I had no idea, even a vague one, what the synopsis of this film was. I figured I’ll like it since it’s from Studio Ghibli and I did after watching the film. It’s a masterful illustration of Japanese folklore and mythical beings, sprinkled with the amazing penchant for the small little details that is the hallmark of all Ghibli films (that I’ve seen anyway).

The story is good. It’s a simple “everyone should respect and learn to live with nature” tale. The animation is top notch. The depths of the imagination of whoever came up with all of the creatures in the film is really quite something. I’m not that familiar with Japanese mythical beings, save for the scary ones, but just seeing the Night Walker in all his majesty, his body a window to a vast galaxy of stars, something just really clicked in my head. Yes, this makes sense! I don’t know why but I imagine if there really is a giant avatar of the forest it would look exactly like this. Without a doubt the Night Walker is my favorite creature in the film.

The little spirits of the forest, those small white totem-looking critters, comes second in my list. After a quick Wikipedia search, I learned that they’re called kodamas and they’re part of the Japanese folklore. They look creepy at first but they kinda grow on you. I get a kick each time one of them turns their heads which then makes a cricking sound. Now imagine a whole bunch of them doing the same thing and it’s like a sea of crickets inside a forest. It’s just amazing.

And last is the fearsome looking boar god Okkoto, who in this form has been possessed by demons. Just the sound he makes while the demon worms (or are they tentacles?) wriggle furiously at his body is enough to stop someone cold. I mean, just look at this beast! If I ever saw one in person it’ll be enough to sour me away from eating bacon forever. There’s really something intriguing about his grotesque form that even though it disgusts me, I can’t stop looking and marvel at it.