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Legend of the Millennium Dragon
鬼神伝
2011 98 min Japan PG-13 16+
★6.5
Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Director: Hirotsugu Kawasaki
Trailers
Description
A spectacular journey of an unwilling young hero thrust into a mysterious past full of monsters, dragons, and strange hidden powers. Through a series of out of this world battles and adventures, Jun, a shy middle school boy, is transformed into a hero destined to battle evil and ensure harmony and tranquility in the world.
Starring
Kenshô Ono
Actor
Satomi Ishihara
Actor
Takashi Kondô
Actor
Key opinion
Onigamiden is a visually striking animated feature that excels in its creature and environmental design but falters under a derivative and disjointed narrative. While it offers an intriguing premise rooted in historical fantasy, the underdeveloped character motivations and familiar tropes prevent it from reaching its full potential.
| Production | The animation features high-quality, vivid rendering of natural landscapes and formidable monsters. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay suffers from unoriginality, relying on predictable tropes that mirror superior works like Princess Mononoke. | |
| Production | Human character models lack expressive depth and emotional resonance, particularly in the film's opening act. | |
| Theme | The narrative foundation is mixed: while the coming-of-age themes are clear, the stakes of the tribal conflict remain vague and difficult for the audience to grasp. |