Japanese Animation and New Media
Lecture Four: Chapter Eight: Giving Up the Gun
Because Ashitaka is infected with the ballistic-induced mono no ke, it isn’t so surprising that, as he travels and sees samurai killing peasants in the fields, the lateral views of his travelling give away to cinematism. We have the movement into depth of his arrows, and the powerful infection in his arm is clearly forcing or enhancing his ability to kill. Ballistic-style cinematism is not now the norm or the overall tendency of the film. The film establishes cinematism as a force to be reckoned with.
