Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage

Kenji has definitely listened to feedback from viewers and made this movie much more digestible than the previous one. The first movie definitely felt like an acid trip compared to this one. I'm a big fan of Mononoke's overall creative direction and I look forward to even more. As I've started watching the original anime series, I love that so many aspects have been retained. Mononoke is a treasure in time and I hope for it to be preserved this way.

The aesthetics and style are enough to make this worth watching: Kabuki theater structure and idioms, traditional woodblock print visuals, insane colors. That's true of any installment in this series and it holds up here.

No spoilers, but I can see why there's a spike in 1-star reviews. Ashes of rage, indeed.

That said, the story is engaging and the 5-act structure keeps it flowing briskly. Each character is an interesting blend of sympathetic and flawed. There's a light sprinkling of anime tropes that probably aren't necessary, but don't detract much either.

The Mononoke series is one of the greatest works of contemporary animation. It transports us to the glorious Edo period, bringing us closer to Shinto and the Japanese soul. Each individual tableau is as colorful as a mandala and worthy of hanging in a design museum. The stories around Japanese ghosts and superstitions are exciting, uncanny, and deeply psychological at the same time as we encounter a hero who is just as mysterious as he is resourceful. I've been in anticipation of this last installment of the series and Hinezumi, doesn't disappoint: Connoisseurs will enjoy every second.