Mononoke Was More Than Just Experimental

[@nightmarewastaken8307]

I might just be weird as hell but I'm simping over the medicine vendor 💀💀

[@dilarademir7095]

it’s not weird, pretty much every one does 😂😂

[@saenekokun2723]

Dw we all in the same boat

[@mehitablestorm8877]

Me too, he's so compelling. Those eyes.....and I love the way he says.....HO.

[@haileeyyy-hm3sr]

Ur not weird! He's literally so alluring ....probably the most alluring character I've seen in all my life of watching anime

[@kenny995]

Not weird at all. He's handsome and mysterious, how could you not be attracted to him?

[@angelsmile6942]

I've been preaching the Mononoke gospel for 15 years and I'll never stop. Just finished rewatching it (again) and I'm bouncing in anticipation for the movie.

[@MrAlquimista666]

One theory I have as to why Mononoke was not successful (I'm purely talking about numbers and reach here) is because it is just so... Uncomfortable. The colors, the perspective changes, the storylines, the character design, the sounds, the pacing, the obtuse dialogue, the subject matter, even the resolution of each story. Everything is designed to make the viewer feel on edge, like watching a confusing dream that turns into a nightmare that doesn't fully make sense once it's over. It's confusing, it's strange, it's unapprocheable. It is for a very specific and niche audience. I love.Mononoke and I'm really glad it's getting a resurgence. It deserves to be appreciated.

[@citriparadisi]

I agree. And I will even add something : some (most actually) of the subjects, the "human vices" depicted in this anime are even more unsettling and uncomfortable for women. I really think you see the anime differently as a woman : from the last episode of the first arc, when you see the blond pregnant women being forcibly.... by the owners of the hotel, to the last act, where the victim was struggling to be accepted as a serious professional because she was a woman... It does hit deeper and more significantly when you can empathise with the characters and the horror they are living though

[@commentersupporterway]

Coming back here to happily report that there’s a new season coming out! Glad to see it get the recognition it deserves!

[@circe2323]

wtfwtfwtf thank you for the info

[@Kurodesu96]

Wasn’t it a movie?

[@togaloverxoxo2074]

its a movie, but its coming this year🎉🎉🎉

[@shannahlight260]

I heard about the movie, but a season would be even greater!

[@togaloverxoxo2074]

@@shannahlight260 thats right✨✨

[@noonespecial-wq5bk]

Just found it on Netflix today. It made my day better. At first I just wanted to quickly look into it because the art style caught my interest and then suddenly I was already at episode 9. This is great! Animation, voice acting, the whole atmosphere, just everything! I had a few "oh shit, OH shit, OH SHIT" moments, that were just perfect. This is the anime I never knew I needed and I'm already exited to continue watching tomorrow.

[@nixipixi8945]

Same!! I just started watching it on Netflix as well... it absolutely blew me away.. it's going in my list of favorites for sure.

[@Eframa66]

:O OMG its on Netflix now? *goes rewatch it in the speed of light* this one is pure eyecandy on so many levels and more

[@noonespecial-wq5bk]

@@Eframa66 yesss!!!!

[@Orhan6125]

So happy to see people discovering Mononoke in 2023. I watched it when I was a teenager way back in the day and it still remains one of my favorite shows and the reason why I'm still an anime fan today.

[@abyrupus]

It was popular before Netflix but hard to search because you would keep getting results for the more famous Princess Mononoke.

[@StoryBird2]

When the sword is unsealed and the animation/visuals go crazy you know the episode is at it's high point

[@jbpeony7872]

I saw this on animax when i was 10 and my brain melted at the visuals, i still see some of the scenes in my dreams, it has been burned into my subconscious. thank you for reminding the name of the series. Its been so long since i thought about it.

[@nadenhwa513]

Ditto. 2000s weren't great for many things. But they had exceptional anime.

[@creatureofmoth]

This should have way more views. I'm doing a presentation on Mononoke for my manga history class, and this video helped a ton with my research. Thank you!

[@kikofoxy]

Awesome! Can you share the presentation?

[@flyingorange2482]

Manga history class? WHAT?

[@noonespecial-wq5bk]

How did it go? :) (If you want to tell)

[@saenekokun2723]

Man you should update us it's been like 11 months 😔

[@mickflick8133]

Your WHAT?

[@abyrupus]

My favorite part aside from the art-style is it almost feels like a traditional theatre or puppetry unravelling scene by scene in front of the audience. Extremely trippy. And scary in the "old ghost stories" kind of way instead of the modern styles of horror. I think its unpopular for the same reason it's unique and special - it's like a pistachio - you have to crack open the shell to enjoy it. When an episode begins, it's slow burn and you have to wait for the mystery to unravel. It is not meant to be a crowd-pleaser, and that is OK.

[@bat_mobile7545]

Unlike any horror stories, the Mononoke was born from human neglected flaws, when the flaw became so strong it will attain form that brings misfortune worse case death on the innocents or any accomplices.

[@Carlos-7529]

I just found Mononoke on Netflix this week. I’m blown away. It’s like they took Belladonna of Sadness and went “yeah let’s go wilder.”

[@ckb5943]

I'm an old guy who's been exploring Japanese film for a while now and have recently gotten interested in anime. I was looking for anime made for someone older than 15 and stumbled on to this astounding series. Agree entirely with this analysis, and would add that the opening and closing music is especially important for this series. The opening song in Argentinian style, featuring bandoneón virtuoso Ryōta Komatsu (check this dude out!), sets up a dark, fatalistic mood that nicely prepares you for what follows, and using such exotic music for a Japanese production suits the otherworldly nature of the show. And the soothing love song at the end is really needed to help the viewer smooth out after this intense show. There is so much talent involved in this production! This hard-to-see series is being issued in blu-ray in March, and a new movie is apparently in the works, so hopefully this masterful series will start getting the exposure it deserves.

[@GBE000]

Im argentine, i was finding the surreality of the show very interesting, and when i heard the opening music it felt SO familiar. This added a lot to it's beautiful weirdness for me and got me right away.

[@gregwillams5463]

Netflix has added Mononoke to its library.

[@anonymousmouse5253]

I don't know if you've ever watched the Ayakashi one but I would like to applaud the Mononoke series for staying loyal and going beyond the original creation. It's just- it blows my mind how the 2007 series reused many of what they had in the 2006 one. The way both starts with him entering a building, whispering something to himself that we viewers cannot hear. They even used the same sound effects such as that very low (almost like a vibration) sound you hear when the medicine seller enters the Sakai mansion (twice, heard it again as he steps over another threshold), it's the same one as when the landlady sees medicine seller for the first time (used again in episode 9). Also used the same sfx when they showed the sword (that twinkling sfx) but I'm not sure if they used the same sound for when the sword "reacts" to the mononoke (I heard smth similar on the 4th arc Nue, when they mentioned Nue for the first time but it's not exactly the same hehe). PLUS they reused some of the soundtracks. The most significant soundtrack I can note is the ending track after everything that happened in the Sakai mansion and the ending track of the 2007 series. It starts off with the original instruments, minus the voice because I think the voice represents Tamaki's (or the cat's mononoke) and then progresses with more instruments (as if to say this is their expansion and the development of the world of mononoke). Thank you for attending my ted talk. But all jokes aside, I'm simply amazed how they expanded and developed the medicine seller's story and style because it's so different from the first 2 arcs of Ayakashi. Idk why I'm so surprised at the loyalty because it's directed by the same director (maybe I just had a very low expectation because of the adaptations trend in the last decade, and movies made off of popular anime series such as the hunterxhunter movies, and some other spin offs that's like day and night between it and the original) aaaahh I forgot to mention, they even greeted the viewers with the "long time no see" slide or card or whatever it is called aahhh i can only imagine being a fan of the arc and getting greeted by that omg I do have one question, is Mononoke a feminist work? All the victims are women (the sources or maybe the trigger of the Mononokes) but then that's not true, cause Toudaiji....... hmmm but then Toudaiji isn't even a human. But I thought Mononoke is something that comes from people's intense feelings and haunt people like a disease????? I would like to add, I've been rewatching parts of the series and noticed they used the same track for the ending scenes of the last 3 arcs of the series, all of which does not include the singing part. But, the voice track was used during Ochos's arc, near the end. I wonder if the reason behind this is because it is similar to Tamaki's situation. A woman married off to someone (marriage done as a sacrifice, and the women the sacrificial lamb - in Tamaki's case, literally. And in Ocho's case, metaphorically) I do have to say. I prefer how in the 2006 one, Medicine Seller seems more human and empathetic (we see him struggle and almost fail, saw him get disgusted and be shocked at how inhumane humans can be). It feels more morally gray in a sense that we see the cause of the mononoke, and it's not like he's ridding the world of it to make it a better place because we humans is the reason why it even happened/exists. He even seemed apologetic for "killing" the mononoke and happy to see that Tamaki's finally free but for some reason (reason we don't know of) he still needs to "cut" off the mononokes from the human world

