Mysterious bathhouse spirits finally get their time in the spotlight.
One of the most popular movies ever produced by anime powerhouse Studio Ghibli is the 2001 classic, Spirited Away. The charming tale of a young girl who finds herself spirited away to the world of a magical bathhouse has enchanted audiences around the globe, but part of what makes the movie so memorable is the mysterious characters she encounters along the way.
While a number of these characters only appear for a short time during the film, they make an unforgettable lasting impression, and now it’s time for them to get the adulation they deserve, thanks to a new official merchandise collection.
Called the “Pose ga Ippai Collection DX Kamisama Ippai”, which translates to “Plentiful Pose Collection Digital Transformation: Plentiful Gods“, the range shines a light on the mysterious gods, or “spirits” from the film, starting with Oshira-sama, the pungent radish spirit who gently helps the main character of Chihiro while visiting the bathhouse.
Another visitor to the bathhouse is the Ootori-sama, who resembles a duck-like chicken (or chicken-like duck?). The Ootorisama (whose name can be read as both “large bird” and “key performer” or “last performer of the day“) like to bathe in groups, filling up the tubs as they relax with their happy faces and ever-gazing wide-open eyes.
The Kasuga-sama also like a good bath, arriving at the Bathhouse in groups by ferry, silently crossing over the red bridge with mysterious masks and Sokutai (clothing traditionally worn by Japanese nobility) shrouding their shadow-like bodies.
Then there’s Okusaresama, the Stink Spirit that causes a huge kerfuffle in the bathhouse, flooding the bathing area with sludge and garbage. Underneath its heavily polluted exterior lies a gentle River Spirit, who reveals itself once the pollution has been washed away.
Which brings us to Kawa no Kami, the River Spirit, who gives Chihiro a “healing cake” after its cleansing bath, which later helps to heal her friend Haku, in his dragon form.
▼ Haku is also present in the collection, posing as if mid-flight in the sky.
Rounding off the collection is No Face, in a pose that shows off the more monster-like side of its mysterious personality.
The carefully crafted palm-sized figures retail for 920 yen (US$8.76) each at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online, where they’ll be available to purchase from mid-September. The range will be sold in “blind” boxes that don’t reveal the character inside so you won’t know exactly which spirit you’ve acquired until you open the box.
It’s a neat way to add even more mystery to the already mysterious spirits from Spirited Away, and makes a fantastic addition to the beautiful train-ride scene captured in these Ghibli perennial calendars.
Source, images: PR Times
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