Princess Mononoke (1997) - A Trip into Japanese Mythology

Princess Mononoke: Being Raised By Wolves Ain't So Bad

"Princess Mononoke" (1997), directed by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli, is an animation classic that relates a story of demons and monsters. It is set during the late Muromachi era (the middle ages, when most Western fantasies are set) in Japanese history, but really exists outside of historical reference points as a pure fantasy. This is a fairy tale of supernatural beings fighting against humans who invade their territory to strip the forest's resources, so there are many aspects relevant to our own time. "Princess Mononoke" is Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki at their very best, which is quite good indeed.

Prince Ashitaka

A demon attacks an Emishi village, which is defended by a prince, Ashitaka. The demon, a boar god corrupted by an iron ball in its body, curses Ashitaka, who gains superhuman strength and abilities as a result, but who also eventually will die from the powers. Ashitaka seeks advice from the local oracle, who tells him that a cure may exist far away, in a western town. Ashitaka sets out, and along the way he meets Jiko-bō, an itinerant monk. Jiko-bō ("Jigo" in the English translation) says that the Deer God, or Forest Spirit, may be able to help him.

San

Nearby, in Iron Town, a wolf pack led by the wolf-goddess Moro attacks. San, a human girl, rides one of the wolves. Ashitaka finds two injured Iron Town men and San with the wolf pack, but the wolves all ignore him and leave. He helps the wounded as best he can and sees the Forest Spirit.

The Forest Spirit

Back in Iron Town, Ashitaka meets Lady Eboshi, who founded the town by cutting down the local forests in order to mine iron ore. The forest gods are unhappy with her incursion, and the town is full of outcasts such as lepers who make weapons for Eboshi to use against the forest gods. It was Eboshi and her weapons who turned the boar god into a demon, leading to Ashitaka's own predicament. San, Eboshi explains, is also known as Princess Mononoke (which roughly means "angry spirit") and was raised by the wolves with which she rides, determined, like the wolves, to wipe out all people.

Lady Eboshi

Princess Mononoke slips into Iron Town in order to assassinate Eboshi, but Ashitaka stops her and knocks her cold. Ashitaka carries the unconscious Princess Mononoke back out into the forest, but on the way he is shot by a villager and wounded. Princess Mononoke awakens and, not realizing what has happened, decides to kill Ashitaka, but he prevents that by praising her beauty. Princess Mononoke then takes Ashitaka out into the forest, where the Forest Spirit cures him.

San the assassin

The battle between demons and humans comes to a head, with the wolf pack and boars planning to attack Iron Town. Eboshi decides to try and kill the Forest Spirit first. Jiko-bō encourages her because he intends to give the head of the Forest Spirit to the Emperor in exchange for protection from the local warlords. The severed head of the Forest Spirit, it is said, will make the owner immortal.

San and her pack

The boar god is shot by the villagers, and Jiko-bō then has the men disguise themselves in its skins in order to get the other boar to take them back to the Forest Spirit. Princess Mononoke tries to stop them, but is unsuccessful. Eboshi and the villagers finally reach the Forest Spirit, who at the last moment transforms into the form of giant, and confusion reigns as Eboshi battles the Forest Spirit, with only one clear winner possible.

San on her wolf

The characters are very well-drawn in this exciting tale. Ashitaka is young and determined, but he is not the standard sword-waving hero of animation. Lady Eboshi is a strong ruler, but a little too narrow-minded about what she wants and her means of obtaining it. She is willing to place her own and her comrades' lives at stake in order to fulfill her dream of a prosperous town. She is an atypical heroine because she champions commerce and development at the expense of ecology and harmony with nature - or, in other words, she is the greedy capitalist pig of the story.

San pondering her next move

As with many Disney feature film animation projects (Studio Ghibli is known, to its distaste, as the Disney of Asia"), "Princess Mononoke" was in development for decades. It is primarily hand-drawn animation, with some computer graphics thrown in. Digital paint also is used. Computers were just being introduced for anime, so "Princess Mononoke" was a breakthrough film in Asia. For the English dub, the voice actors are: Ashitaka, Billy Crudup; Princess Mononoke, Claire Danes; Lady Eboshi, Minnie Driver; Jiko-bō, Billy Bob Thornton; and the boar god, Keith David, who also narrates.

