Well, I just have to say that this movie is my favorite of all time. I love the characters, the storyline, the animation, EVERYTHING. I'd recommend this movie to anyone. ...Not that anyone would take my advice...but I would still recommend it. o_o

(Contains some mild spoilers.)

If you haven't yet seen this film, do yourself a favor and
see this. If you have a list, this should be the next thing
on it. Trust me.

I have no problem with the DVD release that Buena Vista put
together. They made a lot of people nervous about whether
the DVD would be released with the Japanese sound track, but
I see they made the right decision--the DVD includes not
only the excellent English dub, and a French dub, but also
the original Japanese, with subtitles. There aren't many
extras, but this film hardly needs it.

This disc played fine on both my PS2 and my Toshiba DVD-ROM
on my computer.

The characters:

The story starts in a village being defended by Ashitaka, a
young warrior. Like many of Miyazaki's protagonist
characters, Ashitaka is brave and thoughtful--a boy who
strives to meet hard challenges but can also relate to many
different sides of the drama. Also like most Miyazaki
works, this is a kind of rite of passage story for Ashitaka.
Like Lupin III (from The Castle of Cagliostro), he is beset
with a mysterious curse that he must come to terms with.
Like Nausicaa (from Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind),
Ashitaka is helped along by a faithful animal companion, and
makes friends among his enemies as easily as his allies. He
is confident and swift to action, but he also adores
preserving life and friendships. When he learns, for
example, that Lady Eboshi is responsibile for the death of
the boar god and his own subsequent curse, he is tempted to
become enraged, but he carefully controlls it--when
opportunity presents itself for him to take revenge, he
literally struggles to hold back his own sword arm. This
character is idealistic and perceptive--a kind of ideal hero--
but he never comes off as patronizing or unsympathetic.

The title character is actually named "San" ("mononoke" is
Japanese for a vengeful ghost or specter), a girl raised by
giant wolf gods, who is determined to defend the forest.
San is an intense character, and her hatred of the humans
attacking her forest is so deep that she won't even
acknowledge her own humanity. The forest gods are being
driven to their doom, and she sees in them her own doom.

The humans in Iron Town, meanwhile, are being led by proud
Lady Eboshi--a wily military commander who has meticulously
planned the destruction of the forest for her own purposes.
Eboshi is stern and unyielding, but she also is sympathetic.
She seems to relate to Ashitaka, but she also uses people
without much regard for their own feelings.

The settings:

The story takes place in a somewhat pastoral, fantasy
version of Japan--in a kind of mythical feudal period. The
backgrounds for all the scenes are rich in detail, but
nothing seems like a useless prop.

In the forest scenes, many of the things in the forest seem
alive and almost human. The trees are filled "spirits," the
animals have "tribes" (and they frequently argue with each
other), and even the water seems to have mysterious,
motherly qualities. The forest is very green and filled
with life--the air is nearly always buzzing with
dragonflies. In Iron Town, the barren landscape is bleak--
seemingly as cynical and despairing as the residents.

The action scenes are detailed, as well, and mesmerize the
mind with their sense of motion and danger. The battles are
bloody and a little gruesome without really lingering on the
violence. The camera zooms in and out and pans nicely with
the motion of advances and pursuits, but only really glances
at the aftermath. None of the details seem to get lost, but
there is a sense of focus on Ashitaka's annoyance.

The music always exactly fits to the mood without being
obtrusive.

I was very impressed with the layout and sequencing of the
transition shots. When Ashitaka leaves the village, for
example, we shortly see a side-shot of Ashitaka riding along
a slope--somewhat suggestive of the strange situation into
which Ashitaka has been thrust. Almost immediately, the
scene switches to a wide view of a field--suggesting a sense
of immense beauty and importance, as if great changes are
imminent. The movie carries the viewer from one scene to
the next in this manner--always conveying a sense of the
story.

The story:

This is a difficult story to fully appreciate. Every time I
watch it, I notice little things that I didn't notice from
the previous time I watched it--some piece of the background
or something one of the characters says or does that adds
depth to the story. But, somehow, in spite of its richness
of depth, this story has managed to maintain its coherency--
there never seem to be any lulls where the story becomes
shallow or less meaningful.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for the viewer to grasp are
the moments that reveal various folklore and fantasy. I
consider them an acquired taste, but some people might find
them a little jarring. For example, the old woman of the
tribe uses stones to foretell Ashitaka his fate. The tree
spirits mysteriously appear and shake their own heads like
rattles. The curse that is slowly consuming Ashitaka also
gives him a kind of super power in his arm. The story is
full of these little details.

Aside from that, I was very comfortable with the way this
story is presented--always from Ashitaka's point of view.
It's fairly obvious to me that this is not just a story
about one young man's rite of passage, but also a story of
redemption. The curse--as Ashitaka himself points out--is
consuming everyone (some with anger and fear, rather than
the literal way it is consuming him). His challenge is not
merely to lift the curse from himself, but also San, Eboshi
and everyone else in the story. To "see with eyes unclouded
by hate," he has to realize the challenges that everyone
else faces.

For example, when he enters Iron Town, he is told that the
women are lazy and that they should be more grateful for the
men--who risk their lives just to bring food into town.
Ashitaka soon realizes, though, that the women actually work
much harder than the men, and at one point he goes to help
them work the giant bellows (which they use to keep the fire
burning constantly).

The men suffer from the horrors of constant warfare with the
gods of the forest, but the women also defend the village.
One realizes that Lady Eboshi is very resourceful, and the
villagers appreciate her a great deal. You soon realize
also why Lady Eboshi is so very resourceful when you see the
malicious plotting and the constant threat of treachery that
surround her.

All in all, it's safe to say that a lot of hard work went
into constructing this story, and you will probably enjoy
seeing it many times. The story never lingers in
conversation, but never drags out the suspense. The sense
of excitement and adventure is very high.

The final word:

Unless you are fanatically anti-mysticism, I highly
recommend this title for all ages. If you have even a small
collection of anime, this should be an essential part of it--
like Dickens or Steinbeck in literature. This is among the
best movies of all time--animated or live action.