Ashitaka is the last prince of his people, and for their sake as much as his own, he does not want to die.
#JIKO PRINCESS MONONOKE ENGLISH DUB MOVIE#
It is a force, plain and simple, and like a caged wild animal, it will fight to survive however it can.Įveryone in this movie is fighting to survive. But it is not some innocent thing simply being trampled by man, and unlike in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, it does not really care that there are some nice “men” trying to protect it. Nature has divine elements to it, and the movie clearly shows why it is important to revere it.
What I like about this, in addition to the culture and mythology, is how fair and balanced this seems. He sees history repeating itself, so he becomes a bridge not entirely different from San, but more neutral, fighting for both sides to live in peace and compromise. This draws even more people to the stage, like the amiable but calculating monk Jigo (Jiko-bo).Īshitaka, in his own quest to save himself, also tries to save these two groups from each other. In addition to all of that, the Emperor of Japan believes that the head of the forest spirit will grant him immortality, and promises great wealth to the one who can bring it to him. Meanwhile, San sees Eboshi as greedy and evil, with no love or reverence for the forest and its powers, and seeks to kill her to stop the other humans from destroying more land and the noble gods protecting it. Without the forest spirit, it is also said that the animal gods will become “dumb beasts once more,” leaving humans everywhere with little opposition. The head of the great forest spirit is also rumored to cure any ailment, so she seeks to claim it to cure the lepers under her care. Eboshi believes that San’s soul was stolen by the wolves and is thus no longer human, and once the gods are killed off, she will become one once more. As a child, she was abandoned by her human parents and adopted by the wolf god Moro. On the side of the forest is San, the eponymous Princess Mononoke. Other humans desire the rich land that she has painstakingly fought for, and so she faces attacks on both sides, from her own kind and the animals. Despite her plans, she is not completely irredeemable. Eboshi is an equal opposing force to the forest gods, who are trying to survive and thrive and protect their own kind just as she does. She bought the contracts of numerous brothel girls and gave them a better life working the bellows in Iron Town, and she also took in lepers, who in turn help her by building new guns and weapons. The leader of the humans is Eboshi, an ambitious, intelligent, highly-respected, and capable woman.
What he finds is the small but prominent human settlement of Iron Town battling the remaining gods for control of their land, and a plot to kill the heart of the forest itself. Then, leaving his people forever, Ashitaka journeys west to discover what cursed the boar god and if his own curse can be cured. He is told that it will fester inside of him, cause him great pain, and then kill him, but it also occasionally has a will of its own, and even grants him some of the boar god’s considerable strength. Prince Ashitaka lives in a quiet, hidden village in the far east, the last of the native Emishi people. One day, a giant boar god-turned-demon attacks his home, and while he manages to protect everyone else from its rage and destruction, Ashitaka is cursed when the beast touches his right arm. Though it may seem mystical and fantastic, there are numerous shades of reality to be found there too. Everyone is struggling and clawing to survive, and they will do so by any means necessary. Here, nature is a mighty force to reckoned with, and humans can be ambitious while still being caring and sympathetic.
In a time where we only seemed to get preachy environmental films and shows about evil man ruining the innocent planet with his mere existence (and I time when my younger self was personally growing tired of Disney-esque black-and-white world views), there was one little-known film from Japan that actually took a balanced look at the issues. Don’t even read this review of it, because there are some spoilers and it’s more organic to come across them on your own. Hell, go see it right now, if you never have before. If you have any respect or love for movies, artistry, or storytelling in general, you should see Princess Mononoke at some point. I don’t even care if East Asian culture seems confusing and impenetrable to you. I don’t care if you think “cartoons” is for kids. It’s easily in my top 3, and I’m not just talking about animated movies here. Princess Mononoke is one of the best movies ever made, bar none.
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