Anna Daniels
In Princess Mononoke, Prince Ashitaka protects his town from a demon attack, and during the battle, he is infected with a corruption that grants him extraordinary strength, but slowly and fatally spreads through his body. In search of a cure, Ashitaka goes to Iron Town, where the people cut down the forest to fuel their manufacturing-based society. This disturbance of nature upsets the spirits of the forest, who go to war with the people of Iron Town. Ashitaka gets help from a human girl, San, who fights with the nature spirits that raised her. As the war threatens to wipe out both the nature spirits and the humans, Ashitaka and San have to work together to achieve some form of peace.
Princess Mononoke centers around man’s conflicting relationship with nature in clever ways. Aside from the literal war between nature and man, the conflict is represented in the main character. The corruption that gives him strength is an interesting parallel to the industrial practices of man that give power while slowly killing the world.
Another praiseworthy aspect of the film is its portrayal of what would normally be a stock villain. The head of Iron Town, Lady Eboshi, is driven by a desire to help the disabled and sick in her town, making her an unusually nuanced antagonist. Overall, Princess Mononoke does an excellent job of blending an action-packed adventure with an environmental message that is both mature and nuanced.
Written by: Looper
