r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • 15d ago
Episode Mononoke The Movie: Chapter Ⅲ - The Curse of the Serpent • Mononoke Movie: Hebigami
Mononoke Movie: Hebigami
Alternative names: Mononoke: Dai San Shou - Hebigami, Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - Snake God
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| Episode | Link |
|---|---|
| Movie 1: Karakasa/The Phantom in the Rain | Link |
| Movie 2: Hinezumi/The Ashes of Rage | Link |
| Movie 3: Hebigami/The Curse of the Serpant | Link |
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u/dawnwill 15d ago
Feels like it is one of those rare movie trilogies that actually has a satisfying finale and thematically consistent storytelling of individuals and society. Personally I liked the first movie the most, but the Hundred Eyes part was really great with everyone being rooted in the society of Ooku and the medicine seller releasing them. At first, I was expecting a more destructive or revolutionary ending, but you know, you could just throw away the stinky water and start fresh.
On a side note, I have zero qualms about the OG medicine seller, but I would have preferred smarter or deeper breakthrough than "welp this is too much gotta summon the OG guy". Maybe it would have been a much more hype moment if I didn't see the spoiler which was impossible to avoid.
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u/DarknessWhenIDream 15d ago
It is kind of funny to see the final sequence boil down to summoning Ri, but that said, as someone who did somehow manage to avoid spoilers, it was absolutely massive hype to see Ri again.
Super satisfying trilogy the whole way through; looking forward to the re-watches.
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u/TuzoIvan 9d ago
The same for me. I cried like a maniac when he appeared. Especially cause the mexican VA from the series returned to voice him.
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u/deanediggity 3d ago
came to this thread to see if anyone else cried at that part - glad I’m not the only one shedding a tear over the sheer coolness of it all
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u/Illustrious-Knee8084 https://myanimelist.net/profile/ou_ki 15d ago
Felt great to see ri (the og medicine seller) again, stunning visuals and animation as always but it had some really confusing elements. Ig only someone with high media literacy and huge knowledge of Japanese folklore can understand it in a single going. If you guys are like or are interested in mononoke, do check out the r/Kusuriuri subreddit.
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u/max4citycouncil 15d ago edited 15d ago
I greatly appreciated that the third movie asked a lot more of the audience.
I will need a rewatch or several to connect everything I'm sure, but thats how it was for most of the original show.
While the first two movies were excellent they felt considerably more superficial than the show arcs. I appreciated the return to more challenging and experimental storytelling.
On top of that they were able to maintain the increased flashiness and action orientation without diminishing its impact too much.
From the original show to the movies 10/10. I never expected we would get more content, especially at this quality. The Mononoke universe is so rich in storytelling potential.
edit: apparently the movies have done very well in Japan and there is another project in the works... incredible.
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u/yuzutonic 3d ago
omg another project really? I've been watching since Ayakashi and purchased Mononoke as well when it was available so I was losing my mind over this trilogy and felt such bitterness that this was it 😭
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u/max4citycouncil 3d ago
yes! im super excited too. Theres a short teaser video you can lookup if you search new project
it is mostly showing old clips but has a blip from the new project at the end, which is maybe a super minor spoiler but tagging to be safe [Mononoke] new medicine seller design
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u/MacDouglett 15d ago
This is the kind of movie where you could write several essays to dissect the symbolism that is used both literally and metaphorically drive many of the story's mysteries. 3 and trifectas being tied to things like Form, Truth, and Reason that exists in humans and mononoke, allusions to the 3 Shinto deities that make up the pillars of the water shrine, the three generations of royalty the story revolves around (Empress Mom, Emperor (Son)/Wife, Grandson/Baby), three circles representing the water clan (and connecting them together creates a triangle, which has its own array of symbols), triangles making kaledoscopes. And that's just with the number 3...stuff like tarots, religious and philisophical and folklore imagery, flowers and gardens, water, circle symbolism...there is LAYERS to this cake of a movie trilogy. And that aint even the Cake of the Narrative either, that one could be a beast of its own to breakdown....
