Upamanyu Biswas
‘Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain’ ends with the medicine seller confronting the Ayakashi, who is haunting the halls of the birth celebratory ceremony. The legendary vanquisher of Mononoke faces the difficult task of finding the spirit’s location while also trying to determine its origins. Although the reasons remain murky, viewers are given a view into the oppressive environment within the Ooku and the politics that poison its interiors, mainly through the eyes of the central characters, Asa and Kame. Something feels drastically off about the event, including the carnal happenings in Emperor Tenshi’s chamber. In the final moments, a clearer picture emerges of the ceremony and the darkness brewing inside it. However, it still does not dissuade the ambiguity rife within the narrative. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain Plot Synopsis
Days before Emperor Tenshi’s newborn child’s birth celebratory ceremony, Asa and Kame, two young girls, enter the service of the majesty’s harem. The former seeks to advance her career as a scribe by becoming the chief scriber in the Ooku, while the latter wishes to become a concubine for the emperor. Although they harbor contrasting motivations, the two girls become fast friends after being initiated into the ceremony by the two madams in charge of proceedings, Awashima and Mugitani. However, they immediately realize something is off with the place after they are made to drink water from the well that tastes rancid. They are also told to throw away their most cherished belonging from their luggage into the well before they start serving the emperor.
In the outer premises of the ceremony, the medicine seller conducts an investigation using his spiritual tools to determine the presence of an Ayakashi. As no man is allowed to enter the Ooku, he has to be discreet with his detective work, often operating under the supervision of the palace guard, Sakashita. He eventually learns that a powerful force brews in the interiors of the ceremony, which explains some of the weird stuff experienced by Kame and Asa. While the two girls come into contact with the ceremony’s head honcho, Madam Utayama, they also find her regime to be tough and a harsh environment overall. Matters get even more complicated when Asa runs into a strange woman named Kitagawa in her new room, who seems concerned about the young girl “drying up.”
After joining the ceremony as new recruits, the two girls are assigned lowly positions as maids and made to work day and night for the guests, who will soon arrive when the Ooky gets underway. Asa takes to her job diligently, while Kame struggles because of her naivety and youthful exuberance. The former’s competence soon attracts derision and envy from her superiors, Awashima and Mugitani, especially after being promoted to a higher rank a day after joining. Kame also becomes the target of her madams because of her inability to carry out her jobs properly and being a natural beauty. Meanwhile, two visiting samurai from the government interrogate Madam Utayama about why the event was delayed by months – a question that garners no adequate answer.
Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain Ending: How Did Karakasa Come Into Being? How is it Connected to Lady Kitagawa?
As the medicine seller continues his investigation, he slowly stumbles upon a series of disturbing findings, which, owing to his vast experience, do not faze him in the slightest. However, these discoveries go hand-in-hand with Kama and Asa’s personal journey while working as handmaidens during the birth ceremony. The two distinct plot threads eventually come together as the medicine seller finally confirms the presence of the Ayakashi in the building, which he calls Karakasa. Its attacks are often swift and happen whenever Kame is in trouble with her madams. Unsurprisingly, the first murder victims of Karakasa are Madam Mugitani and Awashima, who attempt to bully Kame using extreme tactics. Their bodies are completely dried up by the spirit and teleported out of sight.
Later, the spirit’s modus operandi and its backstory become clearer as the medicine seller manages to determine how it manifests in reality. As most Mononoke come into being because of negative human emotions, a particular story is associated with each of them. In the case of Karakasa, its creation is linked to Madam Kitagawa, the strange woman who visits Asa a few times. The lady befriends Asa and gives her valuable advice on surviving as a member of the ceremony household, telling her to hold on to something precious to her as it is the only way she will not dry up. Her use of the phrase “dry up” perfectly fits with the manner in which Karakasa disposes of its victims. However, it intrinsically ties into Lady Kitagawa’s personal experiences while serving as a handmaid at the ceremony.
