Princess Mononoke Review | If You Loved Nausicaä, This Is the "What Comes Next"

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"I do love you, Ashitaka. But I cannot forgive the humans."—What do you make of San's confession?

As a Japanese anime fan who grew up watching Studio Ghibli films, I can tell you that Princess Mononoke holds a special place in our hearts. In 1997, Hayao Miyazaki finally depicted "what comes next"—thirteen years after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Arms fly. Heads roll. This is no gentle, child-friendly Ghibli tale. It is a ruthless masterpiece. There is no good, no evil—only clashing ideals of justice. When righteous conviction meets righteous conviction, the world bleeds. In an age of division, this film still screams at us to "Live."

🎬 Official Trailer

📌 This Title in 3 Lines

📖 Synopsis

Muromachi-era Japan. Ashitaka, a young prince from a remote village in the Emishi region (an area in northeastern Japan historically inhabited by indigenous people), slays a demon god that attacks his home—but in doing so, receives a fatal curse on his arm. Seeking a cure, he journeys westward and arrives at Tatara Ba, an ironworks settlement.

There, Lady Eboshi leads the humans who clear the forest to forge iron. Meanwhile, deep in the woods lives San—the "Princess Mononoke"—a girl raised by wolf gods who despises humanity and seeks Eboshi's death. Ashitaka, belonging to neither world, stands between them, searching for a way to live together. But conspirators who seek the head of the Shishigami (Forest Spirit)—god of life and death—set in motion a catastrophe that threatens to destroy everything.

✨ What Makes This Title Special

A Narrative That Refuses Simple Moral Binaries

The film's most striking feature is the absence of absolute evil. It is not a simple fable of "bad humans" versus "good nature."

Consider Lady Eboshi. She burns the forest and hunts the Forest Spirit—a seeming tyrant. Yet she also shelters people suffering from Hansen's disease (leprosy), who were severely discriminated against in feudal Japan, and gives refuge to former sex workers. The people of Tatara Ba adore her for good reason—she is both destroyer and savior.

The forest gods, meanwhile, are far from "pure good." Okkoto succumbs to hatred and becomes a demon. The apes chant "Eat human." Everyone is right, and everyone is wrong. Japanese fans often describe this as Miyazaki's most "adult" work—a story that mirrors the complexity of real-world conflicts where both sides believe they're fighting for justice.

The Hard-Won Hope That "We Can Still Start Over"

When the Forest Spirit's head is severed, death consumes the land. But when Ashitaka and San return it, greenery spreads across the mountains once more.

Yet it is not the original forest. The gods will not return. It is just an ordinary wood. Miyazaki refused an easy happy ending. But there is hope—a fragile, precious hope: "We can still begin again."

Perhaps human wisdom can restore rich nature. Miyazaki did not completely deny that possibility. This was a question posed in 1997—and in 2026, we are still searching for the answer.

Joe Hisaishi's Score in Perfect Fusion with the Visuals

The instant "The Legend of Ashitaka" (アシタカせっ記) swells through the speakers, your heart is seized. The theme song, performed by counter-tenor Yoshikazu Mera, wraps the story in otherworldly beauty. In Japan, this soundtrack became a cultural phenomenon—you'll still hear "Mononoke Hime" (the main theme) played at graduation ceremonies and concerts decades later.

In a theater, the difference is undeniable. Hisaishi's weighty orchestration amplifies the mystery of nature, blending with Kazuo Oga's stunning background art. There is an immersion television cannot replicate. In 2025, a 4K remaster brought the film to IMAX screens—another chance to experience its overwhelming visuals and sound in a theater.

Ready to experience Miyazaki's most uncompromising epic? Stream on Max (HBO)—the exclusive home of Studio Ghibli in the US.

😅 Room for Improvement

The critique that San—the "Princess Mononoke" of the title—has relatively little screen presence persists. More scenes exploring her emotional turmoil between her human and wolf-god identities could have deepened the story. Indeed, the film was originally titled "The Legend of Ashitaka" (アシタカせっ記) during production.

