=>Home
=>Directory
=>Writings
=>Calendar
=>Links
=>Photos
=>Automobiles
=>Art
=>Divx
=>Anime
In a Nutshell
Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli are the premiere source for great animated films. If there is a comparison to Walt Disney in Japan, Miyazaki is it. Yet while there is something majestic about Miyazki's work much like Disney, there is something much more mature and serious that could only be brought to life by Ghibli. Mononoke Hime is one such film. While it is based upon an earlier piece by Miyazaki, Nausicaa: The Valley of Wind, Princess Mononoke brought to life astounding characters, a vast story and incredibly setting. Ashitaka is a prince from a small village but when he suffers a wound defending the village from a possessed boar god, he forced himself to become outcast and searches Japan for a cure to his curse. When he runs across steel town and its vast technology and they're ongoing war with the wolf gods and their Mononoke. He is forced to choose between the gods and the people who may be able to give him sanctuary.
The Review
Anime
is no longer an obscure cult phenomenon. Cartoons are NOT just for
children. And we otaku couldn't be happier.
Princess Mononoke comes to us from the makers of "My Neighbor Totoro"
and "Nausiccaa of the Valley of Wind", Studio Ghibli. Famous for
it's sweeping, epic style, and careful attention to detail, Studio Ghibli
is headed by Hayao Miyazaki; a man who can survive comparisons with the
likes of George Lucas and Akira Kurosawa.
Mononoke is in some ways a typical Studio Ghibli film, with strong male
and female characters, some lightheartedness with an undercurrent of
deeper meaning. Mononoke addresses such issues as hatred and war, love,
and above all, life. As in every other Ghibli film I have seen, there is
also the theme of ecological awareness, and nature vs. progress.
The art in Princess Mononoke is gorgeous. Simple, yet elegant. The detail
and beauty that Miyazaki gives his work is breathtaking, from something as
simple as rain hitting stones to a battle raging through a blazing
inferno. In what is uncommon today, Miyazaki personally checks each key
animation frame.
The story opens in feudal Japan, during the Muromachi period, a 'period of
warring states' where the centralized government weakened and feudalism
reigned. Humans had not yet tamed the land, and huge, magnificent forests
covered most of Japan. In these ancient forests dwelt gods and demons,
enormous animals who protected the forest from invading humans who would
slash and burn their homes. In this world, a young man cursed by the
hatred of a fallen god, and a young woman - more animal than human - must
come together to find peace, and above all, life, beyond the hatred and
war that consumed their time.
In
my opinion, Princess Mononoke is superbly dubbed. However, I have seen a
lot of REALLY bad dubs in my time, so that may bias my judgement. The
English dialog was done by Neil Gaiman and Jack Fletcher, and although the
translation is a little hokey at times (I've seen a little of the original
subtitled version) the transition from East to West was smoothly handled.
Luckily for us, Studio Ghibli made sure that everything in the original
movie stayed IN (learning from the North American release of Nausiccaa,
which was heavily cut) by retaining some control in the transition
process. Claire Danes voices San, the Princess of Ghouls and Spirits (lit.
trans. of Mononoke), while Billy Crudup is a wonderfully believable Prince
Ashitaka. Minnie Driver does an excellent job as the aristocratic Lady
Eboshi (though the accent didn't quite fit somehow...) and Billy Bob
Thornton was annoying and perfect as the schemer you love to hate: Jigo.
Personally, I liked Gillian Anderson's growl as Moro, the great
wolf-goddess, but many of my friends did not agree.
Princess Mononoke debuted as the first serious Japanimation film to be
shown mainstream in theaters in the US. The film was sponsored by Disney
whose claim to fame is animation. The stage was set by such Disney films
as The Lion King and Mulan, with their more mature, dark tones. Unlike
more well-known Americanized anime like Sailor Moon and Dragonball,
Mononoke is animation for an analytical, advanced mind. Everything comes
together so well in the theatre: the music, sound effects, stunning
visuals, moving themes, and sheer humanity that Miyazaki is so talented at
presenting. Princess Mononoke is without a doubt one of the best movies I
have ever seen. I've begged and cajoled my way into town three times to
see it in theatres (no small feat for a college frosh in the boonies), and
I'm ready to do it again.
-Rielf
Slacker's Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoy this film each time I see it. The
magnificent scale of the movie, the intense action sequences, the
characters of Ashitaka, San & the Gods, right on down to the
orchestral score. Mononoke stops at nothing to deliver.
Story: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Animation: 10/10
Sound & Music: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Awards:
