Princess Mononoke - Top Tier Fantasy! 

Can’t wait for Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. Spirited Away is my favorite movie. When Hollywood is so focused on commercialization, Spirited Away is a work of art in every sense. Howl’s Moving Castle is also really good and beautiful yet painful in its own way. Ghibli is focused day on quality first and foremost. Haven’t seen any studio achieve that level of artistic merit in animation, though Cartoon Saloon definitely comes close. Side note. About Miyazaki’s infamous anime was a mistake quote, look into what he actually said. It makes a lot more sense.

Fun Fact : Neil Gaiman wrote the english dub of this anime ;)

This is one of my favorite movies. Ashitaka does have a much more subtle ark than other characters, and he is steeped in Japanese culture. There are alot of concepts at play in Japanese lit and films which can be missed by us westerners. Firstly, there is the concept of "Wa", the idea that there is a natural harmony that is meant to be upheld, the status quo, if you would. Form this stems the concept of "Giri", ones duty to their own social circles. So when Ashitaka is infected at the start of the movie, everyone knows he must leave or else disrupt the Wa. This plays into the concept of "Gaman", that one should willingly endure pain or hardship without complaint, more so, suffering can be a character building experience. Ashitaka acts as a protagonist for balance, trying to stop what he thinks is wrong and to maintain the Wa, but ultimately fails when the great forest spirit dies. The forest is reborn, but the spirits have moved on, a new age has begun and a new balance must be found. And I feel this has much to do with the concept of "Mono-no-aware", which is the idea that the beauty of things often lies in their impermanence, and our awareness of such a fleeting nature. Earlier in the movie, the great forest spirit, who with every step created life, breathes death into a flower, in one of the most beautifully haunting moments in film, and without words sums up the truth that balance means of life and death too, beginnings and endings, things have whither away, things have to move on. When ashitaka first saves San in the iron town, it is about balance, she is of the forest, he performs a noble dut, stoicly. But then he sees her as an outcast too and identifies with her. When he dives into the demon hog to save her it isn't just about balance. It is an emotional choice, possibly the first real one he makes, because it isn't just about what he should do, it's about what he wants to do, and more than he cares for his own life, or his own honor, he cares about her and dives into certain demise for her. At the end, Ashitaka settles into the idea of "Wabi-sabi", that there is beauty in the imperfections of life. So in the end he must move on as well, and while he may return to San time and again, he doesn't stay. He knows there is to be some new sort of balance they must find, and while the forests spirits may be gone, he is still not of the forest, not like San. So he must move on, but now he is unburdened by societal expectations, free from suffering, and while nothing may have ended the way he would have thought or wanted, thats the way it goes, life is imperfect, but it's knowing that that makes it beautiful. This may have been a bit long, but this story has meant so much to me over the years and in learning more about Japanese culture, it seems to have become all the more deep. There are of course dozens of other concepts I didn't mention or completely missed, but... the more you know, right. If you read this, thanks, and hope I could help shed a little light. Keep up the good work Daniel. And finish watching Attack on Titan already.

youve seen only three ghiblis???? you are in a for a treat, daniel!! If you havne't seen "Nauiscaa of the valley of the wind", the first ghibli one unofficially, there are predecessor thumbprints to mononoke all over that one. it was the proto mononoke.

if you look at a side character of the refugees on the lake after the whole thing blows over, when Kohoku says "I didnt know the forest god made the flowers grow" you see one of the lepers hold up a healed hand from their bandage, meaning the forest god healed them as well in turn. its a nice message.

Please watch "Nausicaa" and "Grave of the Fireflies" love that you are getting into this type of content!!!

Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite movies of all time. It manages to handle a subject matter of environmentalism, nature , war and human nature a lot better than a majority of movies nowadays. I'm looking at you, James Cameron with your Avatar movie. It's a film that has touched me to where the novel I am working on takes plenty of inspiration from it.

Laputa: Castle In The Sky is a must-see if you haven’t! One of my favourite films of all time and the film that started me on a lifelong animé obsession. It might look a bit dated now but anything one wants to happen in a fantasy happens in this film!

I need to watch this movie. I’ve been meaning to forever.

