Week 5

What genre or genres is Princess Mononoke? How does it relate to its ‘prequel,’ Nausicaā ?
It is the most remarkable result of Hayao Miyazaki’s macroscopic stories, and a work that perfectly represents his ideas. This is considered one of the best works in animation history. There are also dramatic elements of the main character’s internal conflict, mental growth, awakening to the world surrounding him, and the nature of adventure elements that venture as they leave west to solve their curses. It is an animation that contains various discourse under the big ecological theme of symbiosis between nature and human beings.

Nausicaa is the only person in the film, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, who can represent both human and natural positions. She strives for human survival, but on the other hand, she also struggles to tell the truth of nature and bring about coexistence. It was drawn in such an ideal way. In this regard, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” withholds a strong comparison to “Princess Mononoke”. 

In “Princess Mononoke”, there is no one like Nausicaa, who is a perfect idealist that represents everyone’s position. Ashitaka is a human being who can communicate with animals, but as a result, he has failed to obtain consent from the villagers for his view of nature.

San is a person who grew up with wolves in nature but was not trusted by all the members of nature in “Princess Mononoke”. A herd of wild boars and their chief, Okkoto-nushi, represent the idea that San was not trusted. Unlike the nature of “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, nature in “Princess Mononoke” is portrayed as something that can act exclusively at any time for survival.

Humans can’t unconditionally define themselves as absolute evils due to the construction of an ideal society that returns by destroying nature. This is a rare sight in the world of Nausicaa. Alternatively, the pattern of the ending is different. With Ashitaka’s efforts to somehow stop the fight, San becomes a little closer to humans, and Eboshi admits to her own mistakes and vows to make a better village. That’s why the problem-solving method, such as taking a slow step forward rather than solving the dramatic problems that Nausicaä’s sacrifice brings, was not only more realistic, but also ignited the possibility of continued development in the future.