Today’s quick review: NiNoKuni. Yusuke (Max Mittelman), a paraplegic high school student, and Haruto (Alejandro Saab), his athletic friend, try to save Kotona (Abby Trott) from a mysterious assassin, only to wake up in a fantasy kingdom with uncanny parallels to their home. Searching for Kotona, Yu and Haru instead find Princess Astrid, a look-alike suffering from a dire curse, and learn that the lives of the two girls are entwined.
NiNoKuni is a Japanese animated fantasy adventure based on the video game series of the same name. The story follows two best friends as they travel to another world, save its princess from a great evil, and uncover the truth about the connection between worlds. NiNoKuni has a colorful world and a fair amount of action, but it struggles to put them to good use. Thin characters and weak writing keep the movie from reaching its full potential.
NiNoKuni struggles to put its own spin on the fantasy genre. The world Yu and Haru are transported to is a generic high fantasy kingdom, with only a few superficial details to separate it from any other fantasy setting. The plot is a generic quest to save a princess, and it holds few surprises. The couple of plot twists it tries are either too obvious or pulled from nowhere. Even the dialogue is clunky in places.
Still, NiNoKuni does have a few things to offer a forgiving viewer. The mystery of the two worlds is as close as the movie gets to its own identity, and it does a fair job of moving the plot along. The dynamic between Yu and Haru, opposites in terms of temperament, has some potential. And although the setting isn’t as creative as it could have been, the movie makes up for this deficiency with solid production quality and a fair amount of action.
NiNoKuni is a fine pick if you’re in the mood for high fantasy but don’t need anything groundbreaking. It tells a coherent story with a bit of mystery to it, and its visuals, setting, and action all serve their purpose well enough. But NiNoKuni is missing the creativity and depth needed to stand out from the crowd. Those looking for an original, well-written story that takes full advantage of its genre will want to give NiNoKuni a pass.
For a much more imaginative adventure in a parallel world, check out Spirited Away or Mary and the Witch’s Flower.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a reasonable premise let down by a mediocre script.