For his seventh feature-length film, Hayao Miyazaki looked to the past. Princess Mononoke takes place in a fantastical version of Japan’s Muromachi period, as the glimmerings of industrialization come to blows with nature. In this case, however, nature is not a cold and uncaring force, but rather an anthropomorphized faction informed by Shintoism and various Japanese myths.

Miyazaki was also looking into his own past. This setting is the canvas on which he revisits ideas from his earlier work, most specifically Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Princess Mononoke revisits many of the animist and environmentalist themes from the earlier work, but also shares some similar characters and plot elements.

It may sound like I’m complaining or diminishing the film by bringing up these comparisons, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Princess Mononoke is easily one of the best animated films ever made. The advancements in animation, coupled with Miyazaki’s own growth as a storyteller, make for a more refined and nuanced film.

Characters of Princess Mononoke

One of Princess Mononoke’s parallels to Nausicaä is in its key characters. While the overall storyline is much more closely tied to the animist/environmentalist themes, each major character has a rough corollary in Miyazaki’s earlier work.

Ashitaka

Ashitaka’s counterpart is Nausicaä herself. They’re the superhumanly talented prince/princess of an isolated land that gets drawn into a larger conflict. This occurs when the product of said conflict crashes into their home. Both strongly advocate for peaceful resolutions to problems, and for humanity to leave peacefully and in harmony with nature. Each also has a strong penchant for self-sacrifice. They even have a similar design, down to the blue attire.

Ashitaka’s key difference from Nausicaä is that he’s relatively less averse to violence. Nausicaä only embraces lethality in anger and has a negative reaction to her own behavior. Ashitaka appears to see violence as an unfortunate necessity. Also, a curse possesses his arm, which definitely plays a role in his more violent outbursts.

San

San corresponds to Asbel. The protagonist saves both midway through the film. Each is victimized by the war, losing someone they care about. Both are sympathetic characters who allow their anger and lust for revenge to color their views. Both are complicit in ill-advised attacks on their more militaristic opponents which would result in innocent victims. They both ultimately side with the protagonist to try and prevent further violence.

Wolves raised San. Unlike Asbel, she aligns directly with nature, rather than an alternative human faction. She is also a much bigger part of Princess Mononoke (which makes sense, as the title refers to her) than Asbel was in Nausicaä. San also continues to be relevant through the climax of the film.

Eboshi

Lady Eboshi corresponds to Princess Kushana. They share ambition and moral ambiguity. They also share a poor grasp of appropriate priorities. Both characters also serve as a major antagonist which survives the film. Each is forced into common cause with the protagonist at points. Both are pragmatic yet jaded foils to the protagonist, and both have aspirations regarding conquest.

Eboshi distinguishes herself through her seemingly sincere dedication to the people of Irontown and the commensurate loyalty she inspires in its citizens.

Jigo

Jigo doesn’t have as a strong a connection to a Nausicaä character as the big three. However, his tendency to be a self-serving instigator, alongside his general demeanor, is certainly reflected in Kurotowa. Jigo is a much more active participant in the narrative, driving events all throughout the story. He exacerbated the war between Irontown and the Forest to get what he wanted. He’s ultimately the clearest antagonist in a sense, although it bears mentioning that he’s still just working for the Emperor.

Story of Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke tells the story of the conflict between the humans of Irontown and the gods of the Forest.

Irontown mines the mountains for iron to make weapons. Their leader, Eboshi, has visions of conquest. However, she’s preoccupied with protecting her people from the twin threats of the Forest and a rival, Lord Asano.

The denizens of the Forest seek to maintain their land. They resent the incursions of humans into their lands, and lack any interest in compromise. Surprisingly, they actually count a human among their number. San, a young woman raised by the wolf-goddess Moro, is a major factor not the film.

Meanwhile, the Emperor dispatches his own agents into the region, looking to exploit the magic to be found in the Forest. These agents, led by Jigo, intentionally exacerbate and enflame existing tensions.

Into this conflict enters Ashitaka, the exiled prince of a distant Emishi village. Ashitaka was cursed when he killed a giant boar demon that attacked his village. The boar had been corrupted by an iron projectile from Irontown, and Ashitaka set out to discover what led the boar to attack his village. His intervention comes at a crucial time, as tensions reach their peak. This sets the stage for a dramatic final reckoning between the various groups.

