Product Description

Spirited Away, directed by the veteran anime film-maker Hayao Miyazaki, is
Japan's most successful film, and one of the top-grossing 'foreign language'
films ever released. Set in modern Japan, the film is a wildly imaginative
fantasy, at once personal and universal. It tells the story of a listless little girl
who stumbles into a magical world where gods relax in a palatial bathhouse,
where there are giant babies and hard-working soot sprites, and where a train
runs across the sea.
Andrew Osmond's insightful study describes how Miyazaki directed Spirited
Away with a degree of creative control undreamt of in most popular cinema,
using the film's delightful, freewheeling visual ideas to explore issues ranging
from personal agency and responsibility to what Miyazaki sees as the
lamentable state of modern Japan. Osmond unpacks the film's visual language,
which many Western (and some Japanese) audiences find both beautiful and
bewildering. He traces connections between Spirited Away and Miyazaki's prior
body of work, arguing that Spirited Away uses the cartoon medium to create a
compellingly immersive drawn world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82501 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 121 pages

Review

'...thorough and well written, covering a number of bases. For any student of animation, fan of the movie, or just someone with an interest in anime generally, this is an insightful study and valuable tool to understanding one of the key anime films in recent years.' - Neo Magazine
 
'Andrew Osmond does a fine job, not only expertly breaking down Spirited Away's myriad signs and wonders, but acting as a cultural translator to boot.' - Empire

About the Author
ANDREW OSMOND is a freelance journalist based in Berkshire, UK. He writes for a range of high-profile film magazines including Sight & Sound, Empire and SFX.

Customer Reviews

Verbous yes, stunning? Yes.
I have to say upon purchasing this product (Not from Amazon, so don't think this is a fake review upon checking my buying history haha) I had to say I was weary, even though I do film studies, I felt that perhaps people may read too much into this film. Yet, now, I admit I was wrong, I found it an indespensible resource in my study of 'The subtle socio-economic and enviromental themes present in the works of Studio Ghibli.' The book can he slightly pretentious at points and a little verbous, I seem to remember the phrase "a proto-reanactment of adult trials" when refering to Chihiro attempting to calm the Dragon form of Haku, yet I believe that was as pretentious as it got. I would recommend this book to anyone studying or with an interest in Studio Ghibli or even just Spirited Away in particular.

Many people I have bumped into and discussed the book have expressed an interest to borrow the book, so it's been well read and well loved. I would highly recommend also for any fans of anime or animation in general. It would make a good gift for a fan of anime perhaps combined with the DVD if they haven't seen the film already.

I would say that the reading age of this book is 15+ or mature, not due to graphic content but due to complex themes being discussed and I feel a more mature ready would get the most out of the book.

Also, many pages in the book have high quality glossy images from the film or other areas of interest to Studio Ghibli fans adorning the pages.

A+ Well worth every penny.

BFI Classic Series
Another in British Film Institute series, well written & well researched. For academics and film buffs alike.