The fact that Jumba from Lilo & Stitch, Governor Ratcliffe AND Wiggins from Pocahontas, the Archdeacon from Hunchback, Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast, and Kamaji in the English version of Spirited Away are all the same voice actor is fucking WILD!
Kamaji is a Japanese spirit. Specifically, he's a Tsuchigumo, which is a spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. Kamaji appears as an elderly man with six, long arms who operates the boiler room of the Bathhouse. At first, he's unfriendly, cold and uncaring. Kamaji refuses to give anyone work despite the risk on the person's life. He's also not afraid to yell at others. However, after some persuasion, Kamaji is willing to help when they prove themselves to be persistent and determined to work. In fact, he's actually a kind individual. Kamaji is also caring and will give wise advice to those he considers a friend.
I just got home from seeing Spirited Away Live on Stage and I’m trying to find something
I don’t need a full rip of the entire play, just trying to find a clip, even just an audio-only recording, of that brief musical number when Kamaji got introduced. I really liked the song and wanted to listen to it again but I can’t find anything online rn.
Something that's been sticking out to me since I got my DVD copy of the stage adaptation of Spirited Away is the difference in the responses of the characters Chihiro calls "Grandpa" or "Granny," and how she came to call each of them that.
We have Kamaji, who initially claims Chihiro is his granddaughter as part of a ruse to allow her into the bathhouse, and does so almost casually. While Chihiro later does refer to him as "Grandfather" or "Grandpa," this is never really given much attention by the other characters. It seems to me as if, following Lin's initial surprise at Kamaji's claim, it's treated as something just completely ordinary.
Then we have Zeniba, who specifically asks Chihiro to call her "Granny," and Yubaba, who expresses bewilderment when Chihiro refers to her in that way near the end of the play. I haven't put as much thought into those two, but I do still find it interesting either way.
It's definitely something I'd like to revisit once I've had more time to observe it and put my thoughts into words.
You know, he might not be the most coolest and detailed and intensive plush I’ve ever made, but looking at him, this is still probably one of my favorite plushes I’ve made. He was made for one of my oldest pal’s wife as a gift. I have a bit of regret that I couldn’t get the right color fabric for the shoes to be fleece, but the different materials made for a fun and lively tactile experience.