Learning to Despise Hate and Desire Peace
Ghibli Month — Chapter 11: Princess Mononoke
Director — Hayao Miyazaki
Year of Release — 1997
Language — English
How Many Times Watched? — 4 times
Rating — ★★★★★
This is a Must Watch. Enjoy Miyazaki’s first epic. See it in theaters if possible.
At last, we’ve made it to Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki’s first epic and first real masterpiece. When people think of Miyazaki, this is what they think about. Princess Mononoke is the film that officially set Studio Ghibli apart. It was the film that placed it in a tier above the rest. Studio Ghibli was the ultimate animation studio in Japan and possibly the world, and they have a prince and a wolf girl to thank for it.
Princess Mononoke follows Ashitaka, a young prince of a remote tribe from the east. After fighting a demon boar, he travels west to find those responsible. In his travels, he finds humans ravaging the forest, enraging the spirits and gods that live within. Ashitaka finds himself in the middle, attempting to find peace between the fractured tribes.
I have something I need to get off my chest. I didn’t love Princess Mononoke the first time I saw it. I mean I liked it, but to me, it was nothing special. It was only the second Studio Ghibli film I had seen. Bear in mind, Kiki’s Delivery Service was my first. You would be hard-pressed to find two Miyazaki films more different. I was probably just a little shocked. It wasn’t until I matured a bit, saw the rest of Miyazaki’s filmography, and watched it a second time that I started to understand it and truly begin to love it.
Princess Mononoke is a film to experience, not just watch. The animation is stellar, even today. The characters are complex. The themes are difficult. Somehow, there is no clear villain, making it difficult to find a solution to the problems presented. But that is what’s so brilliant about this film. There isn’t a right answer. There is no clear good or evil. It’s a very human film, showing the complexities of reality. No one is one-sided. Every character has a reasonable motive, even if some of their actions are evil.
Take for instance Lady Eboshi. She is the leader of Iron Town, the city Ashitaka comes to near the beginning of the film. She is a phenomenal leader for her people. She takes in lepers and treats them as real people, not outcasts. She buys the contracts of women in brothels and gives them a better life in Iron town. She is building up the economy and livelihood of so many people. It is clear that Lady Eboshi cares for her people and, in turn, her people respect her.
But all of this growth is only possible at the expense of the forest. Lady Eboshi makes it her mission to destroy the forest so she can continue expanding her iron production. While this is a positive for her and her people, it is costing the lives of the animals and spirits of the forest. She thinks the time of the gods is over. She has become the modern-day god, defying even the emperor. She is the good of the world.
The argument could be made that her actions are justified because of the real good she is doing for humanity. Lady Eboshi is helping the lowest of the low without ulterior motives, giving them jobs and a life of their own. But is the benefit of some worth the detriment of others?
Now, let’s look at Princess Mononoke herself, the wolf girl San. As a baby, San was left for dead in the forest by her human parents. Moro, the wolf god, took her in as her own, raising her as a wolf with the forest as her home. When Lady Eboshi and the other humans begin destroying the forest, San and the wolves are reasonably upset. They are encroaching on their territory and destroying their home.
San wants revenge, and rightfully so. She believes if she can kill Lady Eboshi, the forest will be at peace again. San’s willing to do whatever it takes, even saying she’d rather die than let Lady Eboshi’s reign of terror continue. She lets her hate fester and take over her mind, attempting to take Eboshi’s life many times.
It could also be said that San’s actions are justified because Lady Eboshi is taking away her livelihood and needs to be stopped. If Eboshi’s allowed to continue, San’s home will be destroyed and everyone she loves will die. Something needs to be done, but is it okay to retaliate with equal force and trade lives?
Both Lady Eboshi and San have all the best intentions for their actions. They are trying to keep those around them safe and happy the best and only way they know how. They see the hurt they inflict as means to an end, as best for the overall good. A little sacrifice to help the majority.
These two characters are so perfectly complex. They are both strong and demand respect wherever they go. Both are trying to do the best they can with their situation. And what I love is that neither one is the villain, though they both do evil things.
So this is where things get interesting: Ashitaka. Ashitaka is an arbiter of the common good. He has an undying love for life and will help anyone and everyone always no matter what. Coming practically out of thin air, he calls for the end of hate between San and Eboshi. Ashitaka longs for peace between the forest and Iron Town. He sees a world where the two can peacefully coexist without destroying each other. He takes on the role of mediator between the warring parties because he has come “to see with eyes unclouded by hate.”
“What I want is for the humans and the forest to live in peace!” — Ashitaka
Ashitaka despises hate. If all the hate is weeded out, the violence will cease. Every single action he takes is for the opposite of hate. He carries two injured men left for dead back to Iron Town. He takes a bullet to protect San. He steps between San and Eboshi as they fight. It doesn’t matter who it is. If you’re hurting, Ashitaka will help you no questions asked.
For as realistic a portrayal of humanity that Princess Mononoke is, Ashitaka is not very realistic at all. Very few people have the determination for peace that Ashitaka has. No one is willing to put their own body on the line to ensure that hate is eradicated. Ashitaka is not meant to be realistic. He is Miyazaki’s ideal for the salvation of the world that is constantly trying to destroy itself. All Miyazaki wants is a world where the warring can stop and everyone can learn to peacefully coexist, something he knows will never happen. But hey, a man can dream.
Miyazaki wants to grab you by the shoulders and shake you until the hate stops. He wants you to despise hate and fight for a world where it no longer tears us apart. The world is a painful place, and it can be easy to lose hope. Princess Mononoke is a tale meant to inspire, to instil that sense of hope in the midst of suffering. Keep fighting for peace. Don’t brush off hate. Confront it. Be the arbiter of the common good in your community. Don’t be dishearted, but have hope. Little by little, change will come.
“Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still you find reasons to keep living.”
