Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki, an artistic genius, was heavily involved in all aspects of his films. Mononoke is no exception. Mononoke is a nuanced film. On one level, one may read it as Miyazaki's reflection on his home country, Japan, particularly its history and industrial development. On another level, one may read it as a drama of material and spiritual forces in conflict. On the broadest level, one may read it as Miyazaki's deepest exploration of nature and humanitys relationship with it.

Princess Mononoke, or San, with a wolf god

Like many great works of art, the relevance and power of Mononoke has increased with time. Mononoke is a staggering masterpiece of narrative animation, demonstrating without doubt that animation narratives can be just as serious, artistic and meaningful as live-action ones. 

Many works of art contain vital lessons and can have a positive impact on those who experience them. Mononoke is one of those works. Particularly, I think Mononoke is relevant to our world leaders. Mononoke takes a subtle, accurate and multi-dimensional view on the nature of conflict and provides deep insight into humanitys greatest problems. Unfortunately, many of our current world leaders, particularly the ones with most material influence and power, do not embody the lessons of this film.

The setting of Mononoke is partly historical, set in Japan in the Muromachi period (1338-1573), and partly imaginative and mythical, as its world is populated by gods and spirits. This point already indicates the subtlety of Miyazaki's thought. Although Miyazaki's worlds are richly imaginative and fantastical, they are also serious comments on history, society and culture.

The start of Mononoke introduces us to Ashitaka, a human, and one of the gods, a boar god named Nago. In an aggressive demonic state, Nago charges into an Emishi village. Ashitaka, a prince of this village, attempts to stop the demonic god from harming the villagers. In doing so, Ashitaka becomes infected by the malevolent force that infected the god.

Ashitaka

An elderly woman of this village, Oracle, informs Ashitaka that without help, regarding his infection, he will die, and that help may be found to the west, where Nago came from, so long as Ashitaka "sees with eyes unclouded". Before Ashitaka leaves, Oracle presents a lump of iron that was found within Nago, the cause of his anguish and demonic state. Oracle also informs Ashitaka of the social turmoil and calamity that is occurring in the west. During Ashitakas travels we see evidence of such turmoil plaguing the lands, from desperate villagers to pillaging samurai.

To clarify, in "real life" historical terms, the Emishi village of which Ashitaka is a prince would have been one of the few remaining. By the 9th century AD, most of the land the Emishi had occupied was conquered by the Japanese imperial armies. The Emishi tribes were thus driven northward. Before Ashitaka leaves his village for the west, an elderly villager states "More than 500 years have passed since the Mikado drove us into this land. Now we hear how his power fades and the fangs of his shoguns are broken. But the blood of our tribe likewise grows thin. And, bitter fate, the youth who was to lead us must journey far to the west".

With Ashitaka travelling to the west, we are introduced to the primary conflict of the film. This conflict is between the rise of industry and materialism, symbolised by lady Eboshi and Irontown, and the ancient order of animism and nature, symbolised by the gods and spirits. More broadly, this conflict represents the clash of two fundamental human attitudes and philosophical positions. Materialism and spiritualism.

Eboshi is a human. She is in charge of an iron manufacturing town, fittingly named Irontown. In order to produce iron, Eboshi is involved in the destruction of the surrounding forests, the dwelling place of the gods and spirits. For this reason and others, she is a fierce opponent of such gods. Particularly, Eboshi is an enemy of the wolf gods. Another human, San, or Princess Mononoke, is a member of the wolf god clan.

Ashitaka arrives at Irontown with two of its injured inhabitants, who were left for dead by Eboshi after an attack from the wolf gods. Here we learn that the women who work the bellows of the town were once prostitutes, and that Eboshi gave them the opportunity of another way of life. We also learn that Eboshi houses and cares for lepers. But as well as these factors, we are made aware that Eboshi was responsible for the iron lump lodged within Nago, and thus also responsible for the negative curse transferred to Ashitaka. We are made aware that Eboshi is destroying the forest of the gods to produce iron and that when the boar gods attempted to stop her, those gods were shot at with guns made at Irontown. Eboshi has nothing but disdain for the gods. The gods understandably loathe and want to destroy her. Negative and positive aspects of Eboshi's personality are addressed here in order to illustrate that conflicts are always complex and never absolute or one-sided. This multi-dimensionality, in terms of conflict and human personality, is what makes Mononoke such a powerful film that accurately renders reality.

