[valondar]

Originally Posted by KiraRin

It became style over substance, and it sometimes felt like the story was buried by the animators trying too hard.

That really was one Mononoke's greatest strengths IMHO, it's orgy of disorienting and beautiful symbolism.

He had a "know-all" feel to him, something I never thought about Ginko.

This aspect I actually liked a lot.

I loved it when he said feigned stupidity in adding a poisonous element to the barks that were to be sniffed. It was so brutally dry.

However some kind of episode/arc involving his past or identity in some way - like what was done with Ginko - might have just deepened the series a little more.