[@akiraniiru1302]

I was just talking with my friend about Mononoke, but i remember the Medicine Seller saying the more you interact with Mononoke the more you become like them (or turn into one) and i wonder if we're watching him become that which he fights... He mentions that on the boat arc if i remember correctly, i'd have to look again but yeah, I enjoyed your analysis (impromptu ted talk haha!)!

[@anonymousmouse5253]

@@akiraniiru1302 Woah i can't believe someone read my stupidly long comment lol But yes, that makes sense. Maybe that's the reason why he doesn't seem to age. (But funnily enough, he felt the most human-like emotionally in the last scene of the series, with him petting a cat, and his tone of voice even changes)

[@zkuheii7642]

​@anonymousmouse5253 it seems like his humanity mainly shows through when it is in regard to non-human creatures.. at least that is how i interpret it!

[@ellakociba6058]

I would absolutely say that Mononoke is a feminist series! You mention Toudaiji being an exception to the pattern of female victims, but I interpreted that scenario as a manifestation of the original Princess being objectified and pursued simply to obtain the Toudaiji - and the power it represented - rather than to connect with her as a person. She shifted between the different phases of a woman's expected life in that period (child, bride, hostess) as a Nue because all the men could see was their perceptions of her. I'm unfamiliar with the original Princess from the incense story that the Princess is named after, but I've been meaning to look into it as I'm almost positive it has some significance to the arc's overarching theme. Thank you for mentioning the anime's feminist themes, admittedly I only recently finished the show but I have yet to see an analysis of Mononoke bring up this seemingly obvious overarching theme and it's driving me a bit bonkers lol

[@Blue_Sky24211]

A yôkai is also called a mononoke and can be compared to spirits and demons. There are also different sub-groups like, Obake(Ghost), Oni (Demon), Kitsune (Fox). This series artfully introduces you to Japanese art and belief in the supernatural. It is a very expressive series in itself

[@0ViciousV0]

Dude, Mononoke blew my mind. Its a beautiful masterpiece imo. The art, sound and stories are all beautiful and well thought out with just enough left to be interpreted with its etherealism

[@kotowaza-sensei428]

I've been raving about this anime since 2008 and people always think that I talk about Princess Mononoke. Casuals... 🧐

[@arinalikes5911]

This is possibly the one of the best shows i have seen across media. The art style is absolutely stunning. As someone who also likes using nauseatingly bright color scheme and complex/nonsensical perspective in art i feel like i was holding my breath the whole time watching it.

[@goya1831]

I watched Mononoke when I was at middle school and it really opened up a new realm of art for me, which I never expected from anime in general. I was young and I almost had a phobia in horrors, also never really heard or enjoyed experimental art films. But I stumbled into this anime, somehow. And it was amazing. I loved every moment of watching this anime. Subtle voice acting, beautiful art style that almost every scene can be put in the illustration book, it's symbolic and vague ways of delivering the narrative and all the stories they are telling. I still am emotional thinking about this anime, and I could say Mononoke is my favorite anime of all time. Please, this anime does not deserve to be in someone's pretentious watch list. The story of Mononoke is entertaining, heart-wrenching, beautifully cruel and horrific. One thing that makes Mononoke my favorite anime is, at the end of the day, the plot is about voiceless victims, especially women. It is to hear and lull the anger and sadness of the ones who vanished with too much stories to tell, and the medicine seller-the main protagonist-is there to listen to their voices screaming truth and pain. This is why I keep coming back to this anime.