The gods that we encounter, mainly the boar and wolf gods, are in no way idealised, one-dimensional or supremely intelligent creatures. They possess magical powers, but are arguably just as ruthless and blind as Eboshi. Eboshi, the industrialist and materialist, aggressively wants to expand her domain and power, but also aims to protect her village and it's inhabitants. The gods, particularly the wolf gods and San, aggressively want to destroy Eboshi, in order to stop her destruction of the forest in which they and others live. Both sides are understandable and multi-faceted, but are also blinded by aggression and stubbornness. It takes the indefatigable fairness, sensitivity and will of an outsider, Ashitaka, to help resolve the conflict.

San and Lady Eboshi

The film, I feel, seems to be advising us that blind aggression can only lead to unnecessary suffering and pain. This film is a modern parable or fable showing us that every issue, every conflict and every human being is nuanced, and that when we recognise this we can begin to act with fairness and we can begin to heal the deep wounds of society. A character like Ashitaka is admirable and noble because, while being intelligent, kind and just, he is also determined, steadfast and strong. The character of Nausicaa, who appears in Studio Ghiblis first film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, also embodies these laudable characteristics.

San and Eboshi are figures with much charisma. They have great agency, determination and will. They are both physically powerful, as well as being intelligent and perceptive. Miyazaki's portrayal of female characters is highly significant and runs through all his films and manga. This topic alone deserves more study and focus.

Three of Miyazakis films - Mononoke, Spirited Away (2001) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - are heavily influenced by the indigenous religion of Japan, Shinto. The gods of 

Tree spirits, or Kodama, from Mononoke

Mononoke may be seen as kami, Shinto gods. Though it is not spelled out, in Mononoke such gods are animal embodiments of spirits. Shishigami, for example, is, diurnally, a deer god embodying the spirit of the forest. Refreshingly, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There are no rigid divisions between right and wrong and figures are not absolutely good or evil. In this respect, Shinto recognises the multi-dimensional nature of reality, as does Mononoke. The greatest insight to be derived from Mononoke is that there are no binary divisions in the world. Its characters and conflicts are multi-faceted and complicated. Kodama, tree spirits that occur in Japanese folklore, also appear in Mononoke. Such points show that Mononoke, as well as being embedded in Japanese history, is also embedded in Japanese folklore and religion.

As well as being at war with the gods, Eboshi is at war with lord Asano and his samurai. Eboshi has plans with Jigo, a sly character of stout stature. Eboshi is to obtain the head of the forest spirit for Jigo, who claims that they can then destroy lord Asano together. Jigo works for the emperor, and it is implied that the emperor believes the head of the forest spirit will bestow immortality. We do not actually see lord Asano or the emperor; this does not affect the plot. The conflicts between Irontown and lord Asano, as well as Jigo and the emperor's involvement, further demonstrate the social turmoil that the film depicts. In this respect the film has various levels; historical, political, social, as well as philosophical and mythical.

After a devastating battle between Irontown and the boar and wolf gods, Eboshi's ultimate harmful act is the shooting of Shishigami, the forest spirit. Shishigami, arguably intended by Miyazaki to be an embodiment or personification of nature, is not an explicitly good, righteous or compassionate figure. Shishigami does not take sides or express a particular point of view. It is a giver and taker of life. There is something about the forest spirit that commands the utmost respect. It is elusive, silent and uninvolved in ordinary conflicts. After the forest spirit's head is captured by Jigo, the same spirit, in its nocturnal nightwalker manifestation, roams the land in search for it, destroying all life in its path. Eboshi's negative selfish intentions have created harmful demonic effects, as they had with Nago. When the forest spirit regains its head, curses are lifted and life restored. 

Though Eboshi and the gods are arguably as blind and harmful as each other, Eboshi comes across as worse. It is Eboshi who initiated the main conflict by destroying the dwelling place of the gods (Eboshi started it!) and Eboshi decapitated the forest spirit for purely selfish reasons. The wolf and boar gods are at least aware of the importance of Shishigami. But these reasons alone, maybe, are not enough to claim that Eboshi comes across as worse. After the battle between Irontown and the gods, Ashitaka informs Eboshi that lord Asanos samurai are attacking Irontown, and its women, and that such women have asked for and require Eboshi's help. But Eboshi does not return to Irontown, stating that she has done all she can for her women, and carries on with her task of decapitating the forest spirit. This dismissive and selfish act undermines what had been suggested earlier on in the film, in that it was implied that she cared for the women of her town. Similarly, earlier in the film, Eboshi leaves four of her men for dead after an attack from the wolf gods. Further showing that, when it comes down to it, Eboshi does not care for her people and is certainly not loyal to them. Such points may be seen as a criticism of the film, in that the film attempts, in other scenes, to show Eboshi as being somewhat caring.

