WEEK 4 - Weiyue Lin

Princess Mononoke is a movie animation characterized by Japanese mythology. It is an inventive film of narrating a story of good and evil. The movie brings out a fight between nature and humans. San represents the defender of nature and is angered by human industrial activities. Ashitaka seems to be the champion of peace captured by the circumstances of the moment and cannot help but kill and maim. The movie brings out the role of Shinto, an indigenous Japanese religion that is characterized by ancestors and the spirits of nature. The scriptwriter weaves a narrative around a divine communication between the earth and the nature spirits. The writer advocates for an untainted nature through Mononoke. A god without a head reveals a deep connection with human ancestors. When god’s head is returned, both Eboshi and his mercenaries are spared, which shows that the gods can give a chance to humans to learn from their ways and possibly change. It endorses the fact that nature and humans can live in harmony. Covid19 represents the curse that Ashitaka was inflicted with by the monster. There is a theory that radiations from 5G might have engineered a mutation in existing flu, which is a human factor. The frantic efforts to find a vaccine is yet to bear fruit just as the journey travelled by Ashitaka in pursuit of healing. It is hope with no guarantee that finally, the scientist will crack the puzzle. Already religious leaders are playing the role of the wise woman, claiming that the disease is a curse from god and a wakeup call to humanity to live harmoniously with nature as they chase industrialization and technology. Thus, the film offers vital insights and revelations that humanity, divinity, and nature are intertwined.