The Weekly Anthropocene Reviews: Princess Mononoke

This classic Japanese animated fantasy film is a spectacularly insightful allegory for the Anthropocene

This newsletter aims to discuss and support a synthesis of human development and wildlife conservation; basically the idea that our civilization is capable of providing a good life for everyone without destroying the biosphere or causing a mass extinction, and that we should do so. These ideas (sometimes called “bright green environmentalism” or “ecomodernism”) have already produced some amazing works of art and culture, from the science fiction novels of Becky Chambers and Kim Stanley Robinson to to the entire solarpunk art and design movement. This article discusses a mainstay of this nascent canon: the 1997 Japanese animated fantasy film Princess Mononoke, from renowned director Hayao Miyazaki.

It’s an extremely well-done fantasy tale, putting a unique spin on well-worn tropes as a cursed prince exiled from his homeland meets a human raised by wolves in a war-torn semi-magical version of Muromachi-era (late medieval/early modern) Japan. It’s also one of the best, most complex, and most fully applicable fantasy allegories for Anthropocene Earth across film, art, or literature, deeply engaging with real-world complexities.

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