[@m.streicher8286]

In my all time top 3, want the medicine seller to hold me.

[@bixyland66]

Mononoke is one my top lists on favorite anime, mostly because story and designs on characters. I especially love one of the characters, Noppera-Bou, or the man in fox mask.

[@VictorH-27]

The Medicine Seller has never left my mind for the last 15 years. No other horror anime thus far has topped the storytelling, art style, and concept of Mononoke. Cannot wait for the movie!

[@AmeliaMastervally]

I think the best arc is the first, because it shows how the abstract representations of these nightmares are more horrific than the usually splatter gore in your face horror. The subtle hints towards the aborting, the unfurling ribbons and weird sexual moments the characters stumble across, it makes you skin crawl and haunts you in a way that just showing you a play by play of these events could never. Knowing what has happened but never having it expressly stated is stomach churning. It's like our minds can't comprehend something horrific and cruel and vile, and so our own mind abstracts and twists it to allow us to process it. The reality is terrible and the representations we are presented with are haunting

[@lynnhua9482]

Hands down my favorite anime - wish they made more!! Thanks for creating a video and giving it the recognition it deserves on youtube.

[@lynnhua9482]

There's a manga called Tropical Citron that I wish could be adapted into an art/animation style similar to Mononoke

[@spencerburba3941]

OH MY GOD I WOULD PAY SO MUCH MONEY TO HEAR THIS GUY TALK AND READ ANYTHING HE WRITES

[@nucleja]

Ghiblis movie made this anime impossible to search for for a good half of my life. this was my fav anime for years and i didn't know anyone else who knew it, thanks for the vid MU CHA CHO

[@tonyharrison2880]

I absolutely love this show, and it’s such a shame it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves

[@AhanaNags]

Excellent video! Mononoke has one of the most distinctive styles in animation in general, it really woke me up to what anime could be. It's so good it makes it hard to watch "normal" stuff now 😅

[@Silversubs29078]

I'm so glad to find people talking about this anime. I love it so much.

[@laurenceoni]

This anime was so damn weird, but i loved its artstyle and ambient, loved it a lot!

[@shannahlight260]

Well, be impressed - you casual yourself - I've just discovered it and I'm absolutely in love! 12 episodes is soooo not enough. I hope we get to see more

[@Jhudorisa]

I found this in 2008 on a streaming site when I was 13, simply from looking through the list of shows. Ayakashi caught my attention first and I found Mononoke afterwards. I've lost count of the times I've watched this series, I can safely say it's my all time favourite.

[@SnowDropSteph]

I don't care if I sound like THAT friend but This remains as one of the most memorable anime I watched. It touched me by giving me an experience instead of just watching something to complete it Oh and shout out to the Ayakashi OP...one of the best OPs I've heard

[@forte4450]

Mad you beat me to the punch of structuring the video essay with the 3 needs of opening the sword. Good video!

[@Vgjhgvgh]

Now there’s a trilogy coming with 2 films. The second one is coming out on march 14 2025

[@Sharonmplus]

I was a huge fan of Ayakashi (I had just completed a paper on Yotsuya Kaidan before Ayakashi came out so that drew me in, but "Bakeneko" was the standout that broke my heart when I watched it). So when Mononoke came out I dove in head first. It is something I recommend highly to whoever would give anime a chance. I fully agree with your assessment that so much of it was tied to Japanese culture. The group who did the sub back then actually added a separate file with footnotes to explain certain terms and cultural significance which went a long ways in assisting my understanding of the story. I hope with Mononoke being on Netflix that more people can appreciate it.

