Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou

This is my first review on myanimelist, This anime reminded me of the role of a mother and the unconditional love she has for her child. It beautifully portrays the countless responsibilities, sacrifices, and difficult choices that a mother has to make for the sake of her child's happiness and future. Through every challenge and test the characters face, the story conveys how deep and selfless a mother's love can truly be. It makes me cry so hard maybe this is the only anime that makes me cry for now and this anime movie is very good I recommend it to you to watch once in a lifetime.

what does it mean to be a parent, at what point do you become a "mother"? when you protect? when you pass down wisdom? Maquia asks herself this question constantly when there is no explicit answer. but she loves her child genuinely. if your time with someone you love comes to an end, what was the point of it? the Clan of Partings teaches that you should never love, because in the end you will be left alone. partings are more painful the more beautiful your time spent was, so is that pain even worth it? if you find yourself wondering about the answers to these questions, you will get closer to them after watching Maquia.

Amazing. Simply Amazing. Emotional. Great Characters. Superb Animation. Good Music/OST. Overall, a 10 out of 10 movie. If this is what you are looking for, then Maquia might be the answer for you. This movie will break and heal your heart. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to watch this in theater. Despite that, it does not change the fact that this is an absolute cinema of an anime. Story 9.5/10: Maquia has a quite interesting world building despite having similarities with typical fantasy anime. The premise and its ancient legends could’ve been explored a bit more. It is a shame that it was not. The same could be said with other countries in its world. But that is not really the main point of the show, it is more about its characters. Characters 10/10: While the story might be simple, the emotional impact comes from its characters. In my opinion, the movie really shines when it comes to its characters, particularly our main characters: Maquia and Ariel. The film does an amazing job at showing their relationship right from the start to the end and connecting you to the cast. I love the portrayal of Maquia, specifically her personality, being a mother figure to Ariel. And seeing her progression really hits hard. Maquia’s motherly affection is heartwarming throughout. The trait of Maquia is similar to Frieren so if you like Frieren you probably will like this. Although, their personality is like day and night. Development 9.5/10: Seeing our main cast change throughout the story was a joy to watch. How they fight through their struggles. Especially, Ariel growing up, watching his interactions with Maquia changes. So as the side characters in the series, despite not getting much screen time, the show still shows that they are not static characters. Atmosphere 10/10: The second strongest element in this film for me is the atmosphere. The movie manages to make me feel immerse into the world like I am with the character. Part of it is due to the excellent soundtrack in the movie. Storytelling 8.75/10: On the other hand, this section is the weakest in the movie. It has a bit of a pacing issue. Some part of the movie felt a bit too quick. When there is a time skip, the movie does not tell you directly. You have to figure it out by looking at the changing details. Nevertheless, the overall storytelling is decent: not too slow or too rushed except for some portions. Animation 10/10: Movie level animation is most of the time guarantee to be top quality. And this is no exception for Maquia. The staff at the P.A. Works does an amazing job in animating this movie. It is not as spectacular as those big studios: MAPPA, Ufotable, of course. However, the details in the animation is still top quality. There are some CGI scenes here and there, but not many. The CGI itself does not look bad. Personal Enjoyment 10/10: All right, I will admit it, I cried. I am bound to cry if the characters were this enjoyable to watch, and seeing the stuff at the end after what I have seen. That is just good directing. Nothing beats motherly love, it really hits you in the feels. Not to mention the ending song, beautifully sung. This will be in one of my few 10s and potentially my 3x3.

