StoryFor me personally, there's but one single event that makes Mononoke Hime stand so firmly as a classic in the anime world. No, it's not Miyazaki's brilliant capturing of the eternal struggle between man and nature, nor is it the heroic telling of a young warrior destined to save the world through both boundless passion and vicious strength; hell, it's not even the gorgeous soundtrack or timeless animation. On the contrary, it's a much more subtle and refined moment that really captures the heart and soul of mankind - our hero pulls a move between two women that would put even the best of players to shame.Yet, best of all, this unintentionally comic trait is but one of many assets that make Mononoke Hime's characters, and subsequently its story, so great. At its core the tale is profoundly epic, tracing the journey of a young boy, Ashitaka, as he fights to save both his village and himself from a curse borne by a possessed boar. His struggle, of course, expands to encompass samurai warlords and gods of death, and his quest to abolish his curse becomes one to abolish evil. While this might sound terribly cliché, it plays out as anything but; the movie's full two hours are enthralling and captivating all the way through. Ashitaka's quick and decisive nature prevents the story from stagnating, and the events from start to finish take place is in an orderly, coherent, and captivating succession.Unlike most other Miyazaki movies, Mononoke Hime cedes its standard youthful charm for a more mature and tense environment. While the man versus nature conflict is not too entirely serious in and of itself, the movie comprises a surprising amount of bloodshed - arrows manage to take off arms and heads on more than one occasion, and both man and beast slaughter each other in droves. The film is driven with tantalizing action and intensity instead of heartwarming nostalgia, and overall this tradeoff works quite well. Despite carrying, like all entertainment flicks of its kind, a rather straightforward and linear plot, it's hardly predictable; though many of the twists in the story or not expected, they end up neither shocking or surprising. Overall the level of mystique around the characters and the overarching is kept minimal, allotting enough material to work with effectively but scraping off any excess that would close the film with uneven ends - the film is decisively powerful.AnimationWhile the animation is noticeably dated, by no means is it bad or even sketchy. Astounding graphics are replaced by very streamlined framerates which, while limiting aesthetic appeal, provide for very fluid action sequences. Ashitaka's numerous displays of his skills in archery, for instance, rival modern day animation in terms of alacrity and precision - just by watching you can feel the drawing of an arrow, the snap, and subsequent vibration of the bowstring as he fires. Despite being drawn the characters carry a lifelike charisma, and this certainly spills out through the screen.Perhaps the film's only flaw is its general lack of detail in characters beyond the main cast. However, given that the film shows seemingly fifty to one hundred people at times, I'd hardly call this a major flaw; it'd be exceptionally easy to find worse cases of placeholder faces in just about any modern production.Oh yes, and one other thing: the deer god looks freaking retarded - its like like a deer with goat shit plastered all over its face. SoundFor those familiar with the more recent Seirei no Moribito, the soundtrack carries a remarkably similar feel. Most musical tracks easily feel as if they extracted directly from the era in which Mononoke Hime takes place, and all are brilliantly placed. In many ways the music acts as a sort of choral narration to the story, contributing quite substantially to the epic feel the movie strives so adamantly to portray. Indeed, with solid voice acting to boot, Mononoke Hime's audible performance is nothing to scoff at; the musicians who worked on the movie knew exactly how to bring the story alive.CharactersThough beyond the context of the story the characters are rather shallow, in terms of their places in the movie they all fit their roles remarkably well. Ashitaka is the brave, courageous champion of the human world while San, his counterpart and compatriot, is a vicious, feral warrior of who serves the beasts of nature. If nothing else, the duo form a classic union of two enemies who have come together to serve a common cause, and both earn their respective titles as heroes of both man and wild. Though not particularly three dimensional, their one dimensional personality and characteristics are what really drive the film as powerful; they are developed exclusively through their actions. Still, as I mentioned briefly before, I found one of the most amusing aspects of the movie to be Ashitaka's charisma with women. At the beginning of the film, after being cursed and willingly exiled from his village, he receives a pendant from a girl who is deeply in love with him as a sign of their eternal bond. Later on, however, toward the latter half of the film when the expected romance between Ashitaka and San begins to blossom, he passes the pendant along to her as proof of his love. The fact that the pure-hearted hero pulls off a likely unintentional one-two move like that is boundlessly amusing, and definitely makes for one of the more memorable moments in my near decade of anime viewing experience.OverallThough I've had cordial debates with friends arguing whether or not Spirited Away is the true Miyazaki classic, my experience has left me a bit undecided. While Spirited Away certainly has its charms, the fact that Mononoke Hime strives to be a more lofty, grand venture leaves me with slightly more respect for it; ultimately, while it's certainly debatable, I must settle my qualms and herald it the epitome of Miyazaki splendor and greatness. For anime fans looking to bridge a friend or family member into the anime world, this movie is a spectacular pick - its universal appeal makes it an undeniably solid choice. Miyazaki's legacy is certainly not to be underestimated, and for fans and skeptics alike, Mononoke Hime is the proof.