To say that Princess Mononoke (1997) has a lot going on is an understatement; as Wikipedia puts it, this is a “Japanese animated epic historical fantasy war film,” and it has a lot to say about violence, environmentalism, and imperialism.
For those who haven’t seen it, the briefest of summaries: After being cursed by a rampaging demon, young Ashitaka seeks a cure from a forest god, only to be caught up in a conflict between the forest spirits, an industrial town, and the forces of the Japanese empire. I think there’s a lot in this movie that, even after three viewings, goes over my head — and a lot of that comes from the fact that this movie is very rooted in Japanese history and culture. In my opinion, it’s still enjoyable and valuable to people without that background, but I imagine there’s got to be something lost in translation. Before I get into that, though: is this a good movie? |
Movie Good Y/N
Are you kidding? It’s Princess Mononoke. This movie is an achievement. On a technical level, the animation is astounding even by Ghibli standards. There’s one or two effects (ok, exactly two digital effects) that haven’t aged particularly well since 1997, when I’m sure they were groundbreaking, but on the whole this is a beautiful movie. Every scene is replete with striking imagery. This film represents director Hayao Miyazaki at the top of his game. Princess Mononoke also features a large cast of fully realized characters. Like most Ghibli movies, there isn’t an obvious villain to be defeated; unlike most Ghibli movies, that’s because most of the characters are villains in one way or another. This movie really leans into gray morality and the idea that violence taints all parties involved, but that message could have come across as cynical or preachy if the characters felt like they only existed to demonstrate this idea. Instead, the murky morality feels like a natural extension of the well-written characters. People have conflicting interests and the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that really comes across here. If you rescue society’s outcasts and treat them like real human beings, but you put them to work in support of something terrible, are you a good person or a bad person? This is the kind of question that Princess Mononoke will leave in your brain, like a grain of sand in an oyster. |
Yes, But: The Dub
Unfortunately, Princess Mononoke is not a perfect movie — at least, not in the form I first saw it in. To be blunt, the English dub for this movie is not great. You’ll find no general judgements here on the virtues of subs versus dubs, but in the specific case of Princess Mononoke, I really have to recommend watching it in Japanese with English subtitles. Part of the problem is some odd choices in translation — even the English name of the movie, “Princess Mononoke”, is a bit misleading*. A lot of the dialogue is oddly repetitive as well, with lines like “Shut up! Stop that noise! I’m trying to do accounts so be quiet!” and “Yup, I suppose, yeah.” Watching it with subtitles shed some light on things that sounded a bit odd the first time around. The shoddy translation is especially disappointing after having just watched Whisper of the Heart, which has great dialogue throughout. However, the bulk of the reason for watching it with Japanese audio is that the English voice acting for Jigo the monk, a major role in the movie, is just awful. If you’ve ever heard someone translating live, it should sound familiar — as if they’re just rushing to keep up with the material they’re translating and have no time to inject emotion or personality. It’s made all the more jarring by the expressive face of the character; there’s a complete disconnect between his voice and his face that brings the entire movie down whenever he’s on screen. The rest of the English cast members do as well as they can with the sometimes clunky translations they had to work with. Claire Danes in particular does a good job in her leading role as San, lending a Carrie Fisher-esque sense of gumption to the character. Despite some localization problems, Princess Mononoke is a beautifully animated movie featuring a rich cast and complex, interesting themes. If you haven’t already, you should absolutely see it. So, it’s a good movie. But what's it about? |
Studio Ghibli Refuses to Glorify Violence
Princess Mononoke is, at times, a very violent movie. The thing is, the violence in this movie is graphic, but it’s not graphic. It neither flinches from violence nor glorifies it. In the opening scene, Ashitaka does everything he can to resolve the demon situation peacefully, but he’s also clearly prepared for violence, and practiced in dishing it out. On his way to the village, Ashitaka encounters a few young women; they don’t engage in the fight, but they are carrying large knives. Studio Ghibli’s not trying to sell you a world without violence, but it is trying to convince us that it is at most a necessary evil, and not something to be celebrated. An older target audience could’ve been an excuse to go wild with fight scenes and violence; instead, the closest thing we get in this movie to a real fight scene lasts barely any time at all before our hero steps in and ends the fight as unceremoniously as possible. Ashitaka even willingly leaves his weapons behind heading into a dangerous situation; he believes that violence will only beget more violence, and that a loftier solution is called for. Princess Mononoke literally demonizes violence. Ashitaka gets what are essentially superpowers, but he never once revels in them. He’s horrified by them, and by what he does with them. Throughout this movie, violence — whether receiving it or doling it out — turns good spirits and good people into monsters. Like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke advocates for pacifism, but neither film shies away from the sacrifices required by that philosophy. Peace and trust can win the day, but you may not come out the other side in one piece. Is it worth it? Ashitaka thinks so, and Hayao Miyazaki hopes you will too. Next up: My Neighbors the Yamadas! I have no idea what to expect from this one, folks. Isao Takahata’s films have been hit or miss for me so far, so we’ll see!
*The English title: "Princess Mononoke" implies that Mononoke is the name of the titular princess, which led to confusion on my part when we learn her actual name, San. “Why even bother with the whole Mononoke thing,” I wondered, “if it’s not even her name and no one really calls her that?” The Japanese title is Mononoke-hime; -hime means princess, so all good there, but mononoke is a Japanese word, not a person’s name. It refers to spirits or supernatural beings of a certain type, often a vengeful sort. Knowing this explained a lot to me — the more accurate English translation would have been something like “Monster Princess.” Mononoke-hime is a title used by the people who don’t know her actual name, because that’s what she is to them: a mononoke princess. Now, I get why they didn’t go with “Spirit Princess” for the name of the movie, but it would have been easy to dub in a few lines explaining the term (“She’s a mononoke - a vengeful spirit!”). Alternate Titles:
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