A Supernatural Story that Could Have Been Better: "Miyori no Mori"

Synopsis

In the aftermath, if being deserted by her parents, 11-year-old Miyori closes her heart and denies any form of human relationships. Now entrusted in the care of her grandmother, she ends up moving into her home by the forest. One day while out in the forest, she begins to have strange encounters and learns that the forest is no normal place.

The Good

There is a good story to be found with the film along with a good handle with its supernatural element. While it does present an interesting concept mix, the biggest highlight of the film lies in Miyori’s development as a character. The realistic tone behind her initial character in the beginning really helped in bringing out her shift in character towards the end of the film. Another thing to enjoy with the film is in how it brings out its supernatural elements in terms of art and animation. It presented a sort of classic style which set the tone of the film. One of the most prominent scenes in the film that showed this was when Miyori gathered the youkai,

The Bad

While Miyori held a strong character development, the same can’t be said for the other characters. There is an acknowledgment to them for the plot but not much else can be said on them other than being supporting roles in developing Miyori and moving the plot along. Other than this, the film seemed to go a little heavy-handed with its environmental message and having Miyori as the “savior” of this tale. Though the supernatural element of the film helped in Miyori’s development, the general tone of the film felt more like something that would somehow suit a younger audience in terms of storytelling.

Conclusion

This is a film that presents a good character development with an enjoyable classic presentation of a supernatural element. Though there is a lack of development with the other characters and the message brought cliche things like Miyori being the chosen hero to save the forest and the villains being company people, there is a quirky charm to be found with the film. It’s the sort of supernatural film that you may want to check out for something a little different.

Rating: 7/10