Maquia is an exceptional film that has left a profound impact on me. This review will henceforth be extremely biased as I enjoyed it so much I've rewatched it more than 5 times over the years. Much like Ariel , I was not raised by my biological mother but had a mother-like figure. As such , the film was oddly relatable and left a strange sadness in me. This film is a touching and thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and the passage of time. It covers themes of identity, sacrifice, and the transient nature of existence. Through the eyes of Maquia (a youthful, nigh-immortal girl), we witness her journey through the joys and hardships of motherhood, offering a fresh perspective rarely seen in anime. Due to the context, the pacing was fast and involved many time-skips , so as to say that time in the eyes of the immortal go by very quickly. Years appear to pass by in the blink of an eye. It was meaningful but it may have messed with the storytelling. Characters in Maquia are beautifully realized and remarkably relatable. Maquia herself is a respectable protagonist, navigating the challenges of motherhood while grappling with her own immortal nature. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, their struggles and growth add layers of depth to the narrative. These characters have been imprinted into my head long after the credits rolled, a testament to their impact. The OST deserves special mention, as it perfectly complements the film's emotional journey. In moments of adversity , I find myself replaying these ethereal melodies and haunting compositions which evoke a powerful sense of wonder and melancholy. The sound design further helps with the immersion, creating an atmospheric backdrop that intensifies the emotional resonance of the story.

Okay, listen... Let's dissect the entire thing. Story: A solid 5/10. I personally found the story to be scattered, and all over the place. There was no logical divide between the "Chapters" of their lives. In one scene Ariel is a kid, and then 2 seconds later he is a teen, and then 2 seconds later he is a young adult. So there were multiple times when I had to pause and go back 5 seconds to see if I missed anything. And, I feel, that if I have to manually do that, then it is not directed properly, and the story has no flow. The beginning hour, let's say, of the story was quite enjoyable, however, they dragged it on too long (It is roughly a 2hour movie) and left many things "in the dark", such as the red-eye disease that wiped out the dragons, what happened to the rest of the Iorphians, etc. Art and Sound design: 9/10 and 9/10 respectively. The art and animation are smoooooth man and it's very pretty. The eyeshines and the general physical appearance of the characters "fit" medieval times and that era in general, whether that be how they're dressed or how their faces are drawn and the colors used. Overall, not the most amazing aesthetics and style but still veeery beautiful. The soundtrack and voice acting are exquisite as usual, I particularly liked Maquia's voice. I felt that it suited her character very well, and that scream she gave at the end daaaang. Character: 6/10 I don't know why, but I don't like how some characters behaved in certain situations. For instance, Ariel and Dita; he hated her in the beginning, they didn't have a friendship and she acted like a bully. Then they showed no further interaction between the two, but decide to skip to the part where she is freaking pregnant with their chiiild???? I just felt that there was a lot of missed opportunity with the characters. Another example: Krim, Leila's "Friend" or "crush" or "boyfriend...?" An absolute psychopath. He spent his entire life outside hiding from the girl he "loved" and wanted to protect, but when it came to it, he wanted them both to die together, got shot, and then RAN AWAY FROM HEEERR???? Instead of choosing to die by his "lover's" side, he died at the dragon cages away from everyone... y tho? (Hot take) I think they just wanted to somehow include the "Yandere" tag in there >< Last point: What was the purpose of the half Iorph dude? He was there at the beginning, somewhere in the middle (I think) and at the end, he gave Maquia a ride.. idk he confused me Enjoyment: meh, a 7/10. It was okay, I enjoyed the art and the music a lot, however, I caught myself spacing out at moments and feeling quite bored. Overall: A 6/10. Let me explain, pls don't kill me >~<. Personally (!), I think that this would have been better as a series. By making it a movie, they made the whole story seem rushed and they didn't have a lot of time developing the characters the way they should have been developed. Plus, because it was so long and so drawn out, it became quite a bore at times. Ah! The moment when Ariel pushed her against the table or whatever that was I legitimately thought I was going to witness some hentaι istg... Their relationship was super weird at times.

