Synopsis
A young boy with a troubled home life becomes "chosen," and he stumbles into the middle of a great war of yōkai (a class of mythological creatures), where he meets a group of friendly yōkai who become his companions through his journey. Now he must fight to protect his friends and free the world of the yōkai from oppression. The yōkai originate in Japanese folklore and range from the cute and silly to the disturbing.
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Cast
- Ryunosuke KamikiTadashi Ino
- Hiroyuki MiyasakoSata
- Kaho MinamiYōko Ino
- Riko NarumiTataru Ino
- Shirō Sano"Mysterious" Editor
- Miyuki Miyabe
- Arimasa Osawa
- Yuu Tokui
- Itsuji Itao
- Taru Honkonen
Recommendations
- 88
TV Guide Magazine
Miike's goofy, gallant, action-packed fantasy deserves to become a classic family film. - 75
Boston Globe
A big, silly party. - 60
Variety
Odd blend of the truly cheesy with a few genuine f/x makes for a cutesy if not exactly thrilling spectacle. - 60
The New York Times
Narrative coherence is perhaps not among the film's virtues, but its loopy, cluttered story is part of the fun. And a clearer, simpler plot might have required the sacrifice of some delightful grace notes and visual marvels, like the elastic-necked geisha or the one-eyed ambulatory umbrella. - 50
Village Voice
The film makes no more or less sense than Ridley Scott's Legend or Jim Henson's Labyrinth, and in fact has a creaky, blue-gel '80s-ness to it, but for many, keeping up with Miike's cranked output is an end in itself.
