By Nurul Aleeya
Edited by Nur Qistina
Princess Mononoke is arguably seen as a feminist film, but not in the way we commonly see in Western media. The movie shows the destruction of nature and man from man’s greed to dominate nature and how nature fights back the domination. The film depicts two strong female characters on each side, from nature, San, and from man, Lady Eboshi.
Princess Mononoke itself is quite intriguing because it shows the complexities of how man and nature coexist with one another. Nature is permanent and has been there since the beginning, but men cannot stop its modernisation as we can only progress our technology. But, man's progression caused destruction and took over nature’s space. If you have never watched the film, I recommend you to watch it in this light as some might say the film felt ambiguous in its message.
Studio Ghibli writes about women in a way that is comforting and realistic to their nature in my eyes. As a Muslim, I genuinely feel comfortable liking and getting inspired by Studio Ghibli women, unlike Western female characters. In depicting Western female characters, they are always shown to go against the gender norms to the ‘extreme’ by pushing away their feminine traits of nurturing and care for beauty as examples.
Studio Ghibli, however, is able to portray women who are strong, yet able to embrace their femininity. There are numerous Studio Ghibli female characters that are strong or grew stronger whilst keeping their feminine side close. A powerful heroine and a feminine are portrayed harmoniously and not as two separate entities.
San, Princess Mononoke
A strong example of this would be Princess Mononoke, San. A fighter and a warrior who fights in the war between man and nature. She is undoubtedly strong from the beginning, fighting alongside the wolves. Studio Ghibli could easily portray her like any other Western female character that throws out women’s feminine side to emphasise their powerful character, but, they did not.
Under the blood that paints her face, and her strong posture as a warrior, she cares and nurtures, sucking blood out of Moro’s neck. She seems both beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Her femininity, particularly in this scene, was captivating, and yet the blood portrays that she is capable of violence.
Moreover, the subtle romance of Princess Mononoke was executed nicely, in my opinion. Ashatika, the main character in Princess Mononoke, was saved and cared for by San in the film. She cares for him despite her not liking humans, which shows her as a strong female character that is capable of being caring and protective. This considerate trait does not make her weak anywhere throughout the film, and her characteristics remain strong as a warrior until the end. They also did not make San as a romance fodder only for Ashatika, which commonly happens in many films where the only reason a character exists is for a love interest. San admits she likes Ashatika but does not wish to stay with him and return to her wolf family.
San's characterisation as a heroine is a good portrayal of how the media should write women. Not as a romance fodder, not strong to the point of losing their femininity, nor going against gender norms to the point of hating other women.
Lady Eboshi
Upon meeting Lady Eboshi, one word that popped into my mind to describe her was badass. She’s the owner of the ironworks and highly regarded in the town. In the beginning of the film, we could see the destruction of nature caused by a person like Lady Eboshi. Thus, the initial thoughts we have about her would be villainous, greedy, destructive, and dominating.
However, when we get to know Lady Eboshi, we can see that she is loved by the people, even whilst holding firearms and capable of violence. She is also not afraid to show the same affection to the people of the town. She buys women from brothels to give them a proper job and hire lepers, giving them a means of life and protection by asking them to produce firearms in return.
Now, the cruel mankind in our heads has been mixed with a lady who cares and wishes for her people to be safe. This exact confusion and complexities in women portrayed by Studio Ghibli have enriched them beyond masculinity and femininity traits. This makes the characters realistic and rational, even in an animated world filled with fantasy.
To conclude, the film was able to depict women properly by taking account of their individuality and traits as women together. This film inspires young girls' hearts to be brave and compassionate at the same time. Bravery is evident in a young girl, and being compassionate is in the heart of a woman who produces firearms.
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