The plot deals with the struggle between the animal spirits which inhabit the forest and the humans who exploit the forest for industry. Contrary to other Miyazaki's movies, "Princess Mononoke" is one of his most violent pictures.
Ashitaka is the protagonist of “Princess Mononoke”. To defend his village, he shot and killed a God, but in return, he received a curse of death. To cure the curse, he must travel and see the world with "eyes unclouded by hate". His travels take him through the forest, into Iron town, and a variety of other places. Ashitaka heavily influences everyone he meets in his life. He helps the city of Iron Town, he fights for the animals, he uses his knowledge for good, and he finaly changes everybody's lives into the movie. Nevertheless, the evolution of the curse which covers his arm reminds us that he is also capable of bad feelings (which are going to make increase the evil). This anger, this hatred is in each of us. Everything is a question of balance.
Yakuru is the frame of Ashitaka. Faithful, he symbolizes the link between humans and animals. The race of Yakuru does not exist; it is a mix of yak and ibex invented by Miyazaki
San is a young human woman who was raised by a mountain wolf, Moro. She possesses the biggest charisma, that’s the reason why her name “Princess Mononoke”, princess of spirits and beasts, is the title of the movie. She is very intelligent, her perception of the world and her capacity of analysis are those of a human being. She embodies a commitment into two important fights: feminism and ecology. San’s primary concern is protecting the forest and the animals she lives with. She has an intense hatred against humans who invade the forest. With a strange mask on her face, and riding a huge mountain wolf, she repeatedly attacks “Irontown”. After meeting Ashitaka, her heart sways between the Gods and humans. After the battle for the Forest Spirit's head, San tells Ashitaka that she cannot forgive the human race for what they have done to the forest and she will continue to live apart from humans.
Moro is a 300 year old female Wolf God. She understands human language, and has high intelligence and strong power. She raised San, and treats her as her daughter. She hates humans who invade the forest of the Shishigami God, and is fighting against them. She especially hates Lady Eboshi, and wants to kill her.
Lady Eboshi is a calm and strong woman who leads the people of Irontown at the foot of a deep mountain. She uses her money to buy and free prostitutes. She also helps lepers to cure their wounds and she treats them as humans instead of parasites. She is appreciated by everybody except San and is respected and loved by both men and women.
Day
At sunset
Shishigami is the ancient spirit of the forest. During the day, Shishigami looks like a great stag with many antlers, bird-like feet, and the face of a baboon. At sunset, Shishigami becomes the “Nightwalker”, a huge god in a humanoid form who is protected by the Wolf Clan. As he walks, flowers bloom up at his feet. He is able both to give and take life away. It is believed that its head has the power of eternal youth, so humans are trying to get it. Nevertheless, when Lady Eboshi shoots off his head, he becomes a raging god of death and his starry appearance turns into a God of death and sends a dark liquid that kills anything it touches.
Princess Mononoke is the mythological tale of a war between civilization and the gods of the forest.
The story takes place in a remote village in Northern Japan. At that time, the medieval system has collapsed and society is moving to the modern era. Moreover, although the population has increased and lots of virgin forests have been cut down to provide wood and shelter, there are still ancient forests that have gods who hated humans.
In a remote mountain village in Northern Japan, a young warrior called Ashitaka, is forced to kill a monster to protect his village. Too late, he discovers that the creature he killed, a kind of boar, is a protector-god of the forest.
Boar demon
In killing the demon boar, Ashitaka has brought upon himself a curse which is a twisted scar on his right forearm that is slowly spreading through his body. This curse feeds of the hatred and leads to a slow death.
Ashitaka wound
To try to prevent this disastrous fate, to discover the mystery of the curse and to find a remedy, Ashitaka has to leave his village. Guided by the tracks of the wild boar and by the strange metal missile removed from the animal, he rides out with his steed Yakul, his loyal red elk. Along the way, he becomes involved in a fight between a warring faction of humans and animals living in the forest.
The forest is full of animal gods, including the Forest Spirit, described as a “god of life and death”.
Just beside the forest lies a human settlement called “Irontown” which clears the forest to get more and more iron. This settlement causes many battles because animals attempt to protect their forest. Lady Eboshi is the leader of “Irontown” and she wants to get rid of the Gods to turn the forest into a rich land for people. She assembled women who had been sold and men who had been oppressed, and created a humanistic society, making iron. During one battle, Ashitaka sees San, the Princess Mononoke, a young human woman raised by wolves, who is prepared to die to defeat the humans. Against his will, Ashitaka is drawn into the struggle between man and Nature, trying to persuade the two sides to find another way, one that will halt the endless circle of killing. He seeks a middle ground where forest creatures and humans can live peacefully in the world together.
San and Moro
Under the influence of Jigo, Lady Eboshi sets out to destroy the Forest Spirit. Despite Ashitaka's efforts, Lady Eboshi succeeds in cutting off the Forest Spirit's head while it is transforming. Jigo collects the head while the body is transformed into a god of death, which covers the land in lethal black ooze, completely destroying the forest. To stop the ooze from reaching the villagers, Ashitaka and San take the head from Jigo. By returning the head to the Forest Spirit, the land becomes green again and Ashitaka's curse is finally lifted.
I hope you now want to watch the movie!!