance that threatens to scare and cow me into subservience-I get better at calling its weak-ass bluff, like, on a metaphysical level. Like a demiurge, its power weakens when faced with unyielding, courageous, hell, irrational conviction to one's heart. heh, I wish I'd made that promise like you did as a kid, but it's okay, cause once you start living that way, things are a whole lot different (and imo, better) anyhow

[@thegaspatthegateway]

@@hildegardvonbingen9092​​⁠also they're twenty now do the math. brains and personality, you really were robbed of the whole package weren't you

[@user-uo8mx3cv5k]

Also the name taking could be an allegory on people loosing their identity like our passions & dreams when they become burnt out by hustle culture & the work they were forced to do, but didn't want in the first place. That could cause people who were once passionate turn into working slaves just trying to cope and get on with their day and then repeat it the next... When Haku says never forget your name, he means never forget who we are and who we dreamt of becoming, because it's easy to lose that in "hustle culture"

[@velocityraptor2890]

when yubaba finally concedes to chihiro and says she'll give her a job, she very specifically says "sign your name away" like as if to relinquish ownership of it

[@pecahalloween]

Fun fact: Lin's voice actress (Susan Egan) also voiced Meg from Hercules and portrayed Belle in original broadway production of "Beauty and the Beast".

[@GryphonSoul]

And Rose Quartz in Steven Universe

[@fruitbouquet5479]

If there’s a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I’ve already won that.

[@jazzmanny02]

MEG was my crush when i was a kid, first crush ever on the disney screen

[@MrYFM2]

Japan has so many valuable hidden lessons in their entertainment and media, yet their collective society ignores it all and resumes like normal.

[@camazotzbat5970]

Yea kind of like other societies much like our own.

[@brittneyharmon6647]

They have the highest suicide and depression. It amazes me how we don’t realize as we evolve as a society we should be working less not more. There’s really no need for it

[@jachina]

@@brittneyharmon6647 its one of the northern European countries (Finland) that actually has the highest suicide rate in the world but for some reason ( I guess because its a "White European country" so people rarely ever mention it

[@baumbart7560]

@@jachina I just looked it up and Finland seems to have far from the highest suicide rates in the world (and neither does Japan have them apparently). Finland had the highest ones a few decades ago, but by now even the USA have higher ones.

[@Bladeofdeath311]

@@jachina Probably something to do with the fierce cold up there. There's a reason they have more metal bands (and imo, more extreme metal) per capita than any other country.

[@jish55]

I never thought of the movie in this light, but it is something I've always thought of, even as a little kid. To me, work always seemed like enslavement that never allowed people to thrive or find happiness, and I've even seen money as worthless my whole life, so to me, this makes a lot of sense.

[@jalicea1650]

That's why they call it "wage slavery." Literally the term used in the 19th century since basically you become a paid slave to a system that sucks you dry and leaves you old and decrepit. Look at the senior homes and see the faces of people who work nonstop for 40-60 years giving away the best years of their lives working 40-80 hours a week. Never having time for their kids or long adventures and happy vacations without the stress of work hovering over their heads. Decades of back problems, knee issues, health concerns, loss of youth and happiness. All that for the machine of capitalism. One day you will wake up old and broken looking at the mirror staring at the face of a man who's wasted his life just as our parents and grandparents before them. Broken by the very system which uses, abuses and exploits us, but they claim we're free.

[@rayf6126]

Money can be worthless or corrupting but it's also a universal form of exchange. You can't exchange 30 years of food for 30 years of having a home because one spoils and the other doesn't.

[@bloodsord9]

Everyone claims one way of living the the right way. Every person has a different right way

[@nope9858]

Totally agree

[@SmashToBits]

If your way of living requires taking advantage of other people, that way of life is by objectively worse. period..

[@nope9858]

@@SmashToBits agreed

[@rinowx5]

I fell for the hustle culture as a teen and was so hard on myself that it caused anxiety which led to panic attacks and being unable to eat without vomiting. I had nightmares of death and they actually brought me peace and led me to Daoism. My attacks went away when I learned to be at peace with my life. Not overworking, and to accept that I’m a human being and I need to love and care for myself. We as a species deserve better than what we’ve been given. Our birthright is freedom.

[@anasquadri7919]

Agreed Bro

[@WaitingxInxSilence]

The Take: Work is a trap. The Workers: We know, but continue.

[@birdiewolf3497]

Hello? Like we can't escape though. We aren't trapped in some otherworld. There is no normal life we can get back to. It is just this.

[@asiabrew81]

I mean if our compensation was in line with productivity and kept up with inflation, and as The Take said, the infrastructure that allowed for upward mobility wasn't so corrupted, we could afford to have a work life balance. Instead we work more hours than workers 30yrs ago just to barely afford the basics while the price of everything keeps steadily rising w/ very little resistance . "Work is a Trap" is more of a catchy title, the real condemantion is hustle culture, the abuse of labor & productivity and unbridled, thoughtless consumption. "(Eat, Breathe, Sleep) Work is a Trap" is a more accurate title.

[@anni1348]

Because you're sadly financially depending on work. Work is most often connected with a co-dependency and a very toxic condition for the worker. But the idea of "You only have to work more and harder, and one day you'll make it and then enjoy/live your life", is even worse. As if all you have to do is to dedicate your life to your work and boom, one day you're successful or rich enough and you can then live your life. This is never going to happen, it's a fairy tail.

[@gianmarcorusso1713]

Very hypocrite of them, as in another video they glorified an abusive boss like Miranda Priestly.

[@rinowx5]

Work is tethered to survival at this point so your point is either lost or wrong.

[@yousato5882]

In Japanese, Hiro(尋) also means a unit of water depth. Chihiro(千尋) is an idiomatic expression of mysterious and unpredictable things

[@vandango901]

Work to me feels like prison. It's terrible we have to spend most of our days performing repetitive tasks over and over and over and over and over. It's mind numbing and soul crushing. Work weeks should be 3 days.And it's not that I don't wish to be productive, it's just the kind of work most of us do and how much time we spend doing it.

[@catherine_404]

I love my job, I feel happy from completing something important, solving issues and offering new ideas. But I'm so exhausted by the time it takes off me, I don't even want to deal with my duties. I came home feeling battered. And my job is not a difficult one, I'm a librarian. Still, 40 hours a week with less than a month of vacations is too much. I barely have any time and strength for anything else other than work, it's just depressing. At the same time, there is no way to earn money to pay for my life other than work...

[@shyguy1630]

I remember when I was driving Uber and working Gig type jobs. I really started to feel like this system in America is broken. You work hard so someday you won’t have to. But the line keeps moving and I began to wonder like why am I really doing this.

[@anais559]

yes the system in the usa is not great, but it is better than the systems in japan or korea

[@umichgal1]

@@anais559 how so?

[@anais559]

@@umichgal1 whilst the culture in America surely is tough and all about working hard and succeeding as an individual (the American dream), in Japan and Korea it is even worse. These cultures value hard work more than anything, and we can also see that being reflected in the way they educate their children (in Korea and Japan high grades are expected, not praised). If you want to know more about it, I highly recommend reading articles about it and speaking to people from these cultures, because it is both inspiring and horrifying and certainly interesting to learn about.

[@rosemali3022]

You do it because you are being exploited for your human nature not to die. We need food and shelter and the modern trappings of life. Beyond that, we need the respect of our peers. Society has turned houselessness into a vile, morally inferior, and diseased state of being. A real "untouchables" "leprosy" situation. We are taught that if we arent producing capital for society we are worthless. So while it isnt a physical need that we push ourselves to the brink to maintain some semblance of being a "good citizen", a lot of emotional factors play in. Not wanting to be viewed as worthless, wanting some semblance of privacy, to feel independent, etc. But most of all (in my opinion) because we know how badly society punishes those who fall. How much harder we will have to work to claw our way back up to our current level if our dedication lapses for a little too long. That, and also for those of us lucky enough to have access to needed healthcare... well, that's the not dying thing again. Your not alone in your thoughts. The world would be a much better place if people were able to not only survive, but thrive. I dont know what Uber paid, but I'm positive it was a tiny fraction of the money you netted them. That's what a capitalist economy does. Fortunately, that's only been around for a few hundred years, we can always try improving it.

[@pwnomega4562]

The problem is your not working for yourself, in colonial times before the industrial revolution and the rise of super juggernaut enterprises akin to what we see today, the general popullas owned businesses and worked at their own businesses and people bought and sold to on another and not all the money flowing upwards because now the majority of people work for someone and are not longer their own boss. The problem with the Capitalism we know today lies in a balance that has been thrown out of wack by the industrial revolution and needs to be recalibrated... Today though that has started to change somewhat as more and more people who would other wise be your average 9-5 Joes are starting to start their own businesses/brands online and create content which in the era of the internet pays handsomely... There's a way to break free, you just gotta find it and take hold of it. My family is doing that right now as we speak and we hope to propel my family away from anything that even resembles a money problem.

[@yinaiyue768]

When I first found work, it was a typical minimum wage type of job designed for corporations to benefit off a teenager's need for experience. I felt so accomplished getting that job and even receiving my first paycheck - I felt independent and superior. But then the long hours, and just the horrible, horrible experiences of having to stress every second in and out of work about work consumed my everyday life. When I thought about going to work I broke down, and during work I had to use every last bit of my sanity to not cry. It changed the way I viewed the world. Before I started working, I had an idealistic vision to give it my all and go above and beyond in what I did, because it made me feel happy. But when I got into the workforce, the minimum pay and the attitude of just getting the job done through whatever means broke me. I started to view everything in numerical terms; my social and artistic life was about what I would get out of doing something, and if there were no tangible results, there was no point in doing it. I felt unmotivated to do school work, practice piano, draw, help other people, and do something that made me happy - what was the point? I won't gain money or material goods. Everything felt so pointless and I hit a breaking point. I quit within a few months, and it felt so relieving on my mental health. But I still feel the effects of feeling unmotivated and aimless and viewing the world in a linear way. It sucks. I wish I could just enjoy the small things again.

[@jessaduran2723]

omg I feel you, have the same experience and struggles. man, how I wish I could enjoy, rather relearn to love all the little things again.

[@V.D.22]

I think this is because you are young and your childhood was filled with everything you need: shelter, food, toys, candy, free time, no work, only play. Also you spend a lot of time on your phone, social media, laptop which messes with your dopamine and you get bored very easily and fall into depression. We that are older and had a rough childhood with bad food, cold nights, cold classrooms, hard life, much work to do as a child, no phones, were very grateful to get a job that provided us money to live. No matter how difficult or boring the job was (construction worker or office job) we rarely complained as long as we had money. (Eastern european perspective)

[@jessaduran2723]

@@V.D.22 yeah that's why I hate typical adults like you, your logic is just so 1900s. stop assuming that everybody here is a teenager, always with their phones on their faces that they get depressed easily. Could people like you stop comparing your *high pain tolerance with us, the world is changing and it will never be the same 'good ones' as you've experienced. you didn't even know us sir, what an assumption, yikes.

[@V.D.22]

@@jessaduran2723 Hey, I just said my opinion, no offence, no hatred intented. My parents had an even rougher childhood, so their mental endurance is much better than mine. My grandmother who is now 90 had the most difficult childhood possible: very hard work every day, very bad food, no shoes, only 1 or 2 ugly dresses, they were beaten regularly, no electricity. She keeps telling me how good life is today and she is right. And while older generations have these advantages and maybe other advantages too, the younger generations have other advantages like more inteligence due to better education and more entertainment, better computer skills and better with technology, more tolerant toward LGBT, young people are not so racist as older used to be. Every generation has is strong and weak points. It all depends on the times each of us grew up. It is what it is. It's cause and effect, no offence intended.

[@yinaiyue768]

@@V.D.22 Like you said, every generation has its strong and weak points, but there is also the premise that each generation essentially undergoes different circumstances and thus distinct hardships. I'm all for expressing your own opinion and being exposed to something outside your own echo chamber. Thank you for taking your time out to reach out. However, a lot of what you said were assumptions - not opinions. I don't want to say I did not have a happy childhood, because my parents worked so hard to give me the best life they could, but I really cannot say I did have the best childhood, and certainly not like the 'butterflies and sunshine' sort of childhood that's been insinuated. But that's also not exactly relevant - you don't have to suffer to have your feelings validated. So even if I did grow up with 'everything I needed,' that doesn't make my struggles any less significant. A basic a priori about the internet is that we truly cannot confirm our own assumptions. Little context was given, yet my whole biography had already been constructed by someone else. Please don't do this. It's inherently invalidating, and can come off as quite abrasive and insensitive. I'm grateful that I can obtain a job. I'm grateful for the countless things I was gifted with that others cannot possess. Just because I'm grateful, though, does not equate to the obligation in unquestioningly accepting everything about society. No one can progress like that. I sincerely hope you have a good day. Thank you.

[@MegaChickenfish]

Man I need to rewatch these. I was so immersed in the oddity of the world they painted the metaphors mostly went over my head.

[@coltonruscheinsky7863]

Thanks, this actually made a life decision I've been wrestling with a lot clearer.

[@sirweebs2914]

RIP

[@hi89297]

I don't get why people want to be successful so badly, I would prefer to be happy and live simple live Edit: I mean people who want to be crazy successful who work all day and don't sleep enough not the ones who want to be able to afford comfortable life

[@masteryoda8536]

me too, i agree

[@VL-ne1nx]

They want to be accepted.

[@TheLeah2344]

I want to be successful so I can have the freedom to travel anywhere I want every year, I can donate more money, I don’t have to worry about struggling, and my kids will be set.

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

Same, and I would love friends. No wonder most children are happy. All they do is live in the moment, yet adults reminisce on the past or worry about the future.

[@LauraM-kr9wv]

The idea is that eventually you'll get to a point where you've gotten so high up, you can actually cut down on work but still have the money to enjoy things and have more freedom. Of course, this absolutely will not happen for the majority of people, but that's the fantasy.

[@DH-gq7bm]

I feel like the whole point of work is achievement. When you feel you've accomplished something, you feel like work is important. When you feel like work is consuming your life, you find no value in it. I got my first job working long ass hours for pretty poor pay. At first I felt I was accomplishing something, but eventually the long hours took their toll on me, and I would be wondering what I was doing with my life. I had barely any time for myself, I was literally living to work, it all felt pointless to me. I had a lot of money saved up, but nothing to spend it on. I couldn't pursue any hobbies, I was so tired on my days off. It felt like a life not worth living at all.

[@327legoman]

Yeah it sucks. Main thing I've learned is just if you're not enjoying it, get out of there and look for something new. I worked for 6 months at a place like that. 8am-5pm in an office with no heating, unpaid overtime expected, toxic work culture, terrible facilities and a boss who paid peanuts but handed out the bare minimum to everyone. But now for the last year I've been working a job which I've been able to build skills in, work less hours with paid breaks, and a lot of the time, finish the work with 2-3 hours to spare which I can then get paid to do whatever the hell I want. All working from home in the comfort of my own bedroom, with a welcoming, inviting, friendly work atmosphere.

[@andrer1664]

Can you tell any updates on your situation nowadays?

[@FiendTheatre]

You could buy a BMW M3

[@clintparsons3989]

Sounds like you need to see a dr and get some antidepressants.

[@Whodjathink]

What you just described is exactly what I'm going through now! I wish to do something one might consider rash, like quitting my job so I undergo a sort of metamorphosis where I no longer work for cash but must find a way to acquire money that also brings me fulfillment

[@yuiwayui]

Never get to understand this story when I'm small, but now I understand it, it's amazing how real the reflection that were portrayed in the story were.

[@RedJet-bq6fq]

Spirited Away is easily one of the best animated films of all time. Analysing it with this lens proves that the masterpiece has so much to unpack and understand, years after its release. Great video 👍

[@ThrottleKitty]

"Work 100 hours a week and someday you'll be like me!" - Owning class man who doesn't even work part time hours, got rich form his families emerald mine, and gets richer off exploiting the work of others

[@Liliquan]

Somehow our idols today are just as or even more despicable and delusional as those long past.

[@drjp4212]

No problem, because soon enough robots and AI will be doing all kind of works, so humans won't be needed as production means (and will problably be killed because of that).

[@luisa146]

@@drjp4212 humans will always be needed to extract value off of their work, so they'll probably just invent more bullshit jobs to make up for the jobs taken by machines. I mean, with all the automation we have now, the workweek should be at least halved. Instead we're still working about 40 hours a week (talking about europe), same as like 50 years ago. Capitalists don't use machines to save time like it would be logical to do, because they have to exploit people's work to get richer. Btw there's aa great book that's called bullshit jobs by david graeber, that talks about this.

[@redram5150]

And if he did, so what? Someone worked for that money to create generational family wealth. The ancestor is no less for having done it, and those who receive it are no less having gotten it. As far as eXpLoItIng tHe wOrK oF oThErS, your work has as much value as you’re willing to sell it for. If you want more than someone will pay no one will buy it. And after working, as long as you’re paid the amount that was agreed upon, the transaction has ended

[@ThrottleKitty]

@@redram5150 No, they didn't. Are you ignorant or just racist? His family stole his wealth from native Africans.

[@salemsaberhagen1570]

This movie has such a special place in my heart. And this analysis revealed a special layer to it. Thank you!

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

This is probably why the movie hits me more deeply than when I was a kid. I understand the abuse of Hustle Culture deeply lol

[@radiantshay2146]

Wow this movie was way deeper than I could've ever thought

[@janew.8584]

when Haku - the dragon boy saying : "i remember my name now". I cried.

[@zarellamoz]

Who wouldn't? It must be terrifying to forget your own name, but to remember it would be absolutely amazing

[@indoorsandout3022]

Here's an interesting detail that the narrator didn't mention. When everyone was clamoring for gold nuggets, and when we see a pile of them on Yubaba's desk, they're sitting in trays. These trays have a specific purpose and are made for only one thing. They are made to hold offerings for the Kami. But here they're holding gold which is being offered to the selves of those holding them, rather than being used to give. It shows that the culture of the bath-house has warped the sacred into the profane. It has turned a symbol of gratitude and generosity into one of selfishness and greed. And that's what capitalism does to things.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Good observation

[@UGNAvalon]

@Akuma Ch. Well capitalism is a system that optimizes & encourages greed, in the form of maximizing profits above all else (including basic human needs, or even basic human decency/rights). So while yes, “greed is what actually corrupts ppl”, as OP said, “capitalism is what does this (ie encouraging greed) to ppl”.

[@amartinez97]

​@@UGNAvalon And communism has resulted in some of the worst corruption in human history multiple times just look at what happened in Cambodia, China, Cuba, the list goes on.

[@philip9830]

@@amartinez97 Just because ideology A is bad doesn't automatically mean B is good. In other words, there are more colours than just black and white.

[@GregorianMG]

It's not black and white. Most of the time its grey with the darker shade or lighter one.

[@zaymax_7]

I was wondering first "wow this channel is pretty late with this analysis" since most of the others are from years ago, but i really have to say that this is by far the best video essay ive watched about spirited away. Complete, no over analysis, and clear. props to you guys!

[@ScottStevenErickson]

This has always been my favorite Ghibli movie, but somehow despite multiple viewings I never picked up on a lot of the symbolism you talk about here. It’s given me a whole new appreciation for the film, and now I want to go rewatch it again!

[@vrner.61]

Funny how we live in a world of emotional beings, and yet we are treated like machines. Our worth is only linked to our functions and output, rather than to our minds and hearts. If you don't function you are not worth. But just because everything we invented does have to have a function and an output doesn't mean that we do, we are after all living organisms. The only thing we invented without all that is art. Art is the most human. If we lose art we are no longer emotional beings, but become full on machines. There is no function, no output in art, but mind and heart. We are art.

[@GreenEnvy.]

Ironically, the machines we've built are art. But we've misused them.

[@rrai1999]

Unfortunately for all of us this system has brought us into an age of peace and prosperity unparalleled in human history. I am a deeply emotional person, and the state of things makes me cry occasionally. However, you need only look back a century, and then two, three, four.. keep going, and human misery and suffering only ever increases.

[@ZowVaagNL]

In nature those without output die.

[@ThomasFoolery8]

What’s missing in your world view is the fact that a price is attached to the labor we do, based on how valuable it is to the world. There’s a reason why artists get paid nothing, and the most boring but complicated work (actuarial scientist, accountant, hardware engineer) make the most. People are being paid to provide value to the world. People like you want the pleasure of enjoying labor, while others suffer like cogs in a machine to maintain the rapidly modernizing world around you that you benefit from every day.

[@dmitrizaslavski8480]

@@ThomasFoolery8 Kinda agree, but I won't call the work you listed boring more like exhausting and quite often we are paid not only a value we produce but also how hard and costly it is to replace us.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

I'm glad now that I mainly watched Ghibli movies growing up instead of a lot of Disney. I think it's messages and morals are so much more important, and it's messages have definitely influenced the way I think about things.

[@BillyBob-oi9kl]

I wish I had had that. I was introduced to them by a friend last year, and just got HBO this Sunday to watch them. I've loved the 2 movies that I've watched. They're abosolutely amazing, and will be watching my 3rd movie tonight.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

@flower meadows I agree, older Disney wa so much better when it wasnt all glitter and marketing. Treasure planet is my favorite under-appreciated movie, and I loved watching it growing up. I feel like the newer movies are kind of soulless, they're just not the same and its disappointing because we've seen the great movies they CAN make.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

@@BillyBob-oi9kl I'm excited for you! But I just request that you watch Nasicaa and Spirited Away ASAP. Definitely my favorites. All of them are pretty amazing tho

[@papasscooperiaworker3649]

@@blossomnessstudios4446 I'm pretty sure because Treasure Planet financially failed, they never tried something like it again. And remakes always make money (Ngl I think one Disney remake even made more money than the original), so they'd still probably try be soulless anyway.

[@nieblamulticolor]

I'd never seen an analysis of this movies like this one, so good and refreshing

[@akira1205]

I love Miyazaki/Ghibli, and I even have a Spirited Away poster that I have hanging in my office (mostly because I like Miyazaki, but also because I worked for the company who put together the poster...although I can't remember if I got it from them directly or from somewhere else), but I have never thought of it as a commentary on workism. Now it makes more sense to me. I'll have to rewatch it again.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

Dang it, all of these Studio Ghibli clips are going to make me cry. The movies were the Disney movies of my childhood, and seeing it through a new lens makes it so much more emotional

[@dustywarren827]

Seeing through lens of races kinda makes you a racist

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

@@dustywarren827 what? When did I say anything about races? Also, seeing things through a lens that includes races isnt racist, its racist to deny the way racism affects EVERYTHING.

[@stevenhiggins3055]

@@blossomnessstudios4446 First off, racism doesn't affect everything. Secon't the reason it affect the things it does, is precisely because those things are being viewed through the lense of race.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

@@stevenhiggins3055 Schrodinger's racism? It exists even when you dont percieve it. Western society is built and upheld by racism, past AND present. Beauty standards, laws, schools, everything is affected. You don't have an all-encompassing knowledge of racism and it's effects, maybe you could try listening to someone who can educate you a little bit. It'll help with putting together real arguements

[@spaghettiman3757]

"Hard work si simply the refuge of people who have nothing to do." ― Oscar Wilde

[@joaquin.suarez]

Oscar wilde never had to do hard work, he had a very acomodated life. Imagine him telling that to a Woman whit kids, working in a 1800s factory. Imagine the womans expresion.

[@1997lordofdoom]

@@joaquin.suarez Imagine thinking that Oscar Wilde would ever say this to a working class person trying to make a living wage, this is a comment against the "work hard to be successful" ideology of Capitalism, not a dig at workers. If you knew who Oscar Wilde was and his beliefs you wouldn't have made this comment.

[@joaquin.suarez]

You just dont want to work like your parents, or grandparent. You live in one of the richest countries in the planet, cause the work of you ancestors. Your way of life its posible cause you live in usa. If the new generations of you county dont wanna work. Then let other country to be the richest....i think could be China, japan....asia. INDIA its a country more espiritual and relaxed...poorer but...the spirit.

[@StrongestLibrafluidAlive]

@@joaquin.suarez what's the point of living in a good economy if you can't enjoy life? like sorry that I don't have a desire to work for 1/5 of my very short mortal life, I guess?

[@roshe7887]

@@joaquin.suarez Actually your way of life was built on the back of genocide and slavery.

[@transmogrifying]

Spirited away is literally the best movie ive seen in my childhood. This brings back so many memories and im seeing this in a new light. Never thought of it this way when i watched it back then...

[@SoundaSheep]

This essay made me rethink my approach to my work. Even though I mostly enjoy my work, I still work myself too hard sometimes. I want to be easier on myself, and I'm sure a lot of people watching this video feel the same way

[@cartooncottage2024]

Spirited Away is a timeless classic.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

I didn't know I could cry so easily but just with a 10-second clip when Haku finds his name... The emotion...

[@sunset6132]

This analysis/explanation just helped saved my comparative essay. thank you so much for the great video

[@zenthumb]

What a great film analysis you did. That clip about capitalizing spirituality (Gweneth Paltrow) was really an eye opener. Thank you for this. =)

[@bluehourforever8704]

Hustle culture really is seductive! It makes twisted sense that there's no better way to prove you really want something than to give it your all. Then once we have nothing we're congratulated.

[@krunkle5136]

Well it shouldn't be about money to begin with. Ideally find a job that is close to your passions. Or in spare time give your passions their all.

[@n7bansheebait299]

People want you to do the work so they can be lazy. And if you don't want to do the work they try to insult you & send you on a guilt trip by calling you lazy because they want to be lazy & not do the work.

[@krunkle5136]

@@n7bansheebait299 spite them.

[@tyriaxepheles7996]

Hayao Miyazaki himself said the movie is about sheltered and spoiled children and that Chihiro can only save her parents by finding her own confidence and taking responsibility. That sounds weird but it's a specifically Japanese sentiment that Japanese children are too sheltered. We read his essay in my Japanese class. The character Yubaba took away means depth. The meaning behind it is that the character was taken, because Chihiro as a spoilt child didn't have any depth. When she started working and taking responsibility, she "earned" her name.

[@Sqwivig]

That's pretty goss actually. Damn Japan 🤢

[@TheKnoxvicious]

@@Sqwivig Yeah, working!?! So gross!!!

[@ThyendisNOW444]

@@TheKnoxvicious Because Japan is well known for valueing workers right and don't treat people like dispensible cogs right?

[@user-fx7mq9yl3p]

She is not spoiled, she is a good little kid. Why she has to work like a slave for someone? It's children abusement, it's a crime. I don't believe hayao said it but hey, he push his staffs work to dead

[@breckerferguson3990]

This video gave me a much deeper appreciation for this film. Thank you ❣️

[@leonardojlseling4890]

You don't know how much this video opened my eyes and helped me through dark times. Thank you. Truly.

[@wayfinderjade]

Work - especially for minimum wage or when it's outsourced to poorer countries - is literally modern day slavery. Hustling should not be celebrated, it needs to be re-evaluated under this context! Meanwhile owners, shareholders, investors and landlords get exponentially richer by doing almost nothing. The wealth gap is out of control - the whole system needs to go.

[@wayfinderjade]

@Young Norisuke Simp That's right, even when slavery is "abolished", people are still exploited in ways that are harder to identify (ie. Wage slavery)

[@Gamerteamguy]

Ok we get it you just read Marx

[@gianmarcorusso1713]

Yes, and the creepiest thing is this happens also in richer G7 countries. The average salaries are so low that people can't buy a house of their own and live a comfortable life, unless they inherit wealth or are able to reach the top-tier jobs (highly specialized STEM or management in big companies, and especially for the latter you often need a privileged upbringing).

[@Becky0494]

Work is slavery? Can you explain? What about people who HAVE to work (healthcare, manufacturing) because we absolutely need those things to function as a society? Comments like these make absolutely no sense and are extremely myopic.

[@dustywarren827]

Ya and embrace modern day slavery socialism

[@ceciliamarinello7129]

More Studio Ghibli's analysis, please.

[@ashleightompkins3200]

I'd love to see one on From Upon Poppy Hill, maybe about balancing tradition with modernity?

[@psykalag]

Yes, need some ponyo and princess mononoke

[@antonk.653]

Please no more analysis at all. They got it thoroughly wrong with Spirited Away, because nothing of that sort of toxic work is present in that film.

[@mif6703]

Something about this is inspiring.. the thumbnail got me interested enuff to click and watch. Anime has such good parallels and lessons. I like this concept.

[@RavenclawFtW3295]

I always had a problem with the idea that children are "uncorrupted" by materialism. Truth be told, I see the capacity for greed in my own little nephews. They're always willing to eat sweet snacks such as ice cream, but not much that's actually good for them like vegetables and some fruits. They always find something in the gift shop they want their parents to buy for them, too. I even see it in other kids when they say they "want" something (usually some kind of food or toy), and the parents say "no" for one reason or another. My sister and brother-in-law, on the other hand, spend their money on necessities. Maintenance for the car, food, clothing, paying off the house, and other things like that. Not because they want it, but because if they don't get it it's going to make life more difficult than it otherwise would be. What is true, however, is that children have a wilder imagination and sense of adventure than adults do.

[@ravent2631]

I've loved Spirited Away for many years, but the views expressed in this video make it so much better. It makes so much sense. Spirits are so special, yet they're often ignored by many.

[@TheLeah2344]

I watch a lot of anime shows and movies but I have never watched this movie. I’m definitely going to check out this movie after work today. Also I work a full time job and an online business and I had to learn how to relax and not overwork myself. You end up having a burn out. Always put yourself first because your boss doesn’t care about you and they will easily replace you. Work smarter not harder. I learned that the hard way from my last job.

[@Chinhooi_Ng]

"Flying used to be fun until I started doing it for a living"

[@DockyardDiva]

Interesting that it is hustle culture that has destroyed the lives of so many anime and manga artists and Myazaki's studio is no different from any other. The world has been traumatized into self abuse and needs to find its inner Dragon, its Spirit .

[@pattipooh]

i mfing agree

[@pattipooh]

@Lucifer Atum perhaps

[@krunkle5136]

Hustle culture is an American thing. Your conflating another culture with American bs.

[@pattipooh]

@@krunkle5136 the video was literally talking about how japan now follows that mentality

[@krunkle5136]

@@pattipooh I watched it again. They're overlaying Marxist analysis and the term "hustle culture". The movie isn't explicit this at all. The themes are at most greed, being forced to work, etc. The narrator draws a line between 'spiritual' and 'materialism' though the bath house chihiro is enslaved to work at has *spiritual beings* as its clientele. Idk, it's a bullshit analysis of a film that is my more nuanced and vague than the hack would like to accept. What I was getting at with the previous comment was the term 'hustle culture'.

[@tigerlily7889]

I've been trapped in this hustle culture for over half my life and all i have to show for it is Anxiety over finances, bad tendons, and a life i do not have time or energy to enjoy.

[@annikatan378]

I've loved watching the film Spirited Away since young, that is even memorable to this day. But this video, alongside other reviews about this film, has just made me appreciate and understand the deep values and meanings Hayao Miyazaki protrays. 😊

[@jergarmar]

I think it's a bit difficult to turn Spirited Away into something anti-work or anti-capitalist. Remember, this is Chihiro's perspective, seeing the adult world for the first time. The boss is scary, but her coworkers are also scary, the customers are also scary. But only at first. Everyone is "humanized" by the end of the movie, including her parents in a literal sense. There's certainly a highlighting of the quiet life away from the hustle and bustle, and perhaps also a critique of consumerism, but the character development happens at the bath house. Chihiro is the one who matures, and all of the bath house workers -- even the boss -- are very sympathetic characters by the end.

[@margaret3639]

you should make a Take about Howl's Moving Castle and the concept of beauty shown throughout the movie. How Sophie at the beginning of the movie is insecure about her appearance but at the end of the movie she comes to love herself for exactly who she is

[@MoonAtomic7]

I've seen a lot, A LOT of Spirited Away analysis and essays and videos. This is one of my favorites. Good job!

[@tilsgee]

Yeah. Especially, this version is not "worshipping" the graphic side. Sure it looks great, even the water effect reminds me with Windows Vista / 7

[@Multiroester]

Everyone of us seem to forget that if you go out into the woods and live there by yourself you got no -healthcare -prepared food -fresh water -warmth -something to defend yourself from predators i know it always seems like work is the worst thing ever, but it actually makes life way more easier

[@justberichofficial]

Watching this on monday morning, right before work

[@yitaowang8547]

I am so glad Miyazaki’s work is being appreciated here, by people from a different culture! It really shows how universal his works are

[@anthonyd9844]

This was such a special movie to watch as a kid. When I first saw it, the message I took away from it was one of staying true to who you are no matter the obstacles you face in life. But hearing your take on it makes me like it even more

[@NowayJose14]

Love the worker oriented themes of this piece.

[@MIHMediaInc]

Watching a plant like a bean sprout from the ground into a new plant 🌱 is just magic. Spirited away is a rather simplistic but very deep movie. A must watch for everyone 👌