Spirited Away, Vol. 4

Rating:
Summary: The Sister and the Golden Seal
Review: Now that we are past the middle of this story (this is volume for of 5) the action picks up quite a bit. No Face, the spirit that young Sen let in earlier has turned into a disaster, determined to eat whatever food the bath house has to offer and paying in showers of gold. On the down side, however, the spirit has a tough time differentiating staff from the food, throwing everything into chaos.

As this is going on, Sen sees a white dragon being chased across the sky by paper birds. This is Haku, the young mage, who is badly wounded in his efforts to steal magic. Surprisingly, Sen shows fierce loyalty to her friend, courageously facing the dangers of the bathhouse in order to save his life. The girl has come a long way from the spoiled child who first happened into this strange work.

When I first found this series, the film was still unavailable to US audiences. As such they were the only option for English speakers who wanted to see Miyazaki's latest work and get a sense of the flow of the film. They do this quite well for what is essentially a still medium, spending a lot of frames building a chain of movement. This is done with cels from the film, so the normal comic approach doesn't prevail. When I look at the illustration, I think of a parent reading a book to a child and pointing to a string of pictures as, say, a dragon twists and loops in the sky.

Indeed, this set is perfect for that purpose. It is also a delightful memento of a wonderful film. Miyazaki's imagination is always stunning and unique. There are many good anime artists, but fewer great artists who happen to do anime. Film or no film, I intend to own the entire set.

Rating:
Summary: The Sister and the Golden Seal
Review: Now that we are past the middle of this story (this is volume for of 5) the action picks up quite a bit. No Face, the spirit that young Sen let in earlier has turned into a disaster, determined to eat whatever food the bath house has to offer and paying in showers of gold. On the down side, however, the spirit has a tough time differentiating staff from the food, throwing everything into chaos.

As this is going on, Sen sees a white dragon being chased across the sky by paper birds. This is Haku, the young mage, who is badly wounded in his efforts to steal magic. Surprisingly, Sen shows fierce loyalty to her friend, courageously facing the dangers of the bathhouse in order to save his life. The girl has come a long way from the spoiled child who first happened into this strange work.

When I first found this series, the film was still unavailable to US audiences. As such they were the only option for English speakers who wanted to see Miyazaki's latest work and get a sense of the flow of the film. They do this quite well for what is essentially a still medium, spending a lot of frames building a chain of movement. This is done with cels from the film, so the normal comic approach doesn't prevail. When I look at the illustration, I think of a parent reading a book to a child and pointing to a string of pictures as, say, a dragon twists and loops in the sky.

Indeed, this set is perfect for that purpose. It is also a delightful memento of a wonderful film. Miyazaki's imagination is always stunning and unique. There are many good anime artists, but fewer great artists who happen to do anime. Film or no film, I intend to own the entire set.

Rating:
Summary: ecaF-oN morf esuohhtab s'abaab-uY sevas orihihC
Review: Volume 4 of this manga version of Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar winning anime "Spirited Away," picks up the story as 10-year-old Chihiro is ordered by the sorceress Yu-baaba to take care of No-Face, who is disrupting the bathhouse that caters to the whims of weary spirits. Caught in the spirit world, Chihiro has seen things both wondrous and frightening. But the moody little girl we first met is slowly turning in a brave and resourceful little heroine (yes, for those of you keep score back home that would mean this is a bildungsroman anime). As she continues her adventures in these highly original wonderland Chihiro comes closer to unlocking the secrets that will help her rescue her parents and get them all back home.

This five-volume manga edition of Miyazaki-sama's masterpiece is no longer a substitute for seeing the anime now that it is available on DVD. But along with the volume "The Art of Spirited Away," these manga are another way of enjoying and cherishing this wonderful film once you have enjoyed seeing it for yourself. If you have gotten as far as volume 4 then you know the books are read "back" to "front" (i.e, right to left, like the above title for this review). The artwork consists of cells taken from the film, which will allow you to look for the little details Miyazanki puts into virtually every drawing. You can also study his use of color, which is certainly worth paying attention to as well. In terms of what you get "extra" with the manga version are the original Japanese sound effects. There is also a black wrap around cover to protect the book and remind you that "Spirited Away" is something special.