'Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain' Review: Arthouse Animation Is One Of The Year's Best (2024)

It's easy to look at a movie like Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain and immediately break down how wonderful every frame looks. Not that the Kenji Nakamura movie isn't a wonder: it's the kind of style in which every single frame could be a portrait or a wallpaper. But Mononoke's biggest merit is not to fall into the easy trap of delivering style over substance. As gorgeous as it looks, the animated feature also delivers a heck of a compelling story.

Based on a television show which is, in turn, a spin-off from the anthology anime seriesAyakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain mixes computer graphics and Japanese paper textures to achieve a singular look that the spin-off series already used, but now it is showcased at its full potential.

What Is 'Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain' About?

The movie continues to center around the medicine seller (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya), a warrior that wanders through Edo-period and Meiji-era Japan identifying and fighting spirits called mononoke, supernatural beings who may cling to a person or location when negative human emotions attract them. In the movie, the nameless character enters the Ōoku — a place where beautiful and talented women are gathered from all across the land to bear the heir of His Majesty, the ruler — and meets Asa (Tomoyo Kurosawa) and Kame (Aoi Yuki), two girls who are newcomers to the place.

Mononoke doesn't just deliver great works of art in every frame. It challenges you to keep up with it. Kamiya knows that it is impossible to take it all in and is willing to make viewers frustrated with his pace, but the message is clear: he wants you to revisit the movie. And you will want to, not only because there's so much to look at, but also because Mononoke never gives you all the answers about that world. Instead, it invites you to try and figure them out for yourself.

Not that it's easy. Sometimes (again, intentionally), you can't tell the floor from the ceiling in the Ōoku, and that helps viewers step into the shoes of Asa and Kame, who are also learning their ways and are impressed with the territory they have just entered. Paired with quick cuts and swift camerawork, Mononoke quickly makes you get lost in its world in almost every way, and you gladly accept being pulled into it.

Every Frame of 'Mononoke' Is Gorgeous

Another element that impresses in Mononoke is Kamiya's attention to detail. It's not only that there are a million details to absorb in every single scene; the movie is so committed to keeping you inside its world that even its transitions — the story is spread across clearly marked days — feel like a natural part of the environment. Yes, the sliding doors-like cuts are pulled straight from the anime series, but that doesn't mean that they work any less.

All of that would be enough to make Mononoke a must-watch, but the movie is also able to jump swiftly through genres elegantly. It all starts with a slice-of-life, almost Spirited Away approach to the day-to-day lives of the Ōoku inhabitants. Then, before you know it, the story has turned into a Paprika-like investigative thriller in which you find yourself searching every frame for clues to who or where the mononoke might be. Then, it all evolves into a full-blown shonen action anime in which the fights defy your notions of what is possible in terms of action scenes.

And all of that serves an even bigger purpose, which is Mononoke's central theme. The movie has a lot to say about holding grudges and what it can do to a person and everyone around them — which is also a recurring theme in Japanese works of art — but it also does a fantastic job of just showcasing the routine of the Ōoku and the rivalries that are innate to the location. Even though it doesn't delve too deep into this aspect, Mononoke also showcases how women can lose their individuality and become a sort of blank slate to serve a single male figure, which speaks volumes about Japanese culture and the world in general.

'Mononoke' Quite Simply Puts On A Show

Last but certainly not least, Mononoke is a visual spectacle. You can be completely amazed at the movie by simply staring at isolated elements like its rain, and even its exuberant style doesn't feel gratuitous. The way that the movie chooses to portray smells, for example, is an effective way to communicate to viewers several key moments in the story, including when danger is about to be spotted.

Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain is the kind of movie that showcases that Japanese animation has a lot more to offer than Studio Ghibli. Not that there's a problem with the Hayao Miyazaki company, but it's common for other filmmakers and anime creators to push the boundaries of animation across several categories, and more often than not, their work remains undiscovered. Luckily for us, though, Mononoke not only made it to our screens on this side of the planet, but there are also two more movies coming down the line for us to enjoy.

Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain debuts on Netflix on November 28.

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Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain

'Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain' is a visual spectacle that offers way more than style.

Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain, directed by Kenji Nakamura, centers on two newcomers in the Edo harem as they unravel a web of political intrigue and rivalry. A vengeful spirit threatens, and only a mysterious traveling medicine seller can bring salvation.

Pros

• The animation is one of the year's best.
• It invites you to decode the world and come up with your interpretation of it.
• Swiftly jumps through genres.
• Efficiently conveys its real-world themes.

Cons

• May make viewers too overwhelmed with its fast pace.