Spirited Away

I’m struggling to rank this, because this movie is without a doubt, great. The main character is likable, and so is every character for that matter, and the animation is great, but I just couldn’t get fully gripped by the movie. The plot was good, and that’s about as far as that goes. I understand the themes and allegories they were trying to go for and I think generally it worked, but the story itself is something I struggled to really get sucked in by. During the middle(ish) of the movie, it seems to drag on a bit too long and is at some points more of an animation showcase. The part that makes this movie great for me is the ending. It pulls off the emotional sendoff perfectly and makes you miss the characters. So I like the movie a lot I just can’t go beyond that as of now. In the future I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more, though. I’ve never been so conflicted on a rating this could go from 5 stars to 3 depending on how I’m feeling.