Nobody is more surprised that there are now three Mononoke movies than people who love Mononoke. Being a fan of Kenji Nakamura’s visually gobsmacking, narratively engrossing 2007 anime means constantly, carefully specifying, “No, not Princess Mononoke, just Mononoke. It’s this gorgeous horror mystery anime series. Have you seen it?” — and being ready for the answer “No.”
Mononoke has always been one of those cult miracles: beautiful, praised by those in the know, but finite in its relative obscurity, especially for English-speaking audiences. So the moment I heard that Nakamura was making three new movies — the first of them, Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain, premieres for Western audiences on Netflix Nov. 28 — I was fully bought in.
When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If
...
Keep reading this article on Polygon.
