It was expressing the notion there's more to Miyazaki films than meets the eye.

Deep.

Maybe I should clarify. We studied all the Japanese conventions, symbolism, sub-texts and such included in spirited away and I find all of it fascinating. Miyazaki is throwing around messages, satire, and themes galore in that movie and there's a lot to take from it. Aside from which the animation is gorgeous and polished and the characters likeable. I can certainly see how it attained the status of his pinnacle of film-making, even by his prospective it probably was. However Monoke registers on more levels than simply a thematic compilation for me. The manipulation of action-adventure conventions via the singular note desperate scream for pacifism is so blatantly obvious within the movie it's almost blinding. And yet the sub-text of this thing! Primarily its amazing that while satirizing these conventions Miyazaki produces them so damn well. Furthermore the integration of just as excellently constructed characters and themes into this fantasy/war/adventure story is a much more challenging and fascinating setting than the changing tapestry that is essentially a blank canvas to project themes that is Spirited Away.