#Awakening ptII

[versesinmotion]

Verses In Motion with Cecily [EP 4]

“Heart-born omens and organic conversations with creative minds.” In this episode @LauraLME talks to Cecily, DC-based vocalist and songwriter known for her agile soprano and  honest lyrics. This enchanting conversation is a true soul promenade that touches on unconditional love, vulnerability as strength and her new single out now “I Am Love”. Cecily’s sound, as soothing as it is rich, is rooted…

[wrightsum857]

SPIRITED AWAY REVIEW PTII (Sorry I am late it has been a while hasn't it?)

The focus is mainly going to be on Haku. Not all of this is mine, I got a lot of inspiration/ideas from a fanfiction written by someone called moviefan-92. It is absolutely wonderful and I absolutely recommend you give it a read. I shall leave a link below. As always a quick *warning of spoilers*.

From the start Haku is a bit of a mystery. He appears seemingly out of nowhere and disappears as fast. Warning Chihiro to leave immediately (which I always thought of as a bit rude but I can understand why).

He then goes on to protect Chihiro, bring her to the bath house to get work, find her clothes from the Human World, secure her identity (and so her freedom), allow her to see her parents, make a deal to break her contract, retrieve her from Zeniba’s and allow her to leave to go home with a final piece of advice to secure her safety through the tunnel to her world. Phew! Not bad for a two hundred odd Dragon-boy spirit.

Anyways we get very varied sides of Haku. Not all of them are good. He is either cold and distant, or warm and friendly. Some of the spirits even warn Chihiro to stay clear of him. So why doesn’t Chihiro? And how does she/he fall in love with him/her?

Okay yes, if you met a (cute) boy about your age *(well looks anyway) who frees you from a spell that cripples your legs and feeds you to protect you from dying and allows you to see your parents-well you might be a little bit grateful. But that doesn’t explain how she fell in love with him. *I am just going to assume that since he looks ten he acts and feels and behaves like a ten year old-not including his magic and knowledge attained over the past century or so.

We would have to assume that before Haku left for Yubaba he kept visiting Chihiro to take her to see her parents as he warned her to ‘never come here without me’. How else could Chihiro remember what her parents looked like to know for certain the pigs Yubaba sets before her are a fake? I don’t know about you but I would not be able to distinguish my parents as pigs after only seeing them very briefly twice!

With this in mind this off screen interaction must account for Chihiro suddenly being in love with Haku. We see her with him 6 times (roughly) Amazingly though Miyazaki gives us enough hints on screen for us to realize Chihiro cares for Haku. So when she breaks the curse from the Golden Seal on him it is not a complete surprise.

Alone, she goes on to dream about him, recalling the moment she fell into a river as a young toddler. When he assigns her to her room he acts cold and distant from her-here is the only time we see Chihiro openly hurt and confused by him. Of course we as a viewer understand that if he showed any kind of kindness towards her he would cause suspicion.

This cold attitude however is important. It shows who Haku has been and behaved like for decades to the other staff. Kamaji (the boiler man) later explains that when Haku first came over to the bath house he was good but by becoming Yubaba’s apprentice he became cold and his eyes hardened; he was never the same again. Chihiro sees this part of Haku but forgives him because she knows what he has done for her already. The only other time he is distant towards Chihiro, is when he is left to bleed out from his injuries. He snarls at Chihiro and Kamaji warns her to be careful as he is a ten foot, very sore dragon at this point. But I would argue he wasn’t angry at Chihiro, we as a viewer can recognize that he may just be a little bit embarrassed that Chihiro is seeing him like this. Even though she knows he is a Dragon-he might not they might never have discussed it. He might be worried she might be scared of him looking like that? And to be hurt at all, when he has appeared as nothing but strong and powerful in front of her in the past.

The gentle side of Haku. Although curt with her at the start, he did save her life. He is extra cautious and gentle when he finds her and encourages her to eat the berries to live. After being cruel to her in front of the other workers, he makes it up to her by taking her to see her parents. He gives her-her name back and comforts her as she cries. All the time speaking in a gentle tone.