I'm gonna go against the grain on this one. I think this movie had a lot of issues that I just couldn't get through. It could've been really good too, I get why people like it. SOME SPOILERS. I'll start off with the stuff I liked. It was very pretty (though the CGI dragons were ugly and distracting). The music was good too from what I remember. And the scene where Maquia found and saved baby Ariel was my favorite throughout the whole movie. Now to my complaints. I could tell right off the bat that the vitality of Maquia's people was going to be a plot point thanks to the narration at the beginning. This seems like such a huge misstep, as it would have been so much more fascinating to let the audience piece this together themselves. If we hadn't known, we'd be left in the dark as to why they were being attacked and kidnapped, there would be mystery and intrigue at least. We'd still know who the bad guys were obviously, but we wouldn't know their motives (show, don't tell). This was a minor complaint so I'll move on. I thought the characters were either extremely boring or unlikable. There was a point where I thought Ariel was going to have romantic feelings for Maquia, his mother, and while that would have been gross, it at least would have been interesting, something I hadn't seen (in conventional TV). Instead, it's the same "I must protect you" motivation I've seen a million times. In the wake of a tragedy, Maquia decides to save a helpless infant and devote her life to raising it. On paper, that sounds good and it grabbed me at first, but lost me very quickly. Most mothers care for their sons, and most sons love their mothers. Neither their motivations nor their actions were enough to keep me invested in them. I absolutely hated Izol. He kidnapped Leilia, let's her get raped, then all of the sudden feels guilty? He knew what he was doing. Maybe just don't do the bad thing in the first place. I was extremely frustrated with Leilia's decision to stay, it boggled my mind. No one else really stood out for me, which meant that I didn't have anyone to root for not even half way in to the movie. Again, the story grabbed me for the first 10-15 minutes, but then it just lost me. I didn't like the "evil king wanting power" plot point, I didn't like Leilia's story, and Maquia's and Ariel's relationship wasn't enough to carry the film for me. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm spitting vitriol, I wish I could've felt what others did at that ending scene. I just didn't unfortunately.

Aight, this is my first time writing an anime review, so don't mind me. But first, SPOILERS ALERT!!! Firstly, I would like to congratulate P.A Works for another excellent production. I didn't know that they made Nagi no Asukara (A lull in the sea) as well. Which if you haven't watched, I highly recommend you do. The way this movie presented itself might have caused a lot of people to be annoyed, confused, or even angry. The actions that some of the characters chose to do were at times questionable to say the very least. However, the main focus of this movie to me was about Moving On. For me, this really hits home, because of my parent's occupation, I move to different countries every few years. Not to say that I don't have any friends, but never a place I could truly call home. Characters such as Leilia at first was upset that she couldn't be with Krim, but eventually moved on, and she also moved on from her daughter, knowing that she would just bring more pain if she had stayed (similar situation to of Ariel and Maquia). As for Maquia, she had to move on from her clan, then her family (Mida and the dog), and at the very end Ariel as well. While I felt a lot of empathy for her, I could not say that I felt bad for her. She acknowledges the reality of her situation and decides to fully embrace it. If anything, I'd say she has balls made of steel. Ironic isn't it, a clan that was suppose to frozen in time, moves on in the end (Maquia and Leilia), and ultimately, for the ones who are immortal, even if they can live forever, if they cannot resolve the past, no matter what happens, will eventually end up like Krim, who also held on to the past, unable to move on, scared of what Leilia has become, winding up dead. Motherhood, another strong theme presented in this movie, Maquia and Leilia, both showed how strong a mother's love can be. For Leilia, she loved her daughter enough to abandon her at the very end (reason stated above), despite Medmel being a child her was forced to have. As for Maquia, she decides to adopt a orphaned child, and raises him to be her own. This movie shows the situation of different motherhoods, all of them have different problems and obstacles, but what is common is their love for their child. I thought the art, the sound, the characters were all great. And I would say I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. However, the one thing I cannot overlook, not just in this movie, but in most animes is that the story is kinda wonky. One thing I hate is plot holes and lazily written scripts, and no matter what you think of this movie, this movie definitely has those moments. Excuse my french but, how the fck did the soldiers from Mezarte find Iorph in the first place? Like, can you just walk in and walk out like whenever you want? Wtf is up with that dumb idea?? Also, wtf happened to all the other women in Iorph, I remember the king of Mezarte was looking for more Iorph women because the prince was bored with Leilia, wtf did they do with all the other women? Killed them all? nah, they didn't explain shit, and same argument with the males of Iorph. Also, I felt as if they could've made the weaving stuff more significant to the story. I felt as if the symbolism behind it was largely missed out due to the writing. Also, I understand why Leilia left her child, but seriously? I felt really angry about that, she was so desperate to see her, and even disregarded Krim for it, but nah, the moment she saw her, she was like "sike" "forget about me lmao". That was really wack writing from the writers. Also, where tf did Maquia and Leilia end up at the end? Iorph? Wasn't it destroyed? wut???? While some may argue, oh that's not important, I'd say it's just lazy writing again. But despite these flaws that I thought to be present, overall, this movie was amazing in a lot of different ways. Some moments were so realistic, that I even almost teared up. This is a must watch, a great movie with a good theme. 9/10 for me (the missing 1 is for the wacky plot holes).

