About POP!

POP! is INQUIRER.net’s premier pop culture channel, delivering the latest news in the realm of pop culture, internet culture, social issues, and everything fun, weird, and wired. It is also home to POP! Sessions and POP! Hangout,
OG online entertainment programs in the
Philippines (streaming since 2015).

As the go-to destination for all things ‘in the now’, POP! features and curates the best relevant content for its young audience. It is also a strong advocate of fairness and truth in storytelling.

POP! is operated by INQUIRER.net’s award-winning native advertising team, BrandRoom.

Contact Us

Email us at [email protected]

Address

MRP Building, Mola Corner Pasong Tirad Streets, Brgy La Paz, Makati City

Girl in a jacket

‘Animal Crossing’ gamer lives out her childhood dream with a ‘Spirited Away’ island

When we talk about Studio Ghibli films, the very first thing that comes to mind is the franchise’s idyllic scenes. From the detailed techniques and dream-like color palettes to charming yet complex characters, the acclaimed animation studio never fails to evoke nostalgic feelings and capture the beauty of everyday life.

That’s why it came as no surprise when foreign and local tourists alike started flocking to Jiufen, a mountain town in Taiwan that bears an uncanny resemblance to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. (But because of our current situation, we have no choice but to wait a little longer before we get to book that plane ticket.)

via Giphy

So when Nintendo launched Animal Crossing’s fifth series—a simulation video game that allows you to create your own island paradise—a gamer who has always wanted to be like Spirited Away’s main character Chihiro took all the time and effort to build her own Ghibli-esque world.

On a Facebook group named Subtle Asian Traits, Sharon Nguyen (from Australia) proudly shared her Spirited Away-themed island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons—and for other Ghibli fans out there, the completed areas are definitely envy-worthy!

Image from: Sharon Nguyen
Image from: Sharon Nguyen
Image from: Sharon Nguyen

Ever since a kid, Nguyen has always loved the film and so seeing the output felt more like a dream come true for her.

“I’ve been playing for less than 3 weeks and Spirited Away is my obsession! I’ve loved it ever since I was a child and I collect and love it. This is just pictures from my room so I haven’t completed the island yet. But the ones in the picture took me 3 weeks since I had to wait, and gather appropriate furniture,” shared Nguyen.

Since the designs in this latest Animal Crossing installation seems limitless, she also used different softwares to cut No Face’s image in the background into smaller pieces and uploaded them to a fan-made tool called ACPatterns. 

As of this writing, Nguyen’s post has garnered 14,000 likes and 4,000 comments with people continuously praising her dedication and asking for codes. Even though it has only been a month since ACNH was released for consumption, the video game has already sold 1.88 million physical copies during the first three days—making it “the biggest Switch yet.”

_____

Read more from InqPOP!:

Here’s how you can knit your own Harry Potter merchandise

There’s a Facebook group that lets you ‘pretend to be an ant in an ant colony’ because why the hell not

About Author

Related Stories

Popping on POP!