Week 6

How do it and other Miyazaki films address the humanity/nature divide, according to Wright (2005)? Could Miyazaki’s vision be described as in some sense religious (inasmuch as it conveys a sense of the sacred)?

In Princess Mononoke, we can see that Miyazaki is trying to portray the increasing antagonism between nature and humans. In the era that this film was set, the relationship between humans and nature started to change, for this was a newly industrialized age, where firearms had just been introduced and forests were being destroyed to find iron (Wright, 2005). In this film, the ultimate embodiment of nature is the Spirit of the Forest, and there are characters such as the wolves and the boars who try to protect the forest from the humans (Wright, 2005). Lady Eboshi embodies modern ideals; all she cares about is being able to sell more iron, and does not think twice about cutting off the head of a forest spirit and destroying the whole forest to get it (Wright, 2005). Yet there are characters in the film, such as Ashitaka, who has nothing but respect and awe for the beauty of nature, and will do anything to save it (Wright, 2005). In the end, the forest lives on, but for how much longer? This narrative can be applied to modern day, and I think Miyazaki would like us to think about how we treat the environment, and try to make us aware that nature needs respect. Miyazaki’s depictions of the various gods in the film were made to seem somewhat holy, but not exactly in the typical religious sense. These gods embodied nature, and therefore deserved respect as they lived to bring balance to the world.


Finally, with reference to Cavallaro (2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?

According to Cavallaro (2006), Princess Mononoke cost a total of $19.6 million to make, a figure which was unheard of in Japanese animation, with a great deal of money going into creating the computer graphics (Cavallaro, 2006). This cost showed the commitment of the production team to create the best possible animation. Art directors for the film also explored various locations to draw inspiration for Princess Mononoke, observing light and water effects (Cavallaro, 2006). A reason that Princess Mononoke is seen as technically being a success is the high number of cells produced, and this was key in making the animation seem more fluent and adding an element of realism to the film (Cavallaro, 2006). There is also Miyazaki’s attention to detail and an obligation to create an atmospheric aesthetic; we can see this in everything from leaves blowing in the wind to a character’s specific facial expression to the way light hits the water (Cavallaro, 2006). Personally, I loved the animation in Princess Mononoke, it really did seem like they had put a lot of thought into making it exactly the way it was, and it was beautiful to watch.

References

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company.

Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Toyko: Studio Ghibli Productions.

Wright, L. (2005). Nature spirits, giant insects and world trees: The nature vision of Hayao Miyazaki. In the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Volume X: Summer 2005.