San the warrior-ette

The film plays out as if it were an American Western. Miyazaki always has had a Western orientation, and this easily could have become a tale about a frontier town battling invading native Americans. There is, of course, a distinct Japanese orientation nonetheless which won't be understandable for many Western viewers, but which gives "Princess Mononoke" added depth for domestic Japanese fans. "Princess Mononoke" was a true labor of love for Miyazaki, who personally edited over half of the film's animation cells. The great success of "Princess Mononoke" in Japan convinced Miyazaki not to retire, and he later did "Spirited Away" and some other works. Miyazaki's attention to detail led to a huge number of different colors - 550 - being used in "Princess Mononoke."

All bow before the might boar god!

As the plot makes clear, "Princess Mononoke" is all about the environment and the contaminations wrought by man as he invades hitherto pristine wilderness areas. Miyazaki battled to prevent identity stereotypes from obscuring his ecology-laden message, thus making Eboshi a female and the saviors of the forest males. Eboshi, though, is certainly not all bad, as she embraces outsiders from normal society in Iron Town and has a welcoming attitude to people who elsewhere would be shunned. However, Iron Town itself is considered sort of an outcast from the rest of the country, which is ruled by a corrupt government.

Forest spirits

Everybody seemed to love "Princess Mononoke" upon its release, and it was a huge success at the Japanese box office. It hasn't translated well elsewhere, though, perhaps because of the use of heavy Japanese symbolism and mythology which obscures the universality of "Princess Mononoke"'s message. "Princess Mononoke" is a great film, one of the best of 1997 of any genre, even if poorly understood and almost unknown outside of Japan. "Princess Mononoke" is a difficult film to watch for many because what might seem obvious to a Japanese viewer must be interpreted and figured out by someone not familiar with basic Japanese history and myths. "Princess Mononoke" is not like "My Neighbor Tortoro" or Kiki's Delivery Service, i.e., not a simple tale  for children, who likely will be put off by the seemingly pointless battle between townspeople and demons and the wavering allegiance of Ashitaka between Eboshi and Princess Mononoke. People who take the time to watch and understand "Princess Mononoke" tend to like it a lot. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time and patience to do that with a little-known anime "classic."

The beheaded forest spirit

"Princess Mononoke" is somewhat of a cultural sensation in Japan, with all sorts of fantasy art depictions of the princess who rides a wolf and so on, so it is worth understanding if you have any interest in modern Japanese culture. Almost every Japanese that you meet will be familiar with the film and probably have their own interpretation. Bear in mind that "Princess Mononoke" is very long, at 2 hours and 14 minutes, and it can take several viewings for Western viewers to get past the Japanese tropes and really appreciate the story. Even then, viewers of the Japanese version will just say that the only "true" version is the one in the original Japanese because of all the alterations ("dumbing down") done in the English dub. In any event, it is well worth the effort to get to know this film, just have a little patience and expect a very different kind of fable.

Below is the original (English dub) trailer of "Princess Mononoke" from Studio Ghibli:


2013

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Kiki's Delivery Service - A Witch's Coming of Age

Kiki's Delivery Service: Why Do So Many Anime Films Have Talking Cats?

Even witches have to grow up, and it turns out that there are certain rules they have to follow. One of those, according to "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), directed by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli, is for the girl to spend the year after her 13th birthday on her own. This causes all sorts of problems for our heroine, Kiki. This is loosely based on a children's book by Eiko Kadono, but so much is different that Kadono almost didn't let it get filmed.

Kiki and Jiji

Kiki is the daughter of the resident herbalist. Her only companion is her cat, Jiji, who can talk to Kiki and give her occasional advice. Kiki picks a nice night with a full moon to leave, but it starts to rain and she has to wait it out in a train car. She looks for a city that needs a witch and heads off to Koriko, a seaside city in a 1960s Europe that did not experience World War I or II (thought that really has nothing to do with the story).

Kiki enjoying flying

Kiki has problems at first, as she has difficulty flying straight. She causes an accident and almost gets a ticket from an unsympathetic cop, but then someone causes a distraction and she manages to get away. The person who helped her is Tombo, but Kiki is so embarrassed that she ditches him. Tombo, though, continues pursuing her.

Daddy loves you

Kiki then meets Osono, a big-hearted pregnant lady who runs the local bakery. Osono offers her a place to stay above her bakery in exchange for helping out. Kiki then works on gaining some friends. Because her only special ability is to be able to fly on a broomstick, never having learned potions from her mother, she starts her own business: Kiki's Delivery Service.

I like this one, with the cat on it

The delivery service goes well at first, but Kiki has some difficulties getting along with the other kids, who sneer at her and ignore her. Having always to wear the black robes of a witch makes her seem frumpy. Even Jiji gets snubbed by a fluffy white cat.  She becomes so discouraged that she loses her ability to speak to Jiji, and also her ability to fly on her broomstick.

