“See with eyes unclouded by hate.”
synopsis
In medieval Japan, young warrior Ashitaka becomes cursed after killing a demonized boar god. Seeking a cure, he becomes entangled in a violent struggle between industrial expansion and the forest spirits fighting for survival. Caught between Lady Eboshi’s ironworks and the fierce, wolf-raised San, Ashitaka searches for balance.
pairs well with ...
mini-review
This is Miyazaki at his most ferocious. Unlike the gentler Ghibli films, this one doesn’t offer easy moral binaries. Industry isn’t pure evil; nature isn’t purely innocent. Everyone believes they’re justified. The film is epic, brutal in moments, and morally complex. It’s environmental storytelling without preaching — mythic yet grounded in human compromise.
A night when you want something mythic and morally layered.
Absurdist's Corner
A cursed warrior trying to broker peace between industrial capitalism and literal gods of the forest.
fun facts
At the time, the most expensive Japanese animated film ever made.
Marked a major breakthrough for anime in Western theatrical markets.
Miyazaki reportedly sent a samurai sword to studio executives who suggested cuts — a message to leave it intact.