00:11So, now it's the end of the medicine seller's trips to the Oku, and boy, it's an eventful one.
00:15But is it a satisfying conclusion? Let's get into it.
00:23So if you've never watched my previous Mononaco videos, the basic premise is that in an undisclosed
00:27period in Japan's past, a medicine seller investigates supernatural goings on at various
00:32places. It started out as an episode of an anthology show, got its own series that I reviewed, and it's
00:37getting another one down the line, and also three movies, two of which I previously reviewed. Play
00:41this link, put all those reviews in the comments. And if you like stuff like that, don't forget to
00:46click the like button, share the videos, and subscribe to this channel for more stuff like
00:50that. Last time the medicine seller went into the Oku, he had to solve a fiery murder mystery,
00:54and this time he has to save the inhabitants of the Oku from a snake spirit that is attacking
00:57around the same time the Shogun's concert has given birth to a baby boy that next in line to the
01:02throne. Are these two events connected? Duh. Right off the bat, the film wastes our time getting into
01:07the film. You already know who the central characters are this time around, what's this film's supernatural
01:11situation is going to be, and see what some twists will be, and it's pretty good overall. It manages to
01:17keep a good pace, and as the last film in the trilogy, it managed to call back two previous characters,
01:21characters, themes, and motifs from the other films. Characters like Acer and Fuki Return,
01:26and in Acer's case, get a bigger role, and we get to know the peripheral characters like the
01:29Shogun and his family, but that does lead to my big issue with the film. As with most trilogy
01:33enders, often new characters aren't as interesting as the ones that came before, as they haven't had
01:38two prior films to be developed. The characters here were previously seen in other movies,
01:42but they weren't as prominent, mostly as a presence that the characters often refer to and nothing
01:46else, so when it comes time for their movie, they get a bit of character development,
01:50but nothing else. The biggest victim of this lack of character development is Lady Kukiko.
01:55She's supposed to be the film's normal PLV character, like what Acer or Fuki were in the
01:59previous two films, but we don't get much time with her unlike those two, and it's a bit egregious as
02:04those two characters return to prominent roles here, which I feel could have been used by Yukiko,
02:08but then the full-circle-ness of the film wouldn't be put to good use here. It's a double-edged
02:13sword,
02:13but bringing the discussion back to a positive note, the film manages to keep in line with the
02:16predecessor theme. The central theme at play this time is power, and the lengths and lies people,
02:22mainly the patriarchy, will go and tell to keep it. This aligns well with the themes of the previous
02:26films and the TV show, which isn't the only thing that has in common with the show, and brings them
02:30all together in an amazing manner that doesn't feel overall stuffed or preachy, from things such as
02:36how systems are designed to keep people entrapped, to how many great systems are built on lies.
02:42It offers a lot to be examined, especially as all these films have been released, so it's probably
02:47going to be an interesting rewatch, seeing any moments of foreshadowing that I might have missed,
02:53along with characters and romantic elements. The animation continues to be great as well,
02:57still looking great with its bright colours and ukiyo-e art style, but goes all out in the final act,
03:02as it manages to recreate something I don't want to spoil, but it works well. Also, the weird rapid
03:07editing is back from Phantom in the Rain. Yay! Also, it was announced there was going to be another
03:12Mononoke anime series, disconnected from the original series and this film. I'm excited to
03:16see it, might review it, might not, see how I feel. Mononoke, the movie, Curse the Serpent,
03:20ends its trilogy on a good note. With splendid animation and relevant themes, this trilogy is
03:24worthy to seek out. The film was available at the time of recording on Netflix. Like what you see here?
03:28Then please subscribe from my YouTube channel, so you can get more Watch This Space, but also other
03:32things such as my short films. Please remember to like and subscribe the videos you just watched,
03:37and also please check out The Orange Bin, my blog where I have right up my episodes here,
03:43which with links to sources that I mention on the show. It also contains some of my old blog posts,
03:48if you want to see what else I used to do back in the olden days. So please remember to
03:53check out
03:53my blog and like and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
