Review of “Munto” (2003)
Seen in 2016.
Yumemi has two problems: Her 13-year-old friend since kindergarten is getting married, and the Kingdom of Magic, which only Yumemi can see, is threatened by destruction.
Boring characters and boring fantasy plotting, unengaging even by the low standards of e.g. Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko (1985). Stiff digital animation. The intrusion of a fantasy world into the narrative serves as an opportunity for the protagonist’s personal growth, a very common literary device with unusual emphasis in a 13-year-old moekko’s “marriage” to her boyfriend in defiance of her friends and parents. (Japanese law requires women to be at least 16 to marry, and minors must have parental consent. The ceremony depicted here is symbolic.) Even the protagonist supposes she could take care of herself, though her mother begs to differ.