13 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH, RE-WATCH AND THEN WATCH ‘PRINCESS MONONOKE’ AGAIN

Because I said so. That’s why.

Princess Mononoke, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is set in the late Muromachi period (1330s to 1570s) of Japan and contains many fantasy elements. The story follows the young prince Ashitaka as he becomes involved in a struggle between gods and humans. Released in 1997, it became the highest-grossing film of Japan for the year and also held Japan’s box office record (for its homemade films) until 2001

1. The central theme of the movie is the environment
2. Princess Mononoke has won many awards including Best Japanese Movie, Best Animation, Japanese Movie Fans’ Choice and Best Picture
3. The soundtrack was composed by Joe Hisaishi. Need any more be said?
   For those who may not know Joe Hisaishi – he has composed over 100 film scores and solo albums. In addition, he has won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music seven times

    

4. If you’re in the mood for a darker and more intense tone, then Princess Mononoke will provide
5. The movie also explores the themes of sexuality, gender roles and disability
6. The movie is only 10% computer generated, meaning that the majority of the movie is made from hand-drawn cels – about 144 000 of them
7. There are many epic battle scenes
8. The movie doesn’t give us a clear antagonist – the ‘evil’ character isn’t evil. There’s no black and white… It’s just a matter of perspective
9. San is determined and courageous, yet she is still shown to be compassionate. She loves her family and home and is willing to fight to protect it
10. Lady Eboshi is an ambitious and fair leader. She’s a true feminist who taught women how to be strong and independent by ensuring they learned skills such as self-defense. She even gave refuge to a group of lepers inside her own gardens so they could remain in the town peacefully
11. ANOTHER good role model from this movie is Ashitaka. A young man who wished to be able to reach a peaceful solution among humans and gods. He also always held respect for San’s beliefs, despite lacking the same attachment she had to the forest
12. The term ‘Mononoke’ is not a name, but rather a Japanese word for a spirit or monster
    (Yes I know this isn’t a reason but I wanted to share this fun fact so sorry but you’re going to have to deal with it)

     

13. And finally, the kodamas are just too cute!