I have loved this movie for a LONG time. Japanese Animation has always been a part of my life. Especially The Studio Ghibli… Studio. They really have a way of making great movies. But out of all the great movies they have made, one stands high above the rest. PRINCESS MONONOKE. There are a lot of things that make a great anime. Like, story, action, character development. Princess Mononoke has got it all. But I’ve been just naming random things. Let’s get on to the actual Plot.

Prince Ashitaka of some random tribe has his village attacked by a demon monster. In an attempt to save his people he does battle with the monster and is cursed with cancer in his arm that will eventually kill him. So he seeks out, with eyes unclouded by hatred, the help of the great forest spirit, hoping his pleas will make the spirit merciful.

As he makes his way to the west, he finds that the forest gods and the humans are in the middle of world war 0.5. he meets Lady Eboshi, a mistress who is tearing down the forest in order to make money from the iron. She does seem like a cruel person to be killing animals and such, but it turns out she is sort of a good person. She is the only one who sees the weak and diseased as human beings, she rescues girls from brothels, and she is, in general, a great motivator and leader. Ashitaka also meets San, the wolf princess, who is allied with Moro, the wolf god, and The boars. She has a love for nature, embracing her wolf side despite being a human.

Ashitaka decides to side with no one. He simply wants humans and the forest to live in peace. As humans and gods are on the brink of war, he struggles to fight the curse as it tears his soul apart.

So there are a lot of great things about this movie, but one of the things I really love about it is that there is no real villain of this movie. San is nice and has a point of view that most nature preserve organizations have (wait, is that a compliment?) And Lady Eboshi is a nice person and cares about each and every single person in her fortress. She gives the homeless homes and saves people from really horrible jobs. So, in a situation with both the opposing sides, It would be hard to make a decision on who was right and wrong. Therefore, there is no real villain. It gives astoundingly great visuals, as Shown below)

Gallery • 8 Photos

San and the Moro Tribe fight beside the boars against the humans

This movie, along with its great visuals, storyline, and characters, shall forever remain a personal favorite. I recommend that you watch it too.