Saturday 4 February 2012

Princess Mononoke or Mononoke Hime

Movie review time!!
This is my absolute, all time, best of the best movie. I watched this when I was 13 in America and my whole being was just wrapped around this story. The animation of the creatures, the colours and the whole lighting of the movie was so incredible to me. The opening minutes showing the fierce fight between Ashitaka and the boar god was something else. seeing the demon spread infront of itself to attack him, wrapping round, gripping his arm, seeing the clothes and muscle bulge at how tight it was just blew me away. I have never seen so much detail  in an animated movie. As you continue to watch you get the whole feel for the tribal area and how different they look to other characters later on in the movie. The colors they wear are unique to them in the movie and the huts as well. It's a contrast to see a beautiful sunny day and then Ahitaka wincing in pain at the boar god's curse.















As the movie progresses you see a very stark difference in color when he reaches the steel town.Dark, grungy colors showing how overpopulated and busy the town is. You see the men guiding bulls down a steep and narrow mountian path towards it. The plot forwarding device to get Ashitaka to the steel town.

The people he meets here are unhappy, rude and overly confident. They're how you would see a nation of people these days. Stressed by their lives and only caring for themselves. People care about money and don't want to help others. The greyer colors of this area reflect the mood and show just how different he is to these people.

Enter the second and most important character, San. She is named as Princess Mononoke to the steel town people. She is a human girl who was raised by a wolf god. She fights the steel town people to save her forest and her family. Her colors are unique to her as well and her style.

Progressing through the movie the colors change quite a lot. Most of it is set at night or in heavy forested areas. The lighting is either very dark or very vibrant in areas and you see the wonderful effects they produce for water and the animation used for Didarabochi. When he starts appearing some horrible crazy shit starts happening and then you get the weather effecting the environment. The motion they use is took cool and really shows off Studio Ghibli's animation to it's fullest.


This movie will never get old for me. It's so inspirational in it's colors, art and animation style that I will forever be in awe and envy.

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