Princess Mononoke

This was absolutely incredible. It is battling Spirited Away for top Ghibli spot now. Really fantastic, I mean really. It was beautiful, as to be expected, but even more so than I thought. It helped that I saw it in the 4K IMAX rerelease, but either way. I am a big nature person, I mean I’m a bit of a fraud, but I love traveling to national parks and seeing the nature of this planet. It inspires true awe within me, and this movie did the same thing. I thought it provided very complicated themes and characters it a honest and understandable way. It was heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. I mean who knew a baby birding scene could feel so intimate and emotional. I thought the voice acting was good, I saw it in Japanese but heard the English is a good dub. I loved the animation, loved it. And the story was nearly perfect. The final little chunk of the story lost me a bit, but everything else felt so grounded in a truly mesmerizing fantasy world. Our main character Ashitaka is truly seeking peace, he appeals to both sides of this war and is genuinely seeking what is best for both of them. Our primary antagonist, Eboshi, is simply trying to better her people and help those around her. They portray her as a conquerer at times, but I read it as her pushing her women forward, supporting the sick, and making a deserved name for herself. She’s presented with genuine empathy and intention. I think she’s a great character. San is an interesting one too. She is lost yet so clearly found. She is a part of the forest, she is the wolf. But she has her human tie whether she likes it or not, she can feel it at times when Ashitaka pulls it out of her. It’s complicated yet understandable. The town ladies were great. The priests were good. It was all genuinely great. And the animal characters were awesome too, they held true varied opinions and depth. And my god the demon animals were terrifying, that first boar was genuinely scary. The gods were beautiful though. This movie also had way more death and blood and intensity than expected, lots of decapitations and shit was surprising. I am excited to rewatch it already. “Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep living.” “Ah, you're awake. I was hoping you'd cry out in your sleep, then I would have bitten your head off to silence you.” “Cut off a wolf's head and it still has the power to bite.” “Well, they say that happy women make a happy village.” “Never. He is life itself. He isn't dead, San. He is here with us now, telling us, it's time for both of us to live.”