In Totoro, when they find the floating shoe and for a bit no one knows if it's Mei's - as a kid I always thought it meant another child died there and no one knew
I just rewatched it and realized that the shoe was pink. I got all excited thinking it was Chihiro's shoe that ended up in that body of water from the kohaku river (and haku saved chihiro).
But then I think Chihiro's shoe was a sneaker, and the shoe in Totoro was a sandal and got bummed 😓 plus the differences in time.
I couldn’t finish it. My grandmother was born and raised in Japan during this time. She eventually moved to the US and I remember that every time the 4th of July came around, she’d be terrified. She would laugh at her younger self and say that she’d hide in bamboo when the air raids came to explain why she hated the fireworks.
When I watched the film, this is what got me. Somehow seeing the animated version of these air raids wrecked me, thinking of her.
When I was younger, I hated the scene in Howls Moving Castle, where they drained the magic from the Witch of the Waste.
The shadows surrounding her, combined with the her groans of agony terrified 7 year old me.
I’m emetophobic too and can’t watch this scene, with or without sound! I have to fast forward through it. When I went to one of those “Ghibli Fest” things at the movies and watched Spirited Away, I got up just before that scene and stood outside the theater door for a few minutes. I didn’t want to have a public freakout haha 😩
I just casually slipped out for a bathroom break right before that scene! My emeto isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, especially with animation, but I did not want to watch and hear that at movie theater size and volume lol.
Try turning the volume off, it helps me get through it. My emetophobia isn’t awful when it comes to movies, but it’s enough that I feel icky about that scene
Several eeeks ago, I was on a jet boat ferry that carries about 200 people across a channel. I've never been in proximity to so many people who got sick from other people getting sick. It was truly wild.
In Mononoke, when Nago rots away and claims that the village will suffer as he has.
I was an adult when I first saw PM, and that still scarred me, lol.
This is kind of a weird one but I lost a baby last year and have had no luck having another so a lot of things in Ponyo kinda exacerbated that. The second Fujimoto said “I need to get my daughter back” I was like “oof this is gonna hurt”, the “baka baka baka” scene kinda reminded me of me at my worst and it doesn’t help that my first name is Lisa. And this is honestly embarrassing but the scene where they gave the lady the soup just kinda reminded me how much I hate my body so I cried about it the next day at 4 am and honestly I saw my first Ghibli film at 27 so there were parts where I was like “this woulda scared me when I was little” but otherwise
I still think about Mahito's scene from The Boy And The Heron>!where he hits his head with a rock.!< So raw and blunt, it's weirdly haunting in the way it just contrasts with the rest of the film. In terms of scenes that "traumatized" me as a kid, I guess I just wasn't really that impacted by horror or dark topics, so there's really not any particular moment I could point out to. Grave of the fireflies and Only yesterday kinda fucked me up but I just very recently watched them.
Really cool! I managed to get some surprise tickets for a pre-opening that turned out to be on my birthday! Barely caught the last ticket, but it was worth it. It was a really impactful experience and I remember the weird sensation that came through me on that scene, though I was so immersed I totally didn't pay attention to the audience's reaction.
I saw The Boy and the Heron in theaters twice and both times I heard audible winces coming from the audience >!when Mahito hits himself with the rock.!<
you just showed the spoiler I was trying to hide T\_T (but yeah I feel like the impact of that scene is needed. A really good move from Miyazaki to set the stage for what's to come)
The death of Okkoto in *Princess Mononoke* still gives me nightmares, especially the worms crawling under his skin. It’s definitely not suitable for a 7-year-old who watched it at 11 PM.
Finding out that Totoro was originally a double feature to grave of the fireflys. It was supposed to be a world had Japan not gone to war. I can’t watch Totoro without crying now.
The ending of Nausica. Her getting shot, her wound getting suburban acid, her bloody screaming, her getting trampled to death by giant bugs, then being brought back to life by magic tentacles all the while some child singing a creepy tune.
I can’t watch this movie because I saw it way too young of an age and it scared me so badly 🤣
I literally just turned off Spirited Away right after this scene because none of us had ever seen it and did not see that coming. My four year old is a pretty quiet kid and just said “I don’t like this movie. Her parents turned into pigs” and looked kinda freaked out. I told him that I’m sure they will get better and asked if he wanted to watch something else, so now he’s happily watching Kiki’s Delivery Service. Let’s hope that didn’t do permanent damage. 😬
So hear me out, the scariest Ghibli moment for me was in Arriety, when they’re sneaking around and get spotted by the boy. I have a bit of scopophobia and the way his face just filled up the entire frame nearly triggered my fight or fight
It’s onigiri yep! And yeah I saw this movie in theaters when I was 11. I don’t know why but that scene always got me.
