DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to SPIRITED AWAY
Added 2022-11-14 16:00:11 +0000 UTCHow can you be brave in the face of fear? What is the key to working through hardship?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are jumping into the fantastical world of Spirited Away. They talk about Chihiro’s journey from fearing everything to being incredible brave, and how she works through her fears to achieve great things. They discuss how Studio Ghibli movies have a magical balance of being nonsensical and weird but somehow relatable to everyone. And they learn how bath houses work.
Comments
Okay, this episode is super old, but I have to comment a few things. Hope you don't mind :D 1. If you like these kinds of movies (which are basically just a trip), you might like Paprika: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika_(2006_film) It's not a Ghibli and I can't remember if there was any message in that film, but it is at least very enjoyable and weird. (It's about a device being invented that can record people's dreams and a psychiatrist is using it illegally to try and help his psychiatric patients - but with all anime in existence, the description is very very different than what actually happens in the movie :D ) 2. If you like relaxing games, there is a new one called Spirittea where you can have your own bathhouse where you bath spirits. 3. Loved that you talked about that trauma made you kind of resiliant. It's always hard to talk about it because it feels so wrong to say 'but actually, it helped me a lot'. Because I am always afraid of people thinking that it wasn't that bad or that I am not processing the trauma correctly or... whatever. Being mentally ill is hard enough to explain, telling people that it had it's positive outcomes as well is nearly impossible. Now that I am away from my abusive family, I am sooo stress resistant and so hard to hurt emotionally. Like...people are always surprised that I am very open with all my vulnerable spots, but honestly? Nothing people can say will ever hurt more than what I was told in my childhood. Stressful period at work? Pfff.. did you ever deal with my mom when she came back from a hard day at work? That's stressful. What I learned while navigating a very toxic environment made me basically a master manipulator and a master problem solver. I have a fix for a problem usually why it is still happening (yay adhd brain :D). I had to do inception long before the idea for the movie even existed. It made me a fantastic writer because I was constantly forced to take another person's perspective (btw that can get unhealthy af. not being able to be mad at your own abuser because you know where it all comes from is really... not good). And I can't tell people because how fucked up is that? But honestly? It's so amazingly empowering to say 'life tried to beat me down and I kept going and everything it did to me I turned into a skill that made me a better person and that brings me forward in life' I very much don't like how I learned these skills and I don't wish this on anyone. But boy we should be able to talk about what we were able to achieve because we went through a ton of trauma and lived to see the end of it. I wished I could get rid of my nightmares and my anxiety and the occasional panic attack. I wished I wasn't afraid of my manager because she looks kinda like my mom. But I wouldn't trade what I learned from it for anything. I'm so proud of who I am and being a survivor is a part of that. I took all the shit and used it to make the earth a bit of a better place.
Lyndis Cealin
2023-12-28 10:40:06 +0000 UTCJono, your sort-of-monologue-ish around 19-20 about identity was so powerful and insightful that I had to go back and write some of it down. My abusers were my parents, who taught me that I was not allowed to have an identity or be a person because it was unreasonably selfish to even want to be, and somehow I hadn't quite made the connection between this and not being allowed to be alive before. I needed to hear this. Thank you so much.
