"Princess Mononoke" Review: Digging Deep into a Studio Ghibli Classic

"Princess Mononoke": Hayao Miyazaki's epic tale of nature and humanity

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

July 12, 1997 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toho

■ Eirin Number

114984

■Frequencies

133 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Hayao Miyazaki

■ Director

Hayao Miyazaki

■ Production

Studio Ghibli

■Works

© 1997 Studio Ghibli・ND

■ Story

Ashitaka, a boy living in a hidden village of the Emishi, is cursed with death by a Tatarigami and sets off on a journey to a far western land. There, Ashitaka witnesses a battle between the people of the Tatara-jo, who cut down forests to make iron, and the wild gods and beasts who protect the forest. He then meets San, a human girl who was raised by the dog god Moro and lives as one of the wild gods. In the midst of this, Ashitaka learns the reason why he was cursed. Ashitaka agonizes over whether there is a way for humans and wolves to coexist, but before long, a fierce battle begins between the two.

■Explanation

Set in medieval Muromachi Japan, this fantasy blockbuster depicts the conflict between humans and nature. It broke all previous box office records and became a social phenomenon. "Princess Mononoke" is a magnificent story by director Hayao Miyazaki, and is a work that contains a profound message on the theme of the coexistence of humans and nature. When it was released in 1997, it received high praise from around the world for its beautiful visuals and profound themes. In particular, it was noted for its symbolic expression of the problems of modern society by depicting the conflict between humans and nature. It was also highly praised for its clever character portrayal and storytelling, and is remembered as a work that showed new possibilities for animated films.

■Cast

・Ashitaka/Yoji Matsuda・San/Yuriko Ishida・Lady Eboshi/Yuko Tanaka・Gonza/Tsunehiko Kamijo・Koroku/Masahiko Nishimura・Toki/Sumi Shimamoto・Jikobo/Kaoru KobayashiHiisama/Mitsuko MoriOtokoto/Hisaya Morishige

■ Main staff

・Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki ・Chief animation directors: Masashi Ando, ​​Kitaro Kosaka, Yoshifumi Kondo ・Art: Nizo Yamamoto, Naoya Tanaka, Yoji Takeshige, Satoshi Kuroda, Kazuo Oga ・Color design: Michiyo Yasuda ・Director of photography: Atsushi Okui

■ Main Characters

Ashitaka is one of the few young members of the Emishi clan who live in hiding in the far north of the land, and is destined to become the clan's leader. In order to protect his village, he shoots an arrow at the Tatarigami, taking its life, but is instead cursed with death.
San A girl who was raised by mountain dogs. She hates humans who invade the forest.
Lady Eboshi A calm and collected woman who leads the Tatara group at the foot of the mountains.
- A subordinate of Gonza Eboshi and the leader of the cattle corps and the Warattos.
・Koroku Toki's husband and one of the cowherds. Although he is dominated by Toki, he is a lovable man.
Tokishimamoto Sumi is a member of a mysterious organization called the Jikobo Masters, and by order of the organization, she is after the head of the Shishigami, who is said to have the power to grant immortality.
Hii-sama: An old shrine maiden from a hidden Emishi village.
The boar god of Chinzei who can understand Otokoto's human language, is the oldest of the 500 year olds.

■ Theme songs and music

Theme song: Princess Mononoke Lyrics: Hayao Miyazaki Music: Joe Hisaishi Arrangement: Joe Hisaishi Singer: Yoshikazu Mera

■Detailed review

"Princess Mononoke" is one of director Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces, and is praised for its epic scale and deep themes. The story begins with the Emishi boy Ashitaka being cursed by the Tatarigami god and heading for the west. His journey symbolizes the conflict between humans and nature, and by depicting the conflict between the people of the Tatara ironworks and the gods of the forest, it highlights the problems of modern society.

The character of Ashitaka is an innocent boy with a strong sense of justice, and the world seen from his perspective evokes deep sympathy in the audience. In particular, the process in which he meets San and comes to understand the suffering of the forest gods from her perspective is the core of the story. San's character embodies the pain of living between humans and nature, and her conflict leaves a strong impression on the audience.

Lady Eboshi is a strong woman who leads the Iron Works, and her character is portrayed as a symbol of the progress of human society and the destruction of nature. Her calmness and decisiveness allow the audience to understand the complexity of human society, while the consequences of her actions show the difficulty of coexistence between nature and humans.

Visually, Studio Ghibli's beautiful drawings and color design stand out. In particular, the forest scenes and the depiction of the Forest Spirit have the power to draw the audience into a fantastical world. Joe Hisaishi's music also deeply expresses the emotions of the story and has the power to move the audience's hearts. The theme song, "Princess Mononoke," combines Yoshikazu Mera's powerful voice with Hayao Miyazaki's poetry to symbolically express the theme of the story.

■Reasons for recommendation

"Princess Mononoke" is a magnificent story about the coexistence of humans and nature, and a work that makes you think deeply about the problems of modern society. Beautiful images, profound themes, and character portrayals are exquisitely combined to create a film that deeply moves and evokes empathy in the audience. It is a film that can be recommended to many people, especially in that it provides an opportunity to think about issues of the natural environment and the progress of human society and the costs it brings. Furthermore, compared to other works by director Miyazaki Hayao, the scale and depth of this film are particularly noteworthy, making it a must-see work that shows the potential of animation films.

Related information

"Princess Mononoke" is available on DVD and Blu-ray, as are other Studio Ghibli works. You can also gain a deeper understanding of his worldview by watching other works by director Hayao Miyazaki and other Studio Ghibli works. In particular, we recommend watching "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and "Spirited Away" together, as they share themes of the relationship between nature and humans, which are common to "Princess Mononoke."

Furthermore, learning about the setting of "Princess Mononoke" in medieval Japan during the Muromachi period will help you understand the background of the story more deeply. By referring to historical books and related documentaries, you will be able to feel the theme of the work more deeply.

Finally, participating in Princess Mononoke fan communities and online discussions will allow you to exchange opinions with other fans and gain new perspectives on the work, which will help you to better understand and enjoy the work.