[@Corbeauxx]

Mononoke is a rare masterpiece... I can't wait to see the upcoming movie.

[@UteHempel]

When people ask what "underrated" anime I'd recommend, I always say Mushishi and Mononoke. I never noticed it back in 2007 sadly, but watched it a few years ago and I'm so glad. Bth theses shows have a wonderful atmosphere you don't get to see in 90% of shows. And I've been watching anime since the mid 90s.

[@maywenearedhel]

I remember watching this just after it came out, and I fell in LOVE with everything about it.

[@admiralofcuteness]

This show had been on my radar since I saw stills of the animation online almost a decade ago. I finally watched it this week. Its 8.4/10 on MyAnimeList is well-earned. Even beyond the visuals, its little story arcs accomplish more in 2-3 episodes than most series do in their entire run. You will not be bored with it for a moment.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

I'm doing my part! Bought the DVD set when it FINALLY came out, and then immediately bought the blu-ray when that dropped.

[@limikkin3943]

I loved the hell out of this anime!! And I always enjoy looking at they style and listening to the sounds! And the medicine seller is just amazing as a character!!!

[@CursedLavender_23]

I've watched this anime for god how many times and it's addicting even I literally rewatched it today and it's still as good as I watched last time

[@laurenvelentzas5044]

This video came up in my recommendeds, and about halfway through I had to stop and go watch this cuz you absolutely sold me on it (the stunning visuals in the clips you used helped too.) So thank you so much for that, because I absolutely loved it! I’m also really excited to learn there’s a Mononoke movie coming out this month :)

[@dragonlady266]

The art style makes me think of The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie, ESPECIALLY the backgrounds. The surrealism in Mononoke also gives me that vibe, but it's awesome!

[@n2bfw884]

Me too.

[@TheDayd111returns]

That’s exactly what I said. It gives Yellow Sub vibes. It’s pretty trippy and psychedelic.

[@losglitterfreeze]

This video was very well written and enjoyable. Subscribed! Looking forward to the next surreal nightmare you cover.

[@ajinmericancitizen8723]

I randomly found this series in my dad's dvd collection thinking it was princess mononoke

[@helenawave]

very excited for the new mononoke stuff that's gonna come out aaaaaaaa

[@nikkup4745]

Trash is good, but the lesser known stuff like this is what I truly yearn for in anime. Call me unusual. That is fine, but I've got to say. The more obscure, the better and more interesting it is.

[@redditmanllegnisthebirdofh9887]

Subbed Bc this is what i j started watching randomly and was amazed by the art and even more shocked when I heard it’s from 2007

[@ZetaCancri]

It's always been one of my favorites

[@chiripaxa]

Ive seen all of Mononoke, but what really freightened me, engrained into me, and made me reflect on and still to this day hold it as my core value, is the first episode. I think the topic of abortion- and pregnancy is a timeless moral issue for humanity. Im speaking in absolute generalization here. This show does deal with uncomfortable reality, but thats what makes it genius because there is universal truth in it. Life is life, it doesnt stop for your convenience, is the gist of this show for me. It'll forever haunt until the truth can be brought to light and then put to rest from its grievances. There is unconditional and conditional love in this show and the cultural story telling is incredible.

[@siberianwinds]

3 years late for this video, thank you for not classifying it as experimental! I agree, it's too purposeful to be one. Not crapping on experimental works (and this is a personal take), experimental for me comes off as something shapeless, leaving the "shaping" bit to the audience. Mononoke's message was always clear and deliberate. Its first arc - the Bakeneko from Ayakashi - had so much heart and soul, as mentioned in many comments here. It's tangible and solid despite the whimsical design. And YES, the sound design, it's etched in my mind for years. To me, it's not an anime you show to impress *those* friends. It's something you share with someone you want to know a bit of your heart.

[@SerifSansSerif]

If I recall, I watched mononoke via fansubs and it was competing with the likes of my bride is a mermaid, gurren lagann, nodame cantabile, haruhi, higurashi and a million others. It came out at a time when EVER FUCKING TITLE was chef's kiss, and an instant classic and yet, in the US, it was when the industry was in practically mid-implosion, and there was nobody picking up licenses....

