Damn this Switch 2 upgrade of the Zelda titles is lookin exquisite.

rewatched through the 4K screening

Not that I necessarily blame people for opting this to be a centrist opinion of industrial vs. ecological power struggle, what with the ending seeming to favor this regard (which, if I recall, was always a struggle for Miyazaki works), but it's worth acknowledging its more metaphysical nature of the world and its reaction to toying with it than hard-reactionary elements to/from it. Not in a "violence begets violence" manner, even if it was toyed with, but more about the residual anger seeping within us transforming into a monstrous force that destroys those we swore to protect. You can see the angle with Ashitaka and San: the former being the mediator between human progress and 'inherit' conquest, and the latter the mediator between the symbiosis woodlands bestow upon humans while taming its antagonistic tendencies. I jestered about Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, but it isn't hard to see the Nintendo alumni pick up on this in 1997, and incorporate it through various means during the 3D Zelda boom. Even now you'll still see some of its ilk lingering within the gaming landscape.

Expanding on the 'reactionist', Eboshi's state being in constant flux feels intentional - the leader of a town in constant pursuit of an idealistic 'peace', strung from warring people, while uplifting the common ones (especially less-off women). Along with Okkoto's revenge against the slaughter of another Boar God, which inevitably fuels their destructive whimper, their two-spoke postits are a great counterbalance between the two leads, alongside Moro and the Shishigami's mentorship being physical and internal.

In fact, the weakest aspects of Mononoke is when the film chooses to exposit the message instead of expressing it. You can feel it especially in the second act - after Ashitaka intervenes the first San/Eboshi scuffle, and before he sets off to join the penultimate onslaught - where the pacing comes to a screeching halt to focus more on the cyclical nature of violence and close-minded deification. Moro's lecture onto Ashitaka is wonderful, but I couldn't help but wonder if it would land harder if it wasn't sandwiched between the Ironworks' fight against the Shogun, as well as San's pleas unto the Boar Spirit Okkoto's resolve, both of which belly mantras we otherwise have picked up already. I also wonder about whether the intent for Jiko was always planned to be a cheeky instigator for the Mikado, since they don't seem to lay up this aspect more than the Shogun have, which is a shame.

Still, it's not hard to get swept by its majestic yet poignant arms all the same, especially with its imploring adoration of the spiritualism ecology provides us throughout its runtime. It's not absconding technological pursuits for enrichment, but more about the pointed critique of not letting us abuse it for selfish gain - which, given the humorous timing this was rereleased in, is quite fitting for everyone to relearn.