Studio Ghibli: Using Fantasy to Cope with Trauma

What are we, the viewers, actually experiencing when we watch a Studio Ghibli film like Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service? Should we take the fantasy elements on screen at face value or is there a darker allegory to the events unfolding on screen?
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Studio Ghibli has a provided the world with a plethora of beautiful and powerful coming-of-age stories full of magic and whimsy. Stick around as we break down the darker side of Studio Ghibli's movies like My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and Grave of the Fireflies.
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[@dani.mp4777]

this is such a cool perspective, i hadn't thought about it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. i mean... i watch studio ghibli films to escape from MY life so...

[@aljerrixermitano9363]

Same.. i do it too 😔

[@agafaithrilles6274]

Omg me too! But at the end it gives you that weird empty slap of reality feel right?

[@0ppaloma]

Sameee

[@miagolez7059]

Lol same

[@shreyachekkala3434]

Me too

[@MissingTwinKraus]

This whole analysis had me in literal tears. As I've gotten older, It's been rarer for me to be emotionally effected by movies and films. Studio Ghibli has such a skill in touching personal feelings and how we grow and deal with trauma. Spirited away made me cry as a kid every time Chihiro balled her eyes out in the field cause something felt so scary about being lost and not having your parents there to protect you. As an adult now and with all that has changed, it still brings me to tears just thinking about that scene. I don't have parents to be worried about anymore, but to be put back into those shoes when things were different and how I can see them now, it is still a hard scene to watch. To be honest I hate the idea of what's happening in a movie isn't real. I know these 2d characters arent real. I like these movies because of the fantasy. Life is rough enough without it effecting the escape we try to go to. It could just be the environment of the internet where EVERYTHING is interpreted as being "purgatory" or "they're actually in a coma" and so on that the idea of a story 'not being real' is so tiresome. I'm not saying that interpretations like that aren't valid, I'm just sick of it. But I do like the idea of witch powers, fish gods, and spiritual bath houses being used as metaphors and tools to help digest hard to swallow ideas like depression, losing family, or just being pushed into a strange and unfamiliar world when it doesn't feel like you're ready. In that way, I feel the people at Studio Ghibli understand what it feels like to be in a new situation for the first time. It can be scary and hard to deal with. That fear doesn't stop at being a kid and it is nice to go back to films that understand that you never grow out of needing reassurance.

[@zmara4622]

Do you wanna be my friend ... please xD?!

[@Tamonduando]

I think you should consider that Japanese culture is so very different. In Japan, 8yo kids apparently are just sent to school on the train alone. I think these films have this sort of "cultural odor" to them instead of kids always being dead, and the films are their afterlives.

[@sHiRoiTuGGeR]

So I went to school alone from the start, when I was 6 XD It wasn't a super long way but helicopter parents weren't really a thing 30 years ago XD I'm from Germany too. All kids came with a bus, those from surrounding smaller towns, too. That wasn't weird.

[@irenesilberstein8720]

Im from Gemany too

[@katrinepetersen2566]

Wait? That's not normal? I live in the city and see kids taking the public bus to school every day. When I transferred to a school in the city, I'd go by train every day. Where the hell do you live? Are kids just confined to their home or with their parents all the time?

[@byrnetdown6076]

@@katrinepetersen2566 in america a lot of kids have been kidnapped on their way to or from school so many parents take their kids to school out of fear

[@branddransnothing]

@@katrinepetersen2566 Yesss, I remember my 7 year old self always greeting the same bus driver while I take a seat nearest to the front of the bus, the bus driver knew me and other kids my age, we'd stop just around the corner of our school. And even when adults rarely stop at that bus stop, he made sure to always stop there even when we forget to press the stop button! Very kind and caring. Now I see kids by the age of 7 or lower taking the mrt and I make sure to help them when they're trying to get through a crowd or help them flag down a bus.

[@MarkFilipAnthony]

I always hated peoples reasoning for dwelling in fantasy worlds as "escapism", because they want to escape their reality to a "better, more pleasent place" To me stories and fantasies are escapeism (like u say in the video) a means to deal with your reality, ur not escaping it, your're dealing with in a more deconstructed way. While the "normal" life is more emotionally complicated, these emotions manifest in to worlds and characters in a fantasy setting and the main characrter and audience can deal with these elements physically and directly. It's not about escaping reality to a better fantasy, it's about dealing with your reality in a fantasy setting. What makes so many good fantasy stories (like Ghibili movies) so appealing, is the fact that they dare to deal with their harsh realistic subject in a fantasy setting. They KNOW and UNDERSTAND, that fantasies are not gloryfied places, but uses these places for their characters to grow and deal with their every day life struggle. I think its an universal human thing, to make up stories and creatures that reflect our inner demons. This is the whole reason fairytales exsists in the firts place, it's not about escaping your reality it's about finding away to explain and deal with it. why is it so scary to walk alone at night? because there are spirits watching you. Most likely these ideas of spirits are all in your head, but then telling stories on how to deal with these spirits, makes it easier to walk alone in the dark. You use fantasy to deal with life, not to escape it. So in short: Yes I agree, Ghibili stories are about dealing with drauma, loss and change. That's why we like them so much, they are all about the difficults we find in real life, but uses a fantasy setting to illustrate those difficulties and gives us stories on how we can overcome these difficulties

