Japanese mothers believe that the reason for the mother’s indifference towards her daughter in “Spirited Away” is because taking care of children is too tiring? They have faced widespread criticism from netizens!

In the highly acclaimed animated film “Spirited Away,” the indifferent attitude of Chihiro’s mother towards her daughter has always been a hot topic of debate among viewers. Not only does she ignore her daughter’s words, but she is also unwilling to even glance at her, leading the audience to speculate whether there are some issues within their family.

Recently, a Japanese mother published an article claiming that she can understand Chihiro’s mother’s indifference because, as a mother, it is often exhausting to take care of children. However, this statement immediately drew criticism from internet users, who believe that being tired is one thing, but ignoring one’s child is something entirely different. Below are the discussions from Japanese netizens on this topic.

I remember when I first watched ‘Spirited Away’, I felt that Chihiro’s mother was being too cold towards her. Now, I can understand the reason behind it, which is that she has been too exhausted all along.

This Japanese netizen nicknamed ‘たな子’ claims to be a 38-year-old housewife. Due to her husband being away on business for a long time, she single-handedly takes care of all the household chores and child-rearing. She recently published an article explaining how she relates to the cold attitude of Chihiro’s mother in the movie ‘Spirited Away’, attributing it to the exhaustive nature of household tasks and caring for children.

In the movie, Chihiro’s mother seems to be indifferent towards her at all times.

However, this explanation quickly sparked widespread debate. Many Japanese netizens pointed out with discontent that “mother’s fatigue” and “indifference towards children” are completely different matters. If one thinks that being tired can justify neglecting a child, then it undoubtedly reflects the behavior of a giant baby type of parent, and it can even be seen as “toxic parenting.”

 The reactions of Japanese netizens are as follows:

 So what if I’m tired?

 If being tired allows one to treat their children with indifference, then it is better not to have children.

This has nothing to do with fatigue; rather, she is clearly targeting Chihiro. She shows utmost respect towards her husband, but withholds even a word of kindness towards Chihiro.

It turns out that being tired allows one to treat children indifferently. One can be flattering towards a husband, but children, being one’s own possessions, do not require appeasement. This is a typical ‘toxic parenting’ mindset.

This is a typical example of a ‘mother who doesn’t care about her daughter’; Ghibli always accurately portrays the hidden toxins in people’s hearts.

If a workplace superior treats their subordinates like this, it would be called workplace bullying. Why is it that when the role is switched to that of a parent, the logic can be overturned? Children are not the property of their parents; don’t overly favor the parents.

This is not because you have a deeper understanding of the work as you grow. It is simply because your perspective has changed with age, leading you to find a way of thinking that benefits yourself.

 What do you think of Chihiro’s mother’s attitude?