PRINCESS MONONOKE (Mononoke Hime)

Princess Mononoke is very thought-provoking, and actually quite a bit confusing. I can't help but wonder how much was lost in the translation.

I'm a huge fan of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's anime filmmaking company, which is the Disney of Japan. Princess Mononoke was a blockbuster in Japan, the country's biggest film of all time (until Titanic and Leo came to their shores).

Princess Mononoke is an adult film, with very complex themes. There are political themes, including various warring factions fighting against each other, as well as environmental themes about mankind's destruction of nature. Nothing is presented in black and white, and the film is very thought-provoking, and actually quite a bit confusing. I can't help but wonder how much was lost in the translation.

The plot is a bit confusing to explain, but let's just say that it involves a young warrior prince (voiced by Billy Crudup) searching for a cure to the evil poison that is spreading through his body, a result of an encounter with an evil forest spirit. In his search for a cure, he comes across a warring leader (Minnie Driver), whose people are simultaneously fighting with a forest tribe (which includes the Princess Mononoke), as well as pillaging and destroying the environment for their own purposes. The prince comes between the villagers and the forest spirits, as they all pretty much try to destroy each other.

I was told by a Japanese friend that there is a lot of the culture's mythology represented in this film, not to mention the political and environmental views. I felt a lot of it would have made more sense, with more of a background into the myths.

But despite the fact that it is a bit baffling at times, Princess Mononoke is definitely worth watching. The animation is beautiful, and especially the forest god's fight for survival is quite moving. Even though no one side really comes out a winner after all the destruction, there is still hope for a cleansing renewal by the end.