I've never felt my heart warmed and wrenched simultaneously. The film's gentle tone contrasted with the difficulties of solitude and societal tensions creates an experience that feels like a breath of fresh air. Story: 8/10 I'm a sucker for plots about immortality (or a prolonged lifetime) because it's an idea that I have contemplated before many times at night. The desire to see how humanity advances, the intriguing future prospects are so tantalising - and yet, when you think about how you would go about life. The people you meet, the relationships you build and saying goodbye to those that are dear to you. It will make anyone feel lonely. I feel that the film has captured those emotions well, and thus delivered to the viewers in sentimental moments of the film. However, the total execution of events wasn't the cleanest, and at times the plot was somewhat difficult to follow with the time skips, and the lack of explanation of certain plot points did make me feel disconnected with the story at times. Art: 8/10 There are very nice details in the settings and characters, and the animations are crisp and clean. I'm not very well-versed in this part but I'd say the studio did a good job with the art. Sound: 7/10 Nothing too notable here for me, there are some nice inserts here and there and I believe the music wasn't detrimental to the experience in any way, but I wasn't particularly moved or felt that certain scenes were enhanced by the sound provided. Characters: 8/10 Most characters are developed well enough and I never felt stale with anyone but there are some that could use some explanation, with how and why they're back in the plot, as those that were present had few details elaborated on. Enjoyment: 9/10 + Conclusion; 8/10 Overall, I am pleased with the movie. I enjoyed the character interactions and the world the story was told in. Initially, I was going to give the film a 9/10, then after some thought a 7/10, but in the end, I didn't think it was great, nor did I think it was just good. I recommend this film - a very enjoyable experience awaits.

Non-spoiler Review Visual/Art : (8.5) - Theres nothing much to say about the visuals or art about this movie, nothing amazing, but its still eye pleasing and attractive - giving it 8.5 because its good but not violet evergarden good Sound : (9) - Sound plays a very important role in determining the quality of the anime, and it can be further broken down to 2 parts: voice acting and OSTs - The voice actors for each of the characters in the movie is appropriate, no characters with weird voices. The OST for the movie is brilliant, bringing out the mood and atmosphere of each setting really well Plot : (8.5) - No doubt a unique storyline though not totally different from other anime movies; the movie has a direction and builds up well Characters : (9) - The most important part and plays the biggest role in making an anime good - Really good character development and appropriate characteristics for each of the characters, especially the main character; you get attracted to her and attached as you follow the story and her development Coherency : (8) - Some plotholes here and there, you have to really pay attention to understand, some terms are confusing - Other than that the flow of the story is done well with little to no confusion Total : 9 - This anime takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, showing the hardships of the MC and the destiny fated to the clan of partings. My favourite quote from the movie, "Once you love someone, you'll truly be alone". This movie made me love love more, not just romance. Tear-jerking, heart-breaking, heart-mending. Beautiful movie, an artwork on a digital canvas. Verdict : Worth the watch

