Shika no Ou: Yuna to Yakusoku no Tabi

I'm upset because this movie could have been great. However, it somehow managed to make me feel like I was watching a cheap imitation of itself.

Story: Awful pacing. They wanted to show a lot and didn't have the time. Also, this feels like someone not trying to copy other Ghibli films as much as someone who tried to learn from them and missed the mark. It was clear what every scene was trying to convey and how we were supposed to feel about the characters and that was the problem. This movie somehow managed to commit the tell not show error by showing too ... much. It was almost impressive. Additionally every scene switch felt weirdly jarring even when it was the same character just walking in one room to another to me. Reveals were misplaced and scenes used too many times, which also lent to the color by the number feel of this movie.

Art: Exquisite. We all knew that though. Without it, the cracks in this movie would be 10x clearer.

Sound: Beautiful music, however, like the story it felt awkwardly placed and sometimes too loud. It became music that said, you need to feel this now, instead of music that leant itself to the moment.

Character: I dislike Yuna almost solely based on the fact they tried so hard to get me to like her. Van was dull, they didn't quite figure out how to make him the tortured quiet heroic lead. The doctor gave me Howl vibes but ultimately seemed....unnecessary even though he most definitely was necessary. The female tracker was cool at first but also missed the mark with telling us exactly why she felt what she felt but also being vague? Her actions were at times inconsistent and not in a character growth kind of way. All in all, the characters had no room to breathe and come to life.

Enjoyment: I was angry watching this movie. I sat in the theatre lamenting on what this could have been. I was excited to see this had an R rating and even though I think they could have made it PG13 with what was shown, I appreciate the darker moments. In retrospect though, I look back and wonder if they may have not been confident in their ability to convey that darkness without showing it...

Overall, I think it was a decent movie that I won't watch again. It had the bones to be better. I think it could easily be redone by a different story teller or maybe the same person going back to the drawing board.

This review does NOT contain spoilers.

This film harkens back to the old Ghibli films in its look and themes but is very much its own thing with a modern approach to animation. The director has made a point to highlight how this film's plot echoes the current times and that it only adds to the impact this film has on its viewers. The story is interesting and the animation is beautiful.

If I were to give any criticisms it is that some of the side plots and minor characters go slightly underdeveloped to an extent where it is sometimes confusing if you are not paying ... very close attention. This is 100% a film that benefits from being returned to and rewatched just like the old Ghibli films. You will notice and appreciate more/different things on a rewatch. Being an adaptation of a novel, I suspect some of the minor plot points feel a bit short or unclear because the film doesn't have the same time to get into them all the way but it never harms the film overall.

Easy contender for best anime movie of the year!

Despite what its ratings might indicate, Shika no Ou (The Deer King) is a movie with a lot of interesting, worthy things to say, and is very deserving of your time, provided you're willing to forgive (or at least look past) the pacing issues typical of novel-to-movie anime adaptations. This is a film that, even with a nearly two-hour (quite long, by anime movie standards) runtime, still feels too tightly compressed, though stretching the story out over an entire season might have been a worse choice. Those who deride the movie for its purely visual similarities to Ghibli's Princess Mononoke ignore the wide ... gulf between the themes of the works. On the surface, Shika no Ou is very clearly about the triumph of science over superstition, but at the same time it demonstrates the value of traditional practice, and the necessity of paternal duty. Yes, viewers who appreciate positive father-daughter stories will especially enjoy this one. It's hard to remember that the original novels were written nearly a decade ago, and the movie had already been in production for several years before the emergence of COVID-19; that's how poignant this film is at times.

Strong recommendation.

Here is my review of this anime in 2022!

Story (8)
The story is about one man and a girl who survived a disease which didn't have a cure at that time. Not only that, they both got a super power and are immune to that diseases. The background of this anime is on the medieval era. There are a lot of people got that disease and died. The story becomes interesting when the girl gets abducted and the man wants to rescue Her. That's where the journey begin.

Art (10)
The art in this anime is very good! I love how they are scratching frame per frame on ... this anime.

Sound (7)
SFX and BGM that they used were suitable and adjusted to the animation. But the ending song is not suitable in my opinion.

Character (8)
The main and supporter character is memorable since they have a unique personality.

Enjoyment (7)
It's enjoyable to watch this movie in 2022.

Overall (8)
It's recommended to those who love medieval, action, and less magic anime.

Diving into a brand new world and getting to see everything old through new eyes is one of the primary thrills of good fantasy. When we try to build a new world where the foundations are different, we discover much more of ourselves than we expect as we consider what has been assumed to be a constant in human experience and what has been left out as only being a function of culture. Throughout almost all fiction, exploring how we experience and form familial bonds is at the heart of this consideration, and the Deer King is no exception to this rule.

The world building in ... the Deer King was superb. Taking full advantage of the beautiful artwork, the Deer King was able to really follow the maxim that our understanding of the environment should be driven by things being shown to us instead of told to us. All the magical elements maintain a sense of mysticism that neatly contrasts the medical science being applied to solve the problem of the plague outbreak. Little hints are carefully dropped so that when the big reveals are made, they come gracefully onto the stage instead of crashing in out of left field. Historical information is purposefully vague, which was a graceful decision that allowed focus on the important interactions without certain conceits really feeling out of place in the context of the film. My one gripe with the world building is that at times the passage of time feels a little vague, especially in the second quarter of the film.

World building is an essential in quality fantasy, but the Deer King doesn't lack for deeply human characters either. Every character felt like they had natural, understandable motivations, with those motivations increasing in depth and detail as they grew closer to the heart of the cast. While there were a few token antagonists, the lack of a true villain at the heart of the narrative was also a fruitful choice in terms of characterization, since that let characters more clearly frame themselves in terms of the central conflicts of colonialism and man's struggle against nature. It also was delightful to see that characters were able to shine for their respective humanity instead of as a function of their prowess in combat.

At the heart of this character interaction is the budding familial relationship between the gruff Van and Yuna, a small child brought into his care by the winds of misfortune. Haunted by old demons, Van is able to finally reconnect with his humanity as he slowly falls into the role of a father to Yuna. The best scenes in the entire movie hinge on this relationship, and because of the time they spend carefully setting up the relationship they hit home solidly. Yuna also managed to be a proper child character instead of simply acting as a moeblob as can be common in anime adaptations of children. Heartwarming and deeply human, this relationship carries the film.

With the warm relationship at the heart, the body of the plot is the interaction between the political Zol empire and one of their client kingdoms. This kingdom previously felled the empire's complete domination due to the outbreak of a plague, and that same plague is returning. Plagues in fiction are at their best when used to pry open the cracks in the afflicted societies, and we luckily get that treatment here. The politics is suitably fraught and internally consistent while not overshadowing the heart of Van and Yuna's relationship. Instead, we get an organic look at how the grand choices of empire influence the small lives of their citizens, and how seemingly innocent actions can have dire consequences because of the human lives carrying out that will.

Before I wrap up, I want to give a special mention to Hossal Yugraul, a character I haven't mentioned yet. Scientists in fiction are often portrayed as cold and calculating, concerned only with their understanding of the world. Doctors can fare a little better, but it's rare to have a a character filled with warm humanity, stalwart confidence in science, and deep bravery flowing from these commitments, so Hossal Yugraul is a welcome relief. Even though he serves as our narrator of sorts when the world building can't be shown, he still is a fully developed character in his own right, and I hope to see more of his ilk in the future.

In the end, I have no major complaints about the Deer King. Excellent fantasy, excellent character dynamics, and beautiful art. To ask for more would simply be greedy.

No spoilers
meh if saw the reviews here before watching i wouldn't watch so THANK GOD i didn't
to be fair parts of the story were confusing and you couldn't decide who is good & who is bad but i think that's a positive thing cause. yes in actual world everyone think they are on the right side.
so for me it was a nice 2hr watching experience ... The deer king is held in its story so manny emotions i can't explain with words though i saw a lot says there is no emotions?! .. i did feel connected with most of the characters ... and there ups and downs and specially liked the doctor maybe cause i'm in medical field!! ... I can say I enjoyed the mystery .. the creepiness .. the conspiracy ... the family bond ... the cuteness ... the fantasy & the science ... the science part was so logical for me and i appreciate that in anime ... no moment was boring but did feel lost at some parts ... so in my perspective it was a wholesome experience & i really encourage people to watch it .. just make sure keep watching till the end as don't close the movie when the ending song starts & god yes the ending song is perrrrfect & sang by Milet .. if you don't know her she sang one of the most epic anime ending songs for vinland saga which is Drown ... so yep just enjoy the music with the epilogue seen ❤️

Wowsers! This movie is so good. Not sure how the rating is so low. The art is absolutely amazing, the soundtrack great, and Yuna...one of the cutest characters I've ever seen. I do wish they had a second movie or made this one longer because I think they rushed the second half a bit. This movie really is just about a father and his daughter and besides that the story is not the craziest thing ever, but it is still very fun and reminds me of old Disney mixed with Studio Ghibli. Even if you do not end up liking the story, the characters make ... up for it 10 fold in my opinion. Overall I'd highly recommend this movie! :D

