PG-13 | 2h 14m | Animation, Action, Adventure | 1997
Kamikaze is a term that has often been used in the West, yet has been sorely misunderstood and typically mispronounced (it’s not “kamakazee”). Kamikaze is usually meant to refer to a suicidal attack, evocative of the aircraft that Japanese pilots flew into enemy naval vessels during World War II. But having studied Japanese history, culture, and language, I learned long ago that kamikaze goes farther back than World War II.
When Kublai Khan and his Mongol hordes invaded the Korean peninsula during the 13th century, they quickly planned for their next conquest, which was Japan. However, as the Mongols attempted to invade Japan in 1274 and again in 1281, both of their fleets were hit by powerful typhoons that resulted in catastrophic casualties for their forces. The samurai at the time dubbed the timely storms that saved Japan, “kamikaze,” which translates to “spirit” or “divine wind.” The Mongols never attempted to attack Japan again.
Japanese History
With “Princess Mononoke,” director Hayao Miyazaki has created a lens with which we can view native Japanese beliefs and folklore that developed throughout Japan’s fascinating history.
The male protagonist, Ashitaka (voiced by Billy Crudup), is a brave yet humble Emishi prince, who rides a giant red elk named Yakul. The Emishi are closely attuned to nature and, as such, can detect subtle disturbances in the natural world. While out riding his elk one day, Ashitaka and some other villagers sense that there is something nefarious stirring within the surrounding forests.
Ashitaka climbs a nearby watchtower and scans the perimeter of the forest with the watchman stationed there. Suddenly, an angry kami in the form of a huge boar-like creature covered in worms rushes forth from the darkness of the forest and makes a beeline for the tower. The monster strikes the watchtower’s foundation and shakes Ashitaka and the watchman off, but they safely land on the branches of a nearby tree.
Ashitaka then sees that the monster is heading toward his village, so he climbs onto his trusty ride once again and tries to deter it by shouting at it to turn back. The young prince ends up shooting the creature with a couple of well-placed arrows that kill it, but not before one of its grotesque tendrils whips out and infects his right arm. Unfortunately, the wound is beyond the mere physical realm, and he soon realizes he’s been cursed.
Although the villagers are relieved (and appreciative) that Ashitaka has saved them, the village wise woman reveals that the boar-monster had an iron ball lodged within its body, which caused it to transform into a monster. She also tells Ashitaka that he is doomed to die from the curse that he’s been afflicted with, unless he travels far to the lands in the West in order to find a cure. Lastly, he must never return to the village again.
After setting out on his journey, Ashitaka comes across a village beset by a group of soldiers. Since the soldiers are indiscriminately massacring the villagers, Ashitaka kills a couple of the aggressors with his arrows. However, he notices that his acts of violence cause his afflicted right arm to become ever more infected.
In the village, Ashitaka meets Jigo (Billy Bob Thornton), an eccentric monk who helps the prince out of some misunderstandings the villagers have about him. Jigo tells Ashitaka that the “spirit of the forest” lay further to the west and may have clues with regards to what he is seeking.
We then meet one of the other main characters, the wealthy, strong-willed Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver), whose caravan is being attacked by a pack of wild wolves. She orders her guards to shoot their firearms at the wolves’ enlarged wolf-kami leader, which wounds it and cause both it and a couple of her own men to fall off a cliff.
Ashitaka finds the two men laying on the banks of a river at the bottom of the cliff and drags them to safety. There, he also encounters San (Claire Danes), as she removes the bullet from the fallen wolf-kami that fell off of the same cliff. San and the wolves see Ashitaka but, since they sense that he’s not a threat, they depart.
The young prince transports the wounded men through a deep forest while being guided along by a large group of friendly forest kami (called kodama). He eventually returns the two wounded men to Iron Town, their aptly named settlement that mines the nearby mountains of iron. Ashitaka is greeted by Lady Eboshi, who runs the place.
Lady Eboshi reveals that she is responsible for shooting Nago, the angry boar-kami that attacked Ashitaka’s village. He also learns that the wild girl he saw earlier, San, was raised by wolves and is nicknamed “Princess Mononoke” by the locals. San is a defender of all things natural.
From here, things become much more multi-layered and complex, so to describe things any further would ruin the plot. Suffice it to say that this is a well-crafted epic adventure with fascinating characters that are hard to pigeonhole. On the contrary—many of the characters here are multi-faceted, just like real people.
For instance, while Lady Eboshi is indeed destroying nature and killing off animals to mine the surrounding areas, she also rescues the outcasts of society and teaches them the virtues of hard work and self-reliance. These aren’t the one-dimensional Disney caricatures that we’re all used to.
The film also doesn’t oversimplify the man versus nature aspect of its storyline as is typical in Hollywood productions, where humans are mostly presented as evil and needlessly destructive. Instead, we get to see things from different perspectives in a non-preachy, condescension-free manner. Just be aware that this movie does contain some very violent scenes that may not suitable for younger viewers.
“Princess Mononoke” is a refreshing take on the tired man versus nature genre, and it also sheds light on ancient Japanese folklore, religion, and history. It’s a thought-provoking film with an intricate narrative that begs for repeated viewings. It’s also one of the most entertaining animated productions I’ve seen in years.