Katizaris Leanisillis
2023-12-21 15:09:21 +0000 UTCI've watched this movie 3 times in different stages of my life, and each time it tells me something different that I needed to hear at that time even if I didn't put it together all at once. I have such a intense early childhood memory, maybe 4 or 5 years old, in my small rural iowa hometowns version of blockbuster called Movies America. I was standing and staring at the videotape for Spirited away. So we rented it, and I didn't remember much but the beginning stuck with me, something about the animation. So when I was 14 I asked for it for my birthday after something reminded me of it, and I watched it and I identified so much with Chihiro. Being terrified, being dependent on family, feeling like everything was too big or too scary to face on my own. But I just needed to be brave and not let that fear hold me back. And that I wanted to be a kind person that lives with integrity. And then I watched it a year or two after I had just moved to a new state, like 22 with the intention of pursuing a career in filmmaking/animation, but instead signed up for a security job and have been working that for 4 years. And once again I was terrified of everything, I didn't have any confidence in myself, and I didn't know what I was going to do, or how I was going to proceed to reach this goal. And leaving job security is terrifying. But now I'm at another crossroads at my life and I finally understand what this movie means. I just need to be brave and go for it. I have to believe that I am capable. I have to believe that I have something to offer. And that change and growth aren't scary things to run from, but new experiences that should be embraced. But I'll never know for sure until I actually try. The scene where Yubaba tries to trick Chihiro with the pigs always gave me terrifying anxiety as a child, because what if she's wrong! What if she picks the wrong one! Yubaba even asks is "that really your final answer??" In a way that is trying to make her doubt herself. But Chihiro doesn't back down. That scene wasn't about the audience being confident in her answer. It was about Chihiro being confident in her answer, and trusting her judgement with certainty. And I think I'm finally nearing that point, that I know for sure what I'm here to do, and that I can do it well. What an incredible story that a young girl can grow into.
Kellie Bridges
2023-04-25 20:14:06 +0000 UTCThe sludge spirit that turned into an old man dragon was a river spirit - dragons are tied to bodies of water or maybe rivers specifically in Japanese tradition. She pulled out all that gunk and trash because the river had been polluted, which had corrupted the spirit of the river into this. That's what's up with Haku as well, he's a river spirit.
Magnus Taliesin
2023-03-04 21:13:27 +0000 UTCWatch Kiki’s Delivery Service next! Ponyo is not quite as much of instant classic as the others, so I would plan accordingly. On the other end of the spectrum, Howl’s Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke would make good finales on the Miyazaki saga.
Jennifer Veloso
2022-12-07 16:45:14 +0000 UTCAll!!!
Sarukana
2022-12-05 22:10:14 +0000 UTCI agree to all of them please 🙏 but yeah, Howl holds a special place in my heart - I love it so much
Bec B
2022-11-30 11:25:39 +0000 UTCKiki's!
Alyssa Bonsi
2022-11-28 23:09:11 +0000 UTCHowl’s Moving castle!!!!!
Sylvia Gunn
2022-11-25 05:42:06 +0000 UTCYes, indeed. 😂
Jenna Tomlinson
2022-11-24 18:03:33 +0000 UTCI believe this is a reference to your gummy comment. -Alan
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-24 18:00:28 +0000 UTCWait... how did I hang? I want to understand this comment :)
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-23 16:17:05 +0000 UTCAll of them!!
anneburgerr
2022-11-23 04:50:39 +0000 UTCWho knew that Jono could hang?! 😯😂 This is one of my favorite movies but I watched it once after some special chocolate and the emotional insight was so much deeper. Very intense. I appreciate the movie in a different way now. She is a (Chi)he(i)ro, indeed. (Sorry, Alan.)
Jenna Tomlinson
2022-11-23 04:08:51 +0000 UTCI'd love to see you guys react to Princess Mononoke
Jarek Esswein
2022-11-21 00:20:39 +0000 UTCOk I can totally respect that
KrissyArtist
2022-11-20 15:45:31 +0000 UTCThe visual style was so jarring it undermined both plot and character development for me.
LISAMACnCHEESE
2022-11-20 14:05:06 +0000 UTCWe've talked about it, but I (Jono) am not much of a gamer and we've got more than enough to occupy us with movies. Respect for games and gamers though.
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-20 09:17:38 +0000 UTCSold with that voice cast.
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-20 09:16:47 +0000 UTCI hear great things!
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-20 09:16:30 +0000 UTCHow so?
Cinema Therapy
2022-11-20 09:16:19 +0000 UTCThis film just lost me.
