Ranked #2214

Sekai Meisaku Douwa: Mori wa Ikiteiru

Mori wa Ikiteiru is an old movie about a light-hearted Russian fairy tale that all Disney-favored viewers will appreciate. It is nothing great in terms of production values but does the job done for a fairy tale. Realism is given on Russian buildings and uniforms and a few lighting effects draw the attention to where it should.

The story is about a poor girl living with her mean aunt and cousin in old Russia,. She is exploited to the fullest by doing shores even in the midst of snowstorms. It is Christmas Eve but most of the commoners are poor and hungry and don’t exactly feel cheery about it.

Typically, the Czar and his court are living in extreme luxury and for them, every day is Christmas! A spoiled princess gets as far as ordering for Christmas to be celebrated earlier so she can open her presents sooner and then be celebrated again so she’ll get even more!

The poor girl gets lost in the woods during a snowstorm, while forced to collect firewood for her too-bored-to-do-it-themselves relatives. She finds shelter in a campfire where the personification of the 12 months of the year gather for the change of the year. Feeling pity for the girl, they give her an item that for once can change the weather. They urge her to use it only in need and not to waste it for entertainment.

When she returns, she is too honest to keep it a secret and her relatives and the spoiled princess immediately try to take advantage of her gift. The first for money and fame, the second for fun.

I’m not going to continue, as spoilers will ruin the fun. I can only say that the plot is quite good and not exactly straightforward.

Although the cast is stereotypical fairy tale material akin to Cinderela, their presence is so strong that you almost immediately sympathize with the good and dislike the bad. The little girl’s sadness, the relatives’ cruelness, the princess’s snubbing are done so stereotypically good that it deserves a credit. Heck, they stand side to side with Hideo Miyazaki’s characters! True to its nature, there is even some character development for half of them in the end (can’t have a fairy tale without moral messages, can we?)

Not a masterpiece but surely memorable. A good change for those endless ecchi/shonen series I watch all the time. Give it a try! It will make you feel some kiddy magic once again. read more