MOVIE REVIEWS

Review by CinemaSerf

Now I will readily admit that for a fair amount of this, I wasn't quite sure what was going on... The young "Mantou" has been adopted and cared for for many years by "Daguzi" (or "Biggie") but the arrival of a big wooden submarine-type ship spells disaster for all as the "jellieels" have taken over this vessel and if they come in contact with human beings - via their sort of flying umbrella bodies - then they will convert you into one of them too. If they can spread themselves widely enough, then they will be able to use the impending cloudburst to create a new king and he will rule the world. What's to stop them? The King has sent troops armed with guns under the command of his daughter and accompanied by her brother who is obsessed with finding the sacred satin cloth of their only potential ally in this conflict - a race of tribesmen who vaguely resembled ants. Anyway, as the denouement looms and the great storm that could facilitate the birth of the king starts it's steady stream of rain, we have to hope that all can put past differences aside and that the magic of the "fairy brother" and their combined efforts can thwart this Cronos-style reincarnation. There appears to be quite a bit of textual information on screen - beautifully calligraphic - at the start that tells us a little of the myth and source of the legends played out here. Without knowing what any of that said, I was in the dark a bit and had to make some guesses about who was whom and what was going on. That said, the animation is active and competent enough at filling in enough of the characterisation gaps thereby making the story quite enjoyable if just a bit confusing. Perhaps another viewing might improve things, but maybe this is just a jigsaw best left with - for the English speaker - bits missing?