Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke

Rating: PG-13

Time: 134 Minutes

Genre: Animation/Fantasy

Year: 1997

My Rating: 8

This movie was a really fun one for me. I have always been fascinated with the artistic style of anime, but I've never watched much. Go figure. This movie was very different, but I know that that is pretty much just how anime films are. This movie is set at a time and place where there are spirits, gods, and demons among men. Some very large aspects of the plot revolved around how the world of men was trying to expand and would need to kill demons to get the land they wanted. 

The main character, Ashitaka, is a prince from a small village that nobody else knows exists. But when he is touched by a demon, he is cursed and kicked out of the city and isn't allowed to return. Poor guy. The movie follows his travels as he strives to find the great spirit of the forest to ask for it to heal him. Along the way he meets a crazy variety of people. He is lucky that the curse he has gives him super human strength, but it will eventually kill him. 

I found it interesting that the character Princess Mononoke is actually named San. San was raised by wolf gods and thinks she is a wolf. The other humans call her Princess Mononoke. San is a very powerful fighter with her little knife, and is almost always seen with one of her adoptive wolf god siblings. 

I was really surprised at how violent the movie was. It wasn't the most violent movie I've seen, but Ashitaka, with his super strength, could shoot an arrow that would hack off a man's arms, legs, or head. And he did so often. I guess I was just not expecting an animated film to have limbs flying all over the place, but it is rated PG-13 due to violence and gore, so I should have been expecting it. There are a good number of scary fantastical scenes, such as when gods are being turned into demons. This movie, though animated, is PG-13 for a reason and little kids should not watch it.

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was a great movie to introduce me into the anime movie zone. The artwork was beautiful and the characters were so well thought out. This is a movie that I would love to add to my own collection and watch at least once a year. For that, I rate it at an 8 out of 10. I also used the original Japanese movie poster up top. Go me!