NoaIzumiAnime Review: Princess Mononoke
November 25th 2008 03:29
Japanese poster for Princess Mononoke
When he is cursed by a dying demon, young Prince Ashitaka must leave in search of the cure. His journey takes him to a group of humans on the edge of civilization who are in conflict with the gods of the forest, led by the wolf god and her daughter, the human Princess Mononoke. Ashitaka must find a way to mediate between the two sides, while the curse threatens to take away his very humanity.
Aside from a few dubbed episodes of Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers from childhood, this was the first anime I ever saw. It is what got me interested in anime as an adult, and it still ranks as my favorite anime movie. If you’ve been an anime fan for any length of time, you’ve probably heard of the director, the great Hayao Miyazaki. This was a hit when it came out, but that was ten years ago, so a lot of current anime fans may have missed out. It may be in your queue, it might be on your list, trust me on this, move it to the top.
You’ve probably heard that this is a movie with an environmental theme, and that’s true, but it is much more dimensional than your typical “good environmentalists vs. bad industrialists” plot line. The humans work as miners and metal workers (their settlement is called “Iron Town”), putting them in direct conflict with the creatures of the forest, since they’re starting to mine there. But the movie spends a great deal of time with them and portrays them in a very sympathetic light. Lady Eboshi, the head of Iron Town, makes weapons and is personally responsible for killing at least two of the forest gods, but also cares for lepers and frees brothel girls from servitude by buying up their contracts. These aren’t bad people, they’re just trying to get along as best as they can, just like everybody else.
So who’s the villain? This movie certainly has one, but it’s sort of hard to pin it down. There is the Lord Asano, who covets the wealth of Iron Town, and sends troops to seize it in the film’s climax. But he’s never seen; he’s an absentee bad guy. Then there’s the roguish priest who has his own agenda concerning the forest god, and definitely qualifies as a villain through his actions, but it’s somehow hard to think of him that way. He’s a friendly sort, and rather charming, and in the end, his goal is the same as everybody else’s, to get along in this world as best he can. If reaching that goal requires him to do immoral things, he himself would tell you that it’s an immoral world, what do you want? He’s a very sympathetic crook, and while you can’t approve of his methods, you can’t quite bring yourself to condemn the man.
There is a villain, but it’s not any one person. It’s the negative emotions of each character. The greed, fear, hate, etc. that all the characters have to contend with before they can find a real solution to the crisis. (I’m trying very hard not to use the term “dark side of the Force” here.) The struggle is best seen in Ashitaka. When the movie opens, his village is attacked by a demon, and Ashitaka is able to kill it, but is infected by it in the process. It manifests itself as a black mark which grows larger every time he angers or has to fight, and it’s going to take him over if it’s allowed to continue. The original demon was once a boar god from the forest that’s in conflict with Iron Town, and when he was killed by a gunshot, it was his hate and anger that turned him into a demon in the first place. The relationship is less obvious in the others, but it’s apparent that they’ll have to conquer their hate and fear if they want to survive.
Like most American viewers, I saw this for the first time in the English-dubbed version, and the dubbing deserves a mention. When this film came out, Hollywood was finally getting hip to the fact that anime, especially anime from Hayao Miyazaki, wasn’t just for fringe audiences, it was on the way to being mainstream in America. So the English voice talents include such notables as Clair Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, Minnie Driver, and Gilian Anderson, and the voices really work. Even if you prefer your anime in the original Japanese, the English track is well worth checking out. (Even with the infamous “donkey piss” line)
The plot and characters are well developed, there’s a good amount of action, the musical accompaniment is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and being a Miyazaki film, it’s absolutely beautiful to watch. It’s a little on the long side, at 134 minutes, but the story is so good, I’ve never noticed.
Great moments: the entire film, although the chase scene with Princess Mononoke leaping over the roofs of Iron Town is the most memorable one for many viewers.
Summary: Great plot, great characters, great imagery, great music, great action, great everything. Grade: A
Age rating: 13 and up (violence, including a decapitation)
American poster for Princess Mononoke
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Glad you mentioned the decapitation - one of my most memorable movie moments!
Comment by NoaIzumi
Fine Politics
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