If you've never seen Anime (Japanese animation) before, I recommend the classic "Graveyard of the Fireflies." It takes place just after WWII and is all character and story driven, not the fantastic super-hero or mecha stuff you normally see imported to America.
But "Princess Mononoke" gets my vote for best Anime ever. The characters are pretty 2-dimensional, but the story is a cautionary fable of the encroachment or human progress into nature during in feudal Japan. It's populated with spirits and gods, battles and love, violence and drama. But by the end if you don't find yourself wrapped up in the story, taken by the characters, and choked up by the final images.... Well, I won't be so insulting as to say you don't have a heart, but I'd wonder about you. *smile*
I really wish I had seen this on the big screen. The animation is standard Anime, but that also means they do a fantastic job with imagery and action sequences you usually don't find in American animation.
Rent this. No, BUY it! It certainly deserves to go into one's collection. Note, it's animated, but it may not be for children. It's violent and contains some disturbing images, but it's very poignant and vital to the story it tells. I think children SHOULD see it for the story and message it tells, but parents should watch it first to decide if it might be too much.
Category: Movie
Genre: Fantasy
Date Reviewed: 2000-01-01
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Rating: 8