Nia wk 6

What are the underlying thematic of Princess Mononoke? How does it ‘defamiliarise’ its historical setting, according to Napier (2005)?

Napier states that the writer of Princess Mononoke Miyazaki, strategically manifests ideas at a time of Japans “historical cross-roads”, a time before “patriarchal system…which nature rather than humans ruled.” Although according to Napier (2005) it is clear that Princess Mononoke does not base itself on actual Japanese history instead Miyazaki defamiliarise the anime’s story period depended on ‘myths’ like in Japanese culture, “the myth of the feminine as long-suffering and supportive and the myth of the Japanese as living in harmony with nature…” Napier goes on to say that Miyazaki further defamiliarizes Japanese history by depicting the anime in 14^th century Muromachi period where Japanese culture was high with traditional conventions such as the tea ceremony.

Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.