If you're searching for an anime about the touching relationship between mother and son (like in Wolf Children) then this might be the right movie for you. But that's it. It could have been a lot more and that's mainly what I didn't like about this movie. But I'll try to explain in detail. Story: 7/10 Maquia is a 15 y.o. girl from the "Iorph" village, people who live separated from the rest of the world and age at a very slow rate. One day her life will drastically change and she will decide to live in the human society with a baby she saves from death. I only said the main plot to avoid spoilers but actually many things happen. TOO MANY. There are many interesting elements left undeveloped or unclear (like the nature of Hibiol, the past of the Iorph, etc.), some don't even make sense to me and the pace is way too fast. Characters: 6/10 Let me be honest: Maquia and her son are annoying. She goes from being a crybaby to a perfect mother and then again she looks like a kid. I know that these characters are supposed to be complex, but then I expect the show to at least try to make the characters coherent and appealing. Moreover, there were many interesting secondary characters left undeveloped. For example the royal guard, who had an interesting inner conflict, or Leila (imho best character of the whole show). Art: 7/10 The landscapes are stunning but the character design is horrible. Even at the most touching moment I couldn't cry because Maquia's deformed face ruined the atmosphere. Also, there's bad CGI here and there. Sound: 8/10 The sound is really good. It creates the perfect atmosphere at the perfect time. Enjoyment: 7/10 There are many hidden themes that I would have liked to be developed (for example the "white purity" of the Iorphs) but overall I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie. I was only expecting more.

a movie that showcases how relationships mature over time in a unique way. the show prides itself on its realistic characters and their development over time and its wonderful OST that not only sounds beautiful but captures the mood and emphasizes it, as well as it's wonderful art that allows the viewer to truly understand the emotion of a character by just there expression. this heartfelt story will have you in tears by the end as it not only does what it sets out to do from the start but also does so much more an option is not left unused a story is not left untold and tears are not left unshed

Every year, we are bestowed with alluring visuals and a rhetorically contrived title, that piques the interest of the anime community. This time around it is SayoAsa. As soon as the PV got released, me alongside many others were waiting for the release. Personally i feel that for an Anime or Manga to be considered quality it has to come good in terms of its basic pillars like ART/SOUND/STORY/CHARACTER. So lets go over these one by one. STORY - 8 The setting of the story is in medieval age, where humans are living alongside many other races. From here on, we follow the story of our two main characters Ariel and Maquia, seeing them grow together, connecting disconnecting and exploring each other again, developing a strong bond and making endeavors to overcome hardships was such a heartwarming roller coaster ride. The Strongest point of the story is how realistic the mother-child relation is being portrayed. Mari Okada, the veteran in making people feel emotional, once again took it upon herself to narrate this beautiful bond unlike ever before. We also have a colorful side cast. Each of them playing imperative roles to carry out the story. ART - 9 Arguably, the strongest point of the movie is its art. I always thought that making compelling visuals was the forte of only MAKOTO SHINKAI'S movie but how can one be so wrong. SayoAsa is brimming with Eye-catchy visuals woven with unique character design that made it easy to project the emotions of the characters to the audience, thus complimenting the message being conveyed by the movie. Through and through movies is filled with mesmerizing background and sceneries that can infatuate anyone. SOUND - 9 OH BOY!!! OH BOY!!! Kenji Kawai, you did it again. From the well-acclaimed composer of GHOST IN THE SHELL, FATE STAY NIGHT comes another masterpiece. I thought that was the best of his work but OH BOY THE EARGASM!!! In my view, soundtracks in this movie were the MAGNUM OPUS of the Kenji Kawai. Every soundtrack with its impeccable timing leaves a huge emotional impact on the viewer, but not to mention, here we have to give credit to the director whose direction of right soundtrack at the right time made every single scene more impactful. CHARACTER - 7 This is probably the weakest area of SAYOASA. The story follows our two main characters and builds further on the relationship between the two. The side cast is also colorful that wrestle with their inner conflicts and emotions that makes them feel like more human and easy to connect. My main gripe in this department is the way some characters were handled and the way how some of them were re-introduced that made it feel like a bit forced. Also, i feel that some of them could have been excluded which would have made it easier to give more screen time to the characters that could have made the experience more wholesome. OVERALL - 8 All in all, the movie excels in all the departments and portrays a strong mother-child relationship that will keep you engaging and probably would make you emotional and tearful. Does this movie deserve 10/10 as some people are suggesting? Does this movie deserve low rating if we go by the narrative of the other? I would say "NO" to both cases and it is purely subjective. SayoAsa could have been a lot better but the execution of the story down the middle and forced re-introductions of some characters pulled its legs. But that in no sense is taking the credit away from the movie. Thanks for reading.

Aight simple guy simple reviews This anime shows how men screw things up simple. Jk ok. Honestly why is the rating so high it was mid. