We know this well-received Studio Ghibli film by its English title, but I felt that it did not fully embody the sense of its Japanese title - 千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, which directly translates into Sen and Chihiro's spiriting away.
Kamikakushi - can be broken down into kami which means "god", and kakushi which means "to hide". When expressed together, it denotes the spiriting away of a person when a god is angered, such that the victim is "hidden" from our world. Aside from its literal meaning, kamikakushi is also referred to as a form of "social death" from the real world.
This is one example of why Japanese language can be so beautiful. Some terms are expressed so artfully that its sense can be felt beyond its own meaning. Kamikakushi feels so quietly mysterious, magical and adventurous at the same time, making it seem almost inviting as a form of escape. If I consider its reference as a "social death", I believe I have died a few times by now.
The world in Spirited Away is surreal and yet familiar in a comfortable way. Following the heroine Chihiro (or Sen), it felt as though I was feeling at home through her character. There is always a gravity towards the realm of the otherworldly, yet the consciousness of reality is also ever present and lingering, serving as a slight reminder and warning not to lose yourself. This was represented by the significance of names in the film. Spirits or humans who wander into this realm assume a new name and therefore identity when working in the bathhouse. They unconsciously start to grow into their new identities and lose the memory of their real names and hence their past, forgetting their original purpose and being confined to this world without a way to escape. Chihiro's name was shortened into Sen and almost forgot her name until she was made aware by Haku.
I sometimes feel as if I wouldn't mind if I lost all my memories unconsciously and begin to live in a new identity, to start anew. It's such a convenient way to erase all my worries and problems. I would want to be swept away from the face of the earth and live somewhere no one can find me, where I could live in quiet bliss. However when I start to think about what I'd lose in the process, such ideas suddenly becomes less affordable and that's when I realise that I can't exactly rid myself of the shackles on my ankles.
My name is the very proof of that. The fact that I have a name by which people refer to shows how confined I am to social reality. The day when my name becomes obsolete is when I am free of contact, and there is no more need to be referred to be someone else. Should I be thankful that my name still has a use, or lament the fact that I am bound to reality?
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