It’s a new week, which means a new general discussion thread. Have you been able to find something interesting to watch this summer season? Diving back into the archive of yesteryear to watch an oldie? Want to espouse the virtues of a hidden gem? Let’s chat about it!
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This past weekend, I was able to attend another showing of a Ghibli movie in my local theater as part of Ghibli Fest happening this year. This time, it was Princess Mononoke. Due to my schedule, I was attending on a day where the English dub was screening.
One thing that really struck me watching it on the big screen was the soundtrack. It had been years since I last watched Mononoke, and even then, I had watched it at a Ghibli themed party that was full of other people milling about, chatting, eating, etc. So, the soundtrack was not really shown in the best light at my previous viewing. This time though, the soundtrack was really great and was definitely the most impactful thing on me from watching it on the big screen.
Another thing I noticed this time was how much effort went into animating some of the sequences. I can’t even imagine all the work put into animating all the little squiggly, wormy bits of the demons, or how much effort went into animating the transparency portions of the forest spirit.
Something I had a question about when I left the theater was the importance of the crystal dagger. I talked to a friend afterwards and did a little research and found out that the crystal daggers symbolism was impacted by the localization from Japanese to English. Story spoiler below for more:
Crystal Dagger Changes
I have only ever seen the dub for this movie (that I can remember), so I only ever knew the character that gives Ashitaka the crystal dagger, Kaya, as his sister. However, Kaya’s relationship to Ashitaka in the original Japanese was that of a betrothed. When localizing to English, Disney changed it to sister instead. I guess arranged marriages between kids were a step too far for them.
Anyway, so the crystal dagger is really something like a wedding ring. So, when Ashitaka makes sure that San gets the dagger, it is essentially a proposal. The fact that the dagger is the thing that he sees when he is trying to rescue her is symbolic that their love is what is pulling them through the darkness.
Overall, it was a great experience. I don’t know what the next movie in the list I will be able to do (I think probably Kiki, but it isn’t set in stone yet).
“The Legend of Ashitaka” is one of my favorite film themes ever.
It is excellent. Some of my favorite parts of the film were the montages where they really just let the OST rip at full volume. The movie is wonderfully atmospheric at times like that.