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u/Wiles_ 15d ago
Not sure I entirely got it but still a real audio/visual treat.
Felt like the bitrate was a bit lacking during the big scenes. Needs a proper Blu-ray release.
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u/prime_soda_pop 15d ago edited 15d ago
Rewatching the 2 parts again really helped me connect the dots.
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u/ConnectionFluid4657 11d ago
Oh man the way that OG sword appeared in the portal, I gasped alone in the room!!!!
Glad to see so many mononoke fans here, in my country very rare to even meet someone who watched the ayakashi and mononoke tv series. Hello everyone. :)
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u/mcbenyohips 8d ago
Just found the time to watch it and it was mind-blowing. I'd have to say that the hype for the third is definitely the biggest out of all three. Most importantly, all characters get satisfying development and wrapped up in this movie -- I especially adore how they always focused on the women of the Ooku and never went on unrelated tangents with the men in politics. It's as mysterious as ever and there's multiple things I'm not familiar with, but I'm mostly concerned about Lady Ama. Not sure what's going with her, might need to rewatch again.
Best moment have got to be when Ri appeared. I was very careful with any spoilers, so this was a very pleasant shock to me (especially since I started the movie thinking how nice it would be if we get interactions between the medicine sellers, realistically in future releases. But I guess I didn't have to wait that long!!!). Ri's appearance is understandably cut short, but I hope with the upcoming new medicine seller, Ken, we get more alongside this vein.
All things aside, I think the whole trilogy is a nice seed of hope to everyone whose favourite shows are decades abandoned -- Since we also had to wait so long before we got the news :)
(The last half an hour had me with my two hands up like in the absolute cinema pose)
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u/BigDayComing 11d ago
The Aristocrats!
Beautiful art style, great animation, pacing was a bit too fast to process all the details but I generally felt like I was keeping up the whole time. The music towards the end was a little distracting, going from one battle track into the next like 3 times in a row. I'd love if they could slow down the pacing closer to that of the series while keeping the improved animation, but glad to hear there's more Mononoke in the works even if it stays at this faster pacing. Really enjoyed this movie trilogy.
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u/Open_Fig_4631 6d ago
I think I’m one of the only people who has quite a different opinion on the movie. Out of the three, I think this one is actually my least favorite. I personally loved the first movie the most. Not saying that the third wasn’t enjoyable (let’s go Ri!) but I do have some problems with it.
First, I think it was “too” action oriented for the whole movie aka fast paced. That usually isn’t bad as that’s how Kon gets the F/T/R the majority of the time but I feel like there was action every 5mins and not enough dialogue for the new characters. New as in, literally New characters and the characters that are important to the Mononoke problem this time around (Majesty, official consort, his mom, his friend Hokuto who worships the water goddess, Lady AMA, and OG first consort). All other characters are ones that we have seen and heard from in the last two movies. The past characters don’t add much (if any) to this specific story unfortunately. The most would be Botan as she is the administrator but even then she wasn’t super important to the story context itself. Fuki tried to get in as well but it just didn’t work out since her story was already completed and she was just here to help with the babies.
I feel like that brings back the story a bit since I would like more tension and character building (may not necessarily lead to development) of the newer characters as it seems, at least from when I watched it a couple times, they are the key focus. However, we get the full context (him being the fake) very early on that closes the door to any tension and the building of motivations for them. Not to mention, his mom is just there screaming for him not to listen and in turn not doing anything for the majority of the film until she tries to kill the baby.
Speaking of baby, I think they should have limited the whole baby story line. We already had that in movie 2 (albeit it was the shortest of the three). I think they should have leaned more on the lore of the Ooku and his majesty/priest which would naturally lead it the Water Goddess. That would include things like the whole stillbirth line but I think the revelation is more important. They did that mainly in the flashbacks but we definitely could have had that fake revelation happen towards the end. Kind of boring to reuse a similar concept that was already done (everyone trying to protect or kill a baby). This would also help build the tension for him being the fake and not be a sudden lore drop early on.
