As to be expected, there are quite a few issues and conflicts in the film. One of these conflicts is between the animals and the humans. The animals are fighting to keep their forests, while the humans want to tear it down for their own resources. In order to do so, the humans of Irontown decide to kill the Forest Spirit, which in turn will destroy the forest and drive away all of the animals. This brings up a real-life issue all too well known throughout the history of humans and the world: humans versus nature. Despite the fact that we humans are a part of nature, we continually fight against it through new technological advances that supposedly make life easier. In the process, however, we destroy the environment that we live in, and that will eventually lead to our demise. In the end, nature will win.
One thing I find particularly interesting about the film is Irontown and its inhabitants. Though they are the enemies of the animals and intend to destroy the forest, they are not necessarily an evil town. The town is made up of lepers and woman who have been rescued from brothels, and they, for the most part, are a tightly-knit and good-hearted community. Also, women have a powerful role in the town--Irontown is run by a woman, and the female inhabitants do much of the hard work and make the town profitable. However, they are not an ideal town, mostly because of the constant outside threats. Still though, it is a morally ambiguous town, for when they are defeated by Ashitaka and San, Eboshi, the leader of the town, promises that she will do things better, but it is unclear whether she has "good" intentions or not.
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Um 2 things...one of your pictures was blocked and you also need to include a video. Its good to ramble again in blogs! :) I feel you with the whole Iron Town point...theyre not evil at all. they're people who are generally shunned by society and they live in a community where they are loved and accepted. theyre trying to survive and theyre striving as a town. theyre not bad people theyre trying to survive and they love each other. i also found it interesting how women run the show in the movie setting the whole agenda of equality. i could never define if eboshi was good or evil...
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Human versus nature is probably the most used concept ever used in any media since the birth of technology. I think Jigo says great quote which sums up the reason behind the conflict with nature, "Wanting all between Heaven and Hell is the human condition." We, as a species, are always seeking advancement and do not really care if these advancement destroy others, let alone nature. The ironic thing is that in the end our advances will eventually be the destruction of us, while nature always return eventually. I also found Irontown to be interesting. This town and its people are a perfect representation of good and evil only being apparent in the eye those who judge. Irontown, or just humans in generally, are looked upon as evil beings by the animals in the film. On the other hand, from the inhabitants of the town's perspective, they are just trying to expand and improve their lives, but the forest is preventing that. No one is inherently good or evil until judge by someone else's beliefs and opinions.
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