My Neighbor Totoro - did you find the bath scene disturbing?

[littlefuzzy]

I saw on a message board (maybe here) that someone's neighbor refused to let their kids watch this movie after they saw the bath scene, because they found it to be dirty and incestuous...

I was just wondering if anyone here had problems with that, or if someone you know thinks it was bad...


FYI, in Japan, families often bathe together, with parents bathing with a child of the opposite sex up until puberty, and parents bathing with a child of the same sex long after that child is grown. This is seen as a family time of bonding, and has nothing to do with sex.

Communal bath houses used to have mixed sex bathing, although that has changed in many areas, due to pressure from western culture.

[TM2-Megatron]

Communal bath houses used to have mixed sex bathing, although that has changed in many areas, due to pressure from western culture.

Europe used to have its share of that back in the 13th century. Ironically enough, though, it didn't prove to be very hygenic the way they went about it, lol; despite the fact it was done to compensate for the filthy conditions of city-life. Still... good times, in retrospect.

On the subject of the movie, while I haven't actually seen the scene in question, I'd say that the post you read was from one of those uptight, hyper-sensitive individuals who routinely mistake extremism in sexual matters for morality. Unfortunately, it's quite a common illness in western society; and one thing Japan would do better to go without.

[RyougaLolakie]

I'd say its definately natural to the way parents bath together with a child. I don't know why some people complain about it as far as I didn't seen offensive to the scene (I've seen this film on TCM). Either if the user's neighbor has a paranoia or he/she is a complete fool.

[Sky Syndrome]

If that scene was really inappropriate, the Disney peeps could have easily editted it out.

When I saw the Fox version of Totoro back in late 2004, I did a double take at this bath scene. I wondered how Fox got away with dubbing and selling Totoro in America without some recall demanded by enraged parents because the bath scene wasn't editted out.

Ah well, glad the scene was never editted out over here in the West. I like having insight of a Japanese family's lifestyle and their times of bonding.

[Paka]

If that scene was really inappropriate, the Disney peeps could have easily editted it out.

Not quite-so-easily, m'dear.

Under Disney's distribution deal with Ghibli, one condition they agreed to was not to alter, censor, or edit the films in any fashion, barring production of an English dub version, of course.

Good thing that this has been in place, too; Disney was uneasy about some scenes in Mononoke Hime before they released it theatrically in '97 - they actually went back and asked Ghibli if they could take some scenes out - they were met with a solid no, of course. I'm not sure if they have wanted to change other Ghibli films, but the Hime example is probably the best-known.

Leave it to uppity Statesans to get riled up over a throwaway scene that lasts a few seconds, though; the focus isn't even on the bath they're taking! Totoro is causing the wind to howl so furiously that night that the family is caught looking nervously out from the bathhouse.

"Dirty and incestuous..." gimme a break!

[goofystitch]

The irony is that I just got done watching Disney's version of Totoro. The bath scene in question is in no way dirty. The dad and the youngest girl are in the bath together. Her head is tastefully covering his genitals. The older girl is sitting outside the tub with her back to the camera so you see a little bit of butt crack. They are talking about the soot sprites. The scene depicts a typical night in a Japaneese home. There is nothing dirty. I would have no objections to letting my children see this scene. It isn't as bad as Nausicaa's lack of underpants throughout the whole movie with her mini-skirt constantly blowing. lol.

[littlefuzzy]

It isn't as bad as Nausicaa's lack of underpants throughout the whole movie with her mini-skirt constantly blowing. lol.

She's wearing long pants...