[@Scarshadow666]

YES!!!! So very true and so refreshing that you wrote this!!!!! ^-^ It's so easy to forget that people have been using escapism since humanity began telling stories around a fire in groups to process the world around them (hence why a lot of mythologies and folklore have been used to explain why, for example, thunder and lightning can be so loud and scary, and it helps that a story to describe a thunder god/spirit can be an entertaining way to wait out the real-life storm). I think that people forget escapism can be a good, healthy, and a human thing just because of a few people that take it to extreme levels when that's not always the case (and depends on the context of what those few people's realities are) when everyone uses at least some form of escapism at some point in our lives, and what we do with that form of escapism depends on the person (and how the art used for escapism is absorbed/processed).

[@theamvgirlx]

YES YES YES OMG I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME

[@beemoriondo3596]

Well said!

[@melonslice1991]

Exactly! i might just copy this and send it to the next person who thinks that. lol

[@tatianavargicova2074]

You use fantasy to deal with life. Like religion?

[@emilycrow8278]

Kiki's Delivery Service is about an artist moving to the city and becoming over stressed that their "magic" is no longer fun to do, and finding another process of using their "magic" needed to be found. Miyazaki himself has already debunked a lot of these fan myths, especially Totoro being about death, and stated it was just a fantasy he created about a place he grew up in. He also debunked Spirited Away, and it was based on that he simply thought bath houses seemed like magical places. Sometimes the stories are just what they appear, and projecting deeper, more tragic stories, is just that, a projection.

[@nairabee245]

Death of the author?🤷🏿‍♀️

[@ShaudL]

This comment is almost entirely what’s referred to as death of the author when viewed in the perspective of interpretive analysis

[@bethshepherd9234]

You're right about Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbour Totoro, but Miyazaki has confirmed that the women working in the bath house also doubled as prostitutes, which implies that this is the sort of exchange No Face was trying to make with her. It fits on a thematic level, as the film is about consumer identity, No Face is a character that tries to form an identity for himself through consumption, first of money, then of food, then other people's identities, and finally he wants to "consume" Chihiro's body in that way, but she doesn't let him, and instead finds him another outlet by which he might grow and learn to define himself, away from the trap of the Bath House and theme park.

[@emilycrow8278]

@@bethshepherd9234 Miyazaki has never confirmed that. The rumor started on a Tumblr blog, and many articles ran away with the idea, without verifying it with him. I can't find it, but I know I saw a video of him talking about how he hates how people want to see twisted things in his work, but as I also can't find that evidence right now, Im not going to say for certain he did.

[@emilycrow8278]

@@nairabee245 Death of the author is for culturally relevant analysis only. It does not mean fan theories are cannon. You can use death of the author to look at a piece of media from outside the authors intent, and try to read into environmental aspect that may have influenced the author, unawares. It needs to be said, that this analytical process is HIGHLY subjective, and can not be used objectively

[@nicolaimarquez2211]

It's funny because I just recently watched Totoro for the first time, and I had no idea previous watching this that Totoro and Grave of the fireflies came out in the same year. I that makes me put into perspective both films. I too wondered while I was watching Totoro if it was all the girls imagination, because the movie always stays very close to their points of views, never actually showing much of the adults. I was expecting the whole movie for a tragedy at the end, and got pleasantly surprised with a happy ending for what I think is the most Disney-like Ghibli film I've seen (in the sense that it is the most "for children" Ghibli film I've seen). Not that this bothered me or anything, but I couldn't help but think if it was still all their imagination. But the fact that both films, the most brutally harshest and the most innocent and sweet of Ghibli films, had came out the same year make me think that Totoro actually doesn't have a happy ending. And that it was in fact a way for the girls to cope with trauma. But I'm glad that both movies took the route they did. They needs a balance. Great video (I also stopped at Ponyo cause I haven't seen it yet. Gonna bingewatch all of Ghibli's films during this Quarantine). But up until the half-way point... Great video man. Keep it up :)

[@konstantinriumin2657]

Hey we do see parents getting Mei's "magic" corn. And ending credits do show rather clearly that their mother returned safe and sound. Grave of the Fireflies IS Totoro's unhappy landing. It's kinda "How childhood sadly was" and "How childhood should be" pair of movies. One is optimistic, another pessimistic.

