The third chapter of the completely new theatrical film trilogy "Mononoke: The Movie," based on the popular TV anime "Mononoke," titled "Mononoke: The Movie Chapter 3 - Serpent God," was released on May 29th. Following the first chapter, "Mononoke," released in July 2024, and the second chapter, "Hinezumi," released in March 2025, the "Mononoke: The Movie" trilogy finally concludes with "Serpent God." The trilogy explores the "fallacy of composition," the idea that what is right for an individual does not necessarily align with the interests of the group as a whole, depicting the contrast between the organization's cause and the sacrifices of individuals within the setting of the Ooku (the women's quarters of Edo Castle). Behind this lies a hidden theme: "When you have something more important than yourself, you can cherish the world." We spoke with director Kenji Nakamura, who has worked on "Mononoke" since the TV anime, about his thoughts on the film. (※This interview contains spoilers for the film.)
◇How to portray the overly convenient word "love"
"Mononoke: The Movie" is set in the Ooku (women's quarters of the Edo Castle), a place swirling with the passions of women, and follows a medicine seller as he tries to uncover the true identity of a Mononoke . The main characters of the third chapter are the Emperor, the highest-ranking woman in the Ooku, and his wife, Sachiko. Sachiko gives birth to a long-awaited son, but he is stillborn, and she is forced to pretend that the boy brought in as a substitute is her own. The scene in which Sachiko speaks of love amidst her despair is particularly memorable. The filmmakers reportedly discussed how to portray "love" when creating the trilogy.
"Love is such a convenient word that when you say 'a moving love story' or 'a love drama,' it's generally assumed to be okay, but in reality, it's not. So, I tried to put into words 'What is love?' in this work. Self-love is not love; love is when you have something outside of yourself that is more important than yourself and cherish that. And there's another condition: if you expect something in return, it's not love. I think love is when you say, 'No matter how terrible the things you say, you are important to me above all else.' I defined it that way and decided to judge the actions of all the characters from that perspective."
In the midst of the political intrigues and the whirlwind of love and hate within the Ooku (women's quarters of Edo Castle), when I looked at individual actions from the perspective of love, I came to the conclusion that "the ability to cherish things other than oneself is an extension of the feeling that one can care about the world."
"For example, in the third chapter, we meet Tenkyoku, who created the Ooku (women's quarters of the Edo Castle) 150 years ago. She loves those around her so much that when it gets to that point, people can no longer understand her. However, there might be a very good balance just before that point. When Sachiko sees the baby who is not related to her by blood, she realizes, 'There might have been someone screaming more than I was. That's bad, I overlooked it.' She realizes that she was so overwhelmed with her own problems that she couldn't see. I think that moment is quite important."
The " Mononoke : The Movie" series has depicted a tragic event in the Ooku (women's quarters of Edo Castle) where the feelings of individuals and the interests of the whole clashed, leading to the birth of the Mononoke . What will we feel when we look at the story again from the perspective of love? We encourage you to find out on the big screen. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
