By: Emma Giancola

Princess Mononoke, the seventh-highest-grossing anime film of all time worldwide, was released in 1997. The story follows Ashitaka, a cursed and exiled prince, as he becomes entangled in a bitter struggle between humans and nature. The Studio Ghibli film is breathtaking, both in plot and in animation. What really seals the deal for me, though, is the soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi.

The plot of the movie (MILD-ISH SPOILERS AHEAD), if you are unfamiliar, is unabashedly about man’s cruelty to other living beings (as well as man’s kindness). Furthermore, it focuses heavily on themes of man’s destruction of nature, the cruel tendencies of war, and the moral grey of most people (as opposed to simply good and simply evil). To emphasize the darkness of the plot, the score is filled with loud drums, tension, and sweeping strings. This creates a majestic, yet sinister feeling that envelopes the movie-watcher completely.

There are several major themes in the music, including Ashitaka, San, Lady Eboshi, forest spirits, death, and war. Each of the themes play into each other and are repeated several times throughout both the film and the soundtrack. Each piece is also meticulously orchestrated, which plays into the effect of the theme. For instance, Ashitaka’s theme is often accompanied by sweeping strings, which reinforces the idea that he is predominantly heroic, as well as the idea that his character arc develops greatly throughout the movie. It also blends very well with San’s theme, suggesting their deep connection.

Here follows a guide to all the songs (in order), including the themes present and notes about the orchestration:

• “The Legend of Ashitaka”
  • Themes: Ashitaka
  • Slow build, sweeping strings, quiet ending
  • First song of the soundtrack
    • Sets up themes of both soundtrack and movie
      • Heroism/Journey
      • Growth and cost of growth
      • Hope and destruction
• “The Demon God”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Ominous build, dramatic drums/percussion, swirling melodies, emulation of battle horns (honestly a real jam even though it’s really dramatic)
• “Journey to the West”
  • Themes: Ashitaka, San
  • Wistful, happy/sad opening
  • Flute melodies, simple string chords
  • As journey progresses, instrumentation morphs and builds in volume
  • Some of San’s theme layered in beneath predominant melody
• “The Demon Power”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Really short and just kinda dramatic
• “The Land of the Impure”
  • Themes: Ashitaka, San
  • Opens with “domestic” pizzicato
  • Simple restatement of Ashitaka’s theme woven throughout
  • Mostly minor with some major thrown in for flavor
  • Some of San’s theme woven in
• “The Encounter”
  • Themes: Forest Spirit, San
  • First encounter with the Forest Spirit
  • Chilling strings and vocals
  • Followed by simple restatement of San’s theme
• “Kodamas”
  • Themes: Forest Spirit
  • Percussion clicking to create sound of Kodamas
  • “Curious” strings
  • Lots of pentatonic/traditional chordal movements
  • Shifts abruptly to Forest Spirit theme
• “The Forest of the Gods”
  • Themes: Forest Spirit
  • Ominous, spooky, obviously enchanted
• “Evening at the Ironworks”
  • Themes: Lady Eboshi
  • First statement of Eboshi’s theme
  • Welcoming, happy, final
• “The Demon God II– The Lost Mountains”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Starts softly, then dramatically crashes into loudness, then backs off again
  • Very similar to first statement, just shorter
• “Lady Eboshi”
  • Themes: Lady Eboshi, Ashitaka
  • Main statement of her theme
  • Traditional, welcoming, somewhat tragic and foreboding
  • Builds slowly with repeated ostinato continuing throughout
  • Main theme on flute first and alternates with horn
  • Ends with very simple restatement of Ashitaka’s theme
• “Tatara Women’s Song”
  • Choral/vocal with some simple strings and drums
  • Sounds happy, welcoming, traditional yet subverting, strong
  • Translation: http://www.nausicaa.net/wiki/Princess_Mononoke_(tatara_song)
    • Women under Lady Eboshi are strong and empowered– adds to Eboshi’s complexity as a character
• “The Furies”
  • Themes: San
  • Opens dramatically with horn
  • Short, abrupt chords
  • Militaristic setting of San’s theme woven in
    • Reinforces idea of metal and war vs. nature and peace
  • Very battle-esque
  • Lots of build and tension
• “The Young Man from the East”
  • Themes: Ashitaka
  • Very similar to opening
  • Personal opinion: this is the piece that made me truly fall in love with the soundtrack and everything it does because this song really sums up Ashitaka and his journey and it’s especially noticeable in this scene in the movie because the heroic themes in the music line up with the growth in his character arc
• “Requiem”
  • Themes: San, Requiem
  • Specific mutation of San’s theme into requiem theme
    • Hopeful theme sprinkled throughout death
  • Foreboding
  • Swells in volume and tension
• “Will to Live”
  • Themes: San
  • Quiet harp and wind version of San’s theme
• “San and Ashitaka in the Forest of the Deer God”
  • Themes: Forest Spirit, San
  • Magical interspersed with foreboding
  • Hopeful swells into major version of San’s theme
• “Princess Mononoke (Instrumental Version)”
  • Themes: San
  • Main statement of San’s theme
  • Begins traditional and foreboding, transforms into more hopeful
  • Main theme in woodwinds with harmony from strings
• “Requiem II”
  • Themes: Requiem
  • San’s element is absent from this one
  • Still swells in foreboding
• “Princess Mononoke (With Vocals)”
  • Themes: Forest Spirit, San
  • Opens with Forest Spirit’s theme
    • Indicates close connection between San and the spirits
  • Translation: https://genius.com/Joe-hisaishi-princess-mononoke-theme-song-lyrics
    • San is very much a warrior, but also feels alienated and different from humans, preferring the spirits and their ways
• “The Battle Drums”
  • Drums (naturally) and occasional chimes in a repeated pattern that builds in complexity
• “The Battle in front of the Ironworks”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Starts with off-kilter strings
    • Signals impending conflict
  • Softer introduction of battle theme with flutes
• “The Demon Power II”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Very similar to earlier iterations of battle theme
  • Continues to signal conflict and turmoil
  • Theme builds and escalates in pitch
  • Drops to just drum beats
• “Requiem III”
  • Themes: Requiem
  • Death is a pervasive theme in this movie
  • More similar to second requiem than first one
    • Lacks San’s theme and hope/spirit influence
• “The Retreat”
  • Themes: Battle
  • Very muted and slowed-down battle theme to remind of ongoing conflict
    • Builds suspense rather than excitement
• “The Demon God III”
  • Themes: Battle, Ashitaka
  • Similar to other iterations
  • Presence of Ashitaka’s theme indicates his presence in the battle
• “Adagio of Life and Death”
  • Themes: Ashitaka, San, Battle
  • Somber, quieter
  • Alludes to main themes while skirting around them
  • Contains multiple themes playing on top of each other
  • Battle theme sounds somewhat similar to San’s
    • Indicates her warlike nature and involvement with warlike spirits
• “The World of the Dead”
  • Themes: Requiem
  • Contains eerie and unsettling shrieking effects
  • Orchestra builds in intensity, often sampling somewhat sped-up sections from the requiem
• “The World of the Dead II”
  • Themes: San, Requiem
  • A lot more somber and peaceful than the first one at start
  • Crescendos dramatically from heroic iteration of San’s theme into shrieking effects from before
  • Requiem chords build with elements of San’s theme piercing through
• “Adagio of Life and Death II”
  • Themes: Ashitaka, San
  • Plays themes on top of each other again
    • Emphasizes the connection between the two
  • Quiet, filled with sadness
  • Builds into final chord
• “Ashitaka and San”
  • Themes: San
  • Sweet, happy, optimistic
    • Represents restoration of peace and happiness due to and between the two characters
  • Maintains elements of San’s theme, but is starkly different, especially due to modal changes (minor to major)
  • Alludes to previous foreboding elements, but ends simply and peacefully
• “Princess Mononoke– Ending Theme Song with Vocal”
  • Themes: San
  • Very similar to other iteration
    • Shorter
  • Emphasis on hopeful elements of theme
• “The Legend of Ashitaka– Ending
  • Themes: Ashitaka
  • Longer than other version of his theme
  • Emphasis on his journey
    • Especially its heroic and difficult aspects
    • Fast moving notes that end dramatically in a chord
    • Subverted key change
  • Lots of variation in instrumentation

There’s a reason why Princess Mononoke was and still is so popular– it’s a good movie that knows what it’s doing. This is evident in everything, especially the soundtrack. Each iteration of a theme is masterful and meaningful. The end result of this is a striking soundtrack in isolation; when combined with a powerful plot and dazzling animation, it creates a breathtaking classic.

As a self-proclaimed music nerd, I gravitate towards these details when I watch movies. The impact they have, for me at least, is monumental. However, other people might not care about movie music as much, or may not realize how much it adds.

All in all, this movie is truly worth the watch. Hopefully, my analysis adds some insight into the movie and some of the careful planning that went into its production. The themes and instrumentation reveal a great deal about the characters and ideas that reinforces and goes beyond what is presented.

Did I miss anything? Have anything you want to add? Just want to discuss Princess Mononoke and its soundtrack? Feel free to reach out to me by leaving a comment. Happy analyzing!