Spirited Away; Sequence of Challenges

It’s just a visual representation of the plot.  If you find it useful, Bonza! If not, never ye mind.

From Chihiro’s PoV:

We are moving to a new neighbourhood. I’m scared. My parents want to stop and explore an abandoned theme park. I’m scared of that too.

<Challenge 1 “My parents are pigs!”> My greedy parents eat from the spirit buffet and turn into pigs. Haku tells me I must stay and get a job if I want to save them…

    <Challenge 2 “I must get a job”> I search for Kamachi, and demonstrate that I won’t give up by assisting the soot sprites. Kamachi is impressed. He sends me to Yubaba to get a job. Yubaba is scary, but I don’t give up. She gives me a job. <Cost>Yubaba takes my name</cost></challenge 2>

         <Challenge 3 “I must help Noface”> A mysterious figure waits outside in the rain. <mistake>I let him in</mistake>. It does not occur to me that he may cause problems—

               <Challenge 4 “I must bathe a stinky spirit”>I am scared, but I do not give up. The Noface helps me, but I’m not greedy – I take only what I need. Lin helps me and we learn that the Stink Spirit is really a powerful River Spirit. He gives me a <Boon>Medicine ball</boon></challenge 4>

…Haku takes me to see my pig-parents. They look like all the other pigs. I am scared that I can’t help them. <Boon>Haku gives my real name back to me</boon>. His food gives me strength. He does not always seem friendly, but today his help gives me freedom and courage…

                   <Challenge 6 “I must save Haku”> Zaniba’s paper birds hurt Haku. I protect him and use half the medicine ball to cure Yubaba’s curse. I will return Zaniba’s magic seal to save Haku. Kamachi gives me a <boon>train ticket</boon>. But I can’t leave yet because~~~

         —Noface, is sick and menacing. I cure him with the rest of the medicine ball, though I wanted it for my parents. He follows me to Zaniba’s house.</challenge 3>

                   ~~~I return Zaniba’s seal, break the spell and remember Haku’s real name: He is free.</challenge 6>

…I have one more challenge to complete. Zaniba’s last test: None of the pigs she shows me are my parents. I am free. My parents are not pigs any more. We continue the journey to our new home, and I am not scared anymore.</Challenge 1>

THE END

Some of the challenges are quickly resolved (getting a job, bathing the river spirit), while others overlap and delay the resolution of more pressing challenges. The problem of the Noface develops relatively quietly; by the time it is resolved Chihiro has bathed a river spirit, visited her pig-parents (a convenient halfway reminder of that problem) and solved half of Haku’s problems too. Look, here’s a crappy hand-drawn diagram:

So that’s what Spirited Away looks like. Kinda.