Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) (1997) [TKLA-50300]The Movie: If there was ever a genre of film that I am completely infatuated with, it is, and always will be animation, whether it be American, Japanese, or from any other nation of origin. The idea of telling a story through moving art will always fascinate me in a way that most normal cinema can.
Take the work of Hiyao Miyazaki for example: time after time he produces thought provoking, gorgeous films super charged with excellent plots, morals, and characters that truly make you feel for the movie you've just watched. Especially when it comes to the film in question, Mononoke Hime (more popularly referred to as Princess Mononoke here in the States.)
Mononoke Hime brings to the table many unique storylines that produce one of the most intelligent and though provoking pieces of animation the world has ever seen. From it's opening credits we are quickly introduced to our lead male character, Ashitaka, a soft spoken, peace advocating, but cursed young man who is thrust into a journey to the west to resolve the curse placed on him by a demon's wound. In his attempt to discover the realm of the Forest Spirit of the west, he becomes deeply entwined in a battle between the humans of Irontown and the creatures of the forest for ultimate control over the forest and its resources. The film isn't exactly subtle in the message it attempts to convey, but if one is willing to look past that you can easily be sucked into the film's deep characterization of its two leads, Ashitaka and San - the Princess Mononoke - as well as a vastly developed sense of realism thrown in due to the use of accurate dismemberment and detail implemented into the style of the film.
I've attempted to tiptoe around the plot of this film, as it is one so dear to me that if I was to spoil for any of you out there who have yet to become immersed in this film, it would be heartbreaking for me. This is one of the few films that I would place on my list of films you absolutely MUST see, on any format, as the only release of the film on Laserdisc carries a Japanese audio track, and that's it, so it isn't for everyone out there.
The Video: Simply stunning. Bravo. Fantastic - at least on the surface. This Laserdisc has colors and detail that easily match that of the Miramax Region 1 DVD that I first viewed before importing the Laserdisc. With every scene you can see everything that the scene encompasses, nothing gets lost in fuzzy spots or underneath any video artifacts. I've always said that animation truly brings out the best in Laserdisc, and Mononoke Hime's gorgeous 1:85:1 widescreen transfer is almost a perfect example. That is...until you noticed the video noise. And boy, is it bad. The signal noise in this release is one of the most distracting and wildly annoying cases of incredible amounts of signal noise I've ever seen on any of my Laserdiscs, and I have close to 300. Perhaps it might be because of how gorgeous the film looks underneath, or perhaps it is my Pioneer CLD-59 Elite. And it isn't even present 100% of the time, but when it's on screen, you'll see it, and it might be as distracting as it was for me.
The Audio: Where the video falters, the audio picks up the slack and comes at you with the force of a freight train going full speed. This disc comes with both a Dolby Surround encoded Stereo LPCM track and an AC-3 5.1 track. The LPCM track is serviceable, and incredibly good sounding, but if you never have a chance to listen to the AC-3 track, you're missing out on what might be the greatest standard Dolby Digital track to ever hit Laserdisc. From the very beginning, as soon as the Studio Ghibli logo appears on screen, you get hit with some of the best low frequency effect use I've ever seen from a home video release. The surrounds kick in full force for the majority of the movie, whether it's used to enhance the enveloping of the score, or whether it's used to masterfully project the mayhem shown on screen all around you. It is truly an experience unlike anything I've ever heard, and puts the Region 1 DVD to shame in every way.
Unfortunately, unlike the Region 1 DVD, this disc only carries the original Japanese theatrical mix, so before watching this release, make sure to brush up on your Japanese, or stick to one of the later DVD releases.
Overall: If you don't watch this movie, or pickup this Laserdisc, you will turn into a corrupted demon and attack innocent villages. It's as simple as that.
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