I would really give this a 9.5 if I could. I’ve noticed that themes of parental love and specifically mothers really get to me, especially since I have been on the receiving end of such love for my whole life. It’s probably the strongest bond humans can have with each other. And yes, it did make me cry. Not the little better-wipe-it-off-with-my-sleeve type but more of a whimpering.
First of all, the world-building was amazing, almost reminiscent of studio ghibli movies. It’s one of the few rare cases where you wouldn’t be able to put it into a book, because describing the scenery with such detail would take so many pages that no one would want to read it. Whether it’s in the home of the Iorphs, the fields of Helm, the capital of Mezarte, or the ironworking factories of the industrial zone, it really transports you to a new place along with the characters.
The story was also amazing. It’s not the first to be about a struggling mother in a new place, and it’s not the first to be about mystical legends being used as political weapons, but as far as I can tell it’s one of the first to combine the two. As a result, tensions and emotions always run high, especially when Maquia finds herself stranded in a new, unknown place. The climax reaches a fever pitch in the end as it is split between Ariel in the war and Maquia with Dita. But unlike so many movies out there, there are so many “pause” scenes where there is no action happening. But rather than making it feel long and drawn-out, these scenes serve to immerse you in the character’s lives and the tribulations they face through their dialogue. It’s also a way for the viewer to catch up with the numerous time skips (the main story takes us from Ariel’s infancy to adulthood in under two hours). In a way these two elements--”still” scenes and time skips--try to balance each other out by making it fast-paced while building up an emotional attachment to the character’s lives. Although it may not be perfect this is done effectively enough so that I couldn’t pick up on any flaws as I was watching it. Maybe the one thing I would have liked would have been to have more time to experience the stories of all the characters outside of the constraints of a movie. Although realistically it would made more viewers detached from the main story, It’s so good that I would have liked to stay in that world a bit longer.
Due to the natural time constraints, only two characters get developed beyond ten minutes of screen time: Maquia and Ariel. I wouldn’t necessarily fault it on the creators, but the sub-plot with Leillia, Krim, and Medmel was a bit confusing. The only time it worked was when Maquia tried to convince Leillia to escape before her marriage, because it gave growth to Maquia’s character. However, when the story remained largely separate from Maquia, such as during the battle at the end, it’s confusing why they are even mentioned in the first place, such as why a character like Medmel exists. But that’s nitpicking. Most of the other minor characters serve to enhance Maquia, Ariel, or both. Mido and her family is the first example of a family to Maquia, which in turn helps her learn how to be a mother to Ariel. Dita feels a little overwhelmed by Maquia, who is literally an otherworldly mother compared to a woman like her. But although each character is very interesting, the time that they have seems to short. The minor characters are the main reason why I would want a medium longer than a movie, because I would like to explore the lives of the characters in Helm, especially Lang and Dita. However, it’s something to take points off for, as to effectively develop a relationship between Maquia and Ariel within two hours it’s necessary to stay with each minor character for only a brief period.
Of course, there’s the premise of the entire movie: the fact that Maquia almost never ages while Ariel and everyone else around her grows older. Although it’s not uncommon to see immortal beings falling in love with mortals and later regretting that everyone they love will die (Hohenheim from FMA is a prime example), This story uses it in probably the most unique way so far. As a mother Maquia is supposed to be “grown-up” around Ariel. In the beginning it’s not as much of a problem, with Ariel being too young to understand the implications of his mother being an Iorph. Yet from the very beginning the movie convincingly portrays the bond of motherhood that Maquia has for Ariel, starting from when she found him abandoned at a settlement to the frustrations she faces as she is basically stranded in Mezarte with no work or money. Of course, as the years goes on and Ariel goes from childhood to adolescence their relationship gets more complicated. I mean, who can blame the guy when his supposed mother looks like she could be his beautiful teenage girlfriend. But it doesn’t devolve into unnecessary fanservice with a romantic love between Maquia and Ariel (which is what I expected). Instead, it handles the matter in a mature way by showing Ariel’s frustration at feeling helplessly unable to protect Maquia. I only wish that this part would be extended, specifically between when Maquia and Ariel start working in the city to before the battle happens. They kind shoved all of the complexities of adolescence into a single scene, then had Maquia become captive so that it could skip over to Ariel’s adulthood. I sound like a broken record at this point, but time constraints seem to be the only gripe I have. Otherwise, the “epilogue” at the end was very satisfying. It’s something that everyone expects to happen and is even explicitly mentioned in the very beginning, but actually experiencing it makes the emotions (and the tears) come to life.
The art is some of the best I’ve seen in any animated show. It’s something that you have to see for yourself. It kind of ties back to worldbuilding, as the vast fantasy landscapes that the characters live in wouldn’t nearly be as immersing if it hadn’t been for the high-end art. Light is particularly beautiful here. In once scene where the characters are standing in front of a window, as they walk and pass over the sun it’s amazing how the light gradually dims and lights up again, as if it’s a video from real life. I found the people and especially Iorphs well-drawn as well. Although Maquia in particularly looks slightly different from the average anime character (I think it’s the eyes, but I’m not sure), it only highlights her feeling out of place in Mezarte. Similarly the music is also amazing. Not only does it establish the mood of the setting, but it helps immerse you into this fantasy world. I would even say that the silence was a deliberate creative decision. There are many scenes where there’s no music at all and just dialogue so that the raw emotions remain undiluted.
Overall this is a very enjoyable experience. I feel like the themes were tailor-made to my preferences, but there’s so much to like here that most everyone will come out feeling satisfied.
