Prince Ashitaka is cursed by a demon due to which his life is slowly being sucked out of him. His tribe's people suggest he travel westward for a cure. This is when he travels to Tatara and witnesses a battle going on between Princess San and Lady Eboshi.
Caught in the middle of a war of ideologies, Prince Ashitaka tries his best to placate both sides. The anime does a beautiful job of showing the connection between nature and technology. For fans of the series looking to binge on similar anime, here are 10 fantastic recommendations.
10 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
This anime movie takes place in an alternate reality where the jungle has taken over the planet and humans are in constant battles with nature to fight for survival. In a small village far away from the horrors of the jungle, the peaceful life of its citizens comes to a standstill when an airship crashes on their land.
Soon after, they are invaded by a military who seek a very important object within that ship. Will the peaceful natives of this small village be able to defend themselves?
9 Mushishi
This slice of life anime focuses on the balance between humans and supernatural beings that exist side by side. Most humans don’t know about their existence, more so since these Mushi are capable of taking over practically any shape or form.
Ginko is a young man who is fascinated by these Mushi and spends his life searching for them, just so that he could find the answers to his burning questions about their existence.
8 Made In Abyss
Riko’s mother went missing when exploring the deep and never-ending Abyss. Like her mother, she wants to become an explorer herself, but being a novice limits her options. One day she meets a robot that looks like a boy and names him Reg.
Determined that the existence of Reg is proof of extraordinary technology that comes from the Abyss, Riko makes up her mind to explore this deep chasm alongside her newfound friend.
7 Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
While on the surface these two anime couldn’t look more different, the fact is that they are extremely similar. Both are action-fantasy anime that have a mysterious and awesome girl whose foil is a brave and righteous young boy.
Both shows deal with a supernatural calamity that has taken over the world, and how humans are fighting back in order to claim what is rightfully theirs.
6 Big Fish & Begonia
Many fans may not know about this show and that is because it is actually a Chinese anime (called donghua). The story is about a young and curious girl who lives in a universe where spirits and humans reside side by side.
Due to a certain set of events, she ended up being saved by a young human boy. Wanting to repay him for his actions, she inevitably ends up disrupting the natural order of both worlds.
5 Howl's Moving Castle
This Ghibli movie is nothing short of a masterpiece. A timeless classic, this anime is all about how the life of an average girl named Sophie, is turned upside down after a wizard shows up to rescue her. A jealous with invokes an old and evil curse, turning Sophie into an old woman.
The mysterious Howl is Sophie’s only hope of having her old life back. But she must be prepared to go through many magical obstacles to obtain what she desires.
4 InuYasha
One day Kagome Higurashi finds herself back in time by 500 years, in the extremely violent Sengoku period. A demon eyes a jewel that is reborn inside her which happens to shatter accidentally.
A desperate Kagome enlists the help of Inuyasha who is a half-human half-demon dog. The two of them learn to work together to collect the shards of the jewel which have been scattered all of Japan, while also stopping them from falling into the wrong hands.
3 Spice And Wolf
Wolf diety Holo has been forgotten by even her most loyal worshippers, so she is forced to improvise. She offers her business acumen to a traveler to her village. Seeing potential in her ability to size people up, the young man agrees and the two decide to go to unknown lands in order to expand their business.
Soon, the young man realizes that his goals have shifted from earning money, into something more surprising. Could it be because of Holo?
2 Claymore
Even though Claymore is more of a shounen anime that is set in a land of fantasy, it shares one very important characteristic with Princess Mononoke – and that is a strong female lead. Claire is a half-human half-youma, who ends up taking a young man under her wing after his village was destroyed by monsters.
Always a loner, Claire finds it difficult having to adjust to cater to the wants of someone other than herself. Yet she is surprised to learn how quickly she is able to accept the young boy’s presence in her life as something completely normal.
1 Spirited Away
Young Chihiro and her parents are moving away, and on their journey, they decide to take a short break. They stumble across a quaint village where her parents eat while Chihiro decides to explore the place. A young boy confronts her, warning her to save her parents.
She rushes back to the restaurant to find them gone. What is happening? Where are her parents and more importantly, where are the rest of the villagers?