[@TheInunah]

I thought that Kiki losing her magic in Kiki's Delivery Service was an allegory for depression, as in all of the scenes in which Kiki is very aware of her lost magic, she seems deeply depressed. It really looked like a combination of adjusting to her new life in the city, being the only witch around for miles and miles, homesickness, and burnout from doing the same things day after day. The inspiration and passion for her magic went away because she lost inspiration and passion for life, which only came back once she realized there were things the people in that city needed that only she could do. Of course she had to force things along before she was truly ready because of circumstances out of her control, but sometimes you have to make that leap of faith to set things right.

[@bluechord2928]

the comment about the cold is why they had to cancel the mums trip to stay with the girls for the weekend, not why she was in hospital to begin with

[@WormBeetle]

Yeah I was going to comment this as well ;-;

[@Pssybart]

I think in most cases these hidden meanings were not intentional. In an interview Toshio Suzuki even rejected the My Neighbor Totoro theory about the children being dead. I do however think that these interpretations can make a movie better, if they add to your experience. King Kong is by many people considered to be a metaphor for slavery, even though the filmmakers went on record to deny that. There's another video which points out the parallels between Kiki's Delivery Service, and young entrepreneurs of the millenial generation. Of course Miyazaki couldn't have predicted in the 80's how future generations would relate to his movie, but it does keep the movie more relevant. If Spirited Away to you is a metaphor for consumerism and even of the sex industry, then let that movie be just that. But we do have to remain humble and sometimes accept films at face value. Film makers like Miyazaki are just people, who often make creative choices out of intuition, not always with the intent of feeding us social commentary. You should probably stop overanalyzing a movie when you're doing it just for the sake of finding some controversial message.

[@greyfox4838]

agreed, he's finding a twist even though that twist was neither intended, hinted at, or does anything to improve the experience of watching this film, studio ghibli films, especially miyazaki, has a very positive outlook on life, you need to take totoro at face value and believe in the magic, to think otherwise is going against the intentions of the film

[@CuddIebone]

Given the time period and other context clues, it's implied that Mei and satsuki's mother is suffering from tuberculosis or some other respiratory illness. Her complications at the hospital- why she had to stay longer instead of getting to go home- were stated by satsuki to nanny after she got off the phone with her father to be from her catching a cold, which put her at risk for her health to spiral. Luckily, as the girls see in the end, she recovered from the cold quickly and it did not cause any further complications.

[@micanikko]

I remember the summer of last year, I was depressed, anxious, I felt trapped by my parents. I was not in a good place. Ghibli movies really helped me a lot during those times and pushed me through.

[@grassaf4354]

Your channel is crazy underrated wow

[@cherrynaz7105]

Hello fellow nctzen

[@nbv6975]

Whenever I watched totoro when I was a child, I’d always feel like crying when the soot sprites left. It just made me so sad, looking back it felt like watching childhood leaving I think. Remarkably deep if you look at it that way.

[@catrinasn8972]

I see where you're coming from with the Totoro analysis, but I disagree that it's supposed to be ambiguous if Mei died - she didn't. They clearly emphasize the sandals she puts on when she goes to try to find the hospital, and they are objectively NOT the same ones they find in the pond. More importantly, though, it's simply not in Miyazaki's style to integrate tragedy in some ambiguous, implicit way into his films, especially a film as lighthearted as Totoro. (And it's important to distinguish between Miyazaki vs. non-Miyazaki Ghibli, which I'll address in a second.) When tragedy does occur, such as the destruction of the forest in Princess Mononoke, the Lastelle's death and the general dying of human culture in Nausicaa, or the destruction of Laputa in Castle in the Sky, Miyazaki films don't shy away from it. They want the viewer to feel the full impact. Moreover, Miyazaki films - especially the more whimsical ones - ultimately always have some sort of happy, if complex / bittersweet, ending. Miyazaki himself has said has said that he himself is prone to somberness, but he always wants to portray joy for life through his films and always has the inner child in mind. Grave of the Fireflies was NOT directed by Miyazaki, nor was The Tale of Princess Kaguya, another Ghibli film that ends on a 100% tragic note. So it seems sort of ridiculous to think that he'd decide to turn a film as joyful as Totoro into a more irreconcilable tragedy than films as mature as Nausicaa or Princess Mononoke, which he did direct, and which had ostensibly hopeful conclusions. Most importantly, though, Miyazaki is phenomenal with both *tone* and *cinematographic clarity* . The *tonal dissonance* that would result from the combination of a) Mei dying and b) the characters happily reuniting to upbeat music with the help of their magical forest friends? That's the kind of thing that creepypastas aim for. This wouldn't even result in a melancholy tone, it would straight up be horror movie territory, not to mention emotionally stunted IMHO. That is absolutely the opposite of Miyazaki's style. And then there's cinematographic clarity - you see the question of fantasy vs. reality clearly brought up by, for example, the contrast between the giant tree that the girls and Totoro supposedly grow vs. the tiny sprout that appears in its place the next morning. However, such a question of fantasy vs. reality is in no way indicated at the end of the story by any cinematographic detail - yes, arguably, Totoro and the Catbus are themselves figments of the girls' imaginations, but Mei being found alive and well is definitely not; the act of appearing before adult / outside characters has already been established WITHIN THIS FILM as the linchpin of reality, because all the magical critters that the girls find, all their adventures, are never witnessed by anyone else. So, the fact that Mei appears to adult / outside characters at the end shows beyond doubt that she is actually alive. In fact, the mom's surprise at finding the ear of corn that the girls left on her window at the end corroborates not only Mei being alive (as she'd need to be in order to have left the corn she was originally carrying), but I think it's also meant to corroborate the existence of these magical creatures in the girls' lives as well, just enough to make the viewer wonder... (Also, Ghibli itself has debunked the Totoro death myth. :))

