Windaria (1986)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The beauty of Shakespere's stories are they are timeless, there is just more than one way to tell them and their content is as significant now as it was then. Based on a Manga mini series, this film is an underrated and forgotten anime gem that is one of my favorite anime movies. But it's also one of the saddest anime movies because it is a tragedy of manners.The animation for it's time was great, I really like how the world of Windaria is developed, it's almost a bit similar to the world in a bit of the book Keith Roberts "Pavine"where it's a mix of eras. Some things in the world seem a step into the past from the medieval period but also from some of the technology like their weaponry or vehicles making the play a step into the future. The music score is great it has an almost dream like quality which fits both the world and the emotions from the characters.The best of all is in the characters themselves and their stories. In a way we have two stories in one which were inspired by both "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth". This is a double focused format which is something I really don't see much, but it makes sense because it shows there is a parallel between two couples. We really love both these couples and it's heartbreaking when they meet their inevitable doom and it was all because of stupidity of two different forms.The first couple is the obvious Romeo and Juliet. Ahna is a princess of one side and Jier is a prince of another. You really like both the characters, Ahna is a proactive person that is sweet but has sort of a feistyness and adventurous quality to her. Jier is sort of like myself the passive aggressive type he is a bit shy but not short of courage or confidence. We really like the time they spend together because it feels right which makes it all the more heartbreaking when things get worse and both families try to impose their will I'll admit moments like this made me mad at those families, both Ahna and Jier have done no wrong except love each other. Just like in Romeo and Juliet both die because of both their families stupid prejudicial attitudes killed them. Both Ahna and Jier had aspirations in life and it wasn't fair they never had the chance to have them realized, if both families just swallowed their pride and prejudice and listened to the two then their could of been a chance for peace and they would have still been alive but they didn't and in they end both families got nothing but more death, desolation and destruction which is exactly the path of stupidity.And of course we see the other story of Izu and Marlin a bit on the "Macbeth" story. Both are a married couple, I really like the chemistry it really feels like both do have history together. Marlin is sweet likes beautiful things, Izu is fun, funny, proactive, ambitious, kinda egotistical and obnotious (like Ben Tenison in the "Ben 10" franchise) but in a harmless sense at first. This guy most of the time talks about what he desires which is mainly to be a hero of some sort as well as a bit more in his everyday existence he rants about. We do see his life and what he has and does, and we can clearly see all of those things he desires he already has from stopping a dam from flooding his town to his beautiful wife; there are those people out there who feel what they have isn't enough when in reality their lives really are great, I always think "What the hell more do you really want?" It also reminds me of what Yoda on "The Empire Strikes Back" once said on the fundamental problem of dreaming, "All his life looked away to the future, to the horizon, instead of where he was, what he was doing?" At the point he sells out and sins that when I really hate the guy and that's the point, just like Macbeth he has sold out his soul, Izu's ambition becomes his own stupidity as he lets it override his conscious, by selling out to his rivals and killing innocent people all for an ambition worth nothing once Izu is betrayed by the people he helped, and Izu in the end realizes his sins but it was too late.As an old saying goes, "You don't realize what you have until it's gone." Rating: 4 stars

Normally, I cannot stand stuff that gets too romantic. Most of the time, it just gets too mushy and sappy. However, "Windaria: Once upon a Time" is not one of those movies.*SPOILERS*This movie is a beautiful Fantasy/Parable that warns of the ultimate futility of violence and war. It is told from the point of views of a poor farming couple, Isse and Marline, a royal couple, Jier and Ahnas and a lone woman named Druidess, the bride of the God of the Afterlife. The two couples in the film get torn in war, bloodshed and corruption. Isse gets brainwashed by the ruler of Palo, while both Jier and Ahnas are forced to fight each other, after Jier killed his dad and Ahnas' mother dies of an illness.*END OF SPOILERS*But just to let you all know, "Windaria" is a tragedy. It is not sugar-coated and no one turns into cutesy little SD figures. Out of the total of 6 times I watched it, I never left with a dry eye! I cried! It is that powerful.Watch "Windaria: Once Upon a Time" with an open mind.

Like a lot of Eighties anime released in the US (Warriors of the Wind, Robotech, Space Warriors, Journey through Fairyland), this one was dubbed "down" to a child's level, with pandering voice acting and low intelligence expectations, in spite of the original's maturity. This isn't to say that Windaria is a particularly extraordinary feature even in the original version--it has pretty good animation, but it seems a little too derivative of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (and yet I can imagine Miyazaki laughing at the mystical parts of this movie). That said, the story in the English version, though missing sections important to the plot and character development, isn't so awful as to make it unwatchable. Hell, compared to Lin Minmei's voice on Robotech, this movie is rather pleasant!

When American critics and anime fans begin to start searching for other (older) anime to put on a list of classic and important anime films to watch, sooner or later they will find and add "Windaria" on that list."Windaria" and Miyazaki's "Nausicaa of the Valley wind" are two of the most beautifully crafted and carefully plotted animated ecological/anti-war movies created in the mid 80's. These two films are both timeless, with beautiful artwork and very memorable characters.Because the romance between the characters in "Windaria" are so strong, well thought-out, and believable, the characters and their story help draw the viewer completely into the film's beautiful yet tragic tale--it is a finely crafted story about the loss of romance, loss of humanity, and the tragedies of war. It is truly a classic film. (One hopes for a complete, uncut, subtitled version of "Windaria" to be available very soon along with a new, complete, and uncut dubbed version.)As many people here have commented already, "Windaria" is a gem that may bring tears to your eyes. I highly recommend this film. It is a classic film and is certainly worth viewing.