This week we're getting Ghibli with it, as we sit down for The Unenthusiastic Critic's first viewing of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001).

First, we're having a preliminary conversation about some of our favorite female child protagonists, discussing how it changes a story to feature a girl and not a boy, and unpacking the exact meaning of the loaded word "plucky."

Then, we're watching Nakea's first Studio Ghibli film, Miyazaki's Oscar-winning classic from 2001. Join us for a beautiful hand-drawn journey full of witches, dragons, ghosts, giant babies, soot sprites, stink gods, and many other creations from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki, the artist Pixar's John Lasseter calls "the most original filmmaker ever to work in our medium." 

Finally, this week, Michael and Nakea take a moment to reflect on the untimely passing of actor Chadwick Boseman. 

Program

0:00: Prologue: from Spirited Away. 
00:44: Preliminary Conversation: Young Female Protagonists
15:31: Interlude: John Lasseter on Hayao Miyazaki
16:44: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
22:37: Original (English Language) Trailer for Spirited Away
24:56: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Trailer
1:06:25: Chadwick Boseman Tribute
1:11:56: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:13:12: Outtake

For show-notes, links, and additional episodes, please go to unaffiliatedcritic.com.