Reviews

You'll hardly find an anime that is as difficult to grasp than Mononoke. The very concept is hard to understand, from the requirements of exorcism to each act's storyline. Nonetheless, it is exactly this intricate, dreamy insanity and the seemingly incohesive plot that makes Mononoke one of a kind. What happens if you get Expressionism and Symbolism and ask some Japanese masterminds to animate the quintessential allegory of them? You'd have this. I can't think of a better definition of visual avant-garde.

The storyline (for each act) is generally really great, and for as much as the nuances most likely won't be understood by non-genius viewers (such as me) right away the narrative as well lessons can be understood if you pay attention. The art is simply put fantastic. The sound is good, but it deserves 8/10 thanks to the Chorinho-inspired intro song. The characters are the high point of the anime, as the Medicine Seller slowly crawls through the psychological insanity of each seemingly sane character, and we are left with a completely naked, primitively emotional creature. We see their motivations, their hopes, their dreams, their suffering, exactly how they are, and not how they pretend it to be. The Medicine Seller's apathetic approach is really important so we can see the characters REALLY showing their faces: they're not angered because the Seller said something mean, they're angered because that's their state of spirit. They're not sad because The Medicine Seller mocked of them, they're sad because that's what they are. Spoiler: The Medicine Seller is OP. Honestly, the objective of the anime really isn't to be "action" in any way so his ridiculous One Punch Man-esque invulnerability is a mere plot device that makes no different (unless you're expecting some shonen action). I really enjoyed the anime, and I think it's worth the flawless 10/10.