Lady Eboshi and Jigo

Mononoke is a sophisticated, dark and brilliantly articulated exploration of important themes and phenomena. Through Ashitaka and Shishigami, we learn that to blindly and solely follow either materialism or spirituality is harmful and ineffective, and that one would do well to cooperate with as opposed to exploit ones environment. Such messages are conveyed indirectly through a narrative that in no way preaches or sermonises. In Mononoke, the world is a multi-faceted and synergetic combination of spirit and matter, with spirits taking on explicit and imaginative manifestations (as in Totoro and Spirited Away), indicating influences from Japans indigenous religion, Shinto. Industrial developments are seen as inevitable and even positive, provided that they work alongside nature. One of the main reasons Mononoke stands out to me is that rarely does one get a multi-dimensional portrayal of conflicts and characters in a story. The firm division between good and evil just seems entrenched in our ways of thinking. Also, the animation work is particularly beautiful.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

When it comes to humanity's relationship with nature, I feel there are two fundamental attitudes. There is the attitude of domination that wishes to control, subjugate and exploit nature for selfish, egotistical ends. Then there is the attitude of cooperation that aims to work with nature in a considerate and mutually respectful way. Sadly, "civilised" groups have from their inception been driven by the attitude of domination, strongly evidenced by patriarchy, organised religion and scientific materialism, and reaching a culmination with the massively destructive effects we have been having on our environment in recent times.

As an interconnected, profit-driven global society, we continue to exploit our environment. We are generating high amounts of fossil fuels, polluting the air and accelerating global warming. We are industrially trawling the oceans for fish, obliterating marine ecosystems. We are involved in industrial animal agriculture, which entails the mass destruction of forests, ocean dead zones, an over-use of pesticides and an over-production of the gases nitrous oxide and methane. The effects and implications of these practices are staggering and concern the very survival of life on Earth.

Nausicaä riding next to an ohmu

Released in 1984, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the quintessential environmental film. In this film we find a female protagonist showing how everyone might relate to nature in an aligned, sensitive and empathetic way. Like Princess Mononoke (1997), Nausicaä is full of insight and contains vital lessons for humanity.

Nausicaä began as a manga in 1982. This beautiful, meticulously rendered manga was created by Hayao Miyazaki and completed in 1994. Miyazaki also wrote and directed the film adaptation. The manga differs from the film in various ways. In terms of plot, it is more complex. The story is also quite different. For example, the villain in the manga, Miralupa, who poses the greatest threat to Nausicaä, is not in the film.

The Nausicaä film was a significant benchmark in Miyazaki's career, employing many themes that recur throughout his oeuvre. In Nausicaä we find a multi-faceted female hero, a powerful female villain, a critique of human actions, flight as a strong theme, and powerful environmental messages.

Nausicaä was produced by Miyazaki's long time friend, associate and fellow director, Isao Takahata. The great success and popularity of Nausicaä in Japan initiated the rise of Studio Ghibli, encouraging Miyazaki and Takahata to make films in their own unique ways. It was also Miyazaki's first collaboration with music composer Joe Hisaishi, who did the soundtrack for Nausicaä and all Miyazaki's subsequent films.

Nausicaä, though just as rich and imaginative, is less fantastical than Miyazaki's other works. One would best categorise it as science fiction. It takes place on an Earth 1000 years in the future, after the failure and collapse of industrial civilisation and the destruction caused by "the seven days of fire", generated by the powerful warrior gods. Nature has made the world a dangerous and toxic place for humans to live in. Human societies still cling on, but plant life and insects dominate. The sea of corruption, not actually an ocean but a giant ever-spreading toxic forest, poses a constant threat to the human inhabitants of this future world, releasing deadly toxins that can kill humans and their crops.

Nausicaä is a princess of The Valley of the Wind tribe, daughter of the ailing King Jhil. Nausicaä swiftly appears as a charismatic and sensitive character, saving Lord Yupa, a member of The Valley of the Wind tribe and a master swordsman, from an enraged ohmu in one of the first scenes of the film.The ohmu are giant terrestrial insects who hold a highly prominent place in the film. In Nausicaä the great, enigmatic and mystical ohmu may be seen as symbols of the Earth, nature or our environment.

