Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan?

Does spirited away reflect conventional japan?To what extent does the world of hayao miyazakis spirited away reflect traditional japan?Anime has been exposit by Napier (2001, p.8) as a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves send to the cutting edge of art and media. Hayao Miyazakis movie theaters are no stranger to featuring portrayals and representations of traditional Japan within the mythical worlds he creates in his films as well as those set in Japan. His imagery is vastly different to the ultra futuristic portrayals featured in the equally popular cyberpunk anime of Mamoru Oshiis Ghost in the Shell(1995), Katsuhiro Otomos Akira (1988) and all of their contemporaries. Spirited Away (2001) is arguably Miyazakis nearly widely known and regarded film both domestically and abroad, having become the most financially successful film of all time in Japan while also receiving the Academy Award for best anima tion. While being set in a advanced Japan where technology has become more important than history and tradition, in Spirited Away Miyazaki concentrates on several aspects of Japans cultural history. The protagonist of the film, Chihiro, has lived a pampered biography in the city and is nave and unprepared for adulthood. Her parents are portrayed as greedy and irresponsible in the symbol of the credit card wielding father bend into an overindulgent hog. (Broderick, 2003) The spirit world that she unknowingly enters represents the Taisho period of Japanese history (around 1912 to 1926), a popular setting in Anime, but of particular personal significance to Miyazaki. (Yoshioka, 2008) puerility memories have influenced his use of this time which does not simply create a feeling of nostalgia, but, as Yoshioka says, merges personal experience into a larger sense of past. (Yoshioka, 2008 p.257)The aspects of traditional Japan displayed in the film vary from the extravagant grandeur of t he bathhouse to the simple, yet quaint wooden houses and shops in the spirit town. The bathhouse evening includes slide paper doors and massive ornate Satsuma-ware vases all representative of a prosperous location in Japan during the 1920s. It serves to act as an opposition to the modern instance of Chihiro upon who the traditional aspects of Japanese society are lost. (Denison, 2007) Denison writes that the bathhouse holds valuable lessons for modern (Japanese) society, including, not allowing such a healthy eclectic heritage disappear in a culture obsessed with the furthering of technology as well as keeping the Japanese youth educated about their roots and heritage. Some of the major(ip) characters in the film also incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese septlore. Spirits have been featured as characters in many antediluvian patriarch Japanese folk tales, generally influenced by the both major religions Shinto and Buddhism. The ancient River Spirit which Chihiro helps t o clean appears to have a face which resembles a Japanese Noh theatre mask. some other theatrical mask is also featured on the character of No-Face. The film also alludes to the practicing of religion in Japan and the ignorance of the youth towards it. In a picture show at the beginning of the film Chihiro does not recognise some Shinto shrines and her mother explains their role yet it is evident that she does not consider them important adage some people think little spirits live there. (Spirited Away, 2001) It is evident from Miyazakis films as a whole that the spirituality is a common and often bountiful theme, particularly, but not exclusively, among his films aimed at children. Certain themes recur in Miyazakis films. In Spirited Away many of these appear such as childhood, materialism and most notably environmentalism. The story of the spirit Haku links to the arguments mentioned so far about the portrayal of tradition. The disappearance of Hakus home the Kohaku River due to materialism has led to his forgetting of the past and even his name alluding to the real possibility of people in Japan being so focused on the future they forget elements of their past, in this case an ancient river paved over to build apartments. (Osmond, 2008) Other Miyazaki films have also included the relationship between the spirits or gods and humans, mainly about the difficulty of the two living in harmony. Princess Mononoke(1997), Ponyo(2008) and My Neighbour Totoro(1988) are examples of this with each also carrying the theme of environmentalism.All of the points mentioned so far have reinforced that the world featured within Spirited Away shows a traditional, typically Japanese culture which aims to critique modern Japanese society as well as educate the films progeny target audience about the importance of tradition. Thanks to Disneys worldwide distribution deal with Miyazakis production company Studio Ghibli, the market for anime has been expanded so hugely that ther es a now global awareness of not only modern and pseudo-futuristic Japan but also heightened understanding of Japanese tradition fans (are) industrious with the cultural origins of anime texts. (Cubbison, 2005 p.45) This market has been so developed that anime now seems to cater specifically for the international market within its films. The complex identities of Miyazakis characters, such as Haku or Yubaba in Spirited Away are, according to Denison, created to appeal to a Hollywood-saturated world market. These characters employ a number of traits not inherently Japanese. Also, some aspects of the computer architecture and artwork featured in the film are not typically Japanese but contain elements of Western styles. An example of this can be prime in the small thatched cottage owned by Zeniba, the kind twin sister of the unpleasant witch Yubaba, the owner of the aforementioned bathhouse. The Anime film diligence has varying takes on the issue of tradition, but Miyazaki has take n on the issue whole heartedly in his films. Miyazakis idea of the identity of the Japanese person, along with his concept of the breathing out of traditional culture in the technological Mecca of contemporary Japanese society, has proved significant in the visual appeal of his films as well as their tasteful value. Not only does he reference parts of culture such as art, architecture and religion, but also references traditional theatre and behaviour (such as the removal of shoes before entering a house). Despite the fact that Miyazakis uses some hybridity with other cultures in his portrayal of tradition, the fundamental Japaneseness of Spirited Away is pinch and irrefutable.