MyReview: Princess Mononoke

MissRomantic

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My Review

If I had to describe Studio Ghibli to those of you who aren't familiar with their work, I'd compare their films to those that Disney manufactures; they share the same sort of whimsical charm you see in movies like "Beauty and the Beast", or "The Jungle Book". Animals speak human languages, the inanimate comes to life in unexpectedly vivacious ways, and the intrepid savior of the day can be found in the most unlikely of characters (Miyazaki is known for casting strong, female youth as the protagonists of his films). Although I could probably fill an entire book on the similarities between the fanciful pedigrees of Disney and Studio Ghibli, I'd rather talk a little bit about what makes their movies so different from one another: their respective levels of depth.

In the Disney classics you are taken along for a ride in a generic, though admittedly quaint, fairy tale. There is a vanilla plot, then an insipid resolution: "and they lived happily ever after," the narrator will say as the story comes to an abrupt close. When I see stories with such a shallow formulation, I always find myself longing for more. More meaning, more wisdom, more symbolism. I want to be exposed to a powerful message about the real world through the unlimited possibilities of an imaginative one. And therein lies my qualm, contentious as it may be, with Disney. Their films don't provide you with meanings that are external to the movies under scrutiny. Thankfully, Studio Ghibli always delivers on this front, and the film "Princess Mononoke" perfectly illustrates this notion.

At the exposition of the narrative, we learn that the forest has a life of its own - literally - and it has been afflicted with a malignant curse that spreads throughout, causing it great peril. A God incarnated as a boar is carrying the curse, which visibly manifests itself in the form of darkly pigmented worms covering the entirety of his body. In the first scene of "Princess Mononoke" we witness this demented beast, seemingly driven mad by the effects of the curse, initiate an erratic attack on the protagonist's village. In a short-lived battle, Ashitaka, the film's hero, defeats this monster, but he doesn't escape unharmed. A mark bearing a shape and colour resembling the worms that covered the boar's body can be seen inextricably attached to his right arm (an ominous indication that he has been infected by the curse plaguing the fallen God). The village wise-woman and clairvoyant provides Ashitaka with grave insight about the curse's prognosis: in a cancerous fashion it will spread throughout his entire body, causing him agonizing pain, and subsequently killing him. Ashitaka cannot change this wretched fate, but he can choose to meet it. The wise-woman banishes him from his own village with a vague piece of advice: "see with eyes unclouded". This is something that doesn't make sense initially, but does later on, when it is considered in the context of what unravels. With his only remaining friend, a gentle, red elk named Yakul by his side, Ashitaka resolutely ventures away from the village in an attempt to meet his fate, and to "see with eyes unclouded."

MyReview: Princess Mononoke

Throughout his arduous journey, Ashitaka comes to familiarize himself with both sides of an ongoing war between man and nature. On the one hand, he stumbles upon San, otherwise known as "Princess Mononoke". She is always accompanied by some number of the three wolf God's who raised her. San, the wolves, and the other God's of the forest, which come in all sorts of colourful shapes and sizes, are locked in a destructive battle over the forest itself with "Tatara-Ba," a human-run encampment that is well-known through the Japanese empire for producing iron weaponry.

Both sides of the conflict seem to have what are arguably morally acceptable claims for inflicting damage on the opposing side. Tatara-Ba destroys the forest because it requires its resources to keep them afloat. Lady Eboshi, the illustrious leader of the village, also seeks to kill the very life force of the forest itself, the "forest spirit". She is told by a government official that if she brings the head of the spirit to the emperor, he will offer her village protection from a local war lord who she has a prior rivalry with. On the other hand, San, alongside the animals of the film, are fighting to preserve what remains of the forest; the humans had already destroyed a great deal of it.

MyReview: Princess Mononoke

If you've gotten the sense that this movie doesn't have good guys and bad guys, you're wrong; it isn't just shades of grey. The entire plot is moved by hatred in this film. Ashitaka wishes to remove the virulent curse from his arm, which is seen spreading throughout his body in response to hateful actions he engages in throughout the movie. And then of course there is the metaphorical curse of the war, itself fueled by a vehement hatred on both sides. Lady Eboshi hates San, and vice versa. Ashitaka is the white, and everyone else, who continue to fight with their minds clouded by hate, is the black. Ashitaka is truly a hero in every sense of the word.

Near the end of the film, it seems as though the humans reign triumphant in victory. Much of the forest's warriors are slain in a gruesome battle, and the forest spirit's head is seized. The conflict is not terminated so simply though. Due to the malice on both halves of the war, the forest spirit is sent spiraling into a destructive uproar in a desperate search for its lost head. The village constructed by the humans, and likewise, the forest itself, is destroyed. Most of what remains is nothing but a desolate waste land.

The film's message is that hatred is a destructive curse, and in the end, undoing the damage that this curse causes can only be accomplished by someone who's judgement isn't obscured by a blinding hatred. The film comes to a close when Ashitaka ultimately defeats the humans in a battle, and allows the forest spirit to reunite its head and body. As a result of this reunion, the forest spirit dies in a powerful explosion for reasons that are unknown. Ashitaka, and San (a love interest) are knocked into unconsciousness by the discharge. When the pair come to, they see that the land which was once baron and war-torn, is now filled by new wildlife and gorgeous, lush greenery. The forest has been restored with an unbelievable ethereal beauty. The war is over, and its destruction undone. Then we find out that the black mark on Ashitaka's arm has disappeared. The curse is both literally and metaphorically broken by Ashitaka, who was the only one able to see the war for what it was, with "eyes unclouded."

MyReview: Princess Mononoke

For those of you who have watched this movie before, you may be thinking to yourself that there is so much that I have left out of this film. Clearly there are other profound messages to be uncovered. Miyazaki was obviously trying to say something about man's real-world, insidious effects on mother nature. Also, what of the symbolism? So much of it is left untouched. At one point Ashitaka goes to rescue San in the midst of a battle, he kills a few soldiers on his way, and rain gloomily falls from the sky for no more than a few seconds, signifying that the forest is crying out. In my humble opinion, leaving these important elements out my review doesn't speak poorly of me; rather, it speaks to the richness and the depth of Ghibli films.

Princess Mononoke isn't a princess story like Cinderella. It is a recreation of profound problems in the real world, with emphatic messages, beautiful symbolism, and a richness in meaning. It's a film that keeps on giving. I have watched it more than once at this point, and every time I replay it I learn something new about what Miyazaki is trying to convey. Even the subtleties of his films, like the fact that the strongest characters are women, speaks to Miyazaki's strong feminist beliefs. Every nook and cranny of Ghibli films is replete with meaning like this, and that is why I would highly recommend them. As someone who has now watched Princess Mononoke on several occasions, I have a legitimate grounds to review the movie on, and I am giving it an 8.5/10. It is one of the greatest animated films I have ever seen in my life. My hope is that you will watch this movie if you haven't already, and that it will serve as a gateway into Miyazaki's other creations. Thanks for reading my review.

MyReview: Princess Mononoke
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