Review: Spirited Away Live On Stage

In 2002, I remember excitedly going to a small arthouse theater in Seattle with a close friend to see Hayo Miyazaki’s big new animated film, the first he’d made since coming out of “retirement”. Seeing Spirited Away on a big screen was nothing short of magical, and I came out of the theater with a huge grin plastered on my face that didn’t leave for hours.

20 years later, I find myself seated in a much bigger theater for the theatrical recording of a stage play based on Spirited Away. This is a real treat, as Japanese stage plays (let alone ones based on anime) are rarely ever screened here in the US. As the lights dim, and the recorded version of the play begins on the big screen in front of me, I felt that same grin returning–one that pretty much stayed on my face for two hours. 

Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern!

Yesterday I got to see a showing of Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern (Part 1)! It’s a new movie adaptation of the classic late 70s shoujo series by Waki Yamamoto. I really enjoyed it and hope that the rest of the series of films gets a release here!

The story centers around Benio Hanamura, a girl growing up in Taisho-era Japan who wants to live free of the traditional gender roles of going to school simply to train to be “the perfect Japanese housewife”. A brash, fiercely independent (but sweet) girl, Benio would rather climb trees, practice kendo, and read modern women’s magazines than learn to sew or cook for a future husband. She wants to find love on her own terms! But all her plans come crashing down when she meets the man her father wants her to marry. Can she convince her fiance-to-be’s entire family she’s not bride material & end her arranged marriage?

The original Haikara-san is a beloved historical shoujo classic, in the same class as similar releases of the time like Candy Candy and The Rose of Versailles. It’s still playing in some select theaters around the US til June 13 2018, so be sure to check it out if you think it sounds interesting!