Hello readers, today I will be discussing an anime movie that I recently watched titled Princess Mononoke. For those of you who have no idea what the movie is about here is a short summary; it takes place in the 14th century when people heavily relied on hard labor and natural resources. During this time humans and Gods lived in peace until the start of Iron Town, the town produces iron and constantly ruins the forests around it. The workers in Irontown, along with the Woman in charge take part in deforestation. This makes the Gods furious having some turn into demons destroying everything they touch. Once a demon makes its way toward an Emishi village, prince Ashitaka destroys the demon and is left infected with the demons print. He must leave his village and never come back as he is in search for what caused the god to turn into a demon. It is up to Ashitaka and Princess Mononoke to save life itself.

Before watching the movie I was very hesitant, I did not think I would enjoy it whatsoever. I have never been a huge fan of anime but I did occasionally watch Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon when I was younger. I was pleasantly surprised after the movie, I really enjoyed it and clearly understood the message that was being interpreted. I would definitely watch it again and other anime movies similar to it. I really do think that animated films are important and truly make a difference in people’s lives or at least affect someone’s understanding. I have watched one other anime film titled Ponyo that was not directly made to bring awareness but it did make people understand how dangerous tsunamis are. I have not watched many animated films that are used to bring awareness about conserving our planet but I have watched other animated films that are used to bring awareness to social issues. For example, Zootopia was used to interpret racism, animal cruelty, and discrimination.  

I think it’s great that animated films are speaking up about issues like this. It is now more important than ever. The article “Why Princess Mononoke is More Relevant 20 Years Later”  by Erica Russell goes on to explain why we can still learn a lot from Princess Mononoke. In my opinion it is very important especially now to take action and help our planet be better. Climate change is real and is currently changing our planet for the worst. It is our job to help our planet and fix what we have done. Climate change is destroying the most beautiful places and killing our wild and marine life. Many animal species have already gone extinct due to climate change and many other species are at risk. We need to do everything we can in order to help our planet.