Balance Between Humanity and Nature

The most obvious theme in the film is the balance between the natural world and humanity. This story invokes many of the same animist and Shinto beliefs on display in Nausicaä. However, there are some additions. Where Nausicaä focused on pure opposition to the threat nature poses, Princess Mononoke focuses on the exploitation of nature.

One of Jigo and Eboshi’s great failings is that they don’t understand the underlying connection between humanity and nature. The exploitation of nature ultimately hurts humanity as well. When the Forest Spirit finally falls, it’s not a victory for the forces of humankind. Rather it signals the destruction of Irontown, as the danger unleashed indiscriminately wipes away everything born of both the natural world and humankind.

Nature is not some unambiguous force for good whose absence harms humans. Nature is capable of actively fighting back, and does so frequently and effectively throughout Princess Mononoke. While humans are careless in their treatment of nature, the representatives of the Forest are equally callous towards the concerns of the humans living in Irontown (more on those in a second). There’s great loss of life on both sides.

Enter Ashitaka, who presents an alternative to the conflict. Ashitaka recognizes that Irontown’s practices are wrong, but his position is not that humanity has to leave. Rather, he believes that Irontown must adapt to a lifestyle which exists in harmony with nature. Humans are not some sort of unnatural blight upon the world. They’re part of the natural order as well. Irontown’s problem is that it exploits the rest of nature, but that is not fundamental to the human species. It doesn’t have to be that way. Exploitation is ubiquitous, but it is not inherent.

Critique of Mainstream Society

Wrapped up in the humanity vs. nature theme is a rather nuanced exploration of society’s failings.

Irontown exists because Lady Eboshi brought together people spurned by society at large. She brought together the lepers, sex workers, and other undesirables that nobody else would claim. Eboshi helped them carve out their own niche in the world. Regardless of her other failings, she built a town by recognizing every denizen’s worth.

Irontown exists because entire classes of people were pushed to the fringes. These people were forced to earn their way on the border between society and the wild. The tension between humanity and nature is a product of humanity’s failure to accept all of its own. The machinations of Lord Asano consistently complicate matters, forcing Eboshi’s people to press ever further into the Forest in their attempts to protect themselves.

The film specifically invokes this idea with the plot to kill the Forest Spirit. Eboshi perpetrates this most heinous action, but it’s done in service of the Emperor. He doesn’t NEED anything from the Forest Spirit. He WANTS immortality. A man who already had everything a mortal could want decided that still wasn’t sufficient. That choice destroys the Forest.

Production Quality

It’s Ghibli and it’s Miyazaki. They didn’t stop being good at animated storytelling.

Backgrounds

The scenery of Muromachi period Japan is absolutely breathtaking. The artists draw the mountains and forests in rich natural colors. They draw the industrial Irontown in a more muted palette. The distinct visual languages of the areas belonging to humanity and belonging to nature support the overarching story wonderfully and efficiently.

Animation

I honestly dread having to talk about the animation in these movies. How many times can I say “it’s always been really good, but somehow this one is even better than those other ones”? Princess Mononoke’s animation is smooth as silk.

I think this film also has the first usage of 3d rendering in one of Miyazaki’s works. Someone correct me on that if I’m wrong. But some of the shits of the demonic corruption definitely look like they used computer 3d rendering.

Music

Joe Hisaishi’s work continues to be flawless.

English Translation

As usual, Studio Ghibli’s partnership with Disney results in an excellent English Dub.

Billy Crudup is a competent Ashitaka. Claire Danes puts in a solid performance as San. Billy Bob Thornton could be a little more excited and invested as Jigo, but it’s still a solid casting. And Minnie Driver does an excellent job as Lady Eboshi, delivering the drive and moral ambiguity the character needs. But my personal favorite performance in the film is Jada Pinkett Smith as the independent and dedicated Toki, the de facto leader of Irontown’s women after Lady Eboshi.

As a final side-note on the topic: popular writer Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods, Coraline, Good Omens, and a lot more) worked on the dub script for this film.

Conclusion

Princess Mononoke feels an awful lot like Nausicaä. There are similar animist and environmentalist themes. Specific characters correlate to counterparts in the earlier film. Ashitaka’s design even calls to mind Nausicaä’s own attire.

And yet, this is Miyazaki’s best work thus far.

Similarity to an earlier work isn’t a problem when the new work hones everything to perfection. Princess Mononoke takes everything that worked in Nausicaä and iterates on it, while fixing what could have been better. Add in some smart narrative and thematic distinctions and over a decade extra animating experience, and you get one of the all-time greats. It’s right at the top of my list of Miyazaki’s films.

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