Latest news with #Chihiro
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Billie Eilish review – pop's sharpest commentator plays with fame's power dynamics
Billie Eilish's face is blown up across a four-sided, NBA-style jumbotron. Below, tracked by camera crews, she prowls a bare stage akin to a boxing ring – a rectangle slapped in the middle of the arena, fans everywhere she turns. Such media-heavy, mega-watt staging is immediately at odds with ambiguous opener Chihiro: 'You won't forget my name, not today, not tomorrow, kinda strange, feelin' sorrow,' she murmurs, featherlight, over distant, rumbling subwoofer and watery electric guitar. The challenge for Eilish's arena tours has always been to balance her talent for intimacy with her clear interest in spectacle. It's unfortunate but perhaps inevitable that the intricate production quirks of tracks such as Lunch and Wildflower get lost in the mix tonight, with just the drums pounding through, but she compensates with astute theatrics; at still just 23, Eilish offers some of pop's sharpest commentary on the push and pull of fame. Seizing control of the big screens for her teen-villain breakthrough single Bad Guy, Eilish dodges the limelight of its infamous 'might seduce your dad' brag by turning a handheld camera first on her band and then on her screaming fans, focusing more on the song's reception than its delivery. The crowd is hitting serious decibels – running the risk of drowning out Eilish and band throughout – but still she goads them: 'Louder!' She casually goes full superstar on Happier Than Ever, showcasing all she does best – a whispery intro, a bittersweet slow-build with lacy vocals, and a stormy, demolition-grade payoff – before a final whiplash in tone for closer Birds of a Feather, last year's omnipresent, soft-rock romance. Tonight, its frothy optimism is played up with stage projections of a sunny green field, and only a nod towards the nihilism: 'If I'm turnin' blue, please don't save me,' she breezes. Yet still she paces the perimeter like a caged lion, staring out at a sea of frantic faces, obviously fascinated (and maybe even disturbed) by the power dynamics at play. Eilish is the rare pop star just as interested in watching her audience perform, and it feels both intimate and combative to be looked at like that. Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft tour is in the UK and Ireland until 27 July
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Billie Eilish review – pop's sharpest commentator plays with fame's power dynamics
Billie Eilish's face is blown up across a four-sided, NBA-style jumbotron. Below, tracked by camera crews, she prowls a bare stage akin to a boxing ring – a rectangle slapped in the middle of the arena, fans everywhere she turns. Such media-heavy, mega-watt staging is immediately at odds with ambiguous opener Chihiro: 'You won't forget my name, not today, not tomorrow, kinda strange, feelin' sorrow,' she murmurs, featherlight, over distant, rumbling subwoofer and watery electric guitar. The challenge for Eilish's arena tours has always been to balance her talent for intimacy with her clear interest in spectacle. It's unfortunate but perhaps inevitable that the intricate production quirks of tracks such as Lunch and Wildflower get lost in the mix tonight, with just the drums pounding through, but she compensates with astute theatrics; at still just 23, Eilish offers some of pop's sharpest commentary on the push and pull of fame. Seizing control of the big screens for her teen-villain breakthrough single Bad Guy, Eilish dodges the limelight of its infamous 'might seduce your dad' brag by turning a handheld camera first on her band and then on her screaming fans, focusing more on the song's reception than its delivery. The crowd is hitting serious decibels – running the risk of drowning out Eilish and band throughout – but still she goads them: 'Louder!' She casually goes full superstar on Happier Than Ever, showcasing all she does best – a whispery intro, a bittersweet slow-build with lacy vocals, and a stormy, demolition-grade payoff – before a final whiplash in tone for closer Birds of a Feather, last year's omnipresent, soft-rock romance. Tonight, its frothy optimism is played up with stage projections of a sunny green field, and only a nod towards the nihilism: 'If I'm turnin' blue, please don't save me,' she breezes. Yet still she paces the perimeter like a caged lion, staring out at a sea of frantic faces, obviously fascinated (and maybe even disturbed) by the power dynamics at play. Eilish is the rare pop star just as interested in watching her audience perform, and it feels both intimate and combative to be looked at like that. Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft tour is in the UK and Ireland until 27 July