And the thematic weight: nature and humanity, environmental destruction—the messaging is direct, sometimes to the point of feeling preachy. Some find it more didactic than Nausicaä. But that straightforwardness is precisely what Miyazaki wanted to convey.

🎭 Memorable Scenes

"I do love you, Ashitaka. But I cannot forgive the humans."

San's confession. Love for Ashitaka coexists with hatred for humanity—a single line that captures the film's essence. It rejects human-centrism while affirming that love is still possible. The resolve to live carrying that contradiction is what this moment embodies.

"Live. You are beautiful."

Ashitaka whispers to the dying San as he feeds her mouth-to-mouth. It is Ghibli's most direct declaration of love—and the living embodiment of the film's tagline: "Live." (生きろ。) This single word became the film's marketing slogan in Japan, appearing on posters everywhere. No matter the circumstance, choose to live. The power of that message cuts deep.

And the final scene: Ashitaka and San gaze upon mountains reclaimed by green. Yet it is not the Forest Spirit's forest—the gods will never return. Hope and loss coexist in Miyazaki's characteristically bittersweet close. Not a "solution," but the beginning of "starting over."

💭 How It Made Me Feel

After the credits rolled, I sat speechless. "I don't fully understand what I just witnessed, but it was something monumental"—that reaction, common among Japanese viewers in 1997, holds true today.

The film appears to depict "harmony between nature and humanity," yet it actually confronts us with its impossibility. Hollow platitudes like "let's coexist" cannot resolve this reality. And yet Ashitaka's cry of "Let us live together" may be exactly what an era of division needs most.

🎬 If You Loved This, Watch These 3 Next

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

The origin point of Princess Mononoke—the departure Miyazaki spent 13 years evolving. The Toxic Jungle is the Forest Spirit's forest; the Ohmu stampede is Okkoto's charge; Kushana is Eboshi. Watch this, then revisit Princess Mononoke, and you'll see how Miyazaki deepened his themes. But note: the anime only covers the manga's opening act. To plumb the true depths, read all seven volumes of the original manga.

Where to Watch: Max (HBO), Netflix (outside US)

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Mamoru Oshii's philosophical animation landmark. Its meditation on the boundary between human and machine, and the meaning of life and death, resonates with Princess Mononoke's conflict between humanity and nature. For those who want to push the question "What is human?" to its limit.

Read our full Innocence review

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video (Rent/Buy), Apple TV (Rent/Buy)

Sonatine (1993)

Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece. Violence and stillness, life and death coexist in a world uncannily similar to Princess Mononoke. If you crave images where beauty and brutality share the frame, this is your film. Joe Hisaishi composed the score—another connection that Japanese fans love to point out.

Read our full Sonatine review

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video (Rent/Buy), Criterion Channel

📺 Where to Watch Princess Mononoke

⚠️ In the US, Studio Ghibli films are exclusively streamed on Max (HBO). Check JustWatch for current availability in your region.

📊 Streaming Comparison

Service	Availability (US)	Audio Options
Max (HBO)	Streaming	Japanese / English dub
Hulu	Streaming (Max add-on)	Japanese / English dub
Amazon Prime Video	Rent / Buy	Japanese / English dub
Apple TV	Rent / Buy	Japanese / English dub
Netflix	Not available (US)	—

⚠️ Availability as of February 2026. Please verify before subscribing.

📝 Final Thoughts

Princess Mononoke is Studio Ghibli's deepest and most uncompromising masterpiece. Arms fly. Heads roll. After years of crafting films children could enjoy, Miyazaki here showed his "full strength."

There is no villain. Every character acts according to their own sense of justice. When justice collides with justice, tragedy follows. That was the story of 1997—and it remains the story of 2026. What the anime Nausicaä could not depict, the manga's essence, lives here. "Let us live together"—Ashitaka's words may be Miyazaki's final message to those of us navigating an era of division.

⭐ Title Characteristics

Category	Rating
Story	★★★★★
Visuals	★★★★★
Music	★★★★★
Characters	★★★★★
Thematic Depth	★★★★★
Entertainment Value	★★★★☆