I watched Princess Mononoke as a young child, and I didn’t understand front-to-back exactly what was happening. But the gist was somewhat clear. A Prince stripped of his title and cast out through no fault of his own must take a pilgrimmage, where he meets good people, bad people, and contends with the wrath of humanity and nature.

Even still, with my basic understanding and childlike whit, it felt so satisfying.

But I recently watched it again. While pressure from the elders was there, it was his decision to leave his village. This is a parallel with the Buddha’s story, who was born in royalty, but cast it aside to connect with man and nature to find heavy truths of life.

And as I watched further, deep, underlying stories were laid out, as there were no simple good people and bad people, except maybe the merchant (who, you might have missed it, is played by Billy Bob Thorton). Rather, there are deep, complex nuances, with neither side between man and nature really having a leg up in right and wrong. The issue isn’t so much the leader of Iron Town is greedy and self-seeking, but that she is compassionate for the people in her care.

Likewise, neither the wolves nor the boars sought conflict. They just wanted to be left alone.

The true underlying story beneath the intense battles and internal disputes is that sometimes, we just need to put down our weapons and listen to the other side.

This is a perfect expression of Hayao Miyazaki’s brilliance as a writer, and while it is outshined by other Studio Ghibli hits like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, this specific masterpiece gets better with age and replays – not worse. 10/10, no notes.