[@tylerf.145]

Using fantasy to cope with trauma? Did you mean my entire life?

[@aler.5530]

are you an infp? bruh

[@ren576]

ghibli films provide an escape for me, they show a world where not everything must be explained but you can delve deeper into almost every word said and interpret it one way when someone else could interpret it completely differently.

[@faconda4364]

I think Miyazaki really just wanted to make cute wholesome films with good protagonists but I also love this way of analyzation

[@summerghost6551]

Let's face it; fantasy is better than reality. =(

[@raybellace6674]

As a young girl, ghibli was the first movie I remember seeing. The movie being spirited away. I always loved the whimsical tales, but I also found myself idolizing the females in the films. Each one is so strong and powerful in their own way, and my parents often showed me ghibli and were extremely happy when I took a liking to the heroines in the tales. It's not an understatement to say that the Ghibli girls shaped me into a strong and independent teen now. But as I grew older, I found myself not only falling more in love with the females, but what the stories said. They suddenly became more than idols to me, they gave me something to define myself as and helped me to keep fighting. In a way, I owe my life to ghibli. Spirited Away reminding me to be a hard worker, Howl's moving castle reminding me that I'm not alone, Kiki reminding me to have confidence in myself, Shizuku reminding me to follow my aspiration, and to me, the most important one and the one I've always had the most special place in my heart for, San, who always reminds me to keep fighting even when it gets tough and even when everyone tries to stop me. All my life, Ghibli allowed me to escape the hardships of my everyday life while teaching me the most important things about myself and my reality. Now, I'm two years from college, and I'm scared as ever, but it feels as if Ghibli has always been there to catch me when I fall and push me forward when all I want to do is give up or run. it's helped me through times that I thought would quite literally end me, and in a sense, ghibli was one of my own ways to cope with my own trauma. This analysis is wonderful, and, while somewhat dark, also whimsically beautiful. I can't help but project myself onto all these characters, especially Kiki, Shizuku, and San. It's been funny to watch myself grow and watch the ghibli girl holding my hand change as I did, and I always found it fascinating and exciting to see which girl would step up beside me next.

[@denomava5470]

Studio Ghibli movies actually made me cope with trauma. I had a very traumatic childhood, and there was a time my dad left us (us being my mom and my siblings) and we were on a very bad place both emotionally and economically, and we couldn't afford tv cable anymore, but there was an indie channel on public tv that every Sunday morning used to broadcast a Studio Ghibli movie; so everything around me was crumbling but during 90 minutes I was in a magic moving castle, or a spritis bath house, with a magic forest cat or in a town by the shore and I was happy, if only for those minutes, but I was.

[@SmooshGoo]

My favorite ghibli film is spirited away, while my moms favorite is howl's moving castle which I never liked because it's more in the romance genre, While spirited away Is more adventure and fantasy and a ittsy bit of horror. Grave of the fireflies even though I really liked it, it wasn't something I watched as a kid so it didn't stick with me.

[@matchalover34]

Try watching The Secret World of Arriety, it is kind of romantic but I find it adorable. It has some really nice twist too.

[@snoqze3426]

dude youre so underrated. i was watching this as i was working and i assumed you were a large channel with over a million subscribers because of how informed and professional you sounded. im so surprised, keep up the good work!

[@baniboo]

That was put together and explained really well. I think Ghibli explores that fine line between reality and fantasy masterfully. Personally I also enjoy creating this unexplained reality where fantastical elements simply exist and it does provide a comfort that I can't quite find in a complete fantasy. It's what I really love about japanese fiction, in the west we're a little too serious about our fantasy worlds at times. We overexplain a lot and I think that can really damage the overall experience.

[@JL-jh6zn]

rewatching ghibli rn in quarantine. ghibli films remind me of how beautiful life can be and inspire me to fight harder for this planet

[@SouthernGothicYT]

I'm nearly in tears at the mention of Grave of the Fireflies. Such a good movie

[@Philipop.]

How is it this video is 2 years old and I've only just now seen it? Its brilliantly made, ad friendly and very educational if you're interested in film, animation and media (which I am). Why isn't KZbin recommending videos like this sooner? It's a real shame for the creator to not get the recognition that he deserves.

[@BeeeHonest]

No wonder why I always have that sorrow feeling after watching the film or listening to Totoro theme, and I have entertained the idea that the sisters were imagining the whole time so they can be closer to their dying mother, but I have never entertained the idea that the pair of sisters have actually died!

[@zengardengnome]

Some of these theories seem specific to the English dubs, and/or to one's distance from Japanese culture. For example, a brief explanation is given in Totoro that the figures Mei sees are similar to the creatures in a book she's seen/owns. They fit in the culture and aren't random figments. Also, her mother wasn't hospitalized for a cold. Rather, her return home was postponed because she came down with a cold while already there. It's very believable that she was fine, at that point. Miyazaki has spoken about some of these themes in numerous interviews, and the fan-made theories don't hold water after his explanations. One of the reasons Miyazaki centers stories around children is because they're more open to the world and express their love and courage with honesty. As in, they see the magic in things; they don't just make it up. At times he *explicitly* tells his audience to take the fantasy elements at face value. Still, an interesting video essay.

[@Zorklis]

Loved the video but stopped at Ponyo part just because I haven't watched it yet. So I'm a go and when I have watched I'll come back.

[@jailbirdsjailhouse852]

Been a year have you watched it yet?

[@icecubes9056]

I watched Ponyo on the Cliff By the Sea, Kiki's Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro when I was really young. Ghibli was my childhood and I'm still discovering more Ghibli Films too!

[@mattiasgrutop9824]

grave of the fireflies is in a league of its own

[@ESCHOIRvan]

I liked your video and thought the idea was compelling. But I feel like there needs to be more scrutiny: What about Magic Realism (look at Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Haruki Murakami)? What about the influence of Shintoism and Buddhism in Japanese culture? What about the European tradition of fairy tales and morality plays? I think your reading touches on an element of these films but neglects the significance of other styles and factors and simplifies concepts too much (trauma necessitating imaginative escape).

[@happynaturalist1793]

At 2:45 you say that Satsuki and Mei’s mom “has only had a minor cold this whole time.” To be clear: their mom is not hospitalized **because** of the cold. The cold is a setback preventing her from coming home from the hospital for a visit.

[@awareclueless]

i thought about studio ghibli having a deeper meaning for a long time and your video really strengthened this opinion.

[@shamisochigwende9216]

This was a great video, it’s really helped enhanced my focus on story telling.

[@Antiikkikauppa]

I'm surprised this doesn't have more views! It's such an interesting way to look at Ghibli films, but not short of a fitting one, as I(like many others) use the films as escapism, too.

[@phantasmagore7991]

this was a good video and while i can’t say anything for ponyo or grave of fireflies since i haven’t watched either of those, it’s worth noting that kiki leaves abruptly because it’s a tradition for young witches to leave home and begin their training on a full moon, something that she had been eager to do for a while

[@Squirreltasticqueen]

What's amazing is that they released that witch movie, with the red head girl and like mild spoilers but at least one character grew up and lost magic tbh I found the ending dissapointing because of implications related to this. It's like kiki but more overt

[@joshuaibrahimhussain852]

You're channel deserves million of subscriber😄

[@DeniseFer]

Great analysis once more

[@edwin4625]

I'd like to keep to the fantasy side view point more than what was presented in this short but well put video. I'm a new sub for sure. I hope you get more subs as well.

[@kobehagen9576]

The themes in My Neighbor Totoro are very reminiscent of the themes presented in Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. They would make for a good double feature

[@DennisChainsawman]

This video deserves more views :(

[@matket5192]

The prostitution & spirited away perspective really hit harder than a rock wow- i had never thought about that movie in that way before! Respect for that man

[@black666phillip]

BEST MOVIE STUDIO imo

[@kimagure5600]

8:10 it's not demon but spirit

[@Yohannai]

Yokai and ayakashi (what the bathouse spirits are in japanese) can be translated as both demon and spirit, so he's not wrong. English doesn't actually have words for those terms, since they're names for supernatural creatures of japanese lore.

[@ariaelle499]

My thoughts exactly!💛😭

[@AngelicAndroid]

anybody else who cries 4 minutes into any ghibli film because the graphics are stunning? haha everytime

[@alexvillarreal8546]

I'm gonna float a term; Magical realism. Specifically in Spanish literature is a way to encode social-political subtext into a piece by using magical elements in a largely realistic work. The best I've seen this done in film is by Guillermo Del Toro in his films Pan's Labyrinth and the shape of water.

