Princess Mononoke (1997)

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

Mononoke is definitely great. I think i like Howls and Spirited Away better though. I can't wait to line up a catalog of Miyazaki on blu-ray. Hopefully in fully lossless OLT audio.

Mononoke ended up (and not on purpose )being the FIRST Miyazaki movie that a lot of people saw and conscious of an actual name directing it, instead of a whole country.
(Some liked Kiki on VHS, and there were good reviews for Totoro, but nobody knew, back then, you see.)

As a result, we have a lot of first-time anime converts who think think PM and Spirited Away invented anime in America, and assume Howl's was the third movie Miyazaki ever made.
With the new releases of his old films to cash in on Ponyo, it's a good chance to go back and see why more experienced fans consider Mononoke....a bit of an embarrassment that everyone had to see it first, when they could've started with the more "normal" Spirited Away.