Mononoke Movie: Karakasa

Asa and Kame strike up an immediate friendship when they arrive at the same time for their first day of duty at the Ooku, the splendid pleasure palace housing the harem of Lord Tenshi. The two young women are there to join the many hundreds of other maidservants—men are barred from entering, with immediate beheading the price of trespassing. It soon becomes clear that behind the luxurious lifestyle and ritualized routines of the Ooku lie sinister schemes and cynical rivalries. Meanwhile, a mysterious wandering potion-peddler known only as the Medicine Seller subtly insinuates himself into the Ooku, just as an uncanny, otherworldly menace begins to reveal itself.

(Source: Fantasia Festival)

Kusuriuri Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Asa Supporting

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Kame Supporting

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Tenshi Supporting

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Tokita, Fuki Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Mizorogi, Hokuto Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Futsukazuki Supporting

Watada, Misaki Japanese

Ootomo, Botan Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Mikazuki Supporting

Hiratsuka, Sae Japanese

Saga, Heiki Supporting

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Sudoku, Yuuki Producer

Satou, Kimiaki Producer

Nakamura, Kenji Director, Script

Nagasaki, Yukio Sound Director

Reviews

Jan 20, 2025

Northernazzlem

Recommended

The original TV show is my favorite anime show of all time, so coming into this movie my expectations were very high. Now would I rate this movie as highly as the original show? Simply put no. Do I think that this movie is better than 90% of the other anime released these last 10 years. Hell yes. I honestly think that while this movie was not perfect, at least it’s trying to do something new.

I read some of the reviews before I saw this movie (yeah I know that was stupid of me but hey, we’ve all done it before) and honestly I was ... a little worried for the movie. Were my expectations going to be to high? Would this be one of the biggest disappointments of the year? The short answer is no. While this was not as good as the original, it is no where near as bad as a lot of other popular anime’s I’ve seen before. Not to judge. People like what they like and I have no intention of criticizing others for their preferences. However, seeing this anime get a good amount 1’s while other generic rom coms or Shonen anime are pulling 8s and 9s is a little disheartening. More and more anime are being released that follow the same tropes and same story arcs and it’s becoming more rare to see studios take a risk on an anime like this. This movie has more creativity in 10 minutes than 90% of anime have in a whole season. This movie took artistic risks and while they didn’t all pay off, most of them did.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for something new. Also good news for anyone else who liked this movie, there is another movie coming out this year. I’m excited to see the direction that this next movie will take and I’ll be sure to see it too.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Dec 28, 2024

bakeneko

Mixed Feelings

A Mononoke story that doesn't feel like Mononoke. Often times I find that series that get revived after a long time lose some of their original elements and just feel slightly 'off' because of it. Most often, the element that gets lost to time is atmosphere and in Mononoke's case, that is a key component. This movie definitely suffers from that.

The key elements of a Mononoke story are definitely there. The gorgeous art, the subtle horror, the creeping tension, all wrapped in plentiful symbolism and an intriguing mystery. However, in trying to recreate the original's success, some aspects have been cranked up to eleven, and ... others have been lost because of it. While the art is certainly as gorgeous as I remember it, it feels like this movie doesn't give the viewer the time to stop, breathe and appreciate it. The pacing is wild and and the same is true of the soundtrack, making me wish for a moment of pensive silence that would allow me to process what I'm watching and for the tension to build properly.

In other words, the film suffers from a dire lack of 'empty space'. In Japanese culture, the concept of 'ma' refers to 'an artistic interpretation of an empty space, often holding as much importance as the rest of an artwork and focusing the viewer on the intention of negative space in an art piece'. In art, this empty space is literal; in music it's the pauses between sound; in martial arts, the distance between fighters and in a film, I would say, it would be the more slowly paced scenes between intense action. Some describe 'ma' as an intentional pause that invites contemplation. And this is what this movie lacks severely.

I don't know if this is because of the desire to cram as much content as possible in a limited runtime, an attempt at holding the viewer's attention or simply an attempt at celebrating the original series' core elements gone overboard. (A change in scriptwriters might be the most likely cause behind it all.) Whatever it is though, it interferes with the buildup of tension and the film's overall pacing and, at least in my opinion, makes for a distinct difference in tone.

Another one of my complaints, albeit a more minor one, is the change in the main character's design. His pre-transformation form didn't bother me as much but I found the decision to change his second form quite baffling. I find the white hair and golden markings to be more striking though this could just be my personal bias speaking (dramatic visual changes without any rhyme or reason have always been my pet peeve).

All in all I would describe this film as over-saturated. And yet somehow the lesser in comparison to its predecessors because of it. I would recommend you watch it, if only for the art itself, but I would caution against expecting the same experience as watching the original.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 17, 2025

Sengir

Not Recommended

I watched the previous Mononoke anime and it seemed like a wonderful series with an incredible aura. It was captivating, mysterious, serene, intriguing. The main character Kusuriuri was mesmerizing, and the rest of the supporting characters in each story all have their own original looks, personalities and background. This movie has none of that, it's a nonsense, a complete waste of time.

The studio in charge of making it isn't the same as before and hasn't understood anything about the magic of the previous work. They thought that putting in lots of colors and constant flashy scenes was enough. All aspects seem much worse to me ... in comparison. I had to make an effort not to drop the movie before finishing it.

To have made such a poor continuation I would have preferred that they did nothing, honestly. I feel that this movie tarnishes the general quality of the series.

Also, as an extra detail, they changed the previous seiyuu of the main character Kusuriuri (Takahiro Sakurai) whose previous voice in that character hypnotized you in every sentence. And even without taking that into account, Kusuriuri here seems like a completely different character acting in a way that doesn't match the personality he had before. Now he seems like a quirky random character taken from Naruto filler chapters. Another very negative point from my point of view.

The aura is totally lost, this movie is a colorful empty shell.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Things I noticed and wanted to talk about. LittlexLittle - Dec 26, 2024	16 replies	by GoldFlakePizza »» Jan 12, 7:44 AM
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