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Studio Ghibli cinema have always appealed to both the young and young at heart for their unique storytelling and magic feel - in force factor . But , what makes the creations of Studio Ghibli , particularly the work of writer and director Hayao Miyazaki , truly stand up out in the world of animation is their complex narratives . From trainee witches to timberland spirits , the characters have depth and complexness few movies can match regardless of target demographic . Viewers can look on a Ghibli motion picture time and fourth dimension again and still not grasp all of its shade , and , of course of action , fans love to make up their own storey to fill the break .
From pernicious suggestions that may allow fans to see sure characters in a new light to grand narrative shifts that shatter expectation and all transmute sealed plastic film , these are a selection of shocking — and surprisingly plausible — Studio Ghibli lover theories .
Totoro Is The God Of Death
place in fifties Japan , My Neighbour Totorois the story of untested sisters Satsuki and Mei whose father move them to an old menage to be close to the hospital where their mother is recovering from a long - term illness . The girls quickly discover that their unexampled abode and the surrounding areas are dwelling house to favorable forest spirits , particularly a with child rabbit - alike creature that Mei names Totoro . Towards the goal of the movie , Mei go missing is rescue with the help of Totoro and pal .
Some fan believe the moving-picture show is a reference point to the Sayama Incident which took place in Japan in 1963 and resulted in a mellow - profile criminal tryout . Supposed links admit the fact that the movie is set in Sayama , that the execution that became the crux of the event took place in the month of May and Satsuki ’s baby ’s name is Mei , and that one of the stops on the CatBus translates to “ Grave Road . ”
Yubaba’s Bathhouse Is A Brothel
This does n’t seem like that much of a stretchiness ; those working in the bathhouse seem to primarily be younger women , andSpirited Away’sYubaba is the precise contemptible sort to oversee such operation . Additionally , in Edo period Japan , bathhouses were fundamentally a cover for brothels , and madams of such establishment would sometimes be be intimate as " Yubaba . " Yubaba dumbfound Chihiro to sign over her name and become “ Sen. ” In these real - life bathing machine , it was common for “ loose charwoman ” to sign over their identity element to their gentlewoman .
There ’s also a especially disturbing aspect in which No - Face attempts to entice Sen with gold , a potential nod to the establishment ’s on-key intent . Others have advise that Yubaba is connect to the Russian folk tale of Baba Yaga due in part to the standardized public figure .
Seita And Setsuko Are In Purgatory
Starkly contrast the outwardly promising and sunny nature of many other Studio Ghibli films,1988’sGrave of the Firefliesis a bleak and dread depictionof the often - unsung casualties of state of war . The storey deals with the teenage Seita and his unseasoned sister Setsuko who fight to exist in the final days of World War 2 .
In the finish , Seita dies of starvation and is pick up joining his babe in some kind of afterlife . However , they then reflect on the events that take to their deaths , and some fan trust that , rather than make it on , the two are doomed to relive the harrowing last years of the war for all timelessness .
Dola Is An Elderly Pippi Long Stocking
For those not in the know , Pippi Longstocking is a renowned fabricated quality originally from Sweden whose popularity has spread throughout Europe and beyond , although she ’s pretty lesser - known in the US . These character are from two very different existence , but there is an obvious superficial element attach them together in the classic — that being ruby-red pigtails .
The core of this theory add up from the fact that Miyazaki actually pitched a feature - length gum anime based on the book calledPippi Longstocking : The unattackable Girl in the World , but he was denied permission by author Astrid Lindgren . Some arresting concept artwork from the project , drawn by Miyazaki himself , remains , and it is suggested that Lindgren repent saying no further down the line .
My Neighbor Totoro Is A Loose Retelling Of Alice In Wonderland
Some fans have suggested thatMy Neighbour Totorois an unofficial retelling of Lewis Caroll ’s classical taleAlice in Wonderland . Examples admit the shapeshifting khat ( CatBus ) , a coney ( Totoro ) , anamorphic plant and creature that vanish in a puff of smoke , lots of scurrying down diminished passageway , and a spunky female agonist .
However , other rooter have betoken out that the news report trope of children using the world of fancy to escape their problems is somewhat common and that Ghibli has explored this conception in several of its films includingSpirited Awayand the video gameNi No Kuni . Miyazaki was most likely influenced byAlice in Wonderlandrather than forthwith compensate court to the script . Still , it ’s an interesting perspective .
Ponyo Is An Angel
In the 2008 Ghibli retelling ofThe Little Mermaid , a goldfish named Ponyo who woolgather of becoming a human befriends five - twelvemonth - old Sosuke after he saves her from being stuck in a meth jar . That seems destitute enough on the surface , but a good deal of Nipponese viewers are say to have found the film a bit creepy — and this theory does nothing to aid dispel that .
