beginning and end
THEY WERE MISSING FOR FUCKING YEARS OMG, THIS ALWAYS UPSETS ME SO MUCH
I always see the discussion that many days, months, years have passed during this story.
I present to you a different idea.
There’s several themes behind Spirited Away: Capitalism’s effect on Japan, Environmental issues, and notably, Chihiro’s coming of age story.
From what I know, the idea of time passing differently in spirit worlds, is more based on western stories of the fae.
But something more common in Japanese folklore is spirit trickery/deception. Or more accurately. What you see, isn’t always what’s actually there.
Chihiro starts this story as a young child, before her coming-of-age arc, that more or less forces her to become ‘an adult’. More accurately. The challenges she faces makes her mature as a person.
What’s the most common thing in folklore? Children see what’s actually there.