[@shadoewater]

Mononoke is still one of my favorite anime of all time, and I can't really put into words why it is. Especially with it being in my top 5 with Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service...

[@angelinadulac]

Remember, years ago, asking if anyone knew animes similar to Mushishi and this got recommended to me. I've never been able to forget it since then, it's an inspiration for my own art.

[@maggyfrog]

when i watched this series for the first time, it deadass was like the artistic grandchild of writers like ryunosuke akutagawa and dare i say even filmmakers like kurosawa. it felt like it was the unknown cousin of isao takahata but for adults

[@amandacarvalho3527]

Found it on netflix last week and watched it all in one go. Most of the time you have to keep trying to figure out what the hell is happening, but it was really amazing and managed to cure my boredoom of endlessly scroling through the Netflix catalogue. It's fun even when you don't understand what's happening and when you do it's just so rewarding. Already recomended to friends as well :)

[@c.powell8472]

Hey, I was 18 when this anime came out and honestly... I was very very deep into anime. being a weeboo and hanging out in chatrooms and exchanging what shows to watch. Learning Japanese, etc. This anime was never ever mention or brought up. I didnt know about it until 2017? Maybe? I saw an AMV with the anime. I use to be an AMV editor, so I saw one of my old peeps edit a vid. I honestly think this anime just didnt make it past japan. Sure, it was subbed. But I had never heard or seen the anime in 2006-20012 when I was neck deep in everything. This anime fell through the cracked imo. Which sucks, because when I did watch, it was amazing!!! I would not have thought it was that old!

[@Yumi_01a]

never felt more depressive after watching and during watching those 4-5 ep

[@mirtikaschultz3282]

creating horror: "Mononoke does it by very carefully and very artisticaly confusing the shit out of you!" LOL

[@robynthegemini]

How does this only have 671 views my goodness this is such a good video!

[@mcstabbins4501]

I still remember finding this anime on Netflix in school. It was senior year and I basically had nothing to do during the final weeks before graduation and I was extremely bored and decided to just watch some random animes to pass time. This was one I actually liked because of its trippy AF art and actually good story.

[@m1.r0_bot]

mate, this is my favorite anime . . . I'm so sad it is so unknown.

[@madmouse1016]

I suddenly discovered this anime after getting recommended the upcomming movie for it and immediately I had to know what it was about. I finished the whole thing in a single day and I don't regret it, it never unnerved me, but it always kept me on edge. While I figured out the first episode in one go, the other episodes after kept me confused and guessing and that's what's so amazing about it.

[@phantomflower6749]

This is in my top 10 anime! I can't wait for the movie to come out ❤❤❤

[@RukoHanaji]

Horror as a genre is really underrated.

[@thinksie]

Since I watched it, there's something that is just unreplicable about it, you get visual shock with some slight unsettling audio, a main character that's beyond badass, and culture shock that makes you even more confused about the whole thing. It's just special. Another thing is that, we don't really know anything about anything in the anime not even after watching it, it stays mysterious and you can only guess khahah The best word to cathegorize it isn't anime, it's art, of somewhat unaproachable kind.

[@milktea181]

It's probably one and only most unique series I have seen. It has such a special place in my heart

[@n2bfw884]

Great analysis! Thank you.

[@mehitablestorm8877]

Just started watching this, absolutely amazing show, visually and intellectually. Incredibly beautiful and mysterious, we need more things like this.

[@OverlordOfEcchi]

Yup. This Kaiba and Gankustuou overloaded the artsy expectations in my formative anime watching years and now I can't be a weeb like I used to be.

[@LithK.-gf4bf]

I still hope that someday, somehow we will get, a second series and a full blue ray remaster of the original series plus the Bakeneko part from Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales. I would be lovely to get 4 or 5 new sorties with the last one talking place in modern japan to close it all off. And ofc it has to involve the ghost/demon/goblin cat ;) ps. for anyone interested in Japanese folk ghost stories you must read "Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things" by Lafcadio Hearn

[@rinber13]

Yes I would love that if they would release them together! Btw the 15th anniversary movie is coming in 2024, after some delay, but it seems to be on track now.

