May 7, 2021
What a wonderful piece of art! Initially, I was attracted to this anime because of its art style and its vibrant colours. I'm a sucker for strange art, so this had been at the top of my PTW for a long time. Mononoke ended up being so much more than colours. It is a beautiful exploration of human nature and human cruelty, even more so than it is an exploration of the supernatural.
Story: 9
The story consists of five short stories, and the only recurring character throughout the anime is the Medicine Seller. We never learn his real name, or anything at all about him,
...
really. The story is somewhat confusing at times, caused by sudden jump cuts and a slight lack of knowledge of old Japanese folklore and mythology from me, the viewer. The anime tries to fight against the latter by giving small pieces of context about the time period, etc. in every episode, in the form of short text paragraphs. Every story is incredibly interesting and incredibly suspenseful. The Medicine Seller takes the audience along with him to journey into people's minds and explore their insanity. Especially the second half, or episodes 7 to 12, gave me chills down my back many times. The word creepy describes the show well.
Art: 10
Drugs. This anime feels like how I would imagine an LSD trip to be. The yellow clouds with purple skies and the golden lines over the Medicine Seller's body impress me, while they also add a confusing element to the show. Either way, the art style is incredibly original, and often gives of the impression of a watercolour painting. If anyone can recommend me an animes with art styles as gorgeous and strange as this, please do!
Sound: 8
I often did not really notice the music during the show (partly because I was too engrossed in the story), but I love the op and ed and did not skip them once, even though I usually do. Voice acting was great too, especially the Medicine Seller just sounds amazing.
Character: 10
This is the good part. Apart from the Medicine Seller being sarcastic and always a joy to watch, the exploration into the other characters' minds was what made this show as great as it was. We learn about human cruelty and selfishness, and how hate and despair can grip a person and not let go. Even though each story is only a few episodes long, this is more than enough time to really understand and (sometimes) sympathize with them as well.
(The Medicine Seller also does not seem quite human, even though he says he is. His appearance with the pointy ears, the face paint, and fangs reminds me of the traditional illustrations of fox spirits. This also fits his cunning character quite well.)
Enjoyment: 8
In the first few episodes, I sometimes lost track a bit and lost my attention, but the series was still an amazing experience. I will probably watch it again someday, and I hope that when watching it a second time, I will pick up on more of the symbolism and hidden details in the stories.
Average of the above scores is a well-deserved 9.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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