This anime changed me into a spirit? A monster? A ghost? A fairy? I see myself in many of these characters. As sad to warm Chise. A monster with a soul Elias. The longing some of these characters have is palpable. Some say life is suffering but maybe what it really is is longing. Ruth longs for his sister, tho he wasn't really human in the first place. The Sidhe holds on as long as she can to a human who must die. Silky longs at first for a family that died but finds a way to go on, haunting a new house. I'm still trying to understand Joseph, perhaps his totally thwarted longing twisted him. He's evil as a side effect of being tragic. Chise's statement "I am here!" "Watashi wa koko" Something about that seems to be what its all about. It's my new philosophy. This show haunts me but pleasantly, beautifully. Peace :-)