Blind Spot: Princess Mononoke

I’ve made it my special mission to finish all works released by Studio Ghibli, or at least the ones I can get my hands on. I’ve never really had the trouble of sitting through one of the films, until I’ve began watching Princess Mononoke. It’s safe to say that this is one of the studio’s high profiled works, with its content a bit darker compared to its counterparts. As much as I was willing to love it, something in the film did not sit with me – the fact that I had a hard time sitting through it should have already raised a few red flags.

Princess Mononoke starts off with the invasion of Nago, a boar demon that used to be a protector of the forest. When Ashitaka defeated it, he had been affected by the curse and must now go to the Dear God to possibly have it removed. On his journey he encounters a warring nation, a citadel lead by Lady Eboshi launching a war against the forest, particularly the wolves. San, the daughter of Moro, commands the wolves. Her mission is to kill Lady Eboshi in order to save the forest. It turns out that the humans are slowly chopping off trees in order to make more of their weapons. 

The film does not fail in terms of characterization. Ashitaka is a just protagonist, and the women he encounters have strong personalities with their own beliefs and principles they abide by. Their personas abide with the conflict of the story, with him playing some sort of mediator between the two grounds. The animation of the film was good; the tones are very earthy and its lack of vibrancy suggests darker themes, which suited the grittier parts of the film. 

So what failed to resonate with me? Sadly I do not have a clear answer to that. It was a well-rounded film with strong characters, a direct story and great animation. When thinking of the studio’s body of work, San can make a memorable character, but can be quickly overshadowed by other notable characters. Mononoke’s story does stand out from the works of Hayao Miyazaki, but it is his other acclaimed creations that take the lead. 

Princess Mononoke can be considered as a masterpiece, but when Ghibli talks arise, does it still stand out against time, or does it get pushed aside for other notable works?

Final Word: It was quality work, but not one of my favorites from the studio

Cast: Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yuko Tanaka

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Year: 1997