The movie evokes comparisons to Princess Mononoke, but falls short of it in virtually every measure. There's both too much going on to get a good grip of why things are happening (there are a lot of conflicting interests at play among the bigger groups as well as among a small number of more independent players), and too little that's all that interesting or unpredictable. I had trouble following why many of the people in this movie acted as they did and, based on what I've heard of the source material, it's because they cut quite a bit of it out. I had little trouble ... figuring out some of the central mysteries of the movie, which isn't a great sign, and the central characters are pretty bland. There are some decently cool visuals, the world seems decently interesting (wish we'd gotten to explore it more), and there are some decent battle scenes, but nothing really connected with me and the whole experience felt more confusing than it should. I keep reusing the word "decent," which is really all I can say about it. I give it props for the ambition of it, but it didn't really work for me.

The Deer King is not like Princess Mononoke. It is not trying to be. It is not about the same things as Princess Mononoke. This movie has a character that rides a deer and there are wolves, but that does not make it the same. Don't let all the media-illiterate reviews drawing parallels between this movie and Princess Mononoke/Studio Ghibli movies bias your attempt to understand The Deer King. Trying to view it through that lens will just decrease your ability to understand it.

Pro:
Visually, this movie looks very good.

There is some interesting world building and a decent story.

Con:
The most glaring issue is that this is ... a series of novels packed into a single less-than-2-hour movie. The pacing makes a valiant effort and they tried to write the screenplay to get as much in there as they could, but it leaves a lot of the character development feeling skeletal. It also makes following the political backstory difficult. As a result the movie is a bit hollow and muddled.

A lot of characters suffer from the Studio IG "always on tranqs" problem. If you aren't familiar, IG often struggles to show emotion in the face and body language of its characters when it uses this “serious” art style. Your mileage may vary on how much it bothers you personally, but it probably contributes to why people struggle to connect with this movie.

Was first time watching an anime movie at a physical theater in America. Went to AMC , was going in knowing nothing about this show, all I saw was a photo of the cover. I wanted to go in fresh with no bias/no knowledge and make my own judgment. Was excited.

The characters/story was boring to me. In Anime, the most important element are characters in my opinion. I have seen anime with amazing artwork and music but the characters just didn't do it for me and I did not enjoy or dropped the show. The characters looked and felt bland. To the point where ... I honestly didn't care what they were saying or happened to them.

The story also is similar to a medieval / old setting where there are generals,farms,etc. None of the characters gave me any emotion / connection other than the little girl to be honest. And even the girl could have been better. Often didn't know what was going on in the movie, was just a bunch of dialogue and random scenes of blood. And a bunch of historical bla bla bla.

The ending was good though , the last twenty minutes or so with the music and beautiful artwork... that was about it. Big let down but definitely wouldn't say it was bad though just not good. It is average. Would I recommend/pay a lot of money to watch it? No

Before discussing about each aspect of the movie, I'm gonna reiterate this - "This movie doesn't really belong & feels like a movie of 2021-22. Its a through & through late 80s or 90s movie in every way".

Now coming to the discussion about this movie, its gonna be broken into 5 broad aspects: Art & Animation, Sound, Character Development, Direction & Story;& Enjoyment.

Let's talk about art & animation. It doesn't really belong to a movie in 2021 or 2022. For a movie, its a through & through late 80s & 90s style. It has similar art style found in Ghibli movies of those times & ... even this studio's anime TV series of 2000s.

Moribito from same author has exactly same vibes in this department & others as well. Animation is smoother here than from those days. Guess something is improved afterall its 2020s.

In sound department, the studio has done a great job. Guess something really great comes with going the late 80s & 90s route. Unlike most movies & animes of 2020s, it doesn't ignore the background effects. One can even hear the sound of wind blowing, leaves & branches in scenes. In English Dub, VAs have done a very good job as well.

Character Development is good for a movie. The movie developes the relationship of characters quite well. It does a decently good job in creating a connection between viewers & main characters as well, though it could be a bit better.

The direction of the movie is just fine. Had it been a bit better, then impact of the movie would've been great. The pacing of the movie could've been a bit better. Infact the shortfall mentioned in the above para is a direct result of the direction issue. Story, otherwise, is quite good.

Apart from the few shortfalls that I noticed, the movie has been quite enjoyable for me. I would recommend giving it a shot.

For those, who loved animes like Moribito, Princess Mononoke, etc must watch this movie.