Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Xerox96
*Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain* is the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to reading a book; I felt it throughout its entire runtime. It’s like reading a book in an audiovisual format. What I mean by this is the following: the work demands an active reading at all times. Again, it’s just like reading a book—it requires concentration, memory, and close attention. It is by no means a show where you can just sit back, relax, and turn your brain off. I’m not saying its story is complex; following the main plot isn’t abstract or impossible by any means, but it does ask for your constant attention. In return, the film rewards you with thousands of details that aren't strictly necessary to understand the main arc, but give the movie a depth and flavor that adds an incredible amount.
T…
Read at the sourceTalha_R
The original 12 episode TV Series, Mononoke (2007), which consists of multiple arcs, is about a roaming Medicine Seller specialized in terminating malevolent deities, traveling around Feudal Japan in order to find & slay them.
The trilogy is the version of the story from the perspective in another setting, with another such Medicine Seller, as there are multiple specialists.
The Key Premise remains the same, the Medicine Seller must find the Deity's:
1. Form (Metaphysical shape)
2. Truth (Incident behind the origin of the deity)
3. Reason (what it tries to accomplish),
which are born from the residue of negative human feelings, primarily originated through various human rights violation. After the revelations of these three requirements, he is able to slay the Deity before it causes any…
Read at the sourceGunsl1ng3rGIRL
This is the most unconvincing, unscary, and obvious entry in the franchise. Medicine Seller gets sidelined just to promote that modern anime girl aesthetic. Women of the show looked better because the show has unique style this studio abandoned. His transformation is lamer (they gave him a lighter tan with red paint instead), and the mononoke is 100% CG, mostly background. The whole production is entirely too 3D, making it impossible for it to take on the series' classical Japanese art aesthetic which is what draws appeal in the first place.
The plot twist is exactly what you think it is; there's no mystery. There is no sense of discovery between the Truth, Form, and Regret. Medicine Seller immediately recognizes the Form, and the other two are told to him with no prelude.
This is not a fi…
Read at the sourcesurroundgatari
Wow. I came into this knowing nothing about Mononoke, and was blessed with an absolute masterpiece. I was expecting flashy visuals and that's about it. This is a true use of cinema as a creative medium - everything fits together perfectly.
As somebody who enjoys the Monogatari series I was immediately captured by the very unusual dialogue. Unlike Monogatari though here everything hits you at light speed. Yet I found myself completely entranced, from the mystery of the malevolent mononoke to the inner workings and intrigue of the Ooku.
The character designs are absolutely stunning and charming, they are finely woven down to every little detail. And dripped out from head to toe, of course.
The way this movie uses various objects to symbolise people or concepts is done flawlessly, and I l…
Read at the sourceMarithe
Mononoke is a full sensory experience. Its color palette and the composition of each frame are so meticulously crafted that they simply leave you speechless. Add to that a hypnotic soundtrack and a story that grips you from the very first minute, and the result is a 10/10 masterpiece.
The protagonist is, without a doubt, one of my favorites; who could resist such an eccentric and enigmatic character? From his very first appearance in Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, he already left you wanting more. Fortunately, the Mononoke series and this film exist to satisfy that craving for a horror story told with elegance, brimming with visual details, immersive sounds, and images that stay etched in your memory.
Read at the sourcetomoyo98
Great movie, though i dont know a thing whats going on here. I've got massive overstimulation from flashing 1 second scenes, couldn't keep up with subtitles and properly understood scenes.
Love the art style, very eye pleasing only if it wasn't so flashing, fast, sudden. The action was moving from one sec to another second, there were overwhelmingly too many sounds almost all the time. After watching i felt extremely weird. I can't even summon it up properly, cant really describe what i just saw lmao. What I can recall were two young women and idk what happened with them next cuz I couldn't comprehend action here 🤣
Read at the sourcekevintloney
It feels eerie and intense. It is beautiful. It almost never presents anything identifiable as ambience. It doesn’t evoke any feelings aside from being swept along like a spell. You end each watch with mixed feelings. You are left wondering what it is that you just finished watching. It is a great example of the beauty in animation. It excels in visuals, but it doesn’t present enough story. It prefers to use symbolism rather than holding the viewer with something palatable. I could expect this to be in an art museum. It makes so little sense even after rewatch that its like you are being tricked into watching.