The Mononoke Series itself is built upon the characters the Medicine Seller interacts with but also between each other (what we see as the audience). Their relationships, motivations, flashbacks, etc which are usually built upon through the movie (mainly the beginning and middle) and then the revelations by the end, the whole mystery solved time to slay kind of deal. So when the key story (of him being fake and the baby also being fake) is essentially revealed in the first 20-30 mins of the movie, that doesn’t give time for anything to build. What’s left is to continue lore dumping which is what they did with the flashbacks. Neither Movie one or two built up to this one either and only had small indications that something else is going on (aka not the main focus of either movies obviously). I mean, think about it, other than the him being a fake, do we get anything else that was new/impactful about his majesty that’s key to his story? No. His relationship with anyone isn’t a key focus either which is also strange cause you would think so. Doesn’t even seem like he cares either but does understand that his purpose was for baby making. What about Hokuto? A bit more as he is a father but also no, since his job of helping his majesty didn’t work out in the movie (boy lost a leg protecting his daughters) and we already knew he praised the water goddess. The mom is just annoying and had no real impact other than wanting to continue the Ooku (which everyone wants) but by killing off the fake baby cause why the hell not at this point. The only real character that had anything going for them would be the official consort (aka first wife) since the story ties a lot with her. Problem is that they focused a lot on her and the past Consort that they kind of forgot the other characters who should be extremely important to this story and should have had more impactful dialogue. I mean, how plain can you get with a “oh, your majesty, you are fake and stillbirths are part of the line” and he’s essentially like “chill fam, I know but whatever I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up when skies are clear” kind of vibe. He seriously has no personality. He does get some spunk when he tries to stop his mom from killing the baby but is then sidelined again. Hokuto is also sidelined after the first 20-30 mins and was instead used as a Tornado siren “Go down to the shrine, the water goddess will protect you!” x20. Weirdly enough, Lady Yukiko also gets a form of sideline when the flashbacks start to happen as she just starts running around for the baby and also not adding anything anymore. Tbf, her whole thing was definitely at the beginning and middle so it’s not a big deal. Those flashbacks were definitely the best part for the whole story as that’s the usual Mononoke scheduled broadcast for revelations and figuring stuff out.
Now, there is the whole two Mononoke problem. So the majority of the movie deals with the serpent (which is fine) but when the water goddess (Lady Ama) comes into play, I feel like it’s a little too late for her specifically. We do get lore in regards to her but that was mainly in context with the serpent and (by the end of it) mainly for the serpent. That really sucks as I love the eye idea and her self manufacturing the whole water goddess thing to make the Ooku. Not sure how I would have gone about have two mononke’s in one movie that both need the F/T/R and then there own slaying scenes. You may think, well her story connects with the serpent, and inadvertently leads to him getting that information quickly due it that. However, they really aren’t that connected. They had very different motivations, personalities, and different results that led them to be two Mononoke’s. One is literally being praised as the water goddess with freaking floating eyes and creator of the Ooku, no serpent will be on that level (she was just caught up in Lady AMA’s scheme unfortunately).
A little note as well: I do know that these new characters do appear in the first two movies but simply having one scene or a passing glance at them doesn’t mean they suddenly had any impacts or character building for movie three. Movie three is meant to be about them and their lore so they should have center stage.
On to the action itself! Despite all the issues above, since this is more action oriented, it does the action very well and we do get to see Medicine Seller a lot more compared to the prior two movies. I love his Beatles but I want to see Mr. Scales. I don’t actually know why they didn’t use Mr. Scales more but I guess since the gang is being chased like scooby doo, they don’t need to figure out where the Mononoke is lol. Also, they should have had better kill scenes and not just have them get red eyes and then become boxes (I want the horror of a kill HAHAHA) but I digress as that really isn’t important. The music is fire and the animation is gorgeous as always. Not a bad finale either which I’m happy about!
