Exploring the relationship between nature and humankind in Hayao Miyazaki’s 'Princess Mononoke'

• Main Author: Lee, Ynex
• Other Authors: Lee Hyunjung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Film::Criticism
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66893
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper explores the various types of relationships between nature and the characters of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke through the lens of environmental ethics, examining how different perspectives of nature shape actions towards it. The surveying of this diverse landscape of relationships gives us deeper insight into how the different beliefs we accept both influences our perception of and affects our treatment of nature. It also raises awareness towards how conflict between these perspectives causes varied disagreements between individuals, in the context of the welfare of the environment. This paper also examines elements of open-endedness in Princess Mononoke’s narrative structure, arguing that these aspects compel individuals to go beyond the narrative and further participate in the discourse of environmental issues on their own. Therefore, this paper argues that Princess Mononoke provides viewers with a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between nature and humankind, and subsequently challenges them to act towards participating in the discourse themselves.