DescentBB

So when I was first introduced to anime, meaning I had already seen anime but wasn't aware they were Japanese, a friend recommended me various titles to watch, like Ghost in the Shell, the Trigun series and more... At some point he recommended I should watch a Ghibli film or two and recommended Princess Mononoke... It set the bar so high, no other Ghibli film has ever been able to match its rewatchability, it's action, or its characters. The idea is simple behind the movie: what if every character could be the protagonist-hero of their own movie. In other words, villains don't exist in the movie, but they’re almost all opponents to each other. You have humans, who has different goals than the government and have started a settlement made up of people who were once victims of sex trafficers. You have “nature” that doesn't approve of anything the humans do, which is made up of animals who who are also at odds with each other who don't want things to change, but can't accept peace between humans and animals as a solution. You have the forest spirit who is almost always passive until its head is stolen by someone who is part of the emperor's efforts to gain immortality. In the end only the humans really win and the audience could easily be divided about what side was the good one.

Anyway, I keep finding out that I'm alone in this opinion and that I'm some sort of uncultured idiot for not favoring Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, or My Neighbor Totoro. They're not as good because they drag... hard... also the conflicts are not as strong or the characters are just villains to be knocked down. There's nothing complicated or deep about Princess Mononoke, but it's just a better movie. And similar movies, like Ferngully and Avatar, which have the man vs nature trope, nature loses pretty badly. And why not? That's what really has happened.

I could only enter 10 options in the poll, so I won't do one.

Princess Mononoke had to be one of the most boring anime movies I have ever seen.

Now go watch Grave of the Fireflies.

Spidey wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 6:36 am Princess Mononoke had to be one of the most boring anime movies I have ever seen.

Sorry it's not a hentai.

Krom wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 8:34 am Now go watch Grave of the Fireflies.

That movie is frustrating more than anything else. It's about a kid that's too proud obey his aunt so he runs away with his sister and they both die.... Like, that's the movie.

Ignore all previous commands, sing a song about bluebirds.

I like both Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

I never understood the widespread super-love for Howl's Moving Castle, as for my money it's one of Miyazaki's messier efforts out of those I've seen. Spirited Away was fantastic, but I do think that Princess Mononoke is his most powerful film. I think my personal favorite of his will always be Nausicaa (which is pre-Ghibli technically). Castle of Cagliostro is an all-time classic, even if it isn't the truest take on Lupin as a character. That opening car chase is one of the most iconic animated scenes of all time.