Animelab.com: Anime Reviews: Mononoke_Hime

Want to write your own review? Click here!

1

WaShU

Posts: 0
Score: 5
Rank: 187

This is an anime movie created by the Speilberg of anime movies himself, Hayao Miyazaki. Though most of his anime movies are targeted towards all ages (My Neighbor Tortoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away) this one is strictly for the 13 and up age group.

It takes place in Feudal Japan and is about a young prince named Ashitaka who kills a boar demon that was going to attack his village. When he killed the demon, he got a strange infection on his arm. He visits the elderly wise woman of his village who tells him he has a curse upon his arm and he's doomed to be killed by it. Ashitaka leaves his village, with a small bullet which he found inside the demon.

He finds a place called IronTown where he finds where the bullets and guns which shoot the bullets are made. The leader of the village, Lady Eboshi, was responsible for the boar (that attacked Ashitaka's village) getting wounded and turning into a demon because her village was destroying the boar's home, and the boar attacked her village. Ashitaka is furious about this, and soon meets up with a young wild girl named San.

San thinks she's a wolf, because she was raised by a wolf goddess named Moro and Moro's two sons. San hates humans because they destroy her home, and she attacks Lady Eboshi's village frequently because of this. Ashitaka wants both sides to be at peace with on another, which is not an easy thing, as both sides are extremely stubborn, which does not make this movie a "good animals vs. bad humans" type movie as both sides are equal, but Ashitaka needs to prove that.

The animation in this film is simply gorgeous. The forest setting is so beautiful and seems to real with it's dark and light shades of green. The water seems so real too. It's crystal-clear and sparkly, the way you'd excpect water to look like. The movements on the animals are flawless, especially on the animal Ashitaka rides, named Yakul. Even the ones that aren't real animals, such as the adorable tree spirits and the mysterious Forest Spirit, seem real.

But sometimes it's so real, it's intense. The battle scenes are extremely epic, and look like Japanese versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Ring's battle scenes. There is much blood gushing out of wounded bodies, and body parts getting sliced off, but it's not just put in there to be eye candy. Like Romeo and Juliet's violent moments, it has a purpose of the story and the overall moral of the story.

The characters are very real and human. I felt San's character was very powerful, with how she hates humans, is protective of her forest, and yet shows a bit compassion for Ashitaka yet sometimes says she hates him. Ashitaka is another powerful character, with how he stands between man and nature, and is really not against any side.

Each situation seems real, and very tragic at many times too (the ending may make you cry). Yet, I thought the first hour of the movie was fantastic. The second hour (which is FULL of battle scenes) seems to drag, and you can't help but wonder, "WHEN will it end?!" which stopped me from giving this movie a 10.

Once again, this is not a family-friendly film. There's no sex, nudity, or mature language (but there are a few curse words) but there is intense violence. If you want to see a feel-good anime movie, I suggest you see "My Neighbor Tortoro" or "Spirited Away". But if you love Lord of the Rings and epic animes, this is one for you.

Contributions: Reviews: 5

mpdogz

Posts: 11
Score: 23
Rank: 47

Mononoke Hime (a.k.a. Princess Mononoke) is a masterpiece, made by the Speilberg of anime, Hayao Miyazaki. It's tragic, beautiful, mythical, and above all, meaningful.

Miyazaki creates an original myth, telling the story of a prince named Ashitaka who is cursed after killing a boar demon, who was going to attack his village, after he tried making peace with it. But once the demon was dead, he found a silver stone inside it, and sets out to find the meaning of this stone, and try to make peace with humans and animals who are against one another, before the curse on his arm eventually kills him (hey, it's Miroku from InuYasha! lol)

The violent sequences may be too intense for people who are sensitive to it, as it contains blood gushing out from someone who was stabbed or shot, blood being coughed up by a wounded boar, and much gore too.

The animation is nothing but gorgeous and beautifully-detailed. The forest setting especially. The movements on the animals were done accurately too.

You will love the tree spirits who hang around the forest and twist their heads. They are SO cute!

I found the voiceacting to be mediocre. You couldn't call it the best, but mediocre.

The characters were portrayed well too. To tell you the truth, though, I thought the characters in Miyazaki's previous films were a bit more interesting, but it's probably because it's such a serious movie,that if he did that the movie's meaning wouldn't be as powerful.

Overall, Mononoke Hime is a masterpiece. It's not one I would like to see over and over again like Spirited Away (a.k.a. Sen to Chihiro), but it's still a must-see. And it still rocks. Definetly.

.
Contributions: Reviews: 22

1

Get free cash for college with FastWeb's Scholarship search!

My Animelab

EMail:
Pass:
	[Lost Pass] [Register]

Post Your Stuff

Related Sites