Tag: Mone Kamishiraishi

All You Need is ♡ to be Whisked Away By Spirited Away: Live on Stage’s Magical Adventure

When a wide-shot was cut to, the thought of viewing Spirited Away: Live on Stage, from the best seats in the house crossed my mind.

Spirited Away: Live on StageRemaining showtimes: April 27 & May 2
Please check GKIDS official website for a theatre near you.

The next time Spirited Away: Live on Stage is offered for the authentic experience, I’m booking a trip! It played at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre in 2022, and had a rotating cast. Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi played the title role, and both performances were committed to tape in front of a live audience.

As part of GKIDS‘ annual commitment to celebrate the works of Studio Ghibli, the recorded show is making its USA debut this year. I was fortunate to time my trip to Seattle right so I can see it. Part of the reason for not being available in other countries may be due to licensing. A home video release is expected, but there’s no official announcement yet. I want to see both.

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Reading Mokoto Shinkai’s “Your Name” as a Monomyth

Your NameBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Plenty of praise and examinations have been given to Makoto Shinkai‘s Your Name since its debut last year. Although this film is essentially a romantic comedy, I was more enamoured with the mythic elements. This filmmaker took the best from other cultural traditions and wrote a Twilight Zone style story which I liked. This movie has an East clashing with the West attitude. It shows when Mitsuha Miyamizu (Mone Kamishiraishi), a young girl from a rural part of Japan, yearns for a life in modern Tokyo and makes the mistake of wishing upon a falling star.

She wanted to shirk cultural traditions and from there, I knew where this film was going. Since classical times, spotting such a fireball was often feared more than regarded as divine intervention. If a prayer is said upon seeing it, just what happens can go any which way. In this film’s case, both are considered!

Comet Tiamat is getting closer to the Earth and it is the raison d’être for how this tale comes together. She’s not always a creation goddess but is also representative of primordial chaos. This chunk of rock and ice could have been given any name, and some viewers may wonder why this Babylonian figure is used? My theory is that this name was chosen to make viewers of this anime aware that this film is a shōjo product through and through. Her essence is everywhere. From the Earth to the Heavens, in the offerings at the shrine and coming visible at twilight, a sense of omnipotence can be felt as she comes closer to Earth affecting the main character, Miyamizu-chan.

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