As it turns out, Kitagawa, like Asa, had joined the birth celebration event to make her name as a talented scriber. However, as time went on, she fell prey to the invasive misogynistic practices prevailing within the ceremony’s orthodoxy, which eroded her identity. She, too, had a close friend like Kame in her life, but because of the responsibilities put on her shoulders, she cut all her ties with the girl and decided to focus on her tasks. Later, she learned that the girl was killed, and her body was thrown into the well. It left her feeling more and more dried out emotionally and led to her jumping into the well to kill herself. Upon her passing, her negative emotions and feelings had given rise to the Mononoke. Therefore, the spirit killed all who challenged Asa and Kame because it sensed a kinship with the two girls.
However, when unraveling the mystery, it becomes clear that Karakasa actually came to life after Kame threw her grandmother’s comb into the well. It is a result of the age-old traditions that oppressed the women in the Ooku, binding them to their responsibilities while giving them no room for expression or freedom. Karakasa is a chaotic manifestation of that rebellious spirit that was lurking within Kitagawa’s soul. Because she could not fight back, the spirit took over from her and was given a form and new lease by the comb pin being thrown into the well’s waters. It is also possible that Kitagawa’s spirit sensed a similarity between Kame and the girl who had been her friend in the past, ensuring that nothing terrible happened to her this time.
Does the Medicine Seller Vanquish Karakasa? Does Lady Utayama Die?
While figuring out Karakasa’s presence is the first step in the medicine seller’s journey to get to the bottom of the case, he still fails to deal with it because of his lack of information. As his only method of vanquishing such a foe is using his legendary sacred sword, Kon, the protagonist has to discover three things about the Ayakashi before he can draw his sword – its form, truth, and reason. The medicine seller learns the first part after detecting its presence before anyone else and determining its circular nature by studying the wetness pattern on the floor. It also connects well with the doll gifted to Asa by Kitagawa, which strangely has an umbrella missing. The circular form is reminiscent of an umbrella’s shape and the real form of the demon haunting the Ooku.
The second part of his three requirements is fulfilled after the medicine seller connects the spirit’s existence to Lady Kitagawa, while the third is made obvious after he finally learns the tragic backstory behind Karakasa’s birth. With all three things finally in his grasp, he draws his sword at the end of the movie and engages in a full-scale battle with the Mononoke. The end fight takes a variety of confusing twists and turns. However, it begins when Saburomaru, one of the two samurai staying at the ceremony household, takes a dive into the polluted well and discovers the dead bodies of all the handmaidens from the past, which is also why the water tastes rancid. Subsequently, Karakasa reveals itself by trying to kill Madam Utayama, who the spirit considers the source behind all the evil practices in the Ooku.
Using his sword’s full power, the medicine seller transforms and takes the fight to the Ayakashi, holding it back and protecting the people in its presence. It does not last long as he is able to swiftly vanquish it by shattering it into a million pieces. Although it ends the cycle of hate and violence that had taken root in the birth ceremony, the societal issues that had manifested the Ayakshi were still quite strong as long as Utayama survived. However, the final moments reveal that the authoritarian Madam has been ousted. It remains unclear whether she was demoted and sent away because of the secrets she had kept hidden from the investigating samurai or if she passed away in the final altercation with Karakasa. Either way, it signifies a new dawn for the birth celebratory ceremony.
What Happens to Asa and Kame?
The film’s final moments concentrate on Asa and Kame’s fate in the aftermath of the battle. Following Madam Utayama’s removal, the burden of organizing its events falls upon Asa, who takes over the head honcho role. She decides to embrace her life as the head of the show but with a zeal to rectify her predecessor’s shortcomings, particularly in how she uses her authority without abusing it like others. Having lived through the tragedy of Lady Kitagawa, it seems unlikely that she will go through the same pitfalls as her development is more circumspect and a lot more sensitive. However, her decision to stay at the ceremony means that her relationship with Kame comes to an end. The young girl moves out of the place, carrying with her a new comb pin while Asa stays behind.
As Asa and Kame had been so close throughout the narrative, their departure from each other’s lives brings a bittersweet element to the ending, especially if you read into their bond having a more romantic aspect to it. Although the feelings could have been purely platonic, there is a sense of heartbreak when the two end up splitting. However, it feels inevitable, considering how different they are as people and the responsibilities they each have to shoulder as time passes by. It is unlikely that Asa will ever be as free-spirited as Kame, and likewise, the other girl is unlikely ever to become shackled by expectations and career objectives. They are both who they are and what they are for a reason, and that is not going to change.
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