Nausicaä saving Lord Yupa from an enraged ohmu

Kushana leads the Tolmekians and, like Lady Eboshi from Mononoke, is one of Miyazaki's charismatic and powerful female villains. She is partly constituted of prosthetic robotic limbs due to an insect attack and is consequently consumed by a deep hatred for the insects and the sea of corruption. In the manga, Kushana's character is fairly different, where we learn more of her past and sympathise with her more. In the film we find out that, in order to burn and purge the sea of corruption, Kushana is attempting to revive one of the dormant warrior gods, which was unearthed from the kingdom of Pejite. The warrior gods may be seen as agents of pure destruction.

Nausicaä is not detached from experience and nature in the way that many others are. She is highly sensitive and receptive to her environment. From one of the Tolmekian air-crafts in which she is being held, Nausicaä spots something soaring from above. As the soaring object gradually crystallises into view, we see it is a gun-ship. Nausicaä views the gun-ship destroy a huge Tolmekian vessel and screams in desperation. Nausicaä is so strongly attuned to her environment that she can personally and physically feel each death or harmful act that occurs around her. She can't fathom why humans would inflict such unnecessary violence upon each other.

There is a cut to an effective dream sequence. Hisaishi's theme song for Nausicaä is heard in a soft and echoed way and the animation is sketched and simplified. We are seeing things from Nausicaä's perspective as a child. We hear Nausicaä resisting the adults who tower over her, whose many hands are seen prominently, as they are trying to take something from her. She is guarding a baby ohmu from them, crying "no, don't kill it!". This scene emotionally reiterates Nausicaä's relationship with the creatures around her, particularly the ohmu. We learn that she has always had a strong, intuitive and emotional bond with her environment.

Nausicaä finds herself in a large underground forest. We learn that the expansive area in which she has found herself is underneath the sea of corruption and is devoid of toxicity. Nausicaä surmises that the sea of corruption is purifying the polluted water and soil of Earth. We can thus deduce that the toxicity of the forest was caused solely by humans, via the god warriors and the seven days of fire, and that the sea of corruption has been involved in a purifying process ever since. This element of the plot may be seen as a strong social comment on humanity's development of toxic weaponry and pollution of our environment. Significant examples of the use of toxic weaponry that come to mind are the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the use of Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used to destroy crops and forests, in Vietnam. Both employed by the U.S and both still, after more than half a century, having toxic effects. It is also worth noting that the nuclear bombs were dropped on Miyazaki's homeland.

Nausicaä underneath the sea of corruption

Nausicaä goes to the kingdom of Pejite, which she finds has been devastated by charging ohmu. Pejite forces had angered the ohmu in order to quell the Tolmekian forces and aim to direct the rampaging ohmu to the valley of the wind, where the Tolmekians are based. The Pejite want to take back the warrior god in order to do exactly what the Tolmekians aim to do with it, purge their enemies and the sea of corruption. On discovering this, Nausicaä's disillusionment and desperation reappear. She screams for the Pejite to desist their plans. The Pejite are just as blind as the Tolmekians. They are unaware that by retaliating and attempting to purge their apparent enemies, they are perpetuating unnecessary conflicts. One can draw a parallel here with the war-mongering tendencies of recent Western governments. The ongoing, so-called "War on Terror" has undoubtedly fuelled war, death, hatred and extremism. Nausicaä is the only character in the film who has an accurate insight into the existing problems and dilemmas. Her desperation is thus an understandable and plausible reaction.

Nausicaä further discovers that the Pejite are using an intentionally maimed baby ohmu, hanging from a cable on an air-craft, to maintain the fury of the masses of ohmu. She attempts to save the baby, flying toward the Pejite who have captured it while being shot at. In spite of bullet wounds, her determination remains, steadfast, as she releases the ohmu and stops the Pejite with one of their guns. Nausicaä comforts the baby and stops it from crawling into an acidic lake which surrounds them. Nausicaa is burnt by the lake trying to help the baby. Her reactions belie desperation, again, mixed with an unwavering, indefatigable concern for the maimed ohmu.

Meanwhile, the valley inhabitants and the Tolmekians, including Kushana, face a vast sea of stampeding ohmu. The wise woman of the valley informs us that the rage of the ohmu is the rage of the Earth itself. They can't be stopped. Kushana still attempts to use the undeveloped warrior god to destroy the ohmu, but fails. Hope for escaping the raging ohmu appears lost.

