Very good anime feature

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2001)

I had previously heard a lot about this Japanese animation feature that had been taken by the West and given a thorough and professional voice-over by well-known actors/actresses. Having seen it pre-advertised in various internet DVD sites, I came to te conclusion that it must be pretty good based on the fact that even big stars would spend their time on a project such as this. And I'm not far wrong from this conclusion. The film is immaculately drawn to the minutest detail, the storyline is as good as any fantasy goes, and there is even the odd blood and gore scene for the violent anime fan too! Weighing in at a hefty 134 minutes, this is the longest anime feature that I've ever watched and the action keeps the film going. There is little to criticise apart from the slightly weak ending but one could argue that this is the case for other similar anime of this genre. I personally could not fault the film simply because I enjoyed it very much. The only thing I would say, coming from an Oriental background, is that the storyline boasts nothing new. And this is where it scores highly with Western audiences. The concept of civilisation battling against nature is a subject that the West is actively emerging themselves into at present so I have no doubt that this film will bring inspiriration to those who need it.