LISAMACnCHEESE
2022-11-18 13:26:37 +0000 UTCThat is nice to hear. Nausicaa is also my favorite. The message and the epic drama are one of Miyazaki's best work. I also recommend reading the original books of Nausicaa. It goes way beyond the film and the world is very well developed. The answer to the final quest is mind opening. I never watched it in English so I didn't know for Mark Hamil and Patrick Stuart. The English version always have good guests for Ghilbli's films. :)
Meilin
2022-11-17 08:38:43 +0000 UTCGreat video, as always. I definitely think there’s a lot of wisdom for the zillennial generation to be gleaned from Kiki and Howl alike. I do want to also shout out my personal favorite Ghibli film which is Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. It technically predates Ghibli’s inception so it gets overlooked, but it’s lessons of environmental consciousness and active pacifism were pretty formative for me. Plus it’s just a great piece of 80s sci-fi, the soundtrack? *chef’s kiss* plus plus, Mark Hamil and Patrick Stuart in the English dub.
Aubrey Kimball
2022-11-17 08:22:00 +0000 UTCHOWLS MOVING CASTLE <3
Allison Charter
2022-11-17 04:47:19 +0000 UTCPonyo was a big part of my childhood but Howl's Moving Castle is so good too :) :)
Lizzey Love
2022-11-16 20:37:26 +0000 UTCI want all of them to be honest 😭 but the first should definitely be Howl's Moving Castle!
AllieMnokey1
2022-11-16 17:52:39 +0000 UTCDefo Howls Moving Castle!
Anna Maria Gouw
2022-11-16 09:57:33 +0000 UTCHowl is a story about finding yourself and Kiki is about being true to yourself. (At least in my opinion) So the segue would be kind of smooth :)
Deborah Olsen
2022-11-16 03:04:56 +0000 UTCI vote Howl, followed by KiKi :)
Deborah Olsen
2022-11-16 03:03:33 +0000 UTCA! Howls Moving Castle!! Please! It is my favorite
Jimena Galindo
2022-11-16 03:01:09 +0000 UTCAs a huge nerd in movies,books,games, comics, and TV I would love to see you guys do hero/villain therapy on video game characters, and video game stories. I know video games are more fantasy then reality I just would love to hear your guys take on famous video game characters (whether originally from a book or made for the game) and to see what good and bad qualities they have. Maybe in the far future a gaming therapy channel? If not thats totally ok. I still love this channel and the content!
KrissyArtist
2022-11-16 03:00:59 +0000 UTCPrincess Mononoke or Howl's Moving Castle. Princess has the clearest point, but Howl's is so whimsical and fun.
Reilly Willoughby
2022-11-16 00:37:39 +0000 UTCPrincess Mononoke is my choice for next Ghibli video. It was one of the first full blown Anime movies I ever watched, certainly the first Ghibli movie, so I am probably a little biased.
HandsomePenguin
2022-11-15 23:20:21 +0000 UTCI’ve drawn so much inspiration from Howl’s Moving Castle, selfishly I’d love Jono to see it and to watch it with the two of you.
Wendy Darling
2022-11-15 17:50:02 +0000 UTCKiki's Delivery Service because even though she is an adolescent...her life becoming a witch pretty much sums up my millennial existence (i.e., see the scene where she face-plants on her bed after a long, stressful workday and just lies there for a while).
Kitty Boom
2022-11-15 17:36:02 +0000 UTCHowl's Moving Castle :)
Kris Mahoney
2022-11-15 16:29:43 +0000 UTCHowl's Moving Castle has themes that haven't been covered yet... hint hint nudge nudge
Neurotic Cow
2022-11-15 09:50:13 +0000 UTCAll of them but start whit howl's moving castle
Alice Yacono
2022-11-15 01:13:52 +0000 UTCHowl's Moving Castle!!!!
Eve72
2022-11-15 01:04:37 +0000 UTCI always watch subs so I was a little thrown to hear the English 😄 I would love to see your reactions to Princess Mononoke
Sadie
2022-11-14 23:52:57 +0000 UTCI'd say Howl for next Ghibli film, definitely.
TheGrapeTyphlosion
2022-11-14 23:19:34 +0000 UTCALL OF THE ABOVE!!
