Mononoke Hime: Annotated English Script

(text-only version with Japanese dialogue)

• A note concerning the Japanese/English script
• Acknowledgements
• About the title Mononoke Hime
• The script
• Film credits

A note concerning the Japanese/English script

This version of the Annotated Script includes the original Japanese text along with an English translation. You should be able to read both the English text and the Romanized Japanese text with any browser.

In order to view the Japanese kana/kanji text, however, you will need a browser with Japanese language support.  I have used both of the following (on Windows NT) with good results:

• Netscape's Communicator together with NJStar's NJWin package (a free trial version of NJWin is available from http://www.njstar.com/); and
• Microsoft's Internet Explorer (US English version) with the optional Japanese language support installed (available for free download from the Internet Explorer site at http://www.microsoft.com/).

You may also need to use your browser's font menu to select a Japanese font (auto-detect or shift-JIS).

The primary source for the Japanese dialogue is the original movie script as reprinted in the book NENKAN DAIYOU SHINARIO SHUU 1997 ("Best Screenplay Collection 1997").  The secondary source (used mainly for readings of some of the kanji) is the Mononoke Hime Film Comics.   The primary source is more complete than the script as used in the Film Comics; also, it has better punctuation, and the speaker for each line is notated unambiguously (whereas the Film Comics are often ambiguous).  The punctuation and character names for the speaking parts used here are as in the primary source.

Acknowledgments (version of 7 October 1999)

This annotated English script combines information from many sources on the World Wide Web.   Many thanks for the hard work that so many people have put into providing this information!

This script was based originally on the Mononoke Hime script translation that was made available by Karinkuru Anime, and used here with the permission of the translators.  The credits for the original Karinkuru script include: Translation: Robert John;  Script: Ted Cooper; Editing: Matthew R. Demicco.

The current version of the translation in this script has undergone a thorough revision by the editor [in progress].  The revised translation owes many debts to the work done by David Tallman on his Mononoke Hime Film Comics translation.  However, any errors in the translation presented here are the sole responsibility of the editor of this script.

The film Mononoke Hime is the copyrighted property of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten, and other appropriate copyright holders.  Mononoke Hime has been licensed by Disney for release in North America and Europe through its subsidiary Miramax (see http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/9270/usversion.html for details on the upcoming US release).  The translation presented here most probably differs substantially from the dub and/or subtitle scripts that will be used in the Disney release.

This annotated script is intended for use with the Japanese import video release of Mononoke Hime (see http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh/availability.html for more information on the Japanese  laserdisc and VHS releases).

Due to its format, this annotated script is not useful for producing fansubs, nor does the editor of this script condone such use.

Additional material (including large portions of the narrative and footnotes) derives from the detailed synopsis, the character list, and the Mononoke Hime Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), all by Ryoko Toyama.  The translation of the "Eboshi Tatara Song" in Part 2 is also by Ryoko Toyama.

Unless otherwise stated, the above material is used here without the permission of its authors, solely for the purposes of encouraging interest in, and understanding of, the film.

Many thanks to Marc Gregory, Maki Kamimura, and Mikiyo Hattori for their comments on earlier drafts of this script!

Please direct comments on this annotated English script to its editor, Tom Wilkes, at ctwilkes@mv.mv.com.

Much more information on Mononoke Hime, as well as other films by the director Hayao Miyazaki and his colleagues at Studio Ghibli, can be found at the Miyazaki Web (located at www.nausicaa.net).

About the title Mononoke Hime

The literal meaning of the word mononoke is "the spirit of a thing."   It has the connotation of an avenging spirit, and is sometimes translated as "monster."  However, inanimate objects such as a rock or a wheel could also be mononoke.   In the film "Mononoke Hime," the term applies to the guardian spirits of the forest, which appear in the form of enormous "god animals" and as small "tree spirits."

The word hime means "princess."  One of the main characters of the film -- San -- although a human, is referred to as the "Mononoke Hime" (the "Princess of the Mononoke", or the "Princess Mononoke") since she was raised by the guardian spirits of the forest, and acts like one.

The director Miyazaki's original title for this film was Ashitaka Sekki ("The Tale of Ashitaka"), after the name of the film's protagonist.   The title Mononoke Hime derives from an earlier proposal of Miyazaki (see the MH FAQ), but ultimately was reused for the current film, presumably at the urging of Miyazaki's distributor, Tokuma-san.

Go to Part One of the script

Note:  The script is in five parts; you will find a link to the next part at the bottom of each part.

Currently, only Parts One, Two, and a portion of Part Three are available with Japanese text.  More should be added soon.

Part 2    Part 3 [in progress]   Part 4    Part 5

Film Credits (see the MH FAQ for more information)

1997; Japan; 133 minutes; color; widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby Digital

This page has been accessed times since January 4, 1999.