I, like everyone else, loved when Ri appears like the god himself ready to help out. I wanted more scenes with him at the end since I think it would be cool to see both of them off before we get the new Medicine Seller. Also, did anyone else who watched it in English expect a different VA for Ri like in Japanese? I thought they had a different English VA but turns out Ri and Kon are both Crispin.
Ending thoughts: Like I said, my least favorite movie of the three but it was still an enjoyable experience. I could never hate Mononoke as it’s such a fun and interesting series with many ways to tell a story. Not sure what they going to go with (TV/Movie) for the new Medicine Seller but I can’t wait to see what other stories they have in store for the series.
Thanks for reading my ted talk y’all, and I have a cool question for everyone: do you think Ri and Kon match their eight trigrams lore (Ri is the middle daughter/fire while Kon is the mother/earth)?
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u/StrangerMindless9187 13d ago
The movie was really awesome. I feel like it came quite close to the series in terms of weirdness and uncomfyness. Was also really nice to see Ri again, i was practically jumping up and down upon seeing him again lmao.
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u/ExampleGloomy 10d ago
I'm almost afraid to ask, but what exactly was the Water Goddess in the end? I can't wrap my head around it, so much was packed into the third movie.
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u/parasitic_pretense 8d ago
The Water Goddess is a Sokushinbutsu. The servant of a previous Emperor mummified herself to became a deity, who then preyed upon the people of the Ooku, and extending village to keep the systematic monarchy in place, with herself as the center of its power.
Edit: Sokushinbutsu is Buddhist, and I believe the characters are Shinto, but it's the same concept. This narrative was brought up in Inu-Yasha, which is why I'm familiar with it.
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u/Harmonic_Gear 8d ago
So the serpent is the mother of the current fake emperor, which is still alive? I think I mixed up some characters
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u/Crafty_Shopping5125 7d ago
No, the serpent was the OG consort of the Emperor from 150 years ago, after Lady Ama created Ooku.
The Form: the Serpent, the form similar to Lady Ama's Goddess of Water form.
The Truth: The Imperial Lineage did not exist, not since the Oōku was established. Apparently the real Imperial tradition was the Emperor having either princesses or stillbirth sons, despite every Emperor allegedly being a swapped in kid from the streets. Even the current Emperor is supposedly not Suikoin's true child, despite her insistence to the contrary.
The Reason: the OG Royal Consort spurned the existence of the Oōku, the reason why her husband died of syphilis. The Oōku was built on her contempt as part of its foundation, each second of its existence continually powering the mononoke.
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u/Crafty_Shopping5125 7d ago
I don't understand the Water Goddess. Was Ama something like the Medicine Seller, or was she originally a human who gained powers via the worship of the people? Even her colour scheme is more like the Medicine Seller than a typical human character.
That both Kon and Ri can cut her through means that she was a mononoke, but what is her Truth and Reason? I don't get it.
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u/ppyporpeem https://kitsu.io/users/satachan 19h ago
She's a human that went through deification through something similar sokushinbutsu, although traditionally, in asia, when establishing a building, they bury people alive as guardian deities, this character chose to do it in a way that make her less of a bound ghost and more of a deity.
Her truth is that she exists to protect the lies that formed ooku, in order to keep the nation peaceful.
While her regret is that she wanted to be free but couldn't be for the sake of keeping the country alive and ended up causing the regrets of everyone due to her decisions.
She wanted to become water so that she can be free from her own karmic debt. As water has no form and only one way forward. She knows her sin and hence died with regret.
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u/Illustrious-End4467 14d ago
It's just struck me that the medicine sellers are basically magical girls with stricter transformation criteria.