Shizuoka This is a hugely ambitious piece of work. It scores highly on design, and the attempts at creating a fleshed out setting are clear, but numerous unexplained plot conveniences, an overly long run time, and the constant sense that you've seen this done better, ultimately prevent this from standing out from the crowd.The Ghibli parallels are striking. The design of the lead characters (cute, furry sidekick included), the musical cues, and the lush green landscapes. Even more so is the look, feel, even movement, of the numerous supernatural beings. Labelling them Ghibli off casts would be too harsh, but to call them anything other than "heavily inspired by" would be ignoring a patent truth.That's not to say the influences are a problem. For the most part the film looks gorgeous. What held it back mostly was the lack of satisfying development of the Underworld's back story. There was no shortage of explanations, but it was exposition heavy and generally raised more questions. Why did the surface kings and emperor's need to use the Underworld's knowledge and treasure to rule? How did they do so? If their pillaging went on for hundreds of years, why did it take the Underworld so long to decide, at the drop of a hat, to keep them out? And where did those crystals come from suddenly? Asuka's nonsensical behaviour, like chilling on her backside until the sun went down, despite having to get somewhere before the night demons came out, was really jarring. It was impossible to relate to her need to sit and ponder her plight (or perhaps she was just tired) when there was deadly danger she was fully aware of, had just been reminded to avoid. The drying up of a river when it provided the only form of defence was obviously for dramatic effect, but running further and further into increasingly thinning water, when it was the only form of protection, is not something any sane human being would do.These were not the only plot holes, and unfortunately there were enough to take me out of the film and have me making a mental note to rewatch some Ghibli. The overriding message of coping with loss was not a bad one, but the overall narrative was clunky and not emotionally engaging. I doubt I'll recall much of this film two or three weeks down the line, and will unlikely ever rewatch it. It did look pretty, though.

jibranahmad The movie plot was very thought out and deeply emotional. The plot itself was simple but with a mixture of elements and tools of delivery that made it complex and beautiful. The idea of magical elements, connection between characters, and their adventure was very beautiful if you can connect with the characters and their situation. This is the type of movie you have to truly immerse into to appreciate. The detail and settings is what have given me the memorable feelings. The meaning behind each element have enhanced the emotions as well. Some aspects could have been approached better, and some introductions and twists depend a bit too much on the viewer, but overall I loved it!

WatchedAllMovies This anime has the same visual style as Miyazaki's animes (Studio Ghibli), same facial expressions, same hair, same running arm movements. Even one of the monsters kind of have the same look as the one in Spirited Away.As for the story, it's mediocre. The main characters do not have close relationships with each other, and there is no plot twist. Just a girl decided to venture into an underground world because a boy she just met was found dead and she thought she could revive him by going there.If I can only watch half the movie, I probably wouldn't miss the rest of it. It's a pity they spent all these effort to make an anime without first finding a better script. Perhaps it has deeper meaning for Japanese audience that I failed to see.

Peter de Kraker I discovered Shinkai's movies because of 5 centimeters per second. A film that struck me deep, and which I really loved because of it. I bought his earlier works, but didn't like them as much. I had high hopes for his new movie, this one, but seeing the themes and the more magical world it would play in, I was a little disappointed. Still I did watch it, together with my brother, because we also enjoy Miyazaku movies.The movie is visually very stunning. It's the best animation I have seen, so pretty. I would give it a 10 for that.The story, like many other Japanese movies, contain a lot of "what the heck ?" moments, where sudden emotional states of the characters are totally not relatable, or feelings seem weirdly suddenly deep. It makes you wonder about how Japanese people/culture handles emotions and feelings, and if Japanese people themselves can relate to the characters in the movie. Miyazaku movies have the seem issue, like protagonists feeling sudden love for someone they just met for a few seconds... The story itself contains some mythological elements, and it left me wondering if those elements are more familiar to Japanese people or are embedded in Japanese culture. However, it's always nice to see a more unfamiliar story arc. Negative point is that much is introduced without really explaining things, and therefor you are left with a lot of questions about things. I thought the minor violence in the movie is a bit negative because of the graphical display of it. I don't think that was needed. It's not as good as 5 centimeters, but bearable. Really hope Shinkai will return to it's non- fantasy setting in his next movie.