Kiki and Tombo meet

Kiki decides to spend some time with her friend Ursula, whom she met during her deliveries. Ursula lives in the country. Ursula is an artist who painted Kiki's portrait. The two discuss the nature of special powers and why you might lose them, and also how you might be able to get them back. Kiki comes to the realization that her powers might not be gone forever, but may in fact return.

Flying by a clock

After Kiki returns to Koriko, there is a dangerous accident involving an airship. Tombo is in danger, and only Kiki can save him. She has to act quickly, so she borrows a broomstick from someone on the street and flies off to avert the accident.

With all that happens, Kiki matures and develops confidence in herself. She becomes comfortable in Koriko and is happy to tell her parents that everything is working out.

Delivering a package

Hayao Miyazaki has done a lot of great work for Studio Ghibli, such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke," and this is among his best. The animation is of high quality, and the flying scenes in particular are breathtaking. There is no villain in the film and nothing really scary, it only deals with a teenage girl and her problems, which may not seem too important, but are very important to her. Kiki learns to have faith in herself, which is what being on your own requires. She becomes mature during the course of the story and it becomes a voyage of self-discovery more than anything to do with witches.

Jiji hanging on for dear life!

Because there is a wise-cracking cat, it is easy to draw comparisons with "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." It is possible Hartman received his inspiration for his performance from that show, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be any relationship whatsoever. The music varies between versions, but the different versions generally get good reviews.

This isn't so hard!

There have been several versions of this, all with different voice actors. The one English speakers are most likely to see has Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, Phil Hartman as Jiji, Debbie Reynolds as Madame, Janeane Garofolo as Ursula, and Matthew Lawrence as Tombo. Hartman in particular is the lightning rod, either you like his bombastic approach or you don't. In the Japanese version, Jiji is quiet and almost shy, and that most definitely is not the way Hartman plays him (besides the fact that the Japanese version has a female cat!). The cat character has more of an impact by being loud and funny, so most people will probably enjoy Hartman's version, though of course there will be those who think he should have been quiet and reverential and humble and all that - there is always the original to watch if it is that important to you. Generally, it comes down to which version you saw first, that is the one your mind will register as "authentic" and is the one you will prefer. For fans of Hartman, this was a fitting final performance, since he got his start as a graphics artist and was well-known as a voice man. The production was lucky to get him.

Kiki's first delivery, a stuffed cat that looks like Jiji

The biggest complaint you probably will have with this film is that it ends too quickly after the climactic airship disaster. Leaving the audience wanting more is an old show business trick, and that's a good feeling to have. If you like coming-of-age stories, this is a very good one.

Below is the English trailer:




2012

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My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - Childhood Innocence

My Neighbor Tortoro: If you Are Over Age 5, This Could Give You Serious Nightmares

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli (basically Disney in Asia), "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) follows the adventures of two girls who encounter friendly animal spirits in the Japanese countryside. It is a lovingly hand-crafted animated family fable that uses muted pastels to create a world of human comedy. Its main character, Totoro, has become famous among Japanese children, and the film illustrates the deep hold that traditional village life still has on people there. Totoro's fame has become such that he transcends this film, much the way Mickey Mouse transcends any particular Disney film. He makes cameo appearances in unrelated works, including some Western ones in which you've probably seen his form, but didn't recognize him.

The enchanted house

Two young girls, Satsuki (Dakota Fanning; US actors are from the foreign versions) and Mei (Elle Fanning), live with their father, Professor Tatsuo Kusukabe (Tim Daly) in an old country house. They are there to be near their mother, who is very ill. While exploring the house, they find out that it is full of "soot spirits." The spirits, however, soon leave to find another empty house, having alerted the children that their new house is enchanted.

Mei and Satsuki laughing

Looking under the house one day, Mei discovers two dwarfs who look like rabbits. They lead her to a large tree, where she meets a larger version of the dwarfs who roars. She thinks the roars sound like "Totoro," which is a corruption of the Japanese word for "troll," so that is what she calls him. She falls asleep, and later is unable to find the tree again. She is disconsolate, but her dad comforts her by telling her that she saw the "keeper of the forest" who only appears when he wants to be seen.

Going for a bike ride with dad

Some days later, Mei falls asleep with Satsuki, and as they rest, Totoro comes to visit. Satsuki offers him an umbrella because it is raining, and in return he gives her some nuts and seeds. He then departs in a giant cat that serves as a bus.

Climbing the giant tree

The girls plant the seeds, and at midnight some days later they awaken to see Totoro and the two dwarfs dancing around the planted seeds. The girls go out to join, and the seeds sprout and grow into a giant tree, on which they play. Totoro then takes the girls flying, then home to bed. In the morning, the giant tree is gone.

