Hello my dears, how are you?
I will make a list of the anime I like the most, and that has some important meaning in my life.
Spirited Away
Complex and sensitive, the film unites reality and fantasy, the divine and the human, the old and the new, in a story full of symbolism that discusses, through this duality, the question of identity.
the film criticizes capitalism, which I find incredible.
The question of Chihiro's name having a kanji removed and being transformed into Sen, a word that calls a value, symbolizes another very strong issue in the movie: the loss of identity due to greed and overconsumption. Greed, consumption, and luxury can also be seen in the film as the result of Western external influences in Japan.
Even with this feeling of nostalgia for the past, it does not put national culture as pure, free from the bad. Quite the opposite: in the bathroom scenes - a traditional place of Japanese culture and in which the gods go to rest in the movie - he also shows that there is prejudice, pride and selfishness. This is evident with the faceless character. He is devoid of any identity - he has no voice, body limbs, expression, personality and not even a name, since No Face is the nickname given by the bathroom workers to him precisely because of his nonexistent face. He just wanders around, unnoticed or ignored, until Chihiro notices him and is kind to him.
This is where we know the main feature of No Face - it behaves according to the way it is treated. As Chihiro is kind, so is he. As bathroom workers approach him only interested in the gold he produces, Faceless also becomes greedy, arrogant and addicted to consuming more. In this unbridled consumption and behavior that reflects the other, the faceless lack of identity in the most absolute sense is wide open.
The love evidenced by the details.... In addition to Chihiro and No Face, the other character who also works the most with this idea of loss of identity is Haku, the boy who works for Yubaba. Chihiro's first friend in the new world warns her from the start that she can never forget his real name, as he did himself: "If you forget it [the name] completely, you will never find your way back."
Mononoke Hime
The film explores the relationship between man versus nature. Set during the Muromachi Period, the first moment in the history of Japan where people stopped worshiping nature, instead trying to control it and use it for their own benefit so that they could progress. As we know, the devaluation of nature for the sake of human progress continues to this day, and given that it was man who emerged victorious in this war, we can assume that in the real world the battle depicted in the film did not have a happy ending, which gives an even bigger melancholy tone to the story. The world represented in Princess Mononoke is preindustrial, still largely surrounded by nature, and human influence, though growing and threatening, has not yet been able to completely annihilate it.
Princess Mononoke is the main figure representing the nature side. The term "Mononoke", incidentally, is not a proper name, but a Japanese word for "spirit" or "monster", and its real name is San.Mononoke makes it clear that both hatred and love, and life and death are intrinsic to each other, as two sides of the same coin.The film also criticizes blind faith, and the mindset that the ends justify the means. He shows us that even the noblest causes can be corrupted by hatred and violence.
another thing i love is about kodama's spirits. Kodamas are forest-dwelling yokais, their appearances in the history of Japan predating the country's own writing system.
Hauru no ugoku shiro/Howl´s Moving Castle
Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, this book tells us a love story that was truly original in times of war between nations.
The story of the Animated Castle shows us various aspects of human values and virtues. Sophie, who at first is young but has an old and accommodating heart, learn from old age to take initiative and believe in herself. Howl, the selfish, cowardly Wizard learns to love and protect those he loves.
An aspect that demonstrates well the sentimental and rational quality of this film that, in addition to being able to penetrate our feelings and emotions with the scenes it presents, has the ability to let us reflect on the themes presented and compare them with reality.
kimetsu no yaiba/Demon slayer
Demon Slayer features stunning scenes and is strongly recommended for those seeking an anime with intense fights, blood on screen, and a complex story with moving moments. It is an anime of both external and internal struggles, bringing the viewer into Tanjiro Kamado's Psyche.
The story of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is set in the Taisho period and is premised on the story of Tanjiro, a young man who comes alive selling coal, until one day he finds out that his family was massacred by a demon and the only one. survivor, his sister Nezuko was transformed into a demon (Oni), and with this Tajiro set out on a journey to become a demon slayer, to seek a shape and turn his sister back into human.
One of the strengths of the anime is its well-developed story and the quality of the art that is one of the best I have ever seen in this new generation of anime (personal opinion, I haven't watched so many anime, but I have a considerable list as a basis) Moreover, like every good anime, comic and action moments are well-constructed so that they fit well through history without promoting the excessive humor or out-of-season action that is common to most anime in this category.
for me, best anime of 2019 for sure!!!
Well that's it guys, it was a little long, but I hope you enjoy, tell me your favorite anime too <3 kisses
elven