SoraNews24
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Ghibli anime art greeting cards are a canvas to tell friends and family how and why you care【Pics】
Studio Ghibli supplies the watercolor art, leaves the message up to you. In Japan, most greeting cards don't come with lengthy pre-written messages. Instead of preparing a declaration of laser-focused sentiment for you, like 'Grandma is so proud that you're graduating from middle school!', Japanese greeting cards tend to keep things short and broad. They might have a simple 'Happy birthday,' 'Congratulations,' or 'Thank you,' but generally the idea is that you'll supply the message yourself, with the card being something to please the eye and set the mood while you express your feelings in your own words. That brings us to this line of gorgeous Ghibli greeting cards. Each of them features a beautiful watercolor painting of characters or settings from the anime studio's beloved films on the front, but is blank inside, leaving it to you to tell the person you're sending it to why you chose this piece of artwork while thinking of them. Totoro, no surprise, is featured multiple times in the line. The scene of him traipsing through the tall grass with a leafy parasol is a great pick if you're following the Japanese custom of sending cards in summer to check in on friends and family and see how they're handling the heat… …as is the card depicting this nighttime ocarina concert. The good-times-with-good-folks vibes of these paintings make them an apt choice for sending to old friends you're looking forward to seeing again, even if you don't have any concrete plans in the near future… …and if you're the type that likes to plan ahead, for a fellow fan this card is practically a Christmas gift in and of itself. Since this Spirited Away card shows Chihiro's parents still under the curse that's transformed them into pigs, it's hard to say whether or not your own mom and dad would appreciate it, or if it's better to save it for a friend… …but this illustration of the approach to the bathhouse of the gods is one any fan of the movie will enjoy (as evidenced by the fact that it's the only design in the series that's currently sold out). We saw a peek of Princess Mononoke's Ashitaka earlier… …but he's got a second card too… …and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind strikes a similarly dramatic, determined pose. Castle in the Sky/Laputa's Pazu swooping in to rescue Sheeta works for both romantic gestures and friendly 'I'm here if you need me' reminders… …and finally, rounding things out is a much more relaxed aviation image, courtesy of Porco Rosso's flying boat. As an added bonus, the cards come with a special envelope bearing the Studio Ghibli logo with Totoro in profile, the same way he appears at the start of the studio's movies. And while technically these are all meant to be put in the mail or handed off to someone else, they also make excellent 24 x 15.8-centimeter (9.4 x 6.2-inch) mini posters that you can arrange in whatever array you want on your wall or on your desk. The cards are priced at 550 yen (US$3.80) each and, with the exception of the Spirited Away bathhouse design, are all available now through the online shop of Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku here thanks to a recent restock. Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yomiuri Shimbun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
300-Year-Old Hot Spring Inn Conjures Spirit of Anime; Traditional Onsen Culture Endures in Mountains of Gunma Pref.
