Brouillette- Mononoke Hime: The Crown Princess of Anime Film

Saying that I like Princess Mononoke is a bit of an understatement... in my humble opinion it is a classic in every sense of the word, anime or otherwise. Hayao Miyazaki poured a great deal of heart and his own  personal beliefs into this sweeping epic. It is an ingenious concoction of period drama and environmental story that also makes for a great fantasy tale with the addition of powerful talking animal gods. While all of his films are works of art in their own right, there is something about Mononoke's raw, savage nature that sets it apart from the others. I would call it Miyazaki's most ambitious work; an example of Studio Ghibli at its absolute peak. I could sit here and praise it generally all day, but when it comes down to it, the fact that it is just all around well told story is what really matters.

The thing I enjoy most about the story of Mononoke Hime how morally ambiguous its characters are. Their conflict with one another is the soul of the story, and yet there is no universal "bad guy" to be found. Yes, there are greedy characters like the monk Jiko Bou, vengeful characters like the Inoshishi Gami(the Boar God), and even the power hungry Lady Eboshi who seems at first glance to be the story's ultimate source of destruction. Upon closer look, however, you'll find that this is far from your generic plot of evil humans trying to destroy the natural world. These characters are motivated by their drives to live, provide for the less fortunate, to defend their homes and the ones they love.... and of course, in this imperfect world, their motives clash with each other. 

San, the wolf princess herself is melding of the human and animal worlds. She was raised by the wolf goddess Moro and instilled with a fierce loyalty to her family, just like any other wolf would. San is a brave warrior who cares deeply about her home and is willing to die for her cause; however, she harbors a burning hatred for Lady Eboshi and wishes more than anything to kill her mercilessly. She represents everything savage in nature in the body of a human, thinking like an animal entirely until Ashitaka appears and slowly but reluctantly widens her gaze.

Lady Eboshi is San's greatest rival who stands equally strong on her own beliefs and is in many ways just as savage. Eboshi has a soft spot for caring for outcasts and the weak, just as San does for her fellow beasts. Her hunger for power, to conquer the forest and take its resources for the prosperity of iron town leads her to a destructive end, however well intentioned her means were. Her conflict with the wolf princess is comparative to two great opposing forces meeting- the strength of iron against the agile ferocity of nature.

In the end we see these characters brought to level ground, as the power of the forest spirit is able to restore nature after the destruction that hatred and conflict caused. Whether the peace between them will last isn't difficult to guess- clearly the film implies that this is a cycle that will continue through the ages.

The film's final lasting message is that the world is imperfect. Conflict will always exist between the human world and the natural world for as long as it remains so, and true peace is an ephemeral thing. However, Miyazaki wants us to realize that this fact doesn't make our responsibilities as a species any less. We need not look for a perfect happy ending, but only to try our best to see with eyes unclouded by hate.








If I could make a reading suggestion, I would like to pitch Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point (1979-1996) as a great read if you're interested in the man behind these incredible movies. It is a collection of translated thoughts and interviews and essays by and of Miyazaki himself as he talks about his life, movies, philosophies and everything in between. I had to buy a copy of it myself and it was worth every penny; chock full of insight that anyone interested in great storytelling can use- especially if you're a aspiring fiction or screen writer yourself.