The sweet side of Haku. Haku admits he knows her real name even though she never told him. At this point we/he does not know why this is. But already we can tell that simply knowing her name is enough. Subconsciously his mind has made the connection and this secret-this truth prompts him to be good. It is a reminder of whom he once was-a good and kind Spirit. Chihiro prompts him to recall his former self back to the surface. Feeding his former strength to fight Yubaba’s spell over him. For this he can’t help but protect her like he once did long ago. As for Chihiro. She is ten (and if you read my first review on her) a bratty little girl who has never known true love. She is presented with a boy who not only saves her but continuously protects her from harm-pushing for her to return home with her parents. Who else offers her a way out? (Except Kamaji who gives her tickets to see Zeniba but that is still within the realm of the Spirit World). Granted he is a little pushy, but he is continuously saving her and protecting her. This goes against every negative thing all the other Spirits have said. Haku feels comfortable enough to show who he truly is and Chihiro recognizes that.

The Lake Spirit helps Chihiro to understand Haku’s predicament further. Here she is confronted with a similar type of Water Spirit who is polluted from the waste humans dumped in his lake over many years. So much so, that he is visibly ugly and off putting i.e. a ‘Stink’ Spirit. Haku is the same- only it is on the inside. The control bug Yubaba has put inside him, and his true name she stole from him, have caused him to become hard and bitter. Being surrounded by like-minded spirits who we learn are filled with greed and gluttony is enough to make anyone crazy-take No Face for instance! By saving the Lake Spirit Chihiro realizes she has the potential to save Haku. -repaying him for his kindness towards her. She just has to find a way to expel all that ‘dirt’ that is inside of him. Selfless side of Haku. Even when close to death Haku slowed Chihiro’s decent so they could land (albeit a little bumpily) into Kamaji’s stock room. Innocent side of Haku. I love the fact that Haku struggles to take the medicine and like Chihiro is horrified by how disgusting the medicine tastes. It shows a level of childishness and innocence we have seen before. For once Chihiro gets to boss Haku around for his own good!

With that two things emerge. 1 the controlling bug (similar to a peeping bug in Howl’s Moving Castle) that forced Haku to do Yubaba’s bidding. 2 the Golden Seal Haku had taken from Zeniba. Kamajii admits Haku should be dead due to how powerful the curse protecting the seal is- that only True Love could have saved him. This is the moment we have confirmation of Chihiro’s love for Haku. Without us really knowing it Miyazaki has fed us small snippets into Chihiro’s thoughts and feelings over Haku that had helped us accept this idea without much complaint. So of course we aren’t as surprised by this revelation. But what about Haku? Does he love Chihiro? Do two people have to love each other in order for the curse to break or was it just Chihiro’s love for Haku? After all that has happened I would say it took both of them. Haku has being looking out for Chihiro from the beginning-he doesn’t know why but he has. Chihiro does the same for him. Not just to repay him but because she genuinely cares about hi. Running onto pipes on the sides of buildings and nearly falling to her death caring for him. If that isn’t Love, I don’t what it is.

But it occurs to me as I write this review as to what KIND of love are we talking about here? Chihiro is still just a child (I would assume the same for Haku as discussed earlier), I doubt she would be feeling the romantic, sometimes lusty-energetic kind of love you experience as an adult so what is it? It is not sibling love either-that is clear enough too. No it is just love in its purest form. This is the one thing I love about Mr. Miyazaki the most. His talent to convey a child’s love-a sweetheart’s love that has none of the complications an adults love has.

Haku saved Chihiro’s life, he was her closest companion (other than Lin and Kamajii) who was remotely close to her age-he was her friend. And Chihiro loved him for it. Having to be so hard and strict to stay in charge, it is clear Haku doesn’t have much friends-or maybe none except Kamaji. So clearly being friends with Chihiro would be a big deal for him too. We saw at the beginning of the film that Chihiro is very good at making strongly bonded friendships-so much so she was even given a bouquet of flowers to say goodbye! Haku is just another example of a what a strong friendship with Chihiro looks like when put into action. Even Lin and Kamaji are devoted to her. Chihiro simply has a way about her that causes you to love her and Haku is no exception. So yes I think he is a good friend but I don’t believe she/he loves him/her “just as a friend”. -No Face is ‘just a friend’. They both have a deep regard and affection for each other that I believe stems from their first encounter- the day they first met when she was younger in the Human World. That event caused a bond to form between the two of them that was personal. Her presence has merely rekindled that bond and allowed it to grow into something deeper and pure.

