Transcendence over conflict

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2018)

"Nature vs. human" is clearly one of the central topics of this film. What many people misunderstand is that, however, this "human" (symbolized by "Jigo") includes most of ordinary people in the world who live in a wood-made house, drive a car exhausting gas, and use plastic-made goods, not only the definitely hopeless money-driven people who typically make a golf-course by cutting woods.
From the bird's viewpoint, modern capitalism or neoliberalism is coherently and thoroughly criticized, for San (Princess mononoke) symbolizing "nature" is consistently not compatible with "human" until the end. Asitaka intends to reconcile "nature" and "human", but unfortunately his way is to accept the conflict and discrepancy of them with his endless struggle. So the dog-god Moro strictly advised him to "live" beforehand.
In the mid 90's, "lost 25 years", a continuous economic decline, were just beginning in Japan when people committing suicide were increasing in the locked-up feeling. On the other hand, people who lived in the Muromachi era around 500 years ago always deliberated their views of life and death facing daily deaths. The strong and catchy message of this film, "do live", thus having a double-meaning, must be widely accepted 20 years ago.
After 20 years still in the economic decline and left behind the global economy, Japan rather seems to recover its harmony with nature and human or anti-capitalism compared to that time. So far partly and still fashionable though, no golf and no cars, increase in young people loving more rural areas than urban ones, development of ecosystem such as electric cars, the advent of minimalism and sharing economy... probably these new trends would be life sprouts after their economic death, as if caused by Shishi-gami!