[@kiana4805]

Im about to cry. I did not see the Spirited Away theory coming at the end D:

[@j9veve201]

Let's not forget "When Marnie was there"

[@caerbear913]

I do use ghibli movies as my escape especially when I am stressed I always watch one movie or when I just finished some work that's so tiring I watch ghibli's movie as my reward

[@jacky7670]

Mai's slipper reminds me of when Chihiro lost her's in the river

[@respectthefish4992]

yes

[@SkyLimit101]

Honestly this is a concept I connected with Spirited away, though I had heard of theory’s from my neighbor Totoro, I never actually thought that dark of Ponyo, (I do not know if I spelled the English titles write)

[@valvinava]

I watched Spirited Away at 14, when the scene of the parents being transformed into pig apperead, i cried. I was so scared by the idea of being in an unknown place without anybody that I remember thinking about that for a week. I cannot watch Ghibli movies cause they are really triggering for me tbh but they totally knew what they were doing. (sorry if my english is bad)

[@tesscrelli783]

This is from 2018 and there are only 12 comments?????

[@m4hmuda]

this video was ahead of its time

[@kiwimiwi5452]

I just went and watched Totoro because of this video and then you hit me with that theory..-

[@owlleep6047]

now i want to watch kikis delivery service again

[@autisticemo]

huh no wonder i like it so much

[@ukewithme6792]

Yeah, reality is not always pleasant And life is never too easy, cause if it was to be everything would be so indifferent. Existing is hard But life without hardships and challenges is not a life it is fantasy.

[@Ksensei41]

You could make a whole video about spirited away.

[@seeseeseenam1690]

You know what...first chibli movies that I ever saw was the grave of the fire fly...and I was 10!!!!!! 10! And my heart broken

[@johngoldfield6602]

I felt like this was the case with Ni no kuni aswell its also a Ghibli project though a videogame the Main character a little boy named Oliver lost his mother in an accident from saving her son from drowning right after she passed away Oliver is alone in his house suddenly strange things started to happen right after she died which indicates the start of his hallucination. his mother used to voice his doll Drippy with a welsh accent in which the doll came to life with meaning its the only way he imagined he'd sound like because of his mother , the doll tells him to find magical items to go to a world where he could save his mother, the whole RPG all happens in his head he even meets people similar to the ones in his world, in the ending he finally met his mother but it wasn't a rescue mission it was a final goodbye symbolizing his acceptance of her passing, the game ended with him being closed off from the magical realm acting a bit more mature.

[@PR-kh7fj]

I hadn't even thought of this. I wish you would have included Howls Moving Castle too

[@recoveringintrovert717]

I have to watch Grave of the Fireflies

[@duffai9308]

how does this have only 306 likes???

[@Jesterday31]

Which movie is 0:14 from? The stepping dinasour scene

[@mimi-ey8yh]

this was a very good analysis but it bothered me that you missed certain key points like in kiki her mom uses magic so losing her ability due to growing up isnt very realistic. but i really like the interpretations anyways! they make a lot of sense!

[@shaymoliakter3344]

WAOW

[@isramira9688]

please everyone!! where is the scene in 00:34 taken from? please!! I reconize the "baron cat" from "the cat returns" but i don't remember that particular scene. Is it from a prequal or a sequal?? thanks! and as always your videos are Nothing Short Of Delightful!!!! many thanks

[@nanamajeur1784]

it’s from whisper of the heart :)

[@sayoph5978]

There goes my childhood

[@MultiTwentyseven]

i wish i hadnt watched this video..

[@trinstonmichaels7062]

Trinston was here . .

[@seanpaints]

Cat Returns is also super duper fantasy. It’s like Ghibli’s Alice in Wonderland. Can’t remember the plot so I’m not sure what the trauma would be.

[@iamtwoawesomes]

-I agree that Ghibli was interested in blurring the line between fantasy and reality, but I don’t think that there are such clear cut explanations for the reality side of things. I think most of the meat of the stories comes from the fantasy side, and the hints of mundane explanations are to get cogs turning or to find more points of relatability, rather than being the secret meaning all along. Going back and forth between fantasy and reality is kind of just how engaging with media as well as imaginative play functions, and so I think the mundane helps to strengthen the illusion of the fantastical. -I didn’t interpret the hospital scene at the end of Totoro as ‘just having a cold the whole time.’ I interpreted it as the ‘setback in treatment’ being caused by a cold-perhaps the cold itself was not that bad, but the mother was immunocompromised or otherwise in a precarious position that meant the doctors had to be on high alert anyway. I have more words to describe it now, but I remember clearly that that is how I interpreted it as a child. I knew already that some things that were mundane to me (colds and flu, slipping and falling) could be fatal to others, like my grandparents or infants. I think this interpretation of events helps suspend disbelief somewhat more and keep it in much more of an enjoyable grey area than how it’s presented here. -While there are definitely some romantic hints in Kiki’s Delivery Service, I think it’s erroneous to say she loses her powers after she gets a boyfriend. She loses her powers after a series of demoralizing events that make her skip out on a possible date that she had already agreed to. I think it is much more of an inner struggle than an interpersonal one (knowing that of course as humans we are influenced and motivated by other people), which is why I think they didn’t include a confession or kiss scene with Kiki and Tombo at the end. Plus as a queer person I like to turn the tables and be skeptical of heterosexual relationships being assumed just on insinuation of attraction. 🤣 -This probably sounds like all criticism, but thank you for opening up this avenue of discussion. It is fun to reflect on these movies.

[@samgold9151]

Can you work on Japan Japanese Quality Shop and Store for Grants Pass Oregon in August 2028?

[@emmierusso404]

amazing video but vaguely ruined my childhood

[@lydibug4849]

Okay but Tombo isn't Kiki's boyfriend, since there's no hint of romance between them.

[@beansavacado8134]

MORE VIEWS MORE VIEWS WHY DOESTN THIS HAVE MORE VIEWSSS

[@samgold9151]

more lessons

[@cordrobertson6864]

I always assumed the sisters died in totoro for some reason.

[@lillysmith4040]

Using studio Ghibli to cope with trauma ✔️

[@jazy9815]

Anyone mind telling me where I can watch these?

[@rachelleleva5794]

NETFLIX

[@nemnyoom]

ehhh. your interpretations are valid, but i find them rather boring, to be honest. like, yes, maybe the mother did actually die at the end of my neighbour totoro (though i don't really remember them saying it was a cold? did they change it in the dub, or have i just not seen it recently enough?) but that doesn't mean that totoro isn't real. yes, there's a huge natural disaster in ponyo, but that doesn't mean that magic doesn't save people kiki's delivery service, yeah. a theme of older magical girl anime was that the powers only worked for "pure" girls (and i don't think i need to explain further), which was only really shaken up with sailor moon. a lot of older magical girl stuff had them lose their powers after kissing boys or whatever, but, like. if we're looking at kiki as an allegory, i think having her be the daydream of a runaway is kind of weak. it's more about growing up and away from your parents. magic as a form of childhood is probably definitely metaphorical on some level, but it still exists as its own in-universe thing. like, when you leave your parents behind, you can still find people to depend on. you don't have to grow up immediately, even when you want to become an adult as soon as you can. at the end, she regains her witchy powers, but lacks the ability to talk with jiji, and that's just. yeah. that's the fact that, when you grow up, some things become impossible, like imagining conversations with your teddies. but, on some level, we all retain at least a little childishness in us i'm fairly certain that miyazaki got pretty annoyed about people considering spirited away as an allegory for prostitution. then again, i'm into folklore and such, so the idea of spirits being fickle and incomprehensible to humans and our morality is a lot easier to understand i guess it's just? ghibli movies tend to be urban fantasy in a way that people don't usually count as 'urban fantasy'. it's the merging of the fantastic and mundane. to make the stories wholly allegorical, to me, at least, diminishes it all

[@josephstein7926]

Omg thank you for writing this I was worried I was the only one who was just not at all persuaded!!!

[@cereal_aeizole]

nice, my childhood got destroyed

[@d.k.hapsari6030]

Instead of escaping from trauma, i see Ghibli movies as a depiction of "mono no aware" or pathos of the thing. Its Japanese term to describe that everything in this world has "soul", not only living being but also nature and environment. Totoro for example, it was not an imaginary creature in Mei and Satsuki's mind but it was described as tree / forest spirit that only can be seen by children. It was stated in the anime by adults lived in neigborhood. Not all of children but whom Totoro wanted to show itself or maybe children that lucky enough to met Totoro. Most of Ghibli movies were like to show us relationship of human and nature, including spirit from another dimension. When we watched or analyzed Ghibli movies (or another anime with similar theme such as spirit world), we should considered Japanese cultures and also beliefs. Reduce our subjective view. We should also consider what messages the creator wanted to convey to us. Plus, its better to watched it in their original dub, Japan language. Because translation from Japan to English (or another language), often missed a lot due to some factors such as speaking duration that result in adding or reducing dialogue. Imho.

[@rhflop]

The spirited away one ruined me-

[@theratsintown1940]

Kiki’s delivery service reminds me of my plane to come out as trans. It’s so abrupt, and unpredictable

[@li_celly]

Nah, Kiki's world is just taken as fact that a culture foreign from the city has entered and that is part of her life. You can interpret/replace many ways of Kiki's way of life as part of herself. Like, her family could be musically trained through generations, or that she is a belief in Islam, etc. And that the fact she goes off somewhere else where she feels alone she would lose faith in her studies, and in term herself. She gains confidence after though and that's all the film is really about. Overcoming internal hardships and look into oneself to regain confidence and identity, despite her being a witch or not.

