There’s one final aspect of No-Face we’ve yet to explore–the way he mirrors Chihiro. Drawing on the Noh tradition, if we’re to see No-Face as a blank slate meant to highlight the emotional response of the person who views him, then it stands to reason that he could’ve been showing Chihiro a version of herself. Perhaps, the girl she could have become if she continued on her spoiled path or succumbed to gluttony and greed like her parents. In a July 2001 press conference held upon completion of the film at Imperial Hotel, Miyazaki explained No-Face's presence, "When I'm not around, the producer's apparently been telling everyone, "No-Face is Miya-san's alter-ego." Yet even without getting intellectual about it, I think there's probably a bit of No-Face in all of us." [3] The Man With No Face defended Chin when the Winter Soldier came to assassinate him. He was able to escape, failing at his mission. [3] Modern Age [ ]

As Bannerman settles into Brussels, he seems to be at odds with other Brits their, including an old colleague who is not too pleased to see, though he does seem to take a shine to young Tania, the poor mute girl who is terrified after what she witnessed, and seems to have a brilliant talent for art, which may help find her Father's killer, Bannerman seems to have Fatherly feelings for her, and things from his past, hold a lot of guilt for him, as he once fathered a child when he himself was a young lad, and wonders what become of his long lost daughter.

I've seen a man who could change his face, the way that other men change their clothes." ― Doreah [src] Chihiro also treats No-Face like a child, asking him where his home is and inquiring about his parents. The same questions you might ask a lost child seen wandering alone in a parking lot. Further taking on the caretaker role, Chihiro gives No-Face a special medicine to help cure him of the monster he’s become. The medicine causes him to have an even bigger meltdown than before. He chases Chihiro through the bathhouse, but by the time he catches up to her, he’s gotten everything out of his system–both literally and figuratively. The medicine’s done its job. The Dutiful Child Once No-Face's clears their head, they follow Chihiro like a dutiful child. The "hand of God" appears and detonates the warhead, destroying the city and all of Flagg's followers in it. Flagg himself dematerializes just before the blast, surviving to reappear on a remote and unnamed beach. Enhanced Durability: Phillip is resistant to physical injury than ordinary humans. He can withstand gunfire with no sustain of damage. [1]

Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle was more critical, writing "Perhaps more accurately titled The Man with Half a Face, you can practically tell what kind of emotion each particular scene is going to convey solely by the angle from which Gibson's face is shot." [7] She criticized the film's continuity gaps and said, "There's not all that much that keeps this story moving, and the set-ups are all obvious and predictable." [7] The Faceless Men are a fairly old organization, predating even the Doom of Valyria. Their founders were slaves who worked in the mines under the Fourteen Fires, the great volcanic mountain chain whose eruption destroyed the Valyrian Freehold four centuries ago. The thousands of slaves from a hundred different lands faced death on a daily basis, and over time, the belief developed among some of them that while they came from many different lands and followed many different religions, all of these religions were fundamentally the same, because they all worshiped death in some fashion. They were either polytheistic religions that had a god devoted to death, or monotheistic religions with a deity that had dominion over death. In time this turned into a syncretic belief system worshiping the Many-Faced God of Death, holding that Death has appeared to humans under many different faces as many different gods, but they are all fundamentally one god.

Originally published in 1981 with the title "Hidden Faces", The Man with No Face by Peter May is a slow burning, detailed thriller which saw investigative journalist Neil Bannerman head to Brussels from Edinburgh to follow a political investigation. Little did he know a colleague plus a British minister who had a meeting together would be found dead, a matter of hours after his arrival, with the autistic daughter of his colleague distraught nearby. I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for a review copy of The Man with No Face, a revised edition of a stand alone thriller set in Brussels in 1979, originally published in 1981.

No-Face follows Chihiro around the Bathhouse, even stealing several Bath Tokens for her. One night he approaches the spirit Aogaeru, a worker in the Bathhouse. No-Face lures him over with the promise of gold, then devours him, gaining some of his corrupt and greedy personality. With his negative qualities now further intensified, No-Face demands luxury baths and food from the workers, summoning large amounts of gold to tip them with. This makes No-Face a popular customer in the Bathhouse, as everyone wants to serve him and earn some of his money.

With his assumed large amount of wealth, No-Face became a sensation with the workers who constantly begged for tips from him. After witnessing Chihiro reject his offering of gold, No-Face dropped the gold onto the ground in despair, forcing greedy workers to fight for a piece. Angered in assuming that a worker insulted him, No-Face consumes two other people, and his true nature is revealed to the horrified workers.

Flight: Phillip could float and fly short distances, though whether this was through intangibility or shadow manipulation is unrevealed. [7] When Chihiro prepares to leave, Zeniba requests that No-Face stay with her as a helper and stay away from the negative influences in the Bathhouse that could set him off again. No-Face agrees, and stays with her as a humble and kind servant. When we first meet the ever-sheer No-Face, he stands on the bridge that leads to the bathhouse. But this is no ordinary bridge. No-Face is shown on this bridge not once, but twice, because it represents the link between the human world and the Spirit Realm. In other words, the bridge between life and death. Don’t forget, Chihiro’s adventure in the Spirit Realm didn’t truly begin until she crossed the bridge to seek out employment under Yubaba. I’m always eager to dive into Peter May’s next release, and The Man With No Face was no different. However, this is one of a handful of books by the author that I was not crazy about. It certainly had me curious to see how things would play out, but I never felt the connection I had hoped for.The only person who can calm No-Face is Chihiro, and she does it not by giving him what he wants but what he needs, which is tough love. She shoots down his offers of food and wealth, and makes it clear that he can’t give her what she desires. No-Face can duplicate all manners of things, but not love.