“Mononoke” Movie Brings Anime to Theaters 17 Years After TV Hit

The protagonist, the Medicine Seller, symbolizes the ethos of the Mononoke series. (© Twin Engine)

The Medicine Seller’s sword. (© Twin Engine)

The film’s main mononoke is karakasa, a phantom umbrella. (© Twin Engine)

Maidservants in the inner chambers of the imperial palace. (© Twin Engine)

Two new arrivals. The talented Asa (above) strives to rise through the ranks quickly; the innocent Kame is clumsy and prone to mistakes. (© Twin Engine)

Utayama, leader of the ōoku. She treats those beneath her well, out of a desire to foster and support the inner chambers. (© Twin Engine)

In Nakamura’s words, the new Medicine Seller is “seemingly cool and detached, yet unafraid to venture into a maelstrom, and passionate about saving others.” (© Twin Engine)

The visuals evoke washi paper and ukiyo-e prints. (© Twin Engine)

A doll featuring at the crux of the story. (© Twin Engine)

Saburōmaru, charged with investigating the incidents inside the ōoku. (© Twin Engine)

Mugitani, a “big sister” to the rest of the ōoku. (© Twin Engine)

A world where everything onscreen means something. (© Twin Engine)

The Medicine Seller faces off against Karakasa in a battle scene. (© Twin Engine)