Gekijôban Mononoke: Karakasa

Fascinating textures and patterns. Sometimes a bit overwhelming. It is difficult to judge depth in some scenes due to the visual effects. As much as it can be appreciated, I found myself looking away at times due to pure overstimulation. The music is a fantastic mashup of traditional, natural Japanese vocals with eerie, techy synthetic sounds. A song by AiNA the END plays at the conclusion of the film and that is always a good thing. The story itself is nice, but not extremely well-rounded. A story of friendship, duty, and hierarchy. I found myself wishing to know the backstory of the two protagonists.

The anime film "Mononoke: The Phantom in the Rain" is a visually stunning and captivating tale that blends horror, mystery, and romance. Set in a world of Edo-era Japan, the story follows the lives of two young women, Asa and Kame, who are drawn into the supernatural intrigue of the Ooku, the emperor's secluded palace.

The film's animation style is a unique blend of traditional and modern techniques, creating a visually striking and atmospheric world. The characters are beautifully designed, and the intricate details of the Ooku are brought to life with stunning visuals. The animation seamlessly blends with the live-action elements, creating a truly immersive experience.

The story itself is a captivating blend of mystery and horror. The presence of the Mononoke, a vengeful spirit that haunts the Ooku, creates a sense of suspense and dread. The film slowly unravels the secrets of the Mononoke and its connection to the palace, keeping the audience engaged and guessing until the end.

The performances of the voice actors are also noteworthy. The actresses who voice Asa and Kame bring depth and emotion to their characters, making them relatable and sympathetic. The supporting cast also delivers strong performances, adding to the overall atmosphere of the film.

While the film is primarily a horror story, it also explores themes of friendship, love, and loss. The relationship between Asa and Kame is central to the story, and their bond is tested by the events that unfold within the Ooku. The film also touches upon the themes of social inequality and the power dynamics within the palace.

Overall, "Mononoke: The Phantom in the Rain" is a visually stunning and captivating anime film that will appeal to fans of horror, mystery, and historical drama. Its unique animation style, compelling story, and strong performances make it a must-see for any anime enthusiast.

The story continues with the hunting down of the malevolent mononoke spirits, this time in the Edo Castle of the servant women quarters during the feudal Japanese period. With two young women who have just joined, embroiled in the haunting madness.

What transpires is a hypnotic and surreal animation with strong rainbow pastel colours of psychedelic wonderment. Very dreamlike and nightmarish images that will have you tripping, along with an editing rhythm that is disjointed and askew, just like being in a dream. All this enough to put you under the dangerous spell of the mononoke, where hopefully the Medicine Seller will come and save you...

This was my introduction to this series. It works as a stand alone piece since quite a bit of the mysticism of the show isn't really explained, but left to be inferred, as well as because this film lacks connecting characters, sort of. The "medicine seller" is one of several, so the character in the film is, in some ways, a bit softer than the one in the animated series.

That being said, the way in which the story is told, and some of the more esoteric and symbolic elements were completely lost on me. I came in with an open mind, and began to pick things up throughout, but I probably would have benefitted from having something to compare it to.

It's an absolutely gorgeous piece draped in the guise of a Japanese play but I feel like the important minutia visible in every still would have given David Lynch pause. For sure something you'll need to watch two or three times at least.

In preparation for watching this film, I also watched the series, itself an offshoot of another anime that I had not seen. Watching the Mononoke series I was left with questions and uncertainties that I felt were due to be resolved in this film, released 15 years after the series was. No such luck.

Instead more questions, more obscure references, a more 3-D animation that felt less impactful than the series and a promise to continue the Mononoke tales in another upcoming movie. In short, I got less from it that I got from the original. That doesn't mean it wasn't an interesting, informative and beautiful animation film, it was just that I would have preferred a second season of the series, with the same attention to detail and less focus on the feature's length. In truth, this should not have been a movie at all.

Bottom line: the stories in this universe are interesting and very Japanese, they make me feel like I begin to understand more of their culture, but I fear the direction the productions are going is not the right one.