Separates the men of fine film from the boys of "mere anime"

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2002)

There are two ways to look at this film...from the eyes of an anime lover, and the eyes of a film lover. Frankly, I'll choose the latter viewpoint, as I find most anime to be petty, and meaninglessly cerebral. Hayao Miyazaki has truly inherited Disney's talent with the art of animated film, but his style is his own, and his technique, different, but just as good as the deceased master. Mononoke Hime stands not only as a masterpiece of animation, but a masterpiece of Japanese film...a grand, enticing epic which does its own thing, standing up to the epic films of Kurosawa and David Lean. This goes beyond simple anime, and tells a simple story with mind-blowing, beautiful technique. The only anime that tops it is Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata's masterpiece...the only anime I'd consider in my Top Five of Japanese cinema (Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Sansho the Bailiff, Tokyo Story, Rashomon).