As the theory goes , everyone in Sosuke ’s seaside settlement pass in the flood . The sauceboat seen channel residents after the water levels rise all go in one guidance , which some fans consider could be a reference to the Sanzu River , which is the Buddhist equivalent weight of the River Styx . Tunnels are also a coarse theme in Ghibli movies , and they often take characters from one world to another . Fans may also have noticed that the fictional character also follow back through this same tunnel when the journeying is over . Ponyo and Sosuke go through a tunnel , but they are never see go back through it , suggesting they go to the afterlife and never arrive home .
No Face Is Another Human Trapped In The Spirit World
No Face is an enigmatic being who descend across as both terrifying and tragical . However , his unknown interest in Chihiro may staunch from the fact that the two are more likewise than they may seem . Some fans believe that No Face was once human , but he has since turned into a ghost , which may the fate of all humans who spend too long in the spirit world .
While he does seem to have a human - like material body and exhibit some distinctly human characteristics , it ’s impossible to say for sure what No Face is and from where he might have add up .
Ponyo And Sosuke Are The Guardians In Kiki’s Delivery Service
Some eagle - eyed fans have noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Osono , Kiki ’s guardians inKiki ’s Delivery Service , front an awful lot like grownup versions of Ponyo and Sosuke . Could it be that the no - tenacious - a - fish - Ponyo and Sosuke persist closemouthed as they ’re grow up , eventually fall into substantial , grownup sexual love , and get married ? Then , further down the line , the duette opens a bakery and dramatise trainee witch Kiki and her cat .
However , other fans have pointed out thatKiki ’s Delivery Servicewas released in 1989 , long before 2008’sPonyo . So , for this to be reliable , it would take some serious adumbration on Miyazaki ’s part . Still , stranger thing have happened in the world of Studio Ghibli .
San Wears Her Sister’s Corpse in Princess Mononoke
InPrincess Mononoke , San is get up by wolf after her own parents forsake her whilerunning away from the masher goddess Moro . At least , that ’s what Moro says , or in her own words : " I caught her human parents defiling the timberland . They threw their sister at my feet as they run away off . " Sounds like San is good off without them .
On another note , it ’s hard to miss San ’s fetch coat , which she wears to immingle in with her wolf brethren . But , where did she get the pelt for it ? If one fan possibility is right , the account of San ’s descent is far more sinister . Rather than " sully the timberland , " this theory suggests that San ’s parent were hunting Moro ’s pups , killing one of her baby . When she caught the poachers , she put an end to them , but spare San , replacing her lost pup with the human child . To help oneself her feel more at place , Moro gave San the fur of her gone baby . So , San is fundamentally wearing the remains of her deadened sib …
Setsuko Appears In Spirited Away
WhenChihiro and No Face depart via string to visit Yubaba ’s twin sister Zeniba , a platform crowd with spirits in passage is briefly watch . One small , shadowy figure remains unmoving , however , and many consider this to be Setsuko , who is waiting for her buddy to arrive .
As tragic as it seems , this fits very well with the ending of Grave of the Fireflies . Seita dies on a train political program very standardized to the one seen inspirit forth , and it ’s not inconceivable that these two transportation system hub would share some sort of apparitional link .
All Studio Ghibli Films Are Connected
It ’s not hard to suppose that a selection of film as capricious as those give rise by Studio Ghibli are all connect in some agency . After all , if Pixar and Quentin Tarantino can do it , then Miyazaki and co. sure can . Like Pixar , Ghibli conceal peck of Easter egg throughout its film , whether it ’s just a nod or a full - on link to another one of its picture . devotee figure that , when put together , these Easter Eggs make a big story — one determine in the wider Ghibli universe .
One instance is the Soot Sprites fromMy Neighbour Totoro , who also cook an appearance inSpirited Away . think the pinkish shoe that Granny finds in Totoro that she mistakes for Mei ’s ? Well , it turns out that it may be Chihiro ’s . character kill up too , like a unseasoned Pazu fromCastle in the Skyhiding in the background of a scene fromHowl ’s Moving Castleand a Totoro book on a shelf inWhisper of the Heart .
The Ghibli Curse
The " Ghibli Curse " or " The Curse of Ghibli " is a theory among Nipponese financial trader that Studio Ghibli is somehow hexed and has the voltage to damage the inventory and currency markets . patently , whenever a Ghibli moving-picture show air on TV in the body politic , it ’s detrimental to the Nipponese economy . It could be anything from a spoilt report to payroll dates , but investors , traders , and the comparable all seem to be aware of the cuss and pay close attention to telecasting schedules for this reason .
But , it ’s not just Japan that has to worry ; the effect is purportedly external , with the currencies of other country known to drop after a Ghibli film fling . One former finance worker even persist the figure from 2008 to 2013 and found that 28 out of the 35 times a Ghibli movie air , the currency of either Japan or the US dropped the following day . So , it search like Ghibli picture are so magical that they not only affect the illusion world but the genuine one , too .
NEXT : Studio Ghibli ’s 10 Best Non Human Characters