[@antiuserr6872]

I don’t wanna believe this ;/

[@user-kn1hc5nn1k]

Why is Studio Ghibli so sad

[@mitonaarea5856]

You could put an spoiler warning....

[@gabrielmachadobsb]

Thinking everything has a dark allegory behind it is so boring and unimaginative. Instead of trying to find hidden things that are not there, engaging the narratives at face value and diving deeper into their themes will be much more interesting. There is a lot more depth to stories than just "actually this was super dark" and Miyazaki is far past such shallow gimmicks

[@awesomedawsonmg1940]

Maybe a spoiler warning next time! I was planning on watching Grave of the Fireflies!

[@emilyporter1186]

I'm honestly quite tired of these grimdark! interpretations. It's not new or innovative, similar theories on other cartoons have been around forever. Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki in particular make these movies for ppl of the protagonists' age group. Totoro is for 4-10yos, Ponyo is for 5yos, Spirited Away is for 10yos. Obviously they're great for ppl of all ages, but those are the target audiences. Anyone who has seen an interview with Miyazaki knows that he loves children, loves their innocent wonder at the world, and their appreciation of magic in the everyday. The goal isn't secret tragedy. Ghibli doesn't shy away from tragedy when that is their goal: Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Princess Mononoke. Children being independent is also not a sign of trauma, it's a normal everyday thing in Japan. 6yos take the train by themselves.

[@bearvillebear1468]

Keep strong. Dont forget that despite the struggles and madness in this world today, God is full of justice, mercy and love. Justice said we broke His perfect law - causing the world's previous perfection to be destroyed - and therefore we deserve Hell (like a punishment in any legal system but this is eternal as His perfect law is eternal too). Don't think you fit in that category? Ever done one of these?: lying, stealing - regardless of how small the object EVER, hating others - which is murder in God's perfect law, lusting (plus God sees our entire thought life). Justice says "the soul that sins shall die" - if we break one in thought/word/deed it's as if we're guilty of all of them. Quite simply, living by the law (which is doing everything perfectly) is impossible for sinful humans . The law shows us that 1. We will die in Hell if we fail to follow it and 2. We cannot save ourselves BUT, 3. God's perfect, immovable law points us to Christ, who followed and fulfilled the law in thought, word and deed perfectly in our place. He did what we couldn't and did it on our behalf. He was then sentenced to death on a cross, and took our personal punishment for our sin, paying our penalty (like paying our fine) completely FOR us, and has given us freedom. If we turn from the sins we have committed and repent (pursue the opposite direction of love through Christ) He will, overtime, recreate us back into that previously perfect image through The Holy Spirit which Jesus sends to all who accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior of their life. He will help us through the struggle, the stress, and anything we experience in the world. It's about letting Christ in to guide and teach you and obeying Him through His power (not ourselves, we need Him to help us as it's impossible without depending on His power and instruction). He is our substitute in His life, death and resurrection. He essentially rewrote history in our place so that, if you believe in Him, it will be as if you had never sinned if you accept Christ's death as our own in our place. He is in Heaven right now preparing a place for us so that He can take His faithful, believing children home with Him when He returns. He will ressurrect us from death when He returns, giving mercy to those who accept His love, instruction and teachings in their life, and give justice to those who refuse it. He doesn't want ANY of us to go to Hell and die for continuing in evil and rejecting His way to life, thats why He died FOR us. Hes giving EVERYONE a chance, He wants everyone to take the free gift of salvation from Hell. He wants us to be His and begin to follow His life of love and service through His power and abiding (staying) with Him. So long as we keep our hearts near to Christ through His strength, strive to follow His will of perfect love revealed in the Bible, and let Him lead in the midst of (very certain) pitfalls and struggles, we will, in time, win the ultimate victory over sin, pain and DEATH through Christ. Even if you are willing to be made willing, pray for Jesus to come in and He will do what we can't. Give us The Holy Spirit who will guide us in the right way. Christ says in John 16:33: I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] - (AMPLIFIED version) NOTE: You are NEVER too sinful or messed up that God cannot turn your life around through Jesus. EVER. Regardless of what you've done or what you're going through you CAN make it through Jesus. Xx

[@LifeUntilLove]

I really dislike the "everyone actually dies and this is all a fantasy" hypothesis for magic or fantasy scenes. It feels like a lazy application of a 'subversive' idea. A number of the things you are talking about are misinterpretations (the Mom in Totorro does not just have a cold, it is likely tuberculous) or are cultural aspects of Japan (giving up magic to stay human in Ponyo). This really was a swing and a miss for me.

[@samgold9151]

Can you provide? Asexual Community in person in Grants Pass Oregon Love yourself and others How to have space In 2025

[@keisaboru1155]

This is just too much talking. 🤣🍻

[@daniela9488]

This guy talks too fast