The I am in love with you side of Haku (by far the sweetest side). Haku awakens. Recalling how he heard her voice calling him back from the brink of death. He goes to his boss Zeniba, reveals her son his missing and stands his ground against her at the peak of her fury. And finally, forces her to redraw Chihiro’s contract. He then goes to Chihiro. As Chihiro throws herself at him he accepts her embrace in return, completely comfortable for her to see him in his Dragon form. As they fly through the air-on his back, Chihiro is taken back again to the time when she fell in the river and this time she recalls it clearly. Haku saved her life when she was just a young girl. Instead of allowing her to drown Haku personally disengaged from his river-in his Dragon form and carried her to shore. But recalling this allowed to Haku, she shouts out his full name and Haku finally remembers. He is so startled he transforms back into a human and behaves more excited and happy then we have ever seen him before, clenching hands with Chihiro with tears in both their eyes in happiness. (Ugh I cry every time I see that part).

What is it about their relationship that makes it not just friendship? It’s her asking for him, it’s them embracing, saving each other’s lives time and time again etc. taking soul-mates to a whole new level! Because that is what they are. Haku (a soul) and Chihiro (his mate) where destined for each other. For Haku, Chihiro was his humanity of sorts-her presence reminded him that he does not mind Humans-and would do anything to protect one in particular. - Unlike many other Spirits like Zeniba, who believe spirits to be ‘smelly’ creatures. But since Haku has been around similar thinking Spirits for so long, it was hard not to be affected by their negative thoughts and behavior for a while. However, if he can reveal himself to a human (which is forbidden) and save the life of a child, and continue to protect her when she is older-then he is not a bad person/spirit. Chihiro saw this in him from the start and never doubted him. She even admits to him that she knew he ‘were good’ from the start.

By the end of the film Haku has proven to us that he is not a one dimensional character. Like all people he is a 'diamond in the rough’ with multiple facets of emotions that make him who is and a great, good guy. He is: reserved, courageous, protective, caring and kind. He is as smart as he is powerful-all driven by his love for Chihiro, his sweet heart, his friend, his soul-mate.

The film ends in the Spirit World how it began-Haku and Chihiro on the bridge with a final farewell and a promise-a promise to see each other again. And why not? After all they have met each other twice now-in two very separate Worlds-so why not for a third? Although this has yet to be proven by Miyazaki (annoyingly enough) many have given their thoughts and views on how Chihiro and Haku met again.

There is ALOT of beautiful fanfiction-some drawings, paintings etc. and some stories. Which leads me onto the fanfiction I have recommended prior to this review. Movie-fan92 has written a stunning fanfiction about how Chihiro could have met Haku again- another 10 years down the line. It is a very beautiful piece I am sure even Mr. Miyazaki would love! I personally feel it captures Chihiro and many of the other character’s characteristics well. I would definitely give it a read.

On a personal note I believe it is plausible Chihiro could have met Haku in her world. He could have found his river, found where it opens back onto level ground/air and flown to where she may be etc. Or she could have been waiting at an opening at his river etc. They could have lived a full life together and moved on to the Spirit World together etc. The less sweet version of course is that Chihiro dies and becomes a Spirit but this is where I prefer Movie-fan92’s version Chihiro returns to the Spirit World, still human but still very much in love with Haku, and this time she plans on staying…

Anyway I hope you liked this review and let me know what you think- Did Mr. Miyazaki convey their love well? Was it obvious? Do you believe Chihiro and Haku could ever meet again? If so how? Here is the link, seriously, enjoy. https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3261432/1/Spirited-Away-2-Return-to-the-Spirit-World: