#ashitakas actions make sense. and i get why san could like him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ilikeshitposting · 8 months

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I just- hot take (this is gonna be some criticism on the movie) but- I really don't understand why everyone loves princess mononoke.

Great plot- check. Amazeballs animation- check. Dope characters- check (though they kinda ruined lady eboshi by making her not care about the town-). Soundtrack- lovely.

Princess mononoke herself- no, not check.

She does almost literally nothing except hold some intense hatred towards humans (which- respect) and stick to her cause. She does leave Ashitaka in the end, too. But she still falls in love with him in- what- two days? Is constantly needed to be saved by him? Adds nothing to the plot except for being the fish's bait to make it seem more interesting but really doesn't have any reason to exist? LIKE even in the end where she has to be held and awoken by Ashitaka- who, apparently, is the strongest person you'll ever see- just rubs me the wrong way. She's literally there for the sake of being there. The movie starts off with Ashitaka. She is absent for most of the movie.

My only qualm with this is WHY IS THE MOVIE CALLED PRINCESS MONONOKE WHEN IT IS CLEARLY MORE ABOUT ASHITAKA + FOREST V. HUMANS? just call it something else and i wouldn't even. bother.

maybe this is all just me overthinking. but i just- 😭

Ashitaka's power and strength feels like. misogyny, honestly. it's just "princess mononoke" in name while ashitaka's the one who actually does anything at all, adds anything at all to frimkin movi.

{um just a disclaimer- i come off rather strong here but nothing against the people who actually like/love this, and im not trying to like, call the movie stupid/ inferior or something! just pointing out some things that i couldn't understand and thought weren't discussed/ understood enough? I'm sure you guys have your reasons for loving it, if you wanna share them or disagree with me then please do (politely)! seriously, I'd love to hear more about this!

#princess mononoke #studio ghibli #like its themes of nature and animals is scarily beautiful #and I'd absolutely love to go insane over those!#but this stupid romance between those two just. takes me out #of it #like just why #you guys literally have nothing in common at all #ashitakas actions make sense. and i get why san could like him #but love??? and just- how they're just so forcefully paired together (wolf mom making suggestions about how they might wanna marry or smtn)#JUST #STOP #LADY EBOSHI IS SO HOT JUST FOCUS ON HER #this isn't “women are weak” per se #but its trying too hard not to be #if you. get what im saying

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imladiris · 4 years

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San from Mononoke-Hime is aroace

This may or may not have been said before, and others may or may not agree, but I recently re-watched Mononoke-Hime and I have Opinions.

(Before I start: this is based on the French dub. I’ve seen it in the original Japanese, but I don’t speak Japanese, so I can’t say anything about how it presents things. I’ve never seen the English dub.)

It’s fairly well-implied that Ashitaka has some sort of romantic feelings for San (though he doesn’t have to be understood that way either - I didn’t for years, and I still headcanon him as allo ace). After saving San’s life, he tells her “I want you to live” and adds “you are so beautiful”. Later, he tells Moro he and San could live together. During the fight scene with San, Eboshi also uses his feelings to criticise his actions (”you’re attached to this little wolf, do you want to marry her?”), in my opinion because she can’t believe he would save San with no ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, there isn’t a single scene where San seemingly returns these feelings. In fact, there are multiple points when she refuses them, most notably before she accompanies Okoto into battle:

San: Mother, our paths must part. The smoke will confuse Okoto’s sense of smell and since he is blind, I will be his eyes.

Moro: Act according to your heart. But you can also choose to share your life with the young human.

San:

This isn’t to say that she doesn’t appreciate Ashitaka’s affection. Right after this scene, she accepts his crystal dagger and wears it into battle. But that’s exactly what she does - she accepts. She doesn’t reciprocate. Look at how she is positioned when Ashitaka holds her in the water:

Ashitaka’s arms envelop her completely, hugging her tightly against him. San, meanwhile, keeps her visible arm close to her chest. She isn’t hugging Ashitaka; she just happens to be in his embrace (and note that a few moments earlier, she tried to get away from him). Again, she doesn’t reciprocate, she accepts.

There are a few scenes where she shows tenderness towards him in return, but it’s more motherly or sisterly than romantic. She cares for him when he is recovering from his injury, and looks at him affectionately while mouth-feeding him (something many animals do for their young). She does obviously like him, as she tells him at the end. But there’s no indication that her love is romantic.

There is only one scene where she has a response to him expressing his feelings, and it’s after he saves her life:

San: Why did you stop me from killing her [Eboshi]? Tell me, before you die!

Ashitaka: Because they would’ve killed you afterwards, that’s why.

San: Death doesn’t scare me, if it’s to drive all the humans out of our territory.

Ashitaka: Yes, I understood it the moment I saw you in the forest.

San: You’re the one who will die for having saved the life of my enemy! *pulls his sword out of his scabbard and puts it to his throat* I will cut your throat, so that I won’t have to hear your stupid words anymore.

Ashitaka: I want you to live.

San: Be quiet, human! I don’t care about your advice!

Ashitaka: You are so beautiful...

San: *eyes widening, jumps back* What?

I never understood San’s reaction until rewatching the movie recently. It didn’t make sense to me that she would spare Ashitaka just because he finds her pretty - but in retrospect, that’s not what it’s about. And this leads me to my other point: Ashitaka’s romantic love isn’t what matters, but his love, full stop. As a character, he is defined by his kindness and willingness to see good on both sides, in Eboshi and in San, with no motive other than restoring peace. San, meanwhile, is single-minded in her determination to protect the forest, and won’t admit she is human as a result. Even the other characters view her as inhuman, as a one-dimensional wild spirit which must be defeated.

The above scene is the first time she is treated as a person, a human worthy of life and affection. And that is what Ashitaka continues to do throughout the movie: to show compassion towards her, to defend her, and to treat her with respect. When they reconcile during the climax, it isn’t about romantic love at all, but about San accepting that she has failed, that her single-minded determination has failed, and that she is, after all, human.

Ashitaka: San, please, help me.

San: No! You’re on the human side, you’ve always been! Carry that accursed woman [Eboshi] away and vanish!

Ashitaka: San...

San: Go away! Humans are not my friends, I hate them!

Ashitaka: It’s true, I’m human. But San, so are you.

San: Be quiet! I’m a wolf, like my mother!

Ashitaka: *tries to take her in his arms* San...

San: *stabbing at his chest* Leave me!

This is the moment she realises what the conflict between humans and forest spirits has led to. She sees the traces of Ashitaka’s curse and what is happening around them, and understands that it isn’t all black and white. She is human too.

And that is what I find so significant about Mononoke-Hime. It would’ve been so easy to make Ashitaka and San’s relationship about romantic love making her human again - but Ashitaka never pushes his love on her. It’s his kindness that makes her human. What’s more, she stays true to herself until the end of the movie. Accepting her humanity doesn’t lead her to fall in love with Ashitaka and decide to live with him.

Instead, she continues to accept his affection without reciprocating:

And their last exchange in the movie is:

San: Ashitaka, I like you a lot, but I can’t forgive what the humans have done.

Ashitaka: I understand. You will stay in the forest, and I will go to live in Iron Town. We will be neighbours. I will come to see you often with Yakul, if you want.

San: *nods*

In conclusion: San is aroace, she accepts Ashitaka’s love but can’t and doesn’t want to reciprocate it, and coming to terms with her humanity thanks to his kindness and compassion doesn’t change that, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

#mononoke hime #princess mononoke #san #aroace #headcanon #also consider: san is aroace because i am aroace and i love her

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