Anime Week: Princess Mononoke

Howdy all and welcome to  Day 4 of Anime Week and what collection would be complete without some sci-fantasy.  Yeah we need a bit of sword and sorcery to add to our anime so I scoured the archives at the homestead and thought this would be a nice touch.  Given it is a Hayao Miyazaki (writer and director of Lupin III: The Castle Cagliostro, Lupin the 3rd, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Castle in the Sky) film  we are in good hands.  From a complicated conflict stretching over the world a young woman must fight for what she believes in.  This is Princess Mononoke.

I'm looking for a great warrior. 

Hii-sama: You cannot change fate.  However, you can rise to spoil it, if you so choose.








Our saga opens in the Muromachi (the dismissal of Emperor Go-Daigo and Shogun Ashikaga Takauji's reign) timeline of Japan but with some fantasy intermixed with it.  A local village is attacked by a demon and the prince of the village, Ashitaka slew it but somehow the demon's touch corrupts his fighting arm, it gives him terrifying fighting ability but the oracle of the village tells him that he must go West to find a cure.  As Ashikaga's quest begins he encounters a monk name of Jigo that tells the young prince he may find help the Great Forest Spirit (The Deer God).  A caravan heading towards to a nearby town simply called Irontown led by one Lady Eboshi which gets attacked by a gathering of wolves.  Atop one of the wolves rides a young girl named San as she seems to take great dislike to Eboshi and seems to have a deep loathing of humans.   Eboshi thanks Ashitaka and invites him to town, a town compromised of criminals, cutthroats, prostitutes and lepers.  Yes, welcome to Barter Town.  While they are lacking a Master Blaster, our hive of scum and villainy is tackling the forest gods by using firearms and gun powder to burn them down.

Ride like the wind!!!

With humanity encroaching on the forest without proper tribute to the gods, the times feel as though they are changing for the worse for nature.  A tale is spread throughout the land about the Boar God Okkoto, it is said that the god's head would give the one who possesses it immortality and long lived life.   Eboshi is determined to take Okkoto's head and gain favor to the Emperor to keep the Daimyo (robber barons or feudal lords) at bay and to never trifle with her affairs again.
San and Ashitaka decide they must join forces to battle the might of Eboshi's collective of lunatics and mercenaries in order to save the forest and preserve the life.  Perhaps he may even have time to find a cure for his demonic affliction.

Okay, I had a few observations on the film now.  Hayao Miyazaki hand drew more than 80,000 film frames of the 144,000 frames.   The English dubbing dialogue was adapted by novelist/comic book writer Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Neverwhere, MirrorMask, Stardust and American Gods) to make the translation as close as possible.  the production of this film's budget was $23.5 million making it the most expensive anime film that was made at the time.   Disney/Miramax released the film reluctantly because they were not allowed to edit or cut anything of the original print and one would almost conclude that out of spite, Disney/Miramax released the film stateside into fewer theaters than was promised.   My only real complaint of the film is I did not agree with the main characters' voice choice.

*snicker*  Sorry, it's the bamboo.  You look like a soggy wicker man.