Anime has never exactly been mainstream anywhere outside of Japan, but a few movies have managed to generate interest outside of the land of the rising sun. If you were to go out and ask random American people on the street if they have ever heard of such classics as Ghost in the Shell and Akira, I would be willing to bet that most people would have no clue what you are talking about. There are however two movies that I would hope and actually expect half the people to recognize by name, and this film is known as Princess Mononoke on this side of the world. Even though this doesn't sound like much, I mean you could ask the same amount of people if they have heard of something horrible like say, Charlies Angels and most people will recognize that one without even having to think about it. When it comes to anime though quite a few people don't even know what it is, and so this is why the amount of recognition the movie has recieved here in the western world is phenomenol. Even though there are very few films that deserve success nowadays, I would say that Princess Mononoke is one of the few that deserves the status that it achieves, in fact, it deserves much more.

I first heard of Princess Mononoke when I stumbled across it on television once. It was playing on Starz or HBO, but it really didn't look too interesting considering that I had started watching near the end. What's even more strange is that I actually strongly disliked anime back then, and so you can't really blame me for continuing channel surfing after watching only a few scenes. It wasn't until quite a bit later that my friend bought the movie and talked me into finally sitting down and watching it. Even though it didn't change my views on anime much; I was still able to appreciate the artistic and epic qualities behind it and it quickly drew me in to the lush and interesting storyline presented within.

From afar this movie appears to focus almost entirely on nature and humans destroying the environment, but you must look deeper into it to see the other elements. The movie not only shows the natural world being threatened by humans, but throughout the film viewers are subjected to both sides of the story; this questions what really is evil as you don't want either side to die. It's a little more subtle than all the environmental notes, but this theme is definitely there, and it is quickly realized by the main character in the movie. Through Princess Mononoke's artistic appearance exists a very deep and involving plot; just in case you were worried about this one not having much substance.

Ashi taka soon finds his arm hurting while riding his faithful red elk past a group of soldiers. It seems as if he has no control over it at times and ends up slaying a few of these people as he rides past them; all the while he begs them to get away from him as fast as they can. Ashi taka eventually meets a monk who joins up with him as they travel away from a small village after attracting a lot of attention from a gold piece Ashi taka used for money in the town. Eventually Ashi taka comes across a mining town in the middle of the woods that is polluting and damaging the land. This is where he first learns of the battles going on between the animals of the woods and the people driven town of miners. This is merely the beginning of an experience that will change Ashi taka.

Those of you expecting Princess Mononoke to play out like a Disney type animated film just because it's a cartoon are going to be in for a surprise. Not only is this anime movie deeper and more involving than nearly all Disney movies put together, but it also has significant meaning. The animation in Princess Mononoke is about on par with Disney's best offerings quality wise, but the artistic aspects make this movie surpass nearly every animated movie to date. A few of the most notable elements to the animation are the backgrounds, the movie's fluidity of motion, and the mouth dropping use of colors. Princess Mononoke is pure eye candy.

Despite taking place in an animated world with animated characters, Princess Mononoke is definitely not for young children. Most of the running themes are a bit complex for anyone below the age of 13 to comprehend, and the violence will definitely make parents hide the movie from their children. All the violence in the film though is played out with good taste, and there's nothing particularly gut wrenching in any of the scenes, but America has always been keen on censorship, so ya know. There is a slight bit of cursing in Princess Mononoke, but again, it's nothing in complete bad taste and none of it is overwhelming like it tends to be in most movies that aim for the older age group, and the sheer beauty is so overwhelming that you'll have a hard time being offended by this film.

Overall Rating: 9.9