Week 6: Cavallaro (2006)

With reference to Cavallaro (2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?

In ‘The Art of Hayao Miyazaki,’ author Cavallaro wrote a review about the works of a story called ‘Princess Mononoke,’ that turned into an animation film. In this piece, Cavallaro divides the distinctions that uniquely separate Mononoke’s style from other animation styles into three different divisions: financial costs, thematic style, and operational performance.

First, the author states that the “production costs incurred by Princess Mononoke ultimately amounted to a record-breaking figure in the history of Japanese animation overall.” In any business operation, the most important aspect that will help facilitate the production of a project is the financial capabilities that are available for funding. After the gathering of funds, the total amounted to $19.6 million for a production of an anime. For an anime to have such a high price tag for production only reinforces the notion that this unusual amount is curiously appealing. In terms of financial costs, Mononoke’s price tag has definitely caught the eye of many, even before its completion.

The next important aspect in which distinguishes Mononoke as a great work of anime, is the thematic style that Miyazaki uses to familiarize the audience he is targeting, and also the stress on the issues that fascinate Japanese society, such as: legend, mythology, and folklore. Cavallaro states that “Mononoke effectively paints an alternative version of Japanese history to the one commonly promulgated by the many stories that unquestioningly celebrate the mythical notion of Japan as a homogeneous country, proposing instead a scenario of dissonance and strife populated by the sorts of character that rarely – if at all – appear on the state of history.

Furthermore, Miyazaki’s ability to avoid stereotypical characterizations is still one of the most important aspects that distinguish Mononoke’s style as being a great work of anime. He does not use the usual style of having an individual that represents the antagonist, but rather describes “the complexity in the relationship between humans and nature” by using the underlying theme of “environmental destruction” issues, as the antagonist.

The third and final distinction is the effort put into the operational production of Mononoke. Cavallaro explains this by stating,

“Ultimately, however, what is the most distinctive about the film is Miyazaki’s unfaltering commitment to the animation of its setting by recourse to an aesthetic that prioritizes the evocation of atmosphere. This is achieved through the consistent juxtaposition of pastoral landscapes and outbreaks of violence endowed with eminently visceral connotations, as well as through the use of recurring images.”

Mononoke’s makers also put the extra effort of asking Microsoft to help develop a custom made computer graphics software that could “mimic the feel of cel animation.” The filmmaker’s aim was to find that balance between reality and anime, to help make the audience feel that sense of truthfulness that such a made up anime can have. Cavallro points this out when stating that the most remarkable use of computer graphics in Mononoke, “is that it never exhibits the dubious quality of an add-on but is fully synthesized into the overall action.”

To conclude, the use of technology and the progression of digitalization have both played a major role in Mononoke’s development as a great work of anime. Miyazaki’s ability to incorporate all these different elements into one work of art clearly differentiates Mononoke as a matchless great work of anime that deserves to be recognized for its exclusive style and formation of production.

Reference:

- Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company.