Movie Review: Legend of the Millennium Dragon (Onigamiden)

By Angela Roberts

July 25, 2011

Legend Millennium Dragon

One of my favorite things about Fantasia is having the opportunity to see some quality anime. It’s not something I have a lot of time or money for these days (collecting DVDs can be a frustrating and expensive hobby) but I still enjoy it as much as I used to. I usually try to get in every anime screening at the festival, and there is always at least one or two. This year, my first anime film was Legend of the Millennium Dragon, an epic fantasy by the same studio that made Spriggan, Naruto, and Bleach. The screening was preceded by a brief speech made by the film’s producer.

The story follows teenager Jun Tendo as he’s magically transported by sorcerer Gen’un to Japan’s Heian period to save the capital from marauding creatures called Onis by summoning a legendary dragon, Orochi. Only Jun can control this dragon because, as it turns out, he bears a special birthmark that identifies him as the descendant of a rare lineage. But Jun is a mousy kid from 2011, not a great warrior hero, and he’s wracked with doubt and indecision about the role that Gen’un and his swordsman ally, Raiko, have thrust upon him. And to top it off, Jun soon discovers that nothing it as it seems and everything is more complex than Gen’un has been letting on. He finds himself in the midst of a war between natives and invaders, and hesitant about choosing sides.

The film was supposedly all hand drawn with no CGI, and you can see some of that in the traditionally beautiful landscapes and character design. The characters are all in that rounded pudgy style that’s popular in Japan for youth-oriented anime. The eyes are expressive and the characters distinct. The period costume design was fantastic, and there is a beautiful melding of realism and fantasy in the design of the Oni. It’s a creative reimagining of Japan’s past where magic and reality co-existed, where magic was part of everyday life.

The story is fascinatingly layered, dealing with themes of heroism, environmentalism, friendship, courage, ethics, and one’s relationship with one’s parents. The film balances all of these themes well, and always makes sure that we are experiencing them through Jun’s eyes. We believe in Jun’s struggle with all of these issues. And Jun himself is leisurely given sufficient back story that we can accept his journey. Plot-wise, it generally flows well, with only a few convoluted parts. It can be a little hard to follow, especially as characters and elements get added along the way with little set-up. Some of these elements are the sword that transforms Orochi into its final form (something we’re told about only right before the final battle), Raiko’s gang (characters that appear conveniently both to rescue Jun and to inhabit another unexplained element, the Four (or Five, depending on whether you trust your eyes or the subtitles) Heavenly Kings), and the Bird Men who are mysteriously allied with the Oni and arrive also at the last battle. If anything, because much of the film is spent on Jun’s deliberations, there isn’t much time to explain the appearance of these elements before the plot rushes to its climax.

It’s definitely a film that keeps you guessing, but in a good way. You feel satisfied with the outcome, something that is always difficult to achieve in ‘magical girl or boy’ anime (where a young person gets transported through time and space to become a hero in another land or time), because these types of stories always end with the hero being transported away from their new friends or love back home because that is supposedly where they belong. But it makes sense in this film, because Jun’s journey is well written and complete.

Definitely a must-see.

Stats:


Fave Podcast of the week: For the latest anime/manga news: Check out Anime Pulse. Check out the website or subscribe on ITunes.