Mononoke is one of my all time favourites, the world depicted in it is incredibly engaging and unique. For some other great movies from Japanese directors I'd recommend stuff by Satoshi Kon, films like Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Millenium Actress or Paprika.

I am all for the Ghibli review. But I would also recommend the work of Makoto Shinkai if Mononoke and Ghibli and stylistically your vibe. Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) is by all accounts a great film, and Shinkai is frequently compared to Miyazaki. Glad to revisit this classic, though.

Daniel: "I have only watched 3 of them" Me: Oh well, time to bring my pitchfork and gather the mob.

I really love Ashitaka’s selflessness threw out the story. He was ready to give his life for people who didn’t care about him or his life. His literal character has inspired me to be more like him, more so then any other character in film or literature has.

Congratulations on your new apartment! It may be just me, but the fact that your two bookshelves are two different colors is driving me insane.

You should try “Grave Of the fireflies” probably the only movie I have ever cried in

New office is looking fresh! I'm excited that you're doing Ghibli films especially since they're on HBO Max now so I can rewatch. :)

OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE MAKE THIS SERIES!!!! My two favorite Ghibli films are Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky

A lot of people watched PM before and have their nostalgia goggles on when thinking about it now, but I watched it for the first time a couple months ago as an adult. I love anime and animation in general and have watched SG films before so I may have some bias. I agree with every single thing Daniel said in this vid, especially about thinking about the movie for days afterwards. I love that it doesn’t try to convince you that one side is right, but leaves you feeling like it’s your responsibility to find a new way. Remember, this movie is over 20 yrs old, this was a time when the ozone layer was a huge issue- something we dealt with! It is also amazing how well it holds up these days compared to other shows and movies, animated or not.

Mononoke is my favorite film of all time. Thank you for covering this film, you put into words everything that makes this movie special to me.

Mononoke is one of most popular Ghibli’s for I feel the most obvious reasons? Like it touches on such an important topic of our relationship with the world. The artistic direction and fantastical features amplified the otherness of nature and was so integral to the conversation to humanity vs nature and ecology. The overlaid convergence of both aspects and “sides” in Mononoke and her emotional attachment to the natural was so good. Esp vs the industrial revolutions and accelerated progress of humanity affecting and in a way disrespecting nature because it comes down to human selfishness which is STILL an issue right now and continues to be. The gray areas of the characters are SO IMPORTANT for this convo because humanity does have to progress but also need to remember the Earth is not just for us. It shouldn’t take nature being personified emotionally for us to respect nature as it is, but it’s what the story does to enforce that idea. The story rewards rewatching through time and generations because the topic is so universal and there’s always things we can do to appreciate and treat nature better as a whole at any age. Defo a good way to broach topics of the relationship to nature to kids.

"Iron" town...."Stark" difference. I see you, Daniel.

Daniel, you definitely need to watch more Ghibli movies! Princess Mononoke is my all time favourite, I've seen it first when I was a child and even then it left me absolutely in awe and in deep thoughts on the issues it raises. Besides, it's such a well realised fantasy world and story, and it is so very unique. I'm really excited for your series of Ghibli movie reviews, there are so many gems among them (I ADORE Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away, but also - My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo and - not so well known - Porco Rosso). As an adult I feel like they shaped me in a way, the themes of destruction and disconnecting from nature, war, humanity's development and its price, those movies are all so timeless and universally important. I still look for those topics and themes in the media I consume, and I think I have Ghibli studio and Miyazaki to thank for. As for the criticism of Princess Mononoke - I don't think there's much to say on that. For a non-Japanese viewer, or just someone who hasn't had much experience with watching anime, there might be certain cultural barrier at first, but it is an issue with every type of media one's not used to. After crossing this treshold the immersion is just fantastic, you just have to let go of some preconcieved notions and let the movie itself grip you. The gory themes might be much, I woudn't advise watching it with small children. The boar covered in gross, meandering, pulsating worm-like tentacles was a bit much for my imagination back when I was 12 or 13. It is still shocking now, but just works so well within the movie aesthetic and truly packs a punch.

In 15 hours you received 550+ comments and they're all positive. We want more Ghibli reviews. Keep it up! I see everyone recommending all of the well loved films. They are all wonderful. The one film I have yet to see anyone mention, is my favorite and it's not nearly as popular as the others. The Cat Returns was my first Ghibli movie. I think you like cats, so you should do yourself a favor and watch The Cat Returns. It doesn't have some great lesson to learn like most Ghibli films, but it is definitely a fun one.