The catbus

Mei heads on foot to the hospital to see her sick mother without telling anyone, which causes Satsuki and others to search for her, without success. Satsuki, desperate, goes outside to plead with Totoro for help. He immediately appears and takes Satsuki on a ride in the cat-bus. It stops in front of Mei, who boards and rides the bus to the hospital. It turns out that their mother is fine, and the girls return home on the cat-bus, to be followed home by their mother who, it turns out, just had a simple cold and will be all better.

Totoro and the children

"My Neighbor Totoro" is elegantly simple. It is a tale of children confronting adult issues in a childish way that ends up working out well in the end. The girls act like girls - if you need to see your mother in the hospital that is miles away and you have no idea of the way, you just pick yourself up and start walking anyway.

Waiting with Totoro

Rather than make the wood spirits the stars or wonder about their origins or nature, which would be an adult theme, instead they are simply occasional charmed visitors who become accessories to the childrens' own delight at being in such a warm and friendly place. Family relationships are everything to a child, and this film absolutely nails the family dynamic in a way a child would understand.

Mei and Satsuki

You can only compare the character of Totoro to other childrens' favorites, such as Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse. It is easy to dismiss such films as childrens' material, but such characters are very appealing to them and serve a purpose in making them feel secure and loved. Totoro has become such a phenomenon that he  has made subtle cameo appearances in films such as Toy Story 3 and Studio Ghibli's well-regarded Spirited Away. Believe me, children who have seen this film will recognize him when they see him.

The giant tree

"Totoro" is a family treat, best suited to small children who are open to the idea of Tooth Fairies or Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. We are talking about pure childhood innocence here. Isn't that a good thing, to be indulged until it goes away all too soon? Treated as such, "Totoro" is a wonderful excursion into childish, friendly companions who are gentle and loving, with just enough magical power to make everything turn out the way a child believes they should. You can't judge this on adult terms, only a child would fully appreciate the awesomeness of a cat serving as a bus, or a seed that can sprout into a giant tree during the night, then be gone at daybreak.

Look out behind you!

If you are thinking of picking up something for your toddler, you might want to see if a copy of "My Neighbor Totoro" is available. You might be surprised at their delight and maybe take a peek at it yourself.




2012

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Spirited Away (2001) - A Rich Story About Childhood

Spirited Away: A Children's Film with Bite

When you get older, you tend to forget the things that animated you as a child: your fears; your relationships with your parents; how new and strange so many things in the world seemed.  In "Spirited Away" (2001), Hayao Miyazaki of Ghibli Studios manages to capture and portray the sense of wonderment and unease that so many of us felt we had left behind forevever.

Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) and her parents (Lauren Holly and Michael Chiklis) are moving from their city to a Japanese town in the countryside.  Her father makes a wrong turn on the way and they wind up stuck in a tunnel.  Rather than rush off and leave, they decide to get out and look around.

On the other side of the tunnel, they wander into a ghost town.  Getting hungry, Chihiro's parents smell some food and find a restaurant that is deserted but that has food ready to be eaten.  They sit down to eat, but Chihiro wanders off to explore.

During her walk, she meets a young boy, Haku (Miyu Irino).  He warns that her parents should not eat the food or something bad will happen to them.  Chihiro rushes back, but finds that her parents have been turned into pigs.

Not only that, but it no longer is a restaurant: instead, now it is a strange bathhouse, populated by spirits, monsters, ghosts and gods.  The witch Yubaba (Suzanne Pleshette) owns it.  Chihiro must rely on Haku to help her save her parents and return them to the normal world.

This is traditional, hand-drawn animation.  There is great attention to detail, and the story itself is wonderful and compelling.  At the beginning of the film Chihiro is unsympathetic, a spoiled, whiny brat.  Her adventure in the spirit world transforms and matures her, and by the end of the film she appreciated more of the world and becomes independent, respectful and self-assured.  It is a "coming of age" story that may be read as a metaphor for many other things.

Miyazaki also makes subtle points about Japan itself changing from a beautiful, pastoral place to just another urban jungle.  This has even greater resonance now, after the natural disasters that have overtaken Japan.

This was Suzanne Pleshette's final film, and she is wonderful as the witch, Yubaba.  The score by Joe Hisaishi is beautiful, but unobtrusive when appropriate. At times, it imparts a dreamlike quality with only a muted piano playing, in keeping with the film's theme.  Highly recommended, especially for mature audiences who enjoy animation.

2012

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