Message from ssamel

[Anonymous]

Hey fellow teachers:

I'm an anime watcher and when I get to use film in class, I get excited--especially when I get to use animes.

One anime I have shown my class is Miyazaki's, Spirited Away. A+ movie! I fell in love with this movie a few years ago. This movie incorporates traditional Japanese beliefs and customs mixed in with modernization occuring in Japan.

In the classroom environment (I teach 7th grade world history), I tied in Shintoism, cultural norms, and the affects of modernization that I teach to my students with what goes on in the film. My students were able to recall what they have learned in class and relate the content to what they see in the film.

The majority of the Studio Ghibli films are usually pretty good. Most of them are not like western cartoons at all, in fact, if you are not familiar with Miyazaki's film, it can be pretty abstract. But your students will enjoy them!