The Yomiuri Shimbun The exterior of Sekizenkan is reminiscent of the bathhouse in the movie 'Spirited Away.' NAKANOJO, Gunma — Sekizenkan is an old ryokan inn in Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture, that is believed to have inspired the bathhouse in the acclaimed anime film 'Spirited Away,' and it is still visited by many fans. About 330 years have passed since Sekizenkan was founded in 1694. The ryokan, located in a historical hot spring area called Shima Onsen hot spa, allows guests to experience a journey back in time. Guests cross a red bridge, the symbol of the ryokan, before reaching the entrance while listening to the gentle babbling of a river. The inn's Honkan main building, Japan's oldest existing wooden bathhouse, was built in the Edo period (1603-1867). It was a two-story building at first, but another story was added in the Meiji era (1868-1912). 'We can observe the architectural changes since the Edo period,' Yurie Kurosawa, 44, the ryokan's 21st president, said proudly. Until about 60 years ago, most of the guests visited the ryokan to cure an illness or heal wounds, and they stayed for more than two weeks. They brought futons for themselves and hung their laundry along the outer corridor. In the main building, guests still prepare their futons in modestly furnished Japanese-style rooms like in the old days. The 'Roman no Tunnel' at the end of the main building is reminiscent of the tunnel in the anime through which the heroine Chihiro and other characters pass. I went up in a nearby elevator to a wooden ryokan building called Sansou, which was built in 1936 because the number of guests increased mainly due to advances in transportation. The techniques of traditional craftsmen can be seen in the rooms, such as the intricate craftwork of kumiko shoji sliding doors and tokonoma alcoves. Then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo stayed in Sansou in 1942. Going further up the elevator, I reached Kashoutei, a ryokan building that has modern guest rooms. The bath is named 'Genroku no Yu' and is located beside the main building. There are five bathtubs in the tiled floor, and the windows are arch-shaped in the Taisho Romanesque style. The changing room and the baths are combined in an unusual style, and that structure remains as it was when it was constructed in 1930. The ryokan offers guests a tour of the buildings three times a week. On a busy day, the tour has as many as about 30 guests. 'I felt the long history of the ryokan during the tour. I was also impressed by the low ceilings and old glass,' said a man, 60, who participated in a tour in late April. 'I want to maintain the therapeutic style of the inn,' Kurosawa said. Sekizenkan will continue to convey traditional Japanese hot spring culture. Sekizenkan The Yomiuri Shimbun Address: 4236 Shima-Kabuto, Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture Access: Take a bus from JR Nakanojo Station to Shima Onsen. It is about a 50-minute drive from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange of the Kanetsu Expressway by car. Memo: Visitors can use the bath without staying overnight from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for ¥1,500 for adults.
Japan Today
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Official 'Spirited Away' cookbook teaches how to make food from the Ghibli anime classic
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 Mouthwateringly detailed depictions of food have become as much a symbol of Studio Ghibli anime as fanciful flight sequences and plucky heroines. Food takes on the most narrative and thematic significance, though, in "Spirited Away," where different dishes are used to symbolize greed, compassion, or sacrifice, serving as edible milestones on the characters' arcs. So it was a reasonable expectation that the official Ghibli anime cookbook series would eventually get around to "Spirited Away," and now it finally has. Like the other books in the line, "Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away" is a collection of recipes that recreate food seen within the Hayao Miyazaki-directed classic, and also mix in a few new creations inspired by the setting and characters. Publisher Shufu no Tomo says that the 64-page volume contains instructions for how to make the onigiri rice ball Haku gives to Chihiro, the tempura rice ball devoured by the spider-like Kamaji, a non-bitter version of the bitter dumpling Chihiro receives as a sign of thanks from the river god, charred newt-shaped cookies, and 'the chicken eaten by Chihiro's mother.' ▼ You can spot Zeniba's cake on the book's cover too, so it feels like a safe bet that there'll be a recipe for it too. Like all of the Ghibli cookbooks, the "Spirited Away" volume is meant to be simple enough for adults or kids to follow along with. The ingredients used are all things that can be found in a typical Japanese grocery store, so even if you're outside of Japan, odds are you'll be able to source what you need as long as you've got an Asian market nearby or an online ingredient source. The series also tends to have detailed photos of the cooking process, and the descriptions, though in Japanese, are written to be easy for kids and inexperienced home chefs to understand, so they shouldn't be too hard to decipher for non-natives with some basic Japanese language proficiency. ▼ For example, here's a page from Shufu no Tomo's "Castle in the Sky" cookbook, showing photos for the recipe steps and including phonetic readings for the kanji characters. "Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away" is priced at 1,760 yen and goes on sale July 31, but can be preordered now through Amazon Japan here. Source: Shufu no Tomo via Ghibli no Sekai Insert images: Amazon Japan, Studio Ghibli, PR Times Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Studio Ghibli answers Spirited Away fan questions, reveals exciting facts and trivia behind the film -- Studio Ghibli cookbook teaches how to make beautiful, super-easy Laputa Levistone candies【Recipe】 -- Spirited Away posters for first theatrical release in China are stunningly beautiful External Link © SoraNews24
