Spirited Away

Rating:
Summary: "...prepare to be spirited away..."
Review: Nausicaa. Castle in the Sky. Totoro. Whispers of the Heart. Princess Mononoke. All unparalleled creative works with Spirited Away not being an exception.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest creators of art in his generation. By conforming his motion picture into a 5-book domestic manga set, Spirited Away is in the Japanese from-right-to-left reading sequence. In capturing each part of the movie in closely with the comic image, it's an easier path for readers to see the main Japanese ideals and themes that Miyazaki created.

Chihiro travels through these 5 books to transition from a once-disillusioned child to a more down-to-earth girl that realizes her importance of having her own identity. From a fantasy world, she needs to overcome the obstacles placed by a witch to return to present-day Japan. Like Alice in Wonderland, interesting and various characters are met that helps develop Chihiro and the story into a classic that has been acclaimed by various organizations.

There are many details that are missed in the quick pace of the movie that is captured by the manga. The details that are captured with the glossy paper help make the boxset a treasured gift that is enjoyable to have in a convenient box.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully rendered, true to the Disney film dialog
Review: This box set (which for whatever reason, they say isn't available but it must be because they sold it to me) is a collection of upscale comic books on thick glossy paper, in short volumes. Oddly enough, you must read it "backward" -- you start at the end of the book and read right to left. This might confuse some younger readers, but if you go through it with them, they'll catch on soon enough.

There are many more stills than would be expected from a comic, which means that there are many, many panels with no dialog. The artwork is simply gorgeous, as anyone who has watched the movie knows. The dialog appears to be 100% of the Disney English version.

Our family adores Spirited Away and think the movie is probably the best movie we've ever seen. Both my children, nearly 3 and 9, on their own, have watched the movie dozens of times. Having a nice text to go along with the movie is therefore wonderful for us as it allows us to study the artwork, and to also follow the dialog. (Closed captioning in the movie is great, too.) But for me, the best thing about owning the box set is that it allows a prereader like my youngest, to enjoy the story by looking at the pictures. She has memorized most of the movie, anyway. Yet, I hope it encourages her to want to read, but in the mean time, will allow her to enjoy the story of Spirited Away wherever we are.

A true Sprited Away fan will probably enjoy having this set. But I think it would also be nice to see a book which "tells" the story in a narrative form. Given the choice between the two, I'd prefer a narrative. But I can't say I'm not pleased with this set as it is.