Holly✌️
2022-11-14 21:06:05 +0000 UTCHowls moving castle, please. I think it really has something to say about finding space and accepting yourself. But Kiki is such a masterpiece about burnout. So I'd just be happy if you watch ALL OF THE GHIBLI
Emira Brightleaf
2022-11-14 20:00:55 +0000 UTCI would love to see The Cat Returns. I know it isn't one of the 3 listed but I love it the best. Plus Cary Elwes, Tim Curry, and Anne Hathaway make up the voice cast. I think that a lot of the Ghibli films follow the Hero's Journey as the story and I would love to hear Alan's thoughts on that.
Megan Rizzo
2022-11-14 19:43:47 +0000 UTCKiki's Delivery Service is one of the first movies I have memory of every seeing as a small child. It means so much to me as a young adult artist! I'd love to see what you'd say about it! (Although, honestly every Ghibli film is great!)
CrowWingedAngel
2022-11-14 19:31:11 +0000 UTCKikis for sure!
Michael Emerson
2022-11-14 19:30:07 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite Ghibli movies! Kiki's Delivery Service is still my top but this movie is fantastic the animation, the colors, the story, the culture. You almost want to live in this movie world but also don't. Studio Ghibli films are amazing I love them!!! Hope you guys do more! This movie definitely connected with me and I watched this as a kid almost teenager so I definitely related to it. Also Alan I was the biggest Scaredy Cat as a kid! I'm better as an adult but I couldn't even watch horror movies as a kid I was a wimp I'll totally admit it!
KrissyArtist
2022-11-14 18:58:52 +0000 UTCHowls Moving Castle! And please thing about Castle In The Sky! I love that movie and its always left out!
Opal Evergreen
2022-11-14 18:54:24 +0000 UTCOh, and nice Poltergeist poster. Scariest movie ever :)
Lucy
2022-11-14 18:47:26 +0000 UTCIf you think Spirited Away is a gummy trip, I really hope you make it to Paprika 😂😂😂 I used to work at a Hollywood Video, and Spirited Away was what I’d put on over the store TVs. I was told I had to stop because it was ‘too scary’ for our younger customers, which I thought was a total bummer. But whatever… vintage Herbie works too 🤷♀️🙄
Lucy
2022-11-14 18:39:46 +0000 UTCReview all of the options! But Kiki's Delivery Service first :D The first time I ever watched Spirited Away was when I was 8 years old. I'm in my late twenties now, and every time I rewatch it I always find something new to take away. Listening to your reactions has definitely added to the experience, and to me this film isn't just about a girl going through a fantastical world to save her parents and return home - it's about growing up. I'm so excited to see you guys cover the rest of the ghibliverse; keep up the great work!
chammilleon
2022-11-14 18:35:45 +0000 UTCI'll absolutely vote for D! (Though I'm arguably looking forward to Howl's moving castle the most... aside from the fact that they changed his name for the English version...) Once again, thank you for always being so open with us. I like Studio Ghibli films a lot (and have seen way too few of them and by far not often enough). So, thank you for reacting to them and thank you for sharing so much with us. It really means a lot
Lara
2022-11-14 18:15:54 +0000 UTCAlso, watch Kiki next!
MrAlexSan
2022-11-14 17:44:48 +0000 UTCWe plan to do the entire Ghibliverse, but it'll take time.
Corinne
2022-11-14 17:44:36 +0000 UTCKiki is my favorite next to Spirited Away! But also, the others are really good. Soooo, all of them? 🤣
Tiana Horsey-Daydreamer
2022-11-14 17:41:32 +0000 UTCYou definitely have to watch Howl's moving castle and Kikis delivery service... They are amazing! Princess Mononoke would also be interesting:)
Daphne Petala Margelli
2022-11-14 17:38:59 +0000 UTCHaven't watched yet, but Miyazaki said that the moment Chihiro stops being a child is the moment she's riding the train to go on her adventure. In Japan most kids start taking public transit to go to school by themselves when they're around her age, and is a sort of a rite of passage.
MrAlexSan
2022-11-14 17:06:08 +0000 UTC