Nausicaä appears with the baby ohmu, using the Pejite air-craft. She demands to be dropped, with the baby, in front of the stampeding ohmu, to the dismay of the valley people. There is a cut to Yupa, who is aboard a Pejite air-craft. The sea of ohmu below, while glowing red with fury before, gradually, from a central point, start glowing blue. They are calmed. It is Nausicaä's unconditional devotion to her environment that resolves matters. She has returned the baby and given her life to calm the masses of angered ohmu. But the ohmu lift Nausicaä's limp body with their long tendrils and rejuvenate her. We thus find that by fully and genuinely caring for our environment, our environment will work with us in a dynamic relationship of love, trust and cooperation. This scene is very emotional and expresses an incredibly vital message to humanity.

Image from the Nausicaä manga

During the film's development Nausicaä emerges as a powerful, multi-dimensional and incredibly likeable character. She has a unique and infinitely admirable affinity with the insects, and by extension nature, and she is consistently decisive, determined and steadfast. Nausicaä is an inspirational female hero, who shows us that if we are sensitive and receptive to our environment, if we learn to understand it properly, then we can live in a kind of harmony with it.

There is the argument that Nausicaä does not give enough information regarding the time and place in which it is set, unlike the manga which provides more context. The manga, for example, explains the Daikaisho and gives more detail as to how the sea of corruption was formed. In this respect, the film may have been more effective if done in two instalments. Or it could make an effective TV series. Ultimately, however, I do feel that enough information is provided for the film to work well and make sense.

Nature is the most prominent theme in Nausicaä, where we have a future projection of our world in which plants and insects dominate. Powerful social comments can be found in the film. War, environmental pollution and the use of toxic weaponry is heavily criticised. More broadly, the film criticises the blind, one-sided and egotistical acts of humans. The film explores two ways of relating to nature, as outlined earlier. It shows us, as an interconnected global society, that cooperating with our environment, as opposed to exploiting it, is how we will solve our greatest problems.

The Holy EU

It still irks me today how EU fanatics impacted UK politics so negatively, particularly the performance of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. I actually witnessed people crying after the referendum result. How unfortunate. Then the comedian Stewart Lee, who I normally like, writes "arguments about Brexit are tearing my family apart".

Peoples vehement emotions towards the referendum vote were cultivated by mainstream media. I distrust any issue that is constantly shoved in my face by the popular press. Genuinely significant, nefarious events in the world are always hidden from the population. Our society in fact punishes those who reveal significant events. The imprisonment of Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, is the ultimate example of this. Wikileaks revealed to us evidence of war crimes by Western Governments, along with classified information about other governments. These war crimes require deep interrogation and bring into question the fundamental workings of the imperialist societies in which we live. A humane, moral society would promote transparency and honesty in all its operations. We don't live in such a society.

The reason the referendum vote was such a polarising and divisive issue is because UK media and politicians wanted it to be. The issue was in fact nuanced. It wasn't binary and it didn't warrant emotional, childish, heated conflicts. Corbyn was one of the only politicians willing to have a measured, balanced discussion about it, and just look at the way he was treated for doing so. 

At the time, I couldn't understand why the passion and intensity reserved for the EU wasn't also reserved for other things. People were possessed by the referendum vote, in an evangelical and superstitious fashion, and significantly lacked awareness of other issues at the time. An example of one such issue was Saudi Arabia's murderous treatment of Yemen, in what is still the worst humanitarian crisis across the globe, and Britain's complicity in this. The human cost and suffering of such a crisis may be hard for us to comprehend.

We are fed superficial narratives painting the EU as a communal institution, where countries are connected and support each other. One look at Greece's treatment, in recent times, will show you that such communality doesn't exist. But even if some communality did exist, it certainly does not extend to Libya or Syria, where refugees fleeing from conflict-stricken countries are unlawfully denied access to Europe. The automatic belief that the EU is about multiculturalism, tolerance and the eradication of borders is thus erroneous.

It seemed that many liberals reached tipping points with Trump and Brexit, seemingly blind to the fact that these events were symptoms of years of oppression and corruption. My tipping point wasn't Trump or Brexit. My tipping point was thousands of innocent civilians dying in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. Or maybe the systematic oppression of working class people, in the US and UK, for over 40 years. Or maybe, depending on how far back we go, the Vietnam war. Or Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Corbyn was always critical of the EU, like his friend and colleague Tony Benn, with good reason. But he was clearly under immense pressure, by senior Labour colleagues, to push for another referendum vote. In this regard, the compromise that the Labour Party made at the 2019 General Election was a major factor in their defeat. Corbyn actually didn't go far left enough. By compromising and being more centrist and liberal, rather than truly progressive and left-wing, the Labour Party suffered a great election defeat. I don't think enough people get this.