Ro's Recz

Spirited Away is the most famous of the Studio Ghibli films, and most lists ranking all 24 movies have it as the best as well. I recently watched Spirited Away for the first time (it is hard to believe, since I have watched a bunch of other Japanese shows), and I thought it was a great movie.

I finished the movie feeling a little confused, but overall it was a very enjoyable experience. I would say that I personally may have preferred My Neighbor Totoro, but it is personal preference.

Each time I watch a Miyazaki movie, I am astonished by his imagination. He comes up with some of the most crazy ideas, and I would love to know his thought process when filming a movie. He truly is a master, and I’m not able to even appreciate his full brilliance yet. I think that watching his movies with English subtitles is still an incredible experience, but being able to understand every word in Japanese and understand all the subtle meanings would be even better.

I watched the movie on HBO Max, which is the newest streaming service available. I am not sure if they upgraded the quality of the movies, but for some reason it looked clearer/sharper than some of his other movies; however, this could just be because Spirited Away was made later, and I am not sure if it is true or not. Either way though, I would definitely recommend watching Spirited Away if you have not already.

Spirited Away Recommendation Rating: 3

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for