Da Hu Fa

Halex Jun 21, 2020

8.5

This is a hidden gem! I was quite surprised at the quality of the animation, despite using something akin to Flash Animation, the backgrounds are really detailed, the movements fluid and they did a great job of conveying scale by showing the action from afar and then zooming in on the interesting parts. The style is unique & completely different from what we are used to in Anime, but works really well with the mood of the movie and looks very artistic. It's like a simplified watercolor painting with a palette that contrasts the muted colors of the pressed people vs the bright colors of the adventurers. There is no much of a story, the overall theme is "The Chinese Film About Enslaved People Oppressed by a Brutal Regime", as advertised by the film itself. The story is full of action, and most of the time you'll see the protagonist escaping the regime while trying to fight back. But there is also plenty of symbolism and mysteries that have something to say about the people of this strange town and who they are. What its interesting about the characters is the symbolism and what they represent. The design of the characters is probably what you find most different against anime. All characters are surrounded by the mystery of who they are? and why are they are doing? Not all questions will be answered in the story, but that is not the important part. It's irrelevant for the meaning the movie is trying to convey, as exemplified in the last conversation. The music & sound effects help bring this world to life. There are some quiet sequences when the characters' are hiding, so the sound it's used sparingly when necessary to bring emotion to the chases and fighting scenes.  Overall, I really recommend you give this one a try. It's not a kids' movie due to the violence, it is a story with something to say about oppressive regimes and the people who accept them as the norm. In my opinion, this is a great work of art, it may be rough around the edges, it obviously lacks the budget of a featured film, but I can tell they did their best with the tools they have, it really shows through the story.