Mononoke Hime

The story takes place in the Muromachi era, in the 15th century Japan. The title is a bit misleading, since the main protagonist is Ashitaka, an Emishi prince (the Emishi are a kind of "northern barbarian"). When Ashitaka kills a Tatarigami (curse god) that is attacking his secluded village, he receives a curse that eats away at his arm. The Tatarigami is revealed to be a huge boar god, turned Tatarigami because of the pain and suffering caused by a strange metallic lump that tore its insides. The village priestess tells Ashitaka that the curse will eventually kill him, and it is agreed that it's best for him to leave the village and go west seeking a cure.

Ashitaka travels west on his loyal mount, seeking the cure, and meets Jiko Bou. The monk tells him about the forest where the Shishigami (deer god) lives. According to legend, Shishigami can cure any illness.

Approaching Shishigami's forest, Ashitaka runs into some of lady Eboshi's men. They have been wounded in an attack by wolf gods who also live in the forest. Riding one of the wolf gods is a human girl they call "Mononoke Hime" (spirit princess). Abandoned as a child and raised by Moro, the 300-year-old matriarch of the wolf god clan, she considers herself a wolf and hates all humans.

Ashitaka carries the wounded to their home. It turns out to be Tatara Ba, an iron making encampment on the edge of Shishigami's forest. Led by lady Eboshi, those in the encampment cut the nearby forest for charcoal and mine the mountainside for iron. Because of this, they are often attacked by the wolf gods. The people are wary of the stranger, but lady Eboshi thanks him for saving her men and invites him in.

It is revealed that lady Eboshi has created a safe haven for outcasts and misfits. She gives work for women that were sold to slavery (read: prostitution) and employs lepers in her ironworks as blacksmiths. They make Ishibiya, or hand cannons for Eboshi (the boar god-killing metallic lump turns out to be a hand cannon bullet). It's apparent that she intends to eventually make the Tatara Ba an independent territory. However, she has to deal with several conflicts in the mean time. In addition to the wolf god attacks, the local samurai lord wants the Tatara Ba for himself. Also, a shady organization which Jiko Bou works for, while providing her with the first hand cannons and the men to operate them, has an agenda of their own- they want the head of Shishigami which is supposed to grant eternal youth.

During the night, as the "Mononoke Hime" attacks the encampment and fights with lady Eboshi, Ashitaka steps between them and pleads for peaceful coexistence. This has no effect, so he knocks both down and carries the unconscious girl out of the encampment despite being shot on the back. The curse apparently gives him superhuman strength.

Ashitaka is soon weakened by the wound however, and as San ("Mononoke Hime's" name) awakens she is about to kill him. Unexpectedly, he calls her beautiful- she is startled by this, being the "ugly, furless wolf". Eventually, she takes him to Shishigami's pond to be healed of the mortal shot wound. The deer god appears, sprouting plants in its footsteps, and saves Ashitaka's life. However, the curse is not lifted.

Meanwhile, according to her agreement with Jiko Bou, lady Eboshi prepares to hunt the Shishigami, and a huge boar clan arrives at Shishigami's forest intent on wiping the insolent humans out...

An important theme of the film is "Ikiro" (live). As Miyazaki wrote in his project proposal, "even in the middle of hatred and killings, there are things worth living for". In Japan, this message of hope was one of the things that made it so popular (it was the #1 movie hit of all time in Japan until surpassed by Titanic).

What is unusual for an animated feature (besides the strong female roles) is that there are no real villains. The huge animal gods are intelligent and can speak, and have legitimate causes for their anger (their home is being destroyed after all). Lady Eboshi destroys the forest, but she must do so to make her community's existence possible. While a tough leader, lady Eboshi cares for her people, and they love and respect her. I especially liked her voice, it had kind of an enforced calm (or deceptively casual) quality to it which created a very believable character.

I have a slight problem with the "perfectness" of Ashitaka, but having such a character would be necessary to make an epic story, so it's not major.

The characters "act" very well. Subtle expressions are used to convey meaning, rather than explaining everything in words. The soundtrack is also used to the same effect. This movie requires constant attention during its over two-hour length.

Speaking of the soundtrack, it's composed by Miyazaki regular Joe Hisaishi who once again does excellent work. It's unusual compared to western animation: if you listen to the movie without watching it, you can't tell it's animated- even the voice actors are not anime voice actors, but "regular" actors (this will of course be true in the US version as well). So, like other Miyazaki movies, but maybe even more so than before, this is a cinematic story that just happens to be animated.

The visuals are generally stunning. The contrast of nature and human-controlled areas is stark, conveyed by the beautiful and detailed background paintings. Some computer animation is used, but it's unobtrusive and doesn't detract from the story.

This movie is definitely among the best, if not the best, that Miyazaki has done, and is a must-see for animation fans. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in epic and/or mythical stories. Although some of the issues are resolved in the end, it's not a conventional ending, and will leave you thinking.

* * * * * (out of 5)