Starring:Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, and Yûko Tanaka.
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
Plot: In ancient Japan, humans coexist with animal gods that rule the forests. Things seem to be in relative peace, but when a demon attacks a small village and attaches part of itself inside Ashitaka, the village's prince, he's sent out to discover what has caused this attack. Along the way, he discovers Irontown, a city that specializes in producing iron and firearms. It's lead by Lady Eboshi, who plans on killing the Forest Spirit in order to protect Irontown from gods that are angry with the deforestation she caused. While spending the night in the town, Ashitaka witnesses an attack from the wolves, who are accompanied by San (a.k.a. Princess Mononoke), who was raised by them and despises humans. Using the demon's strength, Ashitaka is able to stop both San and Eboshi from killing each other, and goes with the wolves in order to find a way to prevent a war between the forest and humans. Will he succeed in his quest, or will the forest die by humanity's hand?
Ashitaka fights the demon.
Characters: For the most part, these characters are memorable and interesting. They each have a distinct personality that makes them unique and easy to tell apart. Most of them also have great voice talents behind them that accentuate these traits. The only voice that I thought was out of place was Akihiro Miwa as Moro. Moro is the wolf goddess of the forest, and she's voiced by a man. This is because in Japanese mythology, dogs and wolves always have a male voice, but most viewers don't know that, so it can create confusion.
Moro, the wolf goddess.
Despite being the titular character, San, the Princess Mononoke is more of a side character, which was a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, she's still a great character in her own right. She's brave, loyal, and can more than handle herself in a fight. However, she's not without her flaws, as she can be stubborn in her beliefs and often acts without thinking. Not only does this make her a more three dimensional character, but it also makes her more entertaining to watch her evolve over the course of the story. Yuriko Ishida does a great job at voicing her, giving her an energetic edge. She may not be the main character, but she earns her place in the title.
"I'm not afraid to die. I'd do anything to get you humans out of my forest!"
Ashitaka is a brave, skilled, and selfless prince, who cares deeply for his quest to bring peace to both humans and the forest gods. I like how he actively chooses not to take a side in the conflict, which is an effective way to find peace in this situation. While these are great traits for a character to have, he doesn't have many faults to balance him out, which makes for a weak character in my opinion. His curse does add a little bit of dimension to his character, making him essentially a dead-man-walking, but it's only focused on in a few scenes. Sure, it is possible to be interesting if they have few faults, but that's only when their personality is especially entertaining, and that's not the case with Ashitaka. His stockiness and determination make him a very boring character. Also, the lack of faults makes him seem like a Mary Sue, though he's not nearly as obnoxious as the others I've encountered in this blog. Yôji Matsuda does do a good job with the material he's given, making the character a bit more likable. Overall, he's just a boring character that makes little impact on the viewer.
"This is what it does when [hatred] catches hold of you! It's eating me alive, and very soon it will kill me!"
Lady Eboshi is an intelligent, respected, and efficient leader, who cares a lot for the people of Irontown and the prosperity it creates. This drives her to go to extremes when it comes to gathering resources, at the cost of the forest and those who inhabit it. Not only does this make her sympathetic in her goals, it also makes her one of the most interesting characters in the film. Her dedication to her people is admirable, but her obsession with killing the forest spirit darkens her soul. It also helps that Yûko Tanaka's performance adds a lot to the character by creating a fantastic mix of emotionally coldness and charisma makes her a joy to watch. On the whole, she's my favorite character in the film.
"Now watch closely, everyone. I'm going to show you how to kill a god. A god of life and death. The trick is not to fear him."
Writing: This film follows the common adventure story line, with a lone hero making their way across a magical world while meeting a variety of characters along the way. It moves at a slow and deliberate pace, which works in the movie's favor, as it allows the audience to soak in every moment. As the story progresses, the audience gets to travel alongside Ashitaka, and they get to experience the sights and emotions with him. By the time the journey is over, the audience feels the same relief and accomplishment he feels, creating a very satisfying story.
Ashitaka begins his journey.
The dialogue is pretty good, but it's nothing special about it. It's your standard fantasy script, with characters explaining a lot of backstory and motives, but the content that their speaking about is pretty fascinating, so it's rarely boring. There's small moments of humor throughout, especially from the character Jigo, who has many moments of dry wit and slapstick that add levity to the story.
"These days, there are angry ghosts all around us - dead from wars, sickness, starvation - and nobody cares. So you say you're under a curse? So what? So's the whole damn world."
Production: Of course, one does not simply review a Miyazaki film without going over the animation, which is the best part of the entire movie. Each character has a unique design that matches their personality, while also making them easy to tell apart from each other. For example, Lady Eboshi's design is tall and regal, which illustraitts her status and her personality. All of their movements are smooth and clean, especially during the action sequences, which showcase the speed of the actions taking place. Even when an arrow is flying through the air, the animation emphasizes the extreme velocity that it's moving at, which makes it look all the more powerful when it hits its target. The animation also lends itself to some of the most beautiful moments in any film I've ever seen. Whenever the Forrest Spirit shows up it is a breathtaking sight to behold. Even the scenery is beautifully painted, giving a vast view of the world the characters inhabit.
The Forest Spirit appears.
Joe Hisaishi's score is gorgeous, ranging from peaceful and serene to grand and bold. There are many moments in the movie where there is no background music, but when it does come on, it only adds to the beauty of the film. It blends classical Japanese music with a western orchestra, which gives it an expansive feeling that fits the film's tone perfectly. Trivia:
In Japanese, Mononoke means vengeful or angry spirit.
At 134 minutes, this is the second longest anime film ever made after Final Yamato (165 minutes)
About 550 colors were used for the film.
Neil Gaiman helped Anglicize the script for the English dub.
Final Verdict: Going by the characters and the script, Princess Mononoke is good, but not great. The lore is interesting, the music is beautiful, and the characters are a mixed bag. However, Hayao Miyazaki's animation elevates it to a whole new level. It's smooth, detailed, and spellbinding to watch. The unique and creative imagery on display surpasses anything American animation has created. I recommend that everyone reading this should watch this film just for the animation alone.
Next time, we'll travel to Skull Island, and meet the 8th wonder of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment