Mari Okada's talent as a screenwriter is well established. Working in Japanese animation since 1998, it took 20 years to discover her as a director. And for a first try, it's a masterstroke! Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a pure marvel, a rich and generous film where the mature script brings a story as sweet as bitter that will make many tears flow.
- Alternative title: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms / Let Us Adorn the Morning of Farwells With Flowers
- Original title: Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarō / さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう
- Country:
Japan - Duration: 1h55
- Release date : 24/02/2018
- Release date in France: 2018
- Kinds: Action – Adventure – Drama – Fantasy
- Animation studio: P.Has. Works
- Licensed in France: Yes
- Distributor: @Anime (Theatrical release)
Japan
Synopsis:
Maquia is a young Iolph, a tribe living isolated in the mountains, far from any civilization. And for good reason, the Iolphs have the secret of longevity and it is not uncommon for them to live several hundred years, weaving incessantly in their white palaces. But one day, the soldiers of Renato, a powerful dragon tamer kingdom arrive. Their goal being… the women of the tribe. In the confusion, a dragon gets carried away and Maquia finds herself far from her family, perceiving only a red glow on the horizon, where her city is. As she wanders aimlessly through the forest, she hears a newborn crying. The meeting of these two orphans marks the beginning of a story where a mortal and an immortal grow up side by side.
A successful fantasy story full of charms
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a rich and complex story. From a seemingly simple scenario, Mari Okada manages to transcribe a whole range of feelings and offers many twists and turns. She weaves the links between the characters as well as the crossing of destinies like a shimmering brocade. Despite the ellipses and passages between the characters, the scenario is crystal clear, almost no question remains suspended and the purity of feelings, good or bad, emerges. This tale is worthy of a great fantasy novel with its dragons, elves, medieval kingdom. However, it does not fall into the easy, because it is the relationships between the characters that are highlighted, including loneliness and love in all its forms.
Worked characters
The characters are the great strength of this film. Although very numerous, they all have a specific personality and role to fulfill. Of course, it is the relationship between Maquia and Ariel that is privileged. An ambivalent relationship as their difference of nature is profound, even insurmountable. Yet Maquia is absolute in its choices and in its self-sacrifice. The parallel that is made throughout the film with that of Leila, his friend, is also significant on what the maternal feeling and its ambivalences represent: desire, love, duty, sacrifice and even certain forms of madness are represented. There is something initiatory in this story, but also philosophical about the relationships between living beings and how time modifies them. Marie Okada infuses a great sweetness and sensitivity into this truly timeless and intergenerational story.
The film also benefits from impeccable realization. The 1h55 pass without us realizing it as we are caught up in the plot. Despite a large number of credited studios, including Lantis, Bandai Visual and P.Has. Works, the realization does not suffer from any break in rhythm or graphic quality. The images are beautiful and Kenji Kawai's music allows the magic to operate.
Thus, this story of a life caught in a whirlwind of feelings has nothing to envy to Your Name both in substance and form, although the subject is totally different. Do not expect the same thing but let yourself be carried away. It is a rather unusual story that still requires a certain sentimental maturity to perceive all the subtleties. It's not a rosewater bluette or an action movie, it's something else. Licensed at @Anime, we regret that the film was not in competition at the Annecy festival because we would undoubtedly have voted for it. We are now eagerly awaiting its distribution in France, hopefully in theaters.
