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Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend when it comes to making films that are not just visually stunning, but also often provide a deeper learning lesson. All his films are like reflections of his own thoughts and experiences, and he never hesitates to present them at the forefront.
From environmentalism to pacifism, Miyazaki’s movies always feel like a gentle but firm nudge to make one think about their place in this world.
But withPrincess Mononoke, he was aiming at something bigger, basically revolutionizing the entire Japanese film industry! Miyazaki challenged the views of another popular Japanese filmmaker of that time, Akira Kurosawa, with this new idea of him.
What did Miyazaki exactly aim for by creatingPrincess Mononoke?
In a past interview with Brian Camp, when Miyazaki made his first trip to New York, fans got a lot of insightful sneak peeks into his motivation behind this project.
Among the many, a notably interesting one was when Miyazaki told the interviewer that withPrincess Mononokehe wanted to break away from the traditional and stereotypical films about Japanese history that other directors had made popular. And by other directors, one can now guess whom he was actually referring to.
One of the major themes I had to confront once I decided to make a film based in historic Japan was how to free myself from the grip of restrictions that [Akira] Kurosawa made for us.
Miyazaki wanted to break the mold established by Akira Kurosawa’s period films, which mostly dealt with the Samurai and their honor-driven lifestyle. He believed that Kurosawa’s works had built a restrictive narrative that did not do justice to the complexities of real Japanese history.
The more I’ve learned about Japanese history the more I’ve grown to believe that it is not just about the samurai that populate the period films by other directors.
Miyazaki wanted to focus on the lives of ordinary people, the peasants, and the indigenous populations, who were always neglected in traditional period dramas.
“Still looks better than almost all animated movies today”: What Hayao Miyazaki Did 27 Years Ago With Princess Mononoke With $23.5 Million is Something Studios Can Only Dream to Replicate Even Today
With Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki intended to create a more nuanced and complex presentation of Japan’s past beyond the typical Samurai stories that foreigners knew and followed. With a blend of history, mythology, and fantasy,Princess Mononokemanaged to live up to Miyazaki’s expectations, as even children seemed to love it, giving a new face to Japanese history.
History always prefers the noble, not the commoners!
It has always been like this: History glamorizes the noble and powerful, often leaving out the contribution of the common folks.According to Miyazaki, even in the Japanese film industry, such a traditional account has been continued for decades, keeping the stories of common people in the background.
Never Compare Oscar Winner Hayao Miyazaki With Disney, He Absolutely Hates It
But as a matter of fact,Hayao Miyazaki is always very much against this ideologyand so he tried to challenge it through his work. He believes that the common people, not just the nobility, play a crucial role in shaping history.
Through my research I’ve learned that although they were of a lower class, indeed they had far more freedom. They were armed and they had much more power than we have been led to believe.
Through his research, he discovered that despite belonging to a lower class, the ordinary individuals of any historical event had much more freedom, and also wielded great power. Thus, through Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki highlights the experiences of these common people in a fresh and more nuanced perspective of Japanese history.
Princess Mononokeis available to watch onNetflix.
Diganta Mondal
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :741
Diganta Mondal is an avid Content Writer at Fandomwire, specializing in anime and pop culture-related stuff. With over 600 published articles, he boasts his knowledge on this beloved media and strives to connect with fellow anime enthusiasts all across the globe.Despite having a non-journalism educational background, his love for shows like Vinland Saga, Violet Evergarden, and other Naoki Urasawa works constantly inspires him to share informative news, theories, and recommendations on almost all anime genres, aiming to create a shared platform for nerdy discussions.