YESSSSSSSS! PLEASE KEEP DOING THESE and even more kinds of film reviews😭🙏

I love Ghibli movies and I am glad you will be reviewing them (upvote people!! upvote!!). I cannot wait until you see Howl's Moving Castle which is by the way based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones, which is more of a children's story but a great book non the less. Keep up the amazing work Daniel! I love your videos and you bring me the news I really want to hear ! Cheers!

Dude I’m so happy you’re channel is growing so well with all your content.

Looking forward to see your next myazaki reviews !!

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO SEE ANY TITLE AS MUCH AS I HAVE WITH THIS ONE! HOLY WHEELS I LOVE YOU NOW!

Love your work, it brings me so much happiness in these strange times

Absolutely love the idea of reviewing these films. I hope you continue the series!

I love this film, easily one of the best animated films ever. I'd suggest watching Castle in the Sky as soon as possible, the first film made under the Ghibli banner.

Hoping this does well enough to continue this series. Really enjoyed your perspective and your review!

I have not seen this one in so many years or watched anime but now I am dying to rewatch it. Super excited about this series idea Daniel.

Please keep these coming damny

You definitely should keep up with this! Love these films

Daniel, your reviews are getting better mate. Also your production quality of your vids have improved a lot since I first subscribed. You have grown a lot since then. You should be real proud of yourself. Keep it up.

This film is a masterpiece and one of my favorites of all time. Commenting and upvoting to support the channel and for more Ghibli videos.

First. Awesome vid. More of this please. Second. I remember going to see this in theatres and being mesmerized. It is one of the most complete stories done so well.

This is awesome. I literally cannot wait to hear your thoughts on The studio Ghibli series. Spirited away is my favorite, but it's been so long since I've seen princess mononoke that I need to go back and revisit it. Thanks for the thoughtful great in-depth reviews!

Thanks for the review. It's nice to see my favorite film get some love. I hope this convinces at least one person out there on the internet to watch the movie. Looking forward to more Studio Ghibli reviews and news about upcoming films.

Love the new setup!

this review is just fantastic. absolutely perfect summation of this beautiful film

Princess Mononoke is one of my favourite Ghibli films. I found Lady Eboshi to be one of the most complex characters I've watched or read. It was amazing to see how San and Lady Eboshi's motives overlapped - both of them only wanted to protect their home - and how it led to the war. I could rewatch this anime many times over and still be awed by it. I can't wait for your review of Howl! That's my other favourite :) So excited for this series!

I don't like video often, but if I could, I'd do it 1000 times for this one ! I'm so glad Daniel is doing this !

Princess Mononoke was my favorite movie as a child, long before I truly understood what it was about. I'm really happy to see you talking about it! Looking forward to this new series :)

Loved this! I adore these movies. Very interested in seeing more of this content!

Ghibli films have such a fantastic way of telling stories. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying them. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the various films you watch. Enjoy them all and definitely watch them with open heart and open mind.

I cannot wait to see you review the rest of the ghibli movies.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa defined my childhood!

Please continue to do these! I can't wait to hear what you think about Spirited Away.

This is a special movie for me because of the way it hit me in my more formative years. I'm glad to see you've enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to seeing you make a video about Spirited Away.

Definetely looking forward to more Ghibli stuff! I've been watching those lately. I can recommend Nausicaä and Castle In The Sky, they are awesome and go real hard on Ghibli's "nature is good", "war is bad" mottos

Love your channel. S tier quality content and if theres criticsm you can take it amazingly. Keep up the great work!!

Nausica of the valley of the wind, castle in the sky and Princess Mononoke are my fav Ghibli films for sure!!

would love to see a ghibli series! mononoke is one of my favourite films of all time - and no matter how often i watch it i am just constantly blown away! i would love to see you review nausicaa - it’s sort of the prototype mononoke, so it’d be interesting to see which you prefer and what similarities and differences you draw.

Princess Mononoke is easily one of my favorite films of all time, but I'd consider Laputa: Castle in the Sky to be my all-time favorite. I hope you watch it in the future and do a review on it!

