Princess Mononoke

My sister recently bought an entire Studio Ghibli collection from Speedy for quite a good bargain. We've been watching a few films now and I might (depending on my diligence or lack of) be reviewing some of those movies. First up is:

PRINCESS MONONOKE

"What exactly are you here for?"
"To see with eyes unclouded by hate."

The title, Princess Mononoke, initially brought up images of heavenly beauties with astounding gracefulness and femininity. Imagine my surprise when official artwork and my subsequent viewing of the film showed me that the titular princess was a rough, savage girl who fought with such primal ferocity that Tarzan would simply seem docile in comparison. Indeed, one of the most admirable traits in anime movies, and Studio Ghibli productions in particular, is the tendency to defy genre stereotypes.


Princess Mononoke is a feral child, raised by wolves and sworn to the protection of her forest homeland. The film tells of uneasy conflicts between the supernatural spirit guardians of the said forest and the humans, whose industrial progress demands the consumption of the forest's resources. Of course, humans being humans, there are constant skirmishes between rival factions as well. All of this is seen by an outsider, Ashitaka, a prince from a banished, distant tribe who must remove a curse laid upon him by a demon.

The unique thing that I observed about Princess Mononoke was that it was a very “shades of gray” type of film. None of the factions, not even the forest spirits, were indisputably good and free from error. For example, while it was admirable that the forest's boar and wolf guardians fight for the protection of their homeland, it eventually became clear that they were driven more by pride and revenge than for the love of their forest. This was also seen in the greedy Lady Eboshi, who despite her excessive industriousness, was still portrayed as a kind lady who took in lepers, prostitutes and other outcasts and gave them food, jobs and opportunities. The film's characters are difficult to assign labels of good or evil to and ultimately it is probably a reflection of how reality really is.

Take that, Edward Cullen

At the core of this film are director Hayao Miyazaki's strong anti-war and environmental themes which are also featured in his other films such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli's trademark animation brought devastating scenes of death and destruction to life in a way that was previously only thought possible to be done by live-action. Princess Mononoke was perhaps notorious for being the only (I think) film by Hayao Miyazaki to contain explicit scenes of violence, but I feel that any child mature enough can watch this movie with proper parental guidance.

Studio Ghibli really is proven to be the Pixar of the east. Princess Mononoke is another brilliant film that is well worth watching.


Images are copyrighted by Studio Ghibli, Miramax, and whoever else involved.