Princess Mononoke: もののけ姫

Soundtrack: Theme for Princess Mononoke
Updated: 3/23
I'm back in Tokyo, after many sleepless nights in Yakushima (full story forthcoming) but first 3 quick points:
1.) That trailer I had up earlier was terrible, so I had to take it down. I blame the bad English dubbing script.
2.) I didn't cover the main theme of Princess Mononoke earlier because I thought it would give too much of the plot away. In hindsight, with my trip to Yakushima behind me, I realize that I will have to address this theme now. The idea of renewal, and particularly life from death is always on my mind in forest hikes, and Miyazaki masterfully incorporated that into Princess Mononoke.
In preparation for my trip to Yakushima (屋久島) this coming weekend, I purchased and watched Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫). I've never been a fan of Anime before, but this film is a truly captivating work of art. The film cells alone are museum worthy, and mixed with the epic scope, I would recommend this film to absolutely everyone. I actually watched it twice already, once in Japanese, and once with subtitles. I had difficulties the first time around, I'm not very familiar with the feudal style Japanese, and the animals (seemingly telepathic) communications are "spoken" in a style that I could not easily understand. Yes, there are talking animals, mystical realms, and its all set in feudal Japan at the dawn of the Iron age, but don't let these fantastical elements deter you. They may all be the stereotypical makings of a good versus evil opera, but somehow Mononoke is able to address these paradigms without being a slave to them.
The film opens, playing with these notions of the absence of a simple good / evil dichotomy. An attack on a village in North Honshu by what one presumes would be a clear evil, is later revealed not to be so simplistic. While protecting the village people, the protagonist, Ashitaka, is afflicted with a deadly curse (which later turns out to also grant him inhuman strength). Miyazaki is able to subtly propose the idea that the an action cannot be simply be judged right or wrong by whom the actor or the recipient of the action is. Simply put: the lack of morality of an individual does not lessen the impact of the repercussions of their actions.
Every character is portrayed with care and no individual is presented in unsympathetic light. Without giving away too much of the plot, the film draws parallels between the various tribes of animal's dying self-protecting order, and homosapien's (very specific reason I did not use "man" here) self-protecting rise to power.
The characters even ask the protagonist what side he is on, all the while the audience knowing that there are no sides. To see with "eyes unclouded" was Ashitaka's mission, and through him, the audience is able to perceive the beauty and majesty of Miyazaki's creation. Did I mention it was all inspired by Yakushima?