Kame is a highlight of the movie. She is so overtly normal. She is very MEMcho. She is a lot like Kumoko from So I’m A Spider, So What? She conquers in spite of the lackluster work…
Read at the sourceMoiraCarey
The film's predecessor is one of the most aesthetically striking anime series. However, the only real similarity between the two Mononoke installments is that both are masterpieces. Even if it initially seems like the same morally grey, observant, and mysterious Medicine Seller has returned, this one is fundamentally different. He acts more like a romantic, nameless hero - because, in fact, they’re not the same person.
The original Mononoke was alienating because you could feel the deep cultural heritage behind it - something you instinctively know you could never fully understand. The new Mononoke, on the other hand, feels like it was made with Netflix as the target audience: it's alienating because it deliberately exoticizes itself. The plot structure and pacing are very Western; the se…
Read at the sourceLitora
It's been quite a few years since I watched the Anime Series Mononoke and the original 3-episode story from Ayakashi. From my understanding the Kusuriuri from these movies are different from the one in the anime. Just to note. This review will be comparing heavily based on the anime, since that's where much of the love of the series come from.
As for animation, I believe the artwork and general character designs nailed the vibes from the anime. It's very intricate and colorful with familiar art direction. It's more similar to the first 3 episodes of the anime, with heavily kabuki-inspired art. It can be a bit much for the eyes, especially during the first half of the movie where the scenes are constantly switching with no breathing room, I feel this issue relaxes a bit in the later half, b…
Read at the sourceSengir
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 noth…
Read at the sourceitikitty
Happy New year ✨
actually it has nothing to do with this review, but colors are very beautifully, scattered and artistic, 7/10 if you like something like this.
overall satisfying mystery, plot twist, moral dilemma and a bit of horror, soundtrack that will make you shiver. well 7/10 (for mystery lovers maybe 6/10).
a stand-alone movie that can promote a series that has become a legend (perhaps artistically weak in the eyes of a new generation spoiled by high quality at the expense of humanity).
try watching this movie no need to be dedicated or think about being elite, just prepare to be surprised 🎉.
Read at the sourcebakeneko
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's a key component. This movie definitely suffers from that.
The main 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, breath…
Read at the sourceneedmorecampari
Sumptuous and mysterious, though I wish the story was a little more taught.
Two women enter a ladies-only section of Edo Castle with big plans, but a dark spirit in the walls threatens to upend everything (and dissolve a few folks along the way). As with the original Mononoke series, it's up to the enigmatic medicine seller to investigate the phenomena and defeat the monster.
While the visuals were brilliant—perhaps even richer than those from the original series—and the music and voice acting decent, I did feel the tiniest bit let down by the story. The series's stories generally had layers and pathos, but this one was pretty straightforward. Some threads seemed to be red herrings or were dropped, and the symbolism of the monster's realm seemed to imply some events that just didn't pa…
Read at the sourceLartuLobe
In the original anime, Form, Truth, and Reasoning was needed to unsheathe Kusuriuri's sword as both a plot element and as a narrative function to unravel the mystery to the viewer. One of the things Mononoke did so well was creating sympathy for the monster; we learn what they are, who they are (or were), and how they came to be. Like all the best ghost stories, behind every mononoke's manifestation was a human tragedy.
