Review of Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006) by James J — 22 Jul 2010

Okay, before I talk about this, I want to get something off my chest: the great thing about animation is that there's no need for CGI. Unfortunately, "Origin" doesn't seem to realize this, with unnecessary and simplistic CGI sequences. Now, the animation here is weaker than many animes I've seen (especially facial animations, which seem stale and lifeless), but a more conistent visual style would be better.

Anyway, on to the story. This is a delicate story of humanity and nature. The screenplay isn't the strongest, but it is sufficient to tell the story effectively enough, even with some standard anime conventions. Mostly, the films feels mediocre throughout. The strongest aspect of the film is definitely the soundtrack, which takes a page out of the Miyazaki/Hisaishi book. Sadly, it's not quite as good as a Hisaishi soundtrack, nor good enough to make the film markedly better.