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Mononoke Hime
Review of Hayao Miyazaki's film |
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"In ancient times, a land lay covered in forests where,
from ages long past, dwelt the spirits of the gods. Back then, man and beast lived in
harmony, but as time went by, most of the great forests were destroyed. Those that
remained were guarded by gigantic beasts who owed their allegiance to the great forest
spirit, for those were the days of gods... and of demons." |
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| Prince
Ashitaka is wounded while defending his village against the wrath of a demon boar. The evil in
his wound sentences him to suffer a horrid death, while his soul is slowly consumed by hatred. Maybe if he
can find out why the beast was turned into a demon, he would be able to lift the curse it
set on him. So he must
leave his people and travel to the West, where the creature came from. There, a savage conflict rages between humans and the forest beasts.
Ashitaka, oblivious to his own pain, refuses to take sides, and desesperately seeks to bring peace,
to "see with eyes unclouded by hate". |
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| Probably
the best anime ever (and definitely my personal favourite), it is definitely a masterpiece. The story is mature, touching, compelling, exciting,
terrifying and beautiful. The images are gorgeous, the lighting is amazing, the animation efficient and the lavish
backgrounds wonderful. A little warning though, some scenes of violence may be unsuitable for younger
children.
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| One of
the most interesting side of Miyazaki's work is his mature complex approach to "evil". No
character is intrinsically bad or good, just like in real life, which avoids the usual simplifications
and shows the difficulty in judging things easily; there is no "bad guy". Lady Eboshi may
be massacring the forest animals, but she is also rescuing prostitutes and lepers. San's
wolves may have killed humans, but they were merely defending the forest; their home. |
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