There is no doubt that this is an excellent film. The animation, especially the scenery, is extremely well done. The story is interesting and holds a person's attention for the entire film.
On the other hand, it's one of the most violent, if not the most violent, Ghibli movie made and in my opinion the second most depressing anime I've ever seen, the most depressing being Grave of the Fireflies.
This film is obviously a reflection of our own times and society, with human vs. nature and, in most cases, humans winning. The animals that go against the humans in this film (the boars, the apes, the wolves) don't stand a chance against human technology. Granted, they succeed in killing many humans, but the boar army in particular is wiped out in the process. The humans even manage to kill an ancient god in this story.
In some reviews people have written that this is a story showing that humans and nature can get along together, but I think it's more indicating that humans will dominate nature, at least on this scale. Films like Twister, The Day After Tomorrow and other nature-sort-of-gets-even films are a different matter, since in those cases it's non-living, massive forces against the humans. Even in those films, though, in the end humans win and will continue to go on dominating nature.
In addition, we see in this film the duplicity of people as samurai attack the ironworks while the men from the city are busy hunting the forest god. It seems that almost everyone is the pawn of someone else, doing their bidding either consciously or without knowing. This is not a happy film at all, and even the ending shows only a temporary truce. Ashitaka and Princess Mononoke will see each other from time to time but there is no doubt that the humans have won and the forest is doomed.
There is no indication, at least none that I can see, that the humans have learned anything about trying to get along with nature rather than just exploit it. They have won the war and to the victor belong the spoils. Perhaps Ashitaka will eventually be able to get them to have a more enlightened policy towards their surroundings, but that's about the best that can be hoped for.
By showing this almost thoroughly depressing scenario the film is sending a very clear message to people about the need to get along with nature, not destroy it, and it is the depth of the film's depression that makes that message even more significant.
Something bursts out of the forest, leaving total destruction in its path. Ashitaka, the young boy, tries to stop the creature.
It's a demon god, and everything is dying in its wake.
He stops the creature, but it has touched him, giving him a curse.
It turns into a skeleton right in front of them.
The Wise Woman of the tribe tells Ashitaka that he is going to die from the wound (which, actually, he doesn't, even though she tells him that he cannot "change his fate"). She says the monster came from the west of where they live, and his anger was caused by the metal ball removed from his body, a metal ball that was fired from a gun.
She tells him to go to the west and try to find out what happened, and that there might be a way to lift the curse on him (which totally contradicts what she said just moments before. Maybe this contradiction is due to a translation issue.)
He's attacked en route by some warriors who are massacring a village. He uses his arrow to shoot both arms off one warrior, and decapitates another warrior.
He tries to buy some rice with gold and the woman won't accept it. (She looks remarkably like Lin from Spirited Away).
The Forest of the Deer God lies far to the west, Ashitaka is told.
A group of people are going up a steep hill and are attacked by wolves.
They fight off two regular wolves, but are attacked by the mother wolf. They injure her severely and drive her off.
Ashitaka sees a young girl sucking blood out of the wound of the mother wolf.
This is a kodama, a "sign that the forest is healthy." It makes a strange clicking sound when it moves its head.
One of the ancient Gods is watching.
The Ironworks, ground zero for human vs. nature.
The woman leader buys the contracts of women who were prostitutes and brings them there to work the iron bellows. One of the men complains that their presence "defiles the iron." It was also this Lady Eboshi who caused the boar to be shot, touching off Ashitaka's original trouble. It turns out she also employs lepers to help her make guns. Thus, she's not a totally evil person.
Her plan for the future.
Princess Mononoke attacks single-handedly, trying to get to Lady Eboshi.
They succeed in injuring her.
Ashitaka tries to talk some sense into the people after Princess Mononoke revives and then attacks Lady Eboshi.
Ashitaka knocks out both women and carries Princess Mononoke away, but as he does he's shot. He keeps walking even though he's bleeding profusely.
The ancient Deer God. This is its night form.
This is its day form. The Deer God heals Ashitaka's injury.
An army of boar have arrived to attack the human encampment.
The boars plan a last-ditch assault, knowing they might all end up dying.
A group of samurai attack the ironworks people, wanting to take the iron for themselves, so humans are fighting humans as well as fighting nature.
A major reason for the Emperor to go after the Deer God.
The boars begin their assault. Meanwhile samurai are attacking the ironworks.
The result of the boar attack. The humans had planted land mines and used bombs from above to kill off the boars.
Lady Eboshi has gone to get the Deer God's head, not realizing that she is being used by both the emperor and other samurai lords.
Ashitaka warns her about the attack on the ironworks, but she refuses to go to their help, still wanting to kill the Deer God.
Lady Eboshi succeeds in killing the deer god. Moro, the Wolf God that was the "mother" of Princess Mononoke after her human parents had abandoned her, attacks Eboshi and bites off her right arm. At the same time the remnants of the Deer God's body go wild, destroying everything in search of its head.
The headless Night Walker attacks the ironworks and the women flee to the lake while Ashitka goes to get its head and return it.
The plants suddenly begin to grow back. Mononoke will stay in the forest and Ashitaka will live at the ironworks.
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