[@LithK.-gf4bf]

@@rinber13 I had no idea there wa a movie in the making! You just made my day with this info! Cheers! \(^_^)/

[@kurathchibicrystalkitty5146]

"...his magical talking sword, which at the time were illegal for anyone but samurai to carry--" Now I'm just picturing samurai running around with talking swords. 😆 Joking aside, Mononoke is the kind of art that I classify as 'Ripples in my Mind', the kind that I keep thinking about, every so often, that have a lasting impact on me, that haunt me, that challenge my perceptions of reality. Thank you for making this video.

[@MagicalSlimeGirl]

Loved this anime and am loving binging your media analysis. I wonder if there will eventually be a video on Tatami Galaxy.

[@dontcare7086]

So I started this on Netflix and ep 1+2 I was like wtf this is weird. I'm on episode 6 and absolutely love this. The trippy artwork mixed with feudal Japan is really cool. The storylines are starting to make sense. I'm still confused why he let the mononoke live in episode 2. Was it because the pregnant lady offered herself up to give birth to all of them so he couldn't banish them? That's all I can think of since she seemed to love the idea of being their mother as they seemed to love her well all the humans didn't like her and constantly made fun of her.

[@ami5marion]

He did kill them in the end but if happens in the span of one second. If you watch closely, after the pregnant lady offered to give birth to the zashiki warashi it overwhelmed her own fetus and she started to bleed. The zashiki warashi realized this and they let the medicine seller kill them. Then they all disappear except for one of them which was her own baby.

[@johndoe5432]

Just binged with this my girlfriend on Netflix, this is easily one of the most beautifully drawn anime I've ever seen in my entire life. It also kind of reminds me of the surrealist charm of Gankutsuou.

[@megalixir]

i was 18 when mononoke came out. i think i didn't watch it until 2 years later because it was hard to come by but while i have many favorite anime, nothing has topped this masterpiece to this day. thank you for making this video and raising awareness. more people should watch this masterpiece it is everything to me. i love mushishi and shows like it but there's no one quite like kusuriuri. takahiro sakurai is amazing in everything he's in and i'm sad to hear he won't be reprising his role as the medicine seller. either way, it was great to watch this and i DO hope you make a video ab yuuasa eventually. i'm kind of a hipster sort of weeb who prefers their trash but is really big on like. . .stuff that's just GOOD. thank you again.

[@Enivlens]

Wow. You somehow manage to be the world's greatest man of culture and absolutely hilarious. Fantastic content!

[@creeperkinght1144]

This is the Yume Nikki of anime, it does both what it wants to and needs to, while self maintaining itself in a unique portrayal of culture. It's very interesting with what it's presenting, while wearing it's art style on it's sleeve while pushing said style to it's boundaries. It's not super popular perse, the creators of both knew it didn't need be for it to fufill it's purpose. But it stands as a timeless example of how push creativity in it's medium in unique fashions.

[@D__S__]

ive seen a looot of shows in the medium of anime (ive also seen an absurd amount of non anime movies and tv shows so just media in general) this show is (imo) possibly the best thing to ever come out of the anime medium, and ranks up with some of the best media period anime or not, truly a work of art in every sense, been singing its praises for years cant wait for the movie in the summer (i hope)

[@sangitaekka]

I discovered Mononoke just 2 days back, and my mind is blown by how psychedelic it is. Having watched a couple of anime, I recognise the cultural symbols but I wasn't expecting them to show up in a way it does. In my opinion, the exact opposite of Mononoke in the sense of its intent for the audience is ONI- The Thunder God. Still watching on KZbin and I wish it were streaming somewhere in HD to soak in all those weird colors.

[@carlpacheco2058]

Mononoke is an excellent anime, one of my favorite of all time! And helped me get into Japanese ghost stories and Japanese classic horror movies like Kwaidan and Yuki Onna. So glad that a movie is coming out to continue the story! I rarely buy physical media anime, but I had to have the Ayakashi Bake Neko and Mononoke DVDs when they came out a few years ago.

[@dreamofwings]

Great video! I'm always so thrilled when someone new discovers this show and goes nuts for it XD I think if it's suffered from anything, it's a terminal lack of incentive to market it *at all* either within Japan or in the west. There's been a few promotional events and some very disappointing merch but overall the director (or whoever is in charge of such things) seems hellbent on keeping the show seen as an exclusive item. When Mononoke came out, I was still catching new anime releases on Megavideo or subber torrents. The only thing westerners got easy access to were five year old episodes of Naruto and the first FMA. The release for Ayakashi was a horribly dubbed DVD by Geneon that went out of print when the company folded a few years later and when Cinedigm acquired the rights to publish Mononoke as a package deal around 2015 iirc, they released the cheapest DVD I think I've ever seen with a translation to match. Compare that to the og fansubs (which I still think are superior) that included pdf notes to help explain wtf was going on in the episodes. Tldr: Mononoke has from the start suffered from a lack of quality exposure from the people who could do the most for it, which has always broken my heart.

[@darkstar76]

When I first found this anime I was intrigued and I wanted to learn more but it hurt my eyes

[@iferlyf8172]

Season 1 of Promised Neverland had some genuinely scary moments, as well as Made in Abyss. It is hard to make anime scary for sure, tho really cute kids do help

[@Draedaja]

No "real" horror anime, eh? Shin Sekai Yori would like to have a word with you (shit had me traumatized for weeks). But that aside- YES! More Mononoke love, I absolutely ADORE this show :D

[@nandinianil6390]

I'm currently watching mononoke and it is a very different experience for me from any other anime that I have watched. I wouldn't lie, the only reason why I decided to check out mononoke was because of it's artstyle but the characters in this anime are very strong and the stories are deep and meaningful. Hats off to the creator of this anime. Edit : I finished watching it couple of days ago and man.. Every single of the stories in this anime can be made into it's own series. It's a well written anime.

[@DasParkaeffchen]

This channel's videos are as criminally underwatched as Mononoke. I've never heard anyone articulate their thoughts and explanations in such an amazing format while teaching you how to understand stories on a deeper level for yourself, like the mood vs. tone in the Chainsaw Man video, as this channel does. I also find myself agreeing with the author on basically all points across all the videos made so far, lol. I would love to see a future video exploring, reviewing, or analyzing some of ONE's works, especially Mob Psycho 100 since I personally consider MP100 to be peak storytelling and very deserving of getting looked at through the lense of this format.

[@RicherDaniu]

I like animation shows with beautiful eyes

[@ZipZopZip09]

I feel like this is THE show anyone should want to watch if they like art that makes you think. If someone doesn't like Monoke I don't like them

[@TheMiccru]

Mononoke will always be my top anime, I have to introduce so many of my friends about it since like you say they love trash anime. Plus I do love anime

[@yukiutaware1064]

Mononoke? Yes.

[@umeda26]

Thank you for this.

[@magicfrog7831]

It's weird but I like it. It's like abstract art, I honest to god don't know what I'm looking at half the time, but it's fun to look at, whatever it is.

[@mirtikaschultz3282]

I've watched it many times and it is easily in my. top 3 of anime. :D Love the medicine seller and the music...

[@apple1231230]

mononoke has been debatably my favorite anime since the firs time i watched it. its story isnt particularly compelling and the characters arent particularly deep (which is probably why it failed) but omg does it have some of the best art style consistently i've ever seen in any media ever. that on top of just being wildly interesting and creative. i dont think many people appreciate this, nor would i implore them to. for me, this show is superb

[@kimihirowatanuki3888]

This anime is is one of my three favorite anime. Mushishi and xxxholic are the other two.

[@charmmaeonineza1501]

Mononoke has always been my favorite anime series. It's so artsy it's yummy! 😍

[@furiaries6634]

Am I the only one that thinks that the medicine vendor is like half humain and half yokai?