Like most anime based on Kosuke Fujishima's comics and character designs, this visually splendid film presents a lush, romantic and rather lightweight story. The original audience was presumed to have already read the books and seen earlier shows, and therefore to be familiar with the characters, general setup and a fair amount of back story that precedes the events here. However the story--what there is of it--is so straightforward that even the uninitiated viewer will probably get the general idea. In the universe of this film, heaven is an enormous, multi-layered bureaucracy (an ancient concept in Asian fiction) staffed by various "gods" and "goddesses," some of whom have come to live with Japanese college student Keiichi Morisato in Tokyo. Over the course of a few days, the actions of a rebellious archangel disorder heaven, endanger the earth and present serious relationship problems for Keiichi and Belldandy, the goddess-first-class to whom he has become romantically attached. Along the way other characters familiar from the previous series make mostly cameo appearances. All in all a light, beautifully animated, non-threatening and enjoyable film.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Far Country
(1954)
Wild doings in gold rush Alaska
20 December 2006
A good film with--for its time--an intense, sprawling, rather dark story somewhat reminiscent of John Ford's "The Searchers" though not so brutal. The story starts fast and doesn't let up, with several scenes of really good dialog between (Stewart's) Jeff Webster, Ronda Castle and Sheriff Gannon. This film is in some ways reminiscent of "Bend of the River" (1952), also a Mann-Stewart work, but I found it far less sentimental and more interesting. There are a few caveats: a too-quickly wrapped up (and rather sentimental) ending; 24-year-old Corrine Calvert is not very convincing as a naive French teenager, and of course the film takes place in the Mythic West, a land of fable where the real laws of nations and physics don't apply. But these are trivial concerns. James Stewart is surprisingly good as a dark, disengaged man who thinks he cares for no one but himself, and the mountain scenery can't be beat. A fine Western costume drama.
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