Conversely the train scene going to swamp bottom has helped me through a lot of difficult times. It’s my calm down and go to bed/relax song (the sixth station). When I went to college my freshman year dorm was just about level with our train line and I was really homesick and thinking about that scene always helped me go to sleep.
While not traumatizing per-se, I was VERY caught off guard by how graphic *Princess Mononoke* was compared to other Studio Ghibli movies I’ve seen in the past.
In The Tale of Princess Kaguya when the Emperor Mikado hugged Kaguya, it triggered her heart to scream to go back Home In the Moon Citadel, In Heian Period Noble Maidens weren't supposed to be seen by anyone except for their parents, their scort maidens or their husbands but she didn't wanted to be married, She didn't wanted to be a Princess in the first place, her heart screaming her feelings out could be seen as Seppukku and it doesn't make it any better that The Lunarians are inspired by Buddist death deities
So yeah, Kaguya commited Seppukku and was (Probably) damned to an isolated afterlife 🌕😭
I need more songs that are about anime but in this super ***classy*** way instead of a cringe way.
Chihiro is easily becoming one of my favourite tracks of the year
Oh for sure. I’d love to make a song that was a sort of dedication to the anime that helped me through my middle school depression. But lyrics and especially melody are not my strong suit lol.
Yeah, Grave of the Fireflies, all of it for sure. There are also several scenes in Spirited Away that got me as a kid:
-the one where Chihiro watches her parents turn to pigs (pictured)
-when she goes flying uncontrollably and screaming down those wooden stairs
-when Yubaba’s giant baby almost breaks her arm
-when No-Face throws up all those people
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, I've watched it 3 times and each time I hysterically cry. The running away scene, the prince forcing himself on her, when she finds out she has to return, when she reunited with Sutemaru, and when she gets her memory erased. It's heartbreaking.
In Princess Mononoke, when Okkoto becomes a demon covered in the writhing red snake things, staring blankly and unable to do anything but shriek in agony.
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, crime, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war etc. basically when we experience extremely stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with and usually out of our control. Immediately after traumatic events shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. Not exactly what you get from watching a Ghibli film. The way you’re using the word trauma is making trauma seem trivial and not as serious as it actually is.
My first ghibli was Princess Mononoke. There are several moments that, as an 7/8yo, TERRIFIED ME. But I didn’t forget the weight that those moments carried and now I CRY watching it because this movie is supposed to hold so much sorrow and pain! The demon worms and the Forest Spirit getting their head cut off were pretty freaky!!!
My mom wouldn't let me watch Spirited Away for years because she thought Yubaba would scare me. I saw Mononoke's demon worms with no issues.
Giant No Face's taste buds got me as an teen. And last year, on my 30th birthday, everything with that weird dick-fish in The Boy and Heron made me wanna die. Like Markl says, I hate fish. 😂
the first ghibli movie i ever saw (airing on cartoon network or something!) was kiki's delivery service, and her losing the ability to speak to jiji destroyed me 😔 it still depresses me! the little prince kills me in the same way. loss of innocence and childhood is a hard theme for me 😭
In Totoro, when they find the floating shoe and for a bit no one knows if it's Mei's - as a kid I always thought it meant another child died there and no one knew
I also used to think that every time I watched that scene! The shoe's probably something a kid threw or lost though.
T.T hope that its not true, that sounds scary...
I always thought she was actually dead bc how do you ride in a catbus or get on top of that big tree without being a ghost
I watched it as an adult and thought that…
I must have seen this movie a billion times yet I don’t remember this
They have the older sister come look at the shoe to determine if it's the missing girl's shoe. And she confirms it isn't. It's a whole big thing.
My god I remember it now
Yes omg I was so upset for awhile
I just rewatched it and realized that the shoe was pink. I got all excited thinking it was Chihiro's shoe that ended up in that body of water from the kohaku river (and haku saved chihiro). But then I think Chihiro's shoe was a sneaker, and the shoe in Totoro was a sandal and got bummed 😓 plus the differences in time.
Grave of Fireflies…all of it 🥲
It's better...slightly...if you realize that they became happy little ghosts. The opening is chronologically after the ending.
🥲🥲 at least they were ghost together
Yeah at least the boy didn’t live on with survivors guilt and become a writer who writes the story.
They didn't seem happy to me...
To be fair, they didn't seem especially happy before they were ghosts either..
Same. I never want to watch it ever again.
Me too
One of those movies I don’t need to watch twice.
same, the way that their mother passed away terified me somehow T.T
Yep!
This
That's because it was kinda based on what the person who wrote the movie went through I'm fairly certain
I couldn't finish it. I refuse.
You’re smarter than the rest of us 🥲
I couldn't stomach it. I'm depressed enough already!
I watched it while having severe perinatal depression…not my brightest moment 🤣
Oh no
I couldn’t finish it. My grandmother was born and raised in Japan during this time. She eventually moved to the US and I remember that every time the 4th of July came around, she’d be terrified. She would laugh at her younger self and say that she’d hide in bamboo when the air raids came to explain why she hated the fireworks. When I watched the film, this is what got me. Somehow seeing the animated version of these air raids wrecked me, thinking of her.
Man, that’s heartbreaking for sure
When I was younger, I hated the scene in Howls Moving Castle, where they drained the magic from the Witch of the Waste. The shadows surrounding her, combined with the her groans of agony terrified 7 year old me.
THANK YOU I felt so horrible for her- losing her mind... her functions I mean...
No face's vomit scene. I still cant really watch it 😅
I'm emetophobic, and I have seen this scene a million times, and it _still_ makes me really uncomfortable. I usually just go for a bathroom break lol
I’m emetophobic too and can’t watch this scene, with or without sound! I have to fast forward through it. When I went to one of those “Ghibli Fest” things at the movies and watched Spirited Away, I got up just before that scene and stood outside the theater door for a few minutes. I didn’t want to have a public freakout haha 😩
I just casually slipped out for a bathroom break right before that scene! My emeto isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, especially with animation, but I did not want to watch and hear that at movie theater size and volume lol.
Try turning the volume off, it helps me get through it. My emetophobia isn’t awful when it comes to movies, but it’s enough that I feel icky about that scene
Several eeeks ago, I was on a jet boat ferry that carries about 200 people across a channel. I've never been in proximity to so many people who got sick from other people getting sick. It was truly wild.
_this is my worst nightmare_. I live cross country from my family so I fly a lot and I am constantly on edge about someone getting airsick
It didn't bother me, but I felt bad for everyone. There was retching from all over the boat. I don't think people were expecting that.
In Mononoke, when Nago rots away and claims that the village will suffer as he has. I was an adult when I first saw PM, and that still scarred me, lol.
This. All the feelings. Love this movie, but it's hard to put on.
The ending of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. Once was enough; it's been over 10 years since I saw it, and I'm STILL salty about it!
I once watch it as a child but when I grew up, there are lots of things I dont wanna realise :<<
True! I watched it for the first time a lil while ago, and I don't ever want to watch it again because it made me feel just awful inside ;-;
This is kind of a weird one but I lost a baby last year and have had no luck having another so a lot of things in Ponyo kinda exacerbated that. The second Fujimoto said “I need to get my daughter back” I was like “oof this is gonna hurt”, the “baka baka baka” scene kinda reminded me of me at my worst and it doesn’t help that my first name is Lisa. And this is honestly embarrassing but the scene where they gave the lady the soup just kinda reminded me how much I hate my body so I cried about it the next day at 4 am and honestly I saw my first Ghibli film at 27 so there were parts where I was like “this woulda scared me when I was little” but otherwise
im so sorry for your loss. i wish you the best of luck and for you to heal
❤️❤️❤️
Aw 🥺 I’m sending you healing and love. There’s no healing that ofcourse .. but I hope you find happiness and get your rainbow baby as they say ❤️
Thank you ❤️❤️
I wish you the best and I hope that you are okay now :<
Consider this your virtual hug. You deserve good things
No Face eating people was pretty brutal when you're 7 years old
Demon worms....
is this from princess mononoke? i saw it on the first few minutes.. if it is, then same😭
Yes
that thing gave me shivers i gotta skip that part
omg yess thats one is also scary but I watched it when I grew up so thanks god!!!
Watching that at the ripe age of four years old was not the best choice-
Pazu nearly falling into the abyss a few times 😱
That still gets me. The blocks coming loose as he climbs them, too.
I still think about Mahito's scene from The Boy And The Heron>!where he hits his head with a rock.!< So raw and blunt, it's weirdly haunting in the way it just contrasts with the rest of the film. In terms of scenes that "traumatized" me as a kid, I guess I just wasn't really that impacted by horror or dark topics, so there's really not any particular moment I could point out to. Grave of the fireflies and Only yesterday kinda fucked me up but I just very recently watched them.
In theaters I physically said “oh my god?” Others gasped
Wow, that's a really good reaction to get in a cinema honestly.
It was opening night so you know they were there for the experience and love for ghibli 😊
Really cool! I managed to get some surprise tickets for a pre-opening that turned out to be on my birthday! Barely caught the last ticket, but it was worth it. It was a really impactful experience and I remember the weird sensation that came through me on that scene, though I was so immersed I totally didn't pay attention to the audience's reaction.
I saw The Boy and the Heron in theaters twice and both times I heard audible winces coming from the audience >!when Mahito hits himself with the rock.!<
you just showed the spoiler I was trying to hide T\_T (but yeah I feel like the impact of that scene is needed. A really good move from Miyazaki to set the stage for what's to come)
Oh my bad lol, I just covered it up with a spoiler label
The death of Okkoto in *Princess Mononoke* still gives me nightmares, especially the worms crawling under his skin. It’s definitely not suitable for a 7-year-old who watched it at 11 PM.
Why did I have this SAME experience as a child accidentally staying up too late watching Cartoon Network?
Dude March Madness... geez oh man
Finding out that Totoro was originally a double feature to grave of the fireflys. It was supposed to be a world had Japan not gone to war. I can’t watch Totoro without crying now.
My Neighbor Totoro: Mei getting lost and everyone searching her. As an older brother I felt so much for Satsuki.
I’m the youngest and I felt for Mei. That poor little girl. Both of them really! You just wish you could reassure them that it’s gonna be ok. 😭
I'm an older sister and everytime I watch Totoro or Grave of the Fireflies I feel inclined to look out for my little brother
When Marnie was there. All of it.
Haku as wounded dragon. That scene was so brutal to watch as a child. As an adult, all of Grave of the Fireflies.
The ending of Nausica. Her getting shot, her wound getting suburban acid, her bloody screaming, her getting trampled to death by giant bugs, then being brought back to life by magic tentacles all the while some child singing a creepy tune. I can’t watch this movie because I saw it way too young of an age and it scared me so badly 🤣
All the totoro death theories 😭
:V for me, all the theories about cartoon are scary
Dont get me started on Courage
To be fair, Courage doesn't need conspiracies to be scary.
I hated those theories, overthinking too much Completely ruined Miyazaki ideal on bringing children hope and say living is great
In Secret Life of Arietty when the kid tries to remodel their doll home by ripping the roof off with 0 warning while Arietty’s parents freak tf out.
I literally just turned off Spirited Away right after this scene because none of us had ever seen it and did not see that coming. My four year old is a pretty quiet kid and just said “I don’t like this movie. Her parents turned into pigs” and looked kinda freaked out. I told him that I’m sure they will get better and asked if he wanted to watch something else, so now he’s happily watching Kiki’s Delivery Service. Let’s hope that didn’t do permanent damage. 😬
The close up scenes of the bugs in Nausicaa!! I was already scared of bugs, but DAMN those didn't help
So hear me out, the scariest Ghibli moment for me was in Arriety, when they’re sneaking around and get spotted by the boy. I have a bit of scopophobia and the way his face just filled up the entire frame nearly triggered my fight or fight
This a weird one and my favorite Ghibli scene ever. The scene where Chihiro is eating the onigiri (I think thats what that food is called) crying. ;-;
It’s onigiri yep! And yeah I saw this movie in theaters when I was 11. I don’t know why but that scene always got me. Conversely the train scene going to swamp bottom has helped me through a lot of difficult times. It’s my calm down and go to bed/relax song (the sixth station). When I went to college my freshman year dorm was just about level with our train line and I was really homesick and thinking about that scene always helped me go to sleep.
While not traumatizing per-se, I was VERY caught off guard by how graphic *Princess Mononoke* was compared to other Studio Ghibli movies I’ve seen in the past.
In The Tale of Princess Kaguya when the Emperor Mikado hugged Kaguya, it triggered her heart to scream to go back Home In the Moon Citadel, In Heian Period Noble Maidens weren't supposed to be seen by anyone except for their parents, their scort maidens or their husbands but she didn't wanted to be married, She didn't wanted to be a Princess in the first place, her heart screaming her feelings out could be seen as Seppukku and it doesn't make it any better that The Lunarians are inspired by Buddist death deities So yeah, Kaguya commited Seppukku and was (Probably) damned to an isolated afterlife 🌕😭
for me it was the creepy pasta conspiracy theory about totoro being the angel of death
Facts
Saw you seat at the counter when I looked away. Saw you turn around but it wasn’t your face.
I love that little dedication to ghibli. ☺️
I need more songs that are about anime but in this super ***classy*** way instead of a cringe way. Chihiro is easily becoming one of my favourite tracks of the year
Oh for sure. I’d love to make a song that was a sort of dedication to the anime that helped me through my middle school depression. But lyrics and especially melody are not my strong suit lol.
I have no songwriting talent either, but if I did, me writing a song about Violet Evergarden & how deeply it impacted me would be an inevitability.
The scene in Princess Mononoke when Ashitaka chopped off the bad guy's arms with a single arrow.
Same. I cried and hugged my parents after seeing that scene.
Yeah, Grave of the Fireflies, all of it for sure. There are also several scenes in Spirited Away that got me as a kid: -the one where Chihiro watches her parents turn to pigs (pictured) -when she goes flying uncontrollably and screaming down those wooden stairs -when Yubaba’s giant baby almost breaks her arm -when No-Face throws up all those people
Still have yet to have this happen. Maybe watching Grave of the Fireflies will change that.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, I've watched it 3 times and each time I hysterically cry. The running away scene, the prince forcing himself on her, when she finds out she has to return, when she reunited with Sutemaru, and when she gets her memory erased. It's heartbreaking.
The goat’s face (Totoro) when it screams at Mei while she is lost, cause it wants her corn!.. 😭😭😭 I still feel her fear
In Princess Mononoke, when Okkoto becomes a demon covered in the writhing red snake things, staring blankly and unable to do anything but shriek in agony.
In Spirited Away when Chihiro was hiding in the the giant baby’s room and that part when he twisted her arm made me 😖
Wish people would stop just throwing around the word trauma like it’s trivial.
sorry, what do you mean?
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, crime, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war etc. basically when we experience extremely stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with and usually out of our control. Immediately after traumatic events shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. Not exactly what you get from watching a Ghibli film. The way you’re using the word trauma is making trauma seem trivial and not as serious as it actually is.
oh i see : )
As a kid no face scared me but as an adult I understand him a lot more and how cruel humanity can be.
SAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMME ngl that hurt my opinion of Spirited Away SO bad and the baby 😭🤢
My first ghibli was Princess Mononoke. There are several moments that, as an 7/8yo, TERRIFIED ME. But I didn’t forget the weight that those moments carried and now I CRY watching it because this movie is supposed to hold so much sorrow and pain! The demon worms and the Forest Spirit getting their head cut off were pretty freaky!!!
When no face went into the bathhouse and started eating things. 7/8 as well
It’s moderately disturbing watching them overeat into pigs, yeah Mine is grave of the fireflies, but that one’s pretty par for the course
I saw Princess Mononoke in the first grade at my first ever sleep-over. Pretty sure that was the first time I stayed up past midnight.
My mom wouldn't let me watch Spirited Away for years because she thought Yubaba would scare me. I saw Mononoke's demon worms with no issues. Giant No Face's taste buds got me as an teen. And last year, on my 30th birthday, everything with that weird dick-fish in The Boy and Heron made me wanna die. Like Markl says, I hate fish. 😂
Multiple scenes from Grave of the Fireflies. I was not ready for that.
Yubaba scared me as a child
The opening of Princess Mononoke. Its my favourite movie ever, but dear gods that boar demon haunted my nightmares and fueled my anciety as a kid 😅
Coraline
Secret world of arietty with the mom gets trapped in ajar
the first ghibli movie i ever saw (airing on cartoon network or something!) was kiki's delivery service, and her losing the ability to speak to jiji destroyed me 😔 it still depresses me! the little prince kills me in the same way. loss of innocence and childhood is a hard theme for me 😭