Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 500+ posts. While some of you may have been with us from the start (thank you, loyal readers!), others may have joined us more recently.
So, we’re highlighting periodically some of the posts that have garnered a lot of views or that address topics of continuing interest in the current moment — posts that you may have missed or that you might want to revisit.
Today, we feature a post published in December 2022 and written by one of our graduate students for ENGL 801 “Graduate Studies in English” — a post which has been steadily gaining in readership since its initial publication, typically garnering several hits each day: “Signs, Signs, Everywhere… The Hidden Depth of Japanese Signs in Spirited Away” by Ian Lutz (MA ’24).
In this analysis of untranslated signs in Studio Ghibli’s award-winning animated film Spirited Away, Ian asks,
Statistically speaking, most people reading this article in English are not fluent in Japanese, so Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away is an exercise in that anxious wandering of illiterate tourism. Signs in the film’s mysterious village abound, written in exotic-looking characters which feel important but evade understanding for the average English-speaker. While understanding these signs are not necessary for enjoying the film’s plot (as millions of fans can attest to), is there not some deeper theme etched into their messages, staring at the viewer and begging for acknowledgement?
Read more at “Signs, Signs, Everywhere… The Hidden Depth of Japanese Signs in Spirited Away” — and our thanks to Ian for this contribution!
— Karin Westman, Department Head
K-State English 