Yuki

"Yuki: Snow Fairy" is a movie I stumbled on by accident. I liked the poster, so I watched it. The story is simple: a 13-year-old snow maiden gets sent down from heaven by her grandparents to go help a village with its problems, namely bandits, war, and everything else that comes with being peasants in feudal Japan. She has one year to fix this mess or else she'll turn into "a dark wind without form who spends all eternity wailing". What unfolds after she goes to earth is very much like a fairytale, and is a "good vs. evil story" with a big climax. I was continuouslyin awe of the art. It has that classic 80's style, but is very high-quality and consistent. Horses are notoriously hard to animate, and "Yuki" does it very well. Since Yuki's snow white steed Fubuki is a prominent part of the action, that's very important. "Yuki" looks like it cost a fortune to make. The sound could be better, mainly the soundtrack. I would have played more dramatic music during some scenes to amp up the tension. The final few battles had a good score behind them, and there are one or two nice inset songs about Yuki. As for characters, Yuki herself is nearly static, but she takes action near the end. She's mainly a source of inspiration for the beggars and villagers she befriends. They're likable characters, and it doesn't take long to start rooting for them. I enjoyed the movie, but it took a while to get through. It didn't hold my attention that well, so I watched it in parts over several days. Overall, I give "Yuki: Snow Fairy" a 7/10, well worth watching if you want to see some classic animation where good guys fight bad guys with a really nice climax. There's some bloody violence (people get stabbed, a few even die) but it's meant for a family audience.

#9892