It should be noted that the
manga version is much,
much better, mainly because its story is much longer and doesn't have a contrived happy ending. The manga started 1982 and ended 1994, while the anime was already released 1984. It has over 1000 pages.
In fact, Hayao Miyazaki himself was not satisfied with the anime's ending, and one motivation in making Mononoke Hime was to do better.
The manga is, in my opinion, the best thing ever printed on paper, and the anime, while good, only a pale shadow.