Princess Mononoke: 7.5/10
I love the aesthetics of the film, the cinematagraphy and action was great too. The message of the film is a good one, but in some way I feel like the story isn't quite fully developed. Or like, some narrative choices are made that don't feel natural to me. The prime example being the ending where Ashitaka chooses to stay and rebuild the village instead of living in the forest with Mononoke. Sure he says he will come visit her still, but it feels like a sour note to end on. On top of that Mononoke says she still resents humans, and I don't like that because the overall message I got from the story was that actions fueled by peace, forgiveness, and not trying to point a blame ultimately is what saved the forest. I'm not saying she should just forgive all humans on the spot, but I think her outlook should be altered to a more positive one. Something like "I still don't trust all humans, which is why I will go back to the forest, but I realize now that not all humans are bad". That at least seems more positive to me and I'm not left thinking she is holding onto a resentment that could fester and recreate divides again.
Anyway, I wanted to like it more than I did, but the ending really ruins it for me.