Princess Mononoke (1997)

“Princess Mononoke” carries the distilled wisdom of a lifetime and more. One might say that it is the Japanese cartoon version of something vaguely similar to the “Lord of the Rings” but much more beautiful at so many levels.

There are enemies, different clans, conspiracies, fights and fierce battles. There are conflicting goal, misunderstandings, hatred, curses and love.

But one may see many more than just a tale told in an elegant way presented with beautiful (and sometimes amazing) graphics:

• A notion about the nature of hatred, how it is generated, how it is contagious and how it may be mitigated and eliminated
• The relationship of humans with nature, the harm we do to it and how we depend on it
• and so many others …

Although the graphics may be less impressive than the ones in “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)“, the story is more solid, dense and related to the human nature and problems.

My rating: 08/10

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, is an anime film by Hayao Miyazaki, based on the synonymous manga. It belongs to that specific category of Japanese anime films and (in my opinion) is one of the best of its kind. The story may appear naive, but reading between the lines, it is not. There are so many things conveyed by its tale.

The sceneries are really amazing, products of a flourishing imagination that touch revelation. Just observing them, provides a value by itself. It is like poetry in the domain of vision.

As many other films of the director, like “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Spirited Away“, it provides an innovative story and a divergent point of view on the problems we experience. Do not be mistaken: animation does not make a good tale less real than a film with real actors.

My rating: 08/10