It's in this that Karakasa disappoints, despite the same form being employed. Lots of plot threads and characters, but nothing that gives substance to the monster itself. "I'm the mononoke, by the way," wasn't its quote upon appearing in force against Kusuriuri, but it might as well have been. The intention might have been to tell its story in parallel to other certain cha…
Read at the sourcerhoney1313
I loved the original series and had been looking forward to this movie for ages. Sadly, I can only assume that whoever was in charge of it decided that since everyone loved all of the beautiful and artistic scenery, let’s quadruple them and then rapidly flash at least three for every sentence shown in the subtitles. So fast that you can barely keep up with the reading. I had to constantly pause just to read and still ended up with a massive headache and felt dizzy. What an appalling movie, I literally cried with disappointment.
It seems I cann’t publish this without more words, but I really have nothing else to say about this movie.
Read at the sourceDarkZebra
So that was fun :)
As a big fan of the original series, I went in knowing this would be more of an interpretation rather than a direct continuation, and that mindset really helped me appreciate it for what it was. From the very beginning, it was clear this was a more polished and cinematic take. At one poin at 9:04 I actually gasped. The 3D effects were stunning, and I only wish there had been more scenes like that. It felt fresh and exciting, which I truly appreciated.
The level of detail in this film was absolutely insane. However, I did feel the color saturation could have been toned down a bit, and the pacing sometimes felt a little too abrupt. Scene transitions often happened so quickly that they created an interesting effect, but it lacked the thoughtful timing and flow that made t…
Read at the sourceTheRealRouges
Best anime movie of the year and best anime movie of the decade so far, that's all I have to say, absolute cinema.
Gotta thank Netflix for once, finally they publish some good fiction instead of the usual easy watches like the recent iper mega giga success Arcane that catches its audience thanks to quick drama, flashy lights and costly collaborations with famous rock bands (still a pretty decent watch though).
The story is a standard story for the Mononoke series, it doesn't surpasses Nue becoming the best tale of the series but gets a close second place, you can feel the tension and the emotions conveyed are portrayed beautifully.
Visually is a marvel, they kept the amazing drawing style of the of series enhancing it with incredibly animated action scenes and a more bright use of the col…
Read at the sourceniflh
Mononoke the TV series, along with the joining episodes of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, has been, since the late 2000s, my favorite show of all time. It's held a special place in my heart like none other. When I saw a movie was coming, I can't even begin to explain the joy and excitement that overtook me; the painstaking moments of waiting and checking to see if it'd been released yet. I thought, no I *KNEW*, I would love this... Unfortunately, I'd been quite wrong. My adoration for Kusuriuri-san and this series has kept my rating high, but the movie itself, although beautiful, falls short. It is hard to put my finger on, but the art, despite colorful and full of promise, is simply missing some key element of depth or "SOUL" the tv series had. In all its vibrancy, it is somehow still bl…
Read at the sourcerossocenere
It’s been years since I’ve watched a movie so meticulously curated, one that left me amazed at every moment. Everything about it was perfect—from the voice acting to the psychological depth of the characters, from the camera work to the aesthetic choices, the direction, and the music (Taku Iwasaki was the composer—like, HELLO?). You name it.
You can expect the same exceptional experience delivered in the original TV show, but now in movie format, with 2024 techniques and a solid story filled with intriguing developments and breathtaking visuals.
I’m still blown away by the backgrounds. It felt like floating in a museum. Every moment of the movie was like being immersed in a damn museum. And don’t even get me started on the hinted queerness—add +100 points for that!
The Kusuriuri voice a…
Read at the sourceWinterFireworks
A must for Mononoke and Japanese horror fans, this goes without saying.
But even if you're new to Mononoke (not to be confused with Princess Mononoke), this movie will be a real trip. Beautiful visuals, amazing soundtrack and cast, interesting plot and characters. You'll find yourself sucked into a world of colour and emotion. Traditional Japanese elements mix with the supernatural and the occult, composing a feast for the eyes and senses.
Mononoke Karakasa, just like the TV series Mononoke, travels back in time to the Edo period to follow the steps of the mysterious figure of the Medicine Seller, who is here to fight the "mononoke", the malevolent spirit that appears and feeds off the feelings and actions of the characters in the story. Karakasa takes place in the Ōoku of Edo Castle, t…
Read at the source