Princess Mononoke

I finally got to see a pre-Boy and the Heron Ghibli film on the big screen, and in the original Japanese, no less---off topic, but Studio Ghibli is one of the few exceptions I sometimes make the exception to my "subs no dubs" rule, largely because the dubs Disney and GKIDS (or in this case Miramax, which is the source of Miyazaki's hilarious "no cuts" Weinstein story) did for the Ghibli films are very well done. I first saw Princess Mononoke in English, so this was my first time seeing it in the original Japanese, and seeing it in subtitled made me appreciate it even more. Mononoke is my favorite Ghibli film, a phenomenal experience on the big screen. Mononoke was Miyazaki's most ambitious Ghibli project up to that point: it's epic in scope, and it's over 2-hour runtime is rare for a theatrically released animated film. Yet it earns all 133 minutes of that runtime: the story is just as enchanting as the already-stunning visuals, never causing the relatively long runtime to drag. Each character is so well-defined and borderline literary, some of the most fascinating and nuanced in a Ghibli film. There are no honest-to-god heroes and villains here, as even the characters we initially trust---Lady Doshi is a prime example---end up making morally questionable choices that set up more conflict. As the story unravels, it starts becoming a conflict between humans and nature, which ultimately facilitates conflict among the humans, which makes for a solid political allegory. It's proof that you can utilize an environmental message and anti-war themes without banging them into the audience's heads. The ways in which the title character---who gets one of the best introduction scenes I've ever seen; that blood spit...---is vilified by the often sheepish townspeople makes the social commentary even more prescient. Instead of uniting against the demons inflicting their curse on people like Ashitaka and destroying the forest, they rally against the one woman who they perceive as a threat. We believe the conflict and kinship that ultimately unites Ashitaka and Mononoke, with such a fascinating dynamic that doesn't resort to a bland romance like a Western version of this story likely would. It's one of the most beautiful, most unique animated films I've ever seen. Many scenes took my breath away in the theater, such as the Kodama glowing in the forest, and some of the incredible moments of silence--the Forest Spirit walking through the pond was one of the most awe-inspiring moments I've witnessed in a theater. I'm also taken aback by just how gory this gets, proof that Ghibli is more than willing to bring some legitimately disturbing content into animation, perhaps even more prominent in the gut-wrenching Grave of the Fireflies. The animation, as usual, is stunning from start to finish, some of the best in a Ghibli film I've seen; it was one of the last films they cel-animated before going to a digital workflow, albeit with some CG animation here and there, and there's something so tangible and beautiful about cel animation that digital rarely replicates. And of course, Joe Hisaishi's score.... my god, this score.... in all honesty, this is becoming one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. Easily the best score he's ever done, such an epic and unique soundtrack that beautifully mixes an orchestra with some electronic and avant-garde sounds. And that theme!! Princess Mononoke is one of the best animated films of all time, one of the best films to come out of Japan, a great epic film, and for my money, it's my favorite Studio Ghibli film.