By: Owen Zhang
Princess Mononoke, a bloody and violent film released by Studio Ghibli in 1997, is about Ashitaka, a young prince struck down by a curse who is on a mission to find a remedy.
Studio Ghibli is famous for creating movies suited for a younger audience, like “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” But the film “Princess Mononoke” changed all of it.
Set in the 14th century, “Princess Mononoke” sets the tone of the movie in a dark way, showing the world that surrounds Ashitaka with little to no censorship. Throughout Ashitaka’ s journey, there are bloody hands and severed heads, both human and animal alike.
As Miyazaki explained to the journalist Roger Ebert, “I believe that violence and aggression are essential parts of us as human beings.”
Miyazaki showed that the Boar God, the one who cursed Ashitaka, is a symbol of Miyazaki’s own rage and anger, as he struggles to suppress it.
The movie itself reflects the suffering of Japan, as it went from tragedy to tragedy. The end of World War II caused Japan to suffer for many decades, from famine to lack of transportation. Even after overcoming the recession in the 1980s, just a decade later, in 1992, Japan fell back again into economic recession. Three years later, in 1995, the country was hit by the Kobe earthquake, killing thousands. Just months later, Japan was hit once again by terrorists, who killed 13 and injured a thousand
Miyazaki was sickened, living in the country traumatized and confused. He felt spiritually empty.
He began to think, “maybe I should not make this entertaining, lighthearted stuff for children. Maybe I should make something substantial.”
As a result, Princess Mononoke was created, grossing over 19 billion yen ($160 million) at the box office.
It shows both the pain and the everlasting perseverance and hope of mankind as it is beaten down again and again by nature, and itself.
“Life is suffering,” Ashitaka is told by a man with leprosy his face encased in bandages. “It is hard. The world is cursed, but still, you find reasons to keep living.”
Princess Mononoke_ The masterpiece that flummoxed the US – BBC Culture.pdf