# Princess Mononoke--Anyone Seen It? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2001, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130 "2001-01-09T07:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/1 "2001-01-09T07:07:57Z")
Damn good movie. And I generally dislike anime. Damn good movie. (Yeah, I realize it was released last year; but I saw it for the first time tonight, on DVD.) ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/2 "2001-01-09T07:15:57Z")
Yes, I have. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/3 "2001-01-09T07:20:08Z")
Yep I seen it. I do hope you didn’t see the dubbed version. Ick! Also worth seeing, for Anime that is good for people who don’t like Anime,… Wicked Blue. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/4 "2001-01-09T07:20:42Z")
I saw it twice in a theater, and am now itching to get it on DVD. I thought it was one of the best movies I saw that year. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/5 "2001-01-09T07:41:31Z")
I thought it was OK. I wasn’t too impressed with the animation, though. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/6 "2001-01-09T10:47:12Z")
I enjoyed the film, (despite some of the casting choices of the dub). Though It’s been a year since I’ve seen it, it was a well told story. The animation wasn’t spectacular, but it has been awhile since I’ve seen spectacular animation for the cost of a (student or matinee discounted) ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/7 "2001-01-09T11:13:10Z")
Great movie, but watch it in Japanese - Gillian Anderson’s voice coming out of a giant wolf is just too weird ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/8 "2001-01-09T11:34:55Z")
Ah, c’mon, oldscratch, the dub wasn’t bad. Except for Gillian Anderson once again proving she’s the worst piece of @#&!! actress on TV. Even if she is a ReBoot fan. You ment _Perfect Blue,_ though, que no? The dub of which WAS bad, unfortunatly. Dispite which, it’s still one of my favorite movies . . . – “This is the anime version of Peter Rabit . . .” ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/9 "2001-01-09T12:32:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gadarene \* > \*\*Damn good movie. And I generally dislike anime. Damn good movie. > > (Yeah, I realize it was released last year; but I saw it for the first time tonight, on DVD.) \*\* I saw it and really enjoyed it. I’m a fan of Miazaki’s stuff. If you liked it, you might see if you can find Kiki’s Delivery Service or Totoro or Laputa which are also by him and all are excellent. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Rally\_Vincent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@Rally\_Vincent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rally_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/10 "2001-01-09T17:42:25Z")
Gunsmith Cats and Blue Seed are very well-dubbed anime that you all might enjoy. I haven’t seen Princess Mononoke yet. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/11 "2001-01-09T18:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colin Wilkinson \* > \*\*Great movie, but watch it in Japanese - Gillian Anderson’s voice coming out of a giant wolf is just too weird \*\* On the other hand, Billy Bob Thornton is pretty cool. I LIKED the animation…at least of the landscapes and cloud-filled skies. The characters weren’t drawn as well. But they were real CHARACTERS, by gum…not the 2-dimensional crap in most US animated work. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/12 "2001-01-09T19:04:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ukulele Ike \* > I LIKED the animation…at least of the landscapes and cloud-filled skies. The characters weren’t drawn as well. But they were real CHARACTERS, by gum…not the 2-dimensional crap in most US animated work. You’ve pinpointed what I liked most about the movie, **Ike**. There were no real archetypes; in fact, there were no “bad guys,” only antagonists. Every character had their own plausible motivation, and none were truly good or evil. They did an especially good job of this with Lady Eboshi. The continuity was also amazing, better than most live-action films. There was a real attention paid to detail–a perfect example of this is when Ashitaka returns to Iron Town for the first time, and is given back his bow and arrows. Hell, I’d forgot he’d left it there in the first place, and I’m usually really good about those kinds of things! Oh, and speaking of the animation–I thought it was pretty good. I especially liked the apes at night, and the worm-demon at the beginning was just downright creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Rally\_Vincent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@Rally\_Vincent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rally_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/13 "2001-01-09T20:47:08Z")
Having characters that are neither totally good nor totally evil is a trademark of anime. There are archvillains on occasion but usually the characters are as was described above. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/14 "2001-01-09T21:31:55Z")
Perfect Blue… That’s it. Thanks **Ura-Maru** I highly recomend it for anyone who liked Mononoke cause of the plot. It’s a completely different film, but also very well done. It’s a modern day thriller. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/15 "2001-01-09T23:16:55Z")
Yep, saw it and loved it. Just wanted to add to Fenris’ note about Miyazaki’s other stuff. Kiki’s was released in the US by Disney - they did the ‘service’ of dubbing it first, I believe - and I’m not sure if it’s available on DVD (in which case I’d recommend, as always, to watch it subbed). OOC, was I the only one that found Claire Danes to be too high pitched and/or hysterical as San? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/16 "2001-01-09T23:24:02Z")
**KKBattousai:** Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Though I generally watch foreign films subtitled, I did watch _Princess Mononoke_ dubbed–mostly because of the script by Neil Gaiman. And I thought Claire Danes was clearly the weakest link among the voice actors. (Gillian Anderson neither impressed me nor bothered me, mostly because I forgot it was her.) I thought the voicework kicked the ass of _Titan A.E._, FWIW–then again, the script and plot and characters kicked the ass of _Titan A.E._, too. ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/17 "2001-01-09T23:32:55Z")
Excellent movie. _Titan AE_ does not deserve mention in the same sentence. Anyone seen _Grave of the Fireflies?_ ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/18 "2001-01-10T00:00:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gadarene \* > \*\ ***KKBattousai:** Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Though I generally watch foreign films subtitled, I did watch _Princess Mononoke_ dubbed–mostly because of the script by Neil Gaiman. And I thought Claire Danes was clearly the weakest link among the voice actors. (Gillian Anderson neither impressed me nor bothered me, mostly because I forgot it was her.) > > I thought the voicework kicked the ass of _Titan A.E._, FWIW–then again, the script and plot and characters kicked the ass of _Titan A.E._, too. \*\* You know, I don’t think there’s been a post I’ve agreed with more, not in recent history at least. I was overwhelmingly pleased with the selection of Gaiman as the screenwriter (screentranslator?) for PM as he is, after I read **Neverwhere** , now my favorite author. OTOH, the script for Princess Mononoke amused the hell out of me not because Gaiman wrote it, but because it was **exactly the same** as the fansub that preceded it. I shit you not, it was (almost) word for word the same. Not that I minded, since it was a great translation, but it’s still kind of amusing. I also agree with you on Gillian Anderson (truth be told, I thought it was a good performance, though this might just be the contrast between her soft voice and Danes’), and the fact that Titan A.E. blew great big monkey chunks. \ ---
**Author:** ![SouprChckn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@SouprChckn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouprChckn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/19 "2001-01-10T00:23:01Z")
Yeah, I saw it. And liked it too. Those little kadama (sp?) things were pretty funny. On a side note, after seeing those few decapitations and dismemberments, I can’t help but feel that a little more violent fighting scenes would have made this movie even more fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130/20 "2001-01-10T01:04:25Z")
Yep. I thought it was a beautiful film, and this is from someone who has very, very, _very_ limited patience with movies and/or television (just ask my fellow dorm lounge rats). I haven’t seen much anime, but I’ve heard that the series (?) _Kite_ is good. I haven’t had the chance to see it yet, but I did see it at the Blockbuster back home. Were the kadama things the little green nature children/sprite/dryad clicky things? I want one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-mononoke-anyone-seen-it/49130.md?page=2)