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View submission: Spirited Away With Heidegger
Thank you, this is a very interesting post! There is a book called Anime And Philosophy, which is quite a good read - this essay would fit right there.
In Spirited Away, there is a character that shows another side of humans interacting with nature. No Face, a spirit who is let into the bathhouse by Chihiro (being unaware of his nature), rewards bathhouse denizens with fake gold for their offerings of food. But his hunger is insatiable, and he starts devouring them. Chihiro wants to protect both bathhouse workers and No Face, and lures him away. Similar to Haku, Chihiro bestows a new (or maybe forgotten) identity on the hungry spirit, changing him into a gentle helpful one.
Twin witches Yubaba and Zeniba, although technically a part of the magical side of the world, are, I think, more a representation of two distinct ways humans interact with it. Yubaba is exploitative, selfish, controlling, whereas Zeniba represents coexistence and non-violence. In the end, No Face almost destroys Yubaba's domain, but is seen later to gladly help Zeniba with crafting, finding a new purpose.
Edit for typos.
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