I've been going Studio Ghibli nights once a week at my place for about a year now! It doesn't matter which one we watch it always leads to a great discussion afterwards

Princess Mononoke is my favorite Ghibli movie, and I'm happy to see someone else singing its praises

Woot! I remember commenting that you should watch this a while back. Not sure if that was what did it but so happy to see this on your channel! I watched this movie as a kid, and it was one of those movies that has never really left me since then. Every time I come back to it I’m still just as immersed as when I was a kid. Try to get Totoro in there at some point as well if you haven’t seen it yet!

Ghibli also did an adaptation of A Wizard of Earthsea.

so excited, I LOVE this movie! congrats on the new house btw :))

Really interesting vid. I have to say I've seen almost all the Ghibli films, barring a few newer ones and while some are better than others, I definitely enjoyed all of them. I hope this vid does well so we get more of them!

One of my favorite movies ever. Follows closely by ghost in the shell. Love the growth this channel has had recently, keep up the good fight Daniel!

Good to see you in the new place, the hair looks fine too. Wonderful review of a great movie. This is a cool new video series idea. If you haven't seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Spirited Away yet, watch one of them next. Nausicaa has similar environmental themes and Spirited Away has spirits. Finally, I'm not a fan of the background music even though it is very subtle. It distracts me and I imagine that people who have hearing difficulties might have issues with it too. Also, have you considered setting up captions so your videos would be more accessible to people with disabilities and non-English speaking watchers? Merphy recently adopted them too.

@Daniel Greene Hey Daniel! Just wanted to say that I enjoy your work. Stumbled across your content a few months ago, and I find your delivery very entertaining. You have a very good way of breaking down a piece of literature, pros and cons, that is both entertaining to watch, and well informed. I especially liked your "history of" videos, where you've discussed the origins of sci fi and YA. So keep up the good work!

Loved the video and I just subscribed! Another beautiful one, besides Nausicaa (which several people have already mentioned), is Laputa: Castle in the Sky. I highly recommend it, but honestly any Ghibli movie is going to be amazing so I’m looking forward to the videos!

Really enjoyed this review. I love all of the Miyazaki films. Mononoke is one of my favorite of his, my number one being Porco Rosso. Please keep these coming. Cheers.

Yaaay a video serie that i actually know the content jajaja Amazing analisis Daniel. Tahnks for telling us what films you are going to watch next so we can tag along. Here in Argentina all Ghibli movies are in Netflix.

Yay! I’m looking forward to this series! Not sure if you’ve already seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but I’m excited to hear your thoughts for this Ghibli story. It also features complex characters, abuse of nature, political struggles and magical flora and fauna :) It is also a published manga series which differs a bit from the animated film. Anyway, thanks for another fun video!

DANIEL you came at the perfect time. I'm in the middle of writing an essay for a uni course which is about our ecological crises and how animism, particularly from Japanese folk Shinto and other indigenous religions, may be a grassroots response to tackling them in the future. My lecturer really honed in on how this is actually Miyazaki's philosophy and is the intention behind almost all of his films, so I'm doing my essay on whether or not western audiences have been sort of baptised in a sense, of animistic beliefs through watching Miyazaki's Ghibli films and whether or not it's helped them reassess their relationship with nature. So here I am right, 3 mental breakdowns into my essay, bawling my eyes out, and then your video pops up and your entire quote from 8:51-9:46, perfectly explains my entire essay argument. You're someone of a western audience who, after watching a Miyazaki film that has an entire plot based off principles of animism, began to literally reassess your relationship with nature and you said that shit OUT LOUD. You don't know how many reviews I've had to sift through to try and find quotes of people grasping the bare minimum of the animistic ideologies of a Ghibli film and physically stating "I have reassessed my relationship with nature" or even just "It made me want to reassess my relationship with nature". So to have you explicitly state exactly this so eloquently, thank you, dude. thank you so fucking much. Thank you for literally uploading this exactly when I needed it lmao anyways it's due in two days and I have another 2000 words to write so wish me luck

Ayyyyy I watched Princess Mononoke like daily growing up, super happy to see you make a video on it! I would definitely also recommend Castle in the Sky if you haven't seen it.

hey daniel please continue to let us know which one is coming up ill start watching these with the channel, should be fun, and always meant to watch them eventually

YES TO ENTIRE GHIBLI REVIEW SERIES

All of the Ghibli films I've seen are fantastic, but my top three have to be 1: Spirited Away 2: Howl's Moving Castle and 3. Princess Mononoke. Great storytelling and it's different enough from everything else that it's basically its own genre at this point. Looking forward to seeing more of your Ghibli reviews in the future

Nice Review, and Fresh Cut mate

Is it bad I’ve never watched a Ghibli movie? I feel like I have to go to a confession booth or something every time I say that to my friends. I really need to see what I’m missing out on!

One of my favorite movies, can't wait for the following reviews on the Ghibli films your gonna watch

Longing forward to the "Daniel reviews Ghibli movies" series! While not a Ghibli film, I'd also love to see you review Ghandahar

OMG can’t wait for your Ghibli reviews . You also HAVE to watch Castle In the Sky ! Hoping you’re well😄

I've just given this a watch based off of your recommendation. Not my usual content.... I was IN LOVE with this film! Will definitely be checking out more anime content now. Thanks 🐺

Loved this video. I'm looking forward to seeing more. I'd be especially interested in your take on the Ghibli film "Pom Poko" it has a good mixture of ridiculous humour and serious topics.

You'll definitely love watching more Ghibli movies. My first Ghibli movie was Castle in the Sky. Changed my whole perspective on animated movies. Some aren't just cartoons for kids. Some have real meaning and are a joy to watch. Like all Ghibli movies.

Princess Mononoke is god tier. Definitely watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, that's up there as one of my favorite Miyazaki films as well, along with Howl's Moving Castle. So glad you are getting into more Ghibli films! Looking forward to your weekly reviews!

My friends and I rewatched it the day you posted this video. What are the odds? One of the best films of all time. Fundamental to my development.

Definitely do the series!

Princess Mononoke is a fantastic movie. I totally love the high quality of the animation, and the story is beautifully told and imaginative. And I think your haircut looks fine dude.

My first and favorite! That intro, though! It gets me every time.

This is my favorite movie ever it resonate with so much aspect of my life. I'm living as a forest manager balancing the exploitation of forests and the protection of natural structures in the same forests. I also have only praise for this movie. I sincerely think it should be watched by all for more people to understand to fragile balance we need to maintain when utilizing nature resources. It showcase the power of animation who can shatter any boundaries to tell a story. Good review i will watch more of your animation content for sure. (sorry for my bad english)

Haven't finished the video yet, but I'm enjoying it so far! :) Thank you for the video. I don't really have anything of substance to say I'm just hoping my comment will help somewhat in the algorithm. It'd be cool to see more of this series.

Continue this series!

Princess Mononoke was the first Miyazaki film I saw as a kid and I fell in love. Of the other films I’ve seen, the haven’t been as good, but I still really like howles moving castle and spirited away.

Princess Mononoke is one of my favourite movies of all time, it juggles a variety of themes a lot better than some films have recently. It is beautiful to look at, the English dub is done well. I have a feeling this film will stay with me forever and what a brilliant review as well, you have done this film justice.

I watched Princess Mononoke as a kid, and it was moving even back then, when I didn't understand it that much. Now I rewatched it as a teenager, and I can easily say that it's one of my favorite movies ever, if not THE favorite one. It's beautiful. It's terrifying. And it's something that gives hope, too. I just love it.

great series idea!

One of my favorite movies ever, got to see it in a theater fairly recently with a really nice (and loud) sound system, was almost moved to tears by the sheer beauty of this movie, it's so good

Mononoke is my favorite film of all time. A close second is Spirited Away (you will likely call your parents after watching it). Howl's is also amazing, and makes me wish Billy Crystal did more voice over work. Enjoy the ride! Ghibli is amazing.

Yes please! I'm all for this video series, since I'm plowing my way through all of the Ghibli films which are currently out as well! I would love to hear your thoughts on them.

I love this movie, everything by Miyazaki is brilliance! :-) Great Video, I would love to see you continuing this series of reviews.

Love this series idea! Enough to comment! Go algorithm, go!

The soundtrack is gorgeous as well