Week 6- With reference to Cavallaro (2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?

Cavallaro argues that Princess Mononoke is a sterling example of anime for several reasons. The production value is easy to take for granted, but the use of computer graphics and painstakingly researched forest scenes do create an aesthetically pleasing experience that surpasses other well known anime such as "Vampire Hunter D."

Production value alone doesn't make a great anime though. Princess Mononoke begins to set itself apart with its script. Its brutally honest reinterpretation (or even revelation) of the past breaks social barriers and cliches so often used as crutches in storytelling. In this movie ancient Japan is not a black and white place where there are manly men, womenly women, good guys and bady guys in a glorious land. The country is in chaos, and the normal people must do what they have to in order to survive.

Much like in Buffy, the characters in Princess Monoke are well developed and morally ambiguous. The gods play the role of protectors of the universe, but they're stubborn and callous. The humans are kind to the helpless but cruel to the forest, which sustains all life.

Unlike Disney cartoons that seem to repeat the same theme of young, idealistic rich kids rebelling against society's expectations (within society's confines of the G, PG and PG-13 rating system), Princess Mononoke tackles issues of existentialism, the balance and cycles of nature, moral ambiguity and gender roles. Granted, Disney tackled gender roles in Mulan, but that was aimed at a primarily American audience that had already accepted that message. So Mulan really didn't take the same risks that Princess Mononoke did in Japan.

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The

Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. (p. 122-125)

London: McFarland &

Company.