u/One_Ad_5623

I'm just really curious how this specific bit was translated. In French it's "se faire casser le pot" (literally "to get one's jar broken"), which is something I had never seen or heard anywhere before.

Edit: to clarify, I am asking this as a person who's first language is French, and read ISOLT in French.

At the end of Spirited Away, most people think that Haku has fully regained his freedom and can now go wherever he wants. However, I think it is a bit more complicated than that.

In the scene where Haku confronts Yubaba, he makes a pact with her: he will bring her baby back from Zeniba's claws, and in return Yubaba will let Chihiro and her parents leave the Bathhouse. This was his chance to ask for his freedom but he made the choice to help Chihiro instead.

The scene ends with an ominous question from Yubaba: "after that, can I finally rip you to shreds?" We don't hear the answer to that question, but it is implied that Haku said yes. It is a part of this deal he made with Yubaba.

Then, when he is coming back from Zeniba's place with Chihiro and the baby, something unexpected happens: Chihiro suddenly remembers his name, which means he is free once again.

However, although Yubaba no longer has authority over him, he is still bound by the pact he made with her. A pact is a pact. So I think Yubaba is going to take his life. But at least he died a free spirit instead of dying a servant. That's why he is so happy even though he knows he is about to die.

As the spirit of a river that no longer exists, Haku had lost his purpose, that's why he got lured by the promise of learning magic from Yubaba. But this was a trap, as Yubaba never intended to set him free once his apprenticeship was complete. Luckily he found purpose again by meeting Chihiro, and even regained his freedom through it, but that purpose is something that could only exist within a fleeting moment. So now his journey has come to an end, and he can die in peace.

The past 6 months were a reasonably serious attempt at getting my life back together, however I am always faced with the same issue. My nervous system is so broken that I collapse at the end of the first productive day.

When I get back home after a day out I have a 50% chance of not doing the chores, and even if I do I know I will need the next day to recharge and calm down my nervous system anyways.

I really enjoy spending the day out and I find it much easier to get things done at the library than at home where I get easily distracted. Also when I finally get back to work I'm gonna need to be able to spend most days outside. I held a job for a few months at the end of last year and it was basically survival mode the whole time.

Has anyone been able to overcome a similar situation, and if so how did you do it?

This is a bit of a "shower thought" kind of post, so bear with me.

I just realized something about Haku in Spirited Away. His character may have been inspired by Habaek, the ancient Korean god of rivers. In Japanese, Habaek's name is 'Kahaku' which is similar to Haku's true name 'Kohaku'. That's it, that's the post.

But overall I still think the biggest inspiration for his character is in the novel Krabat by Otfried Preussler, which studio Ghibli themsleves have cited as an inspiration for the movie. A lot of things about Haku start making sense once you've read this novel.

I want to discuss this strange phenomenon, which has a central role in ISOLT.

I'm not sure how to talk about this, but it is something I have experienced a lot. Trying to reduce a place to a certain idea, an idea that would be contained in its name somehow. For instance last year I obsessed over the Lausitz region in Germany and even went on a trip there to attend the easter celebrations specifically.

On the one hand, it only leads to suffering, since the experience of a place can never match the idea that you created for yourself. But on the other hand it works as an incentive to explore new places, which leads to new discoveries.

I don't think this is something that most people experience... I definitely feel like I'm unhinged for thinking like this. I often fear that I am unable to apprehend reality without doing this.

So what are your thoughts on this?