Mononoke Movie 2: Hinezumi

Every now and then, as I'm choosing which anime to watch at the beginning of each season, I end up encountering some good and some bad surprises. This kind of feeling, fueled by my decision to avoid any promotional material for new anime to avoid spoilers as much as possible, ends up being a double-edged sword: on the one hand, I might encounter a radiation bomb that I'll question other people's tastes for having enjoyed, and on the other, I might encounter an excellent work that will become one of my favorites of the year (see Medalist). Considering the second option, I might be even moresurprised when, upon watching this new work, I realize it's better than its predecessor in every way. Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage, the second film in a trilogy, fits this bill perfectly. Bringing a mix of new sensations to those who watched its predecessor, the second film in the trilogy returns with everything that makes the film unique, but with the evolution of all the previously deficient elements. In Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (Mononoke Movie: Dai-2 Shou - Hinezumi), we continue following Apothecary as he seeks to extinguish yet another mononoke terrorizing the imperial harem in Edo. Embroiled in family feuds, internal turmoil, and intense jealousy, Apothecary must uncover the motives of a mononoke that manifests itself in the form of flames that consume all its victims until only their ashes remain. Continuing the artistic choice and directorial style of the first film, the second chapter of Apothecary's saga presents us with another colorful and frenetic psychedelic spectacle—and I mean that in a good way. The editing uses many quick cuts and different angles to expose the story's atmosphere, creating an air of mystery while also moving the narrative forward in a way that doesn't become confusing for viewers, despite the pacing. At first glance, it might seem like the film will get confusing, but the direction does an excellent job of guiding our attention to specific points on the screen, ensuring we don't lose track of what's happening. For a better experience, I recommend watching the film dubbed, as in addition to the excellent dubbing, the film was made with the audience's attention to what's happening on screen in mind. As mentioned earlier, the second film builds on the positive aspects and highlights the most interesting elements of the first. O Boticário is more present on screen, dull secondary characters are sidelined to give way to new ones with much more empathetic personal dramas, and even in the explanatory moments, the pacing becomes much more enjoyable to follow, in addition to the use of light comic relief to make the story even more digestible. I consider even the final fight scene to be better, both in terms of animation and narrative catharsis, than the first film. The main improvement, however, was the story, although it remains very distant for those unfamiliar with many Japanese cultural elements—and I include myself in that category. However, even though at times we may feel lost in the details that could give more weight to what's happening, the script is anchored in a universal theme that transcends cultural barriers worldwide: motherhood. Yes, Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage is, in short, a film about a woman's motherhood confronting the decisions of others regarding the child in her womb. It's not the pinnacle of films that address this theme, but it's a well-done and entertaining piece. In short, Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage builds on virtually every aspect of its predecessor, as a good sequel should, but which we see less and less of these days. And for those who watched the first film and aren't sure whether the sequel is worth investing in, it might be time to reconsider, because I guarantee that it at least delivers much better entertainment than its predecessor.

The second movie out of the trilogy continues on with the investigation of another mononoke spirit. Of course, the medicine seller is looking for three distinct factors which come into play: Form, Reason and another factor that I have forgotten (I apologise). This time around the spirit has decided to mess with the future of this organisation with the next successor. Since Asa has been elevated and selected to assist this organisation, she takes a leading role alongside the other side characters that still exist in this movie trilogy. It is an authentic and weird movie to watch to buy some time. The soundtrack and the visuals areconnected hand-in-hand to boost any scene's feeling...and that is why it is an exciting watch as you'll never know what comes next. The last one is coming and I'm not ready.

Mononoke: The Ashes of Rage continues to be an anomalous bright spot in the realm of nearly-forgotten anime properties of the 2000s suddenly getting new entries in the 2020s, no doubt due to the continued involvement of anime auteur Kenji Nakamura. Much like the first movie, this one is exploding at every seam with vibrancy and color that borders on uncontrolled chaos, yet consistently manages to retain its form and intent. Whereas the first film was decisively centered around the relationship between its leads and how the inner machinations of the Ooku drove them towards conflict, we now begin to see the true depths ofthe Ooku’s ugliness brought to light and how those in power seek to retain an antiquated order that is obviously outgrowing its usefulness. That’s not to say character is missing from this entry; far from it. Whether it’s Fuki’s desperate struggle against a system that seeks to exclude her for not being of their kind, or Botan’s slowly growing trust in the medicine seller and distrust of the system she was brought up to obey, both characters brought to life by the incredible talents of Youko Hikasa and Haruka Tomatsu respectively, there is endless entertainment to be found in the players acting out this period tragedy. Despite its less-than-conventional narrative structure, Mononoke is proving to be more and more timely and captivating with age and with each new installment, and I can’t wait to see how the third film takes us yet another step deeper inside the monsters that our human hearts create.

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