Anime Review: Origins: Spirits of the Past (2006)

Origins: Spirits of the Past has the scale of Spriggan without the action, and the environmental theme of Princess Mononoke without the depth of characters. There's nothing wrong with using the same story or theme, it just has to be told differently. Unfortunately, the plot here is really straight and not totally unexpected. Even the climax isn't spectacular enough. In scenes where you expect the element of danger, there is none.

The depth of the characters is severely lacking. It would be difficult for me to describe the personalities of the characters because there seem to be none, or they are all sharing the same personality. It's hard to relate to this kind of emotional detachment.

The redeeming part of the movie is the art. The background paintings of the forests and ruins are beautiful. I've got the Blu-ray version and the world looks real. The view of debris from a destroyed moon floating in outer space is just awesome. The animation quality is top notch. Visually, the movie looks really great.

Overall, Origins only worth buying if you don't mind the story and want to check out the visuals.

3 out of 5 stars.

Here's the sequence for the opening theme:

Where to find it

Visit the links below to read more reviews on Amazon. There are other disc formats available also. Do note the region code for the disc and your player before buying.

Country-specific Amazon links for Origins: Spirits of the Past:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.co.jp