Animesou.com

Synopsis
Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki’s original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious ‘demon god,’ transformed by human anger. Ashitaka’s quest to solve the beast’s fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.

Review
This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and picturesqe visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties.

Miyazaki’s slightly twisted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie flicks, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki’s amazing world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch.

I find the characters to be the most intriguing part of this expansive feature however. None of them are perfectly black and white. Ashitake may be seem to be a standard ‘good guy’, but he does have a demon living within him; Lady Eboshi is destroying the enviroment and killing off the forest gods, but she is suprisingly kind to the prostitutes and lepers that she has rescued from other cites, and they love her for that.

Princess Mononoke is not your standard ’style over substance’ anime. It not only looks magnificent, but has an intriguing story as well. A definate ‘must see’!

The Breakdown
Great movie, although I’d recommend it for kids 12 and up.

Synopsis
Princess Mononoke…what a touchy subject. With all the hype it’s been given, this is a chance for me to test my honesty. Some say this is one of the best animated feature films of all time. With the production value near or equal to that of a Disney feature and Anime legend, Hayao Miyazaki behind it, I see how it would garner such attention. After such anticipation… I come back hardly impressed. I don’t see why this film would appeal to so many. I think it’s because the hype told us to. A term I call ‘Media Made Me’ (MMM).

Review
Sure it looks nice, but aren’t these shows supposed to be entertaining? This is far from Miyazaki’s best. In regards to the main character, I think there should have been better development. I could care less what happened to him. I’ve seen this six times (only because I could never stay awake though the whole show) and I still don’t know his name. The story is about the conflict between nature (animal forest gods) and Humans. The people are destroying the forest for industrial purposes, not much different than the threat we pose on nature today. It’s a nice message, don’t destroy nature, live in harmony with it, but it just didn’t pull me in. As much as you may be led to believe this, there is nothing special about Princess Mononoke. If you haven’t seen it, you haven’t missed much.

The Breakdown
Without the money and press hype behind Princess Mononoke, it would have been just another anime release…and that’s the truth.

Synopsis
Winner of the Golden Bear Award at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival, Spirited Away makes its first appearance on the North American shoreline. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke), the film itself has broken box office records in Japan. Originally aimed for the 10-year-old female audience, it is a movie suitable for the young and the old alike.

Review
It could not have been described better than in the words of Hayao Miyazaki himself: ‘This film is an adventure story, although the characters neither swing weapons around, nor use supernatural powers in battle. It is an adventure story, but its theme is not a confrontation between good and evil. It is a story of a girl who was thrown into a world where both good and evil exist. She gets trained, learns about friendship and devotion, and survives by using her wisdom. She finds her way out, dodges, and comes back to her old daily life for the time being. However, it is not because evil was destroyed, evil does not simply disappear from the world. It is because she gained the power to live. Today, the world has become ambiguous; but even though it is ambiguous, the world is encroaching and trying to consume everything. It is the main theme of this film to describe such a world clearly in the form of a fantasy.’

The Breakdown
Excellent film. A must see for all anime fans and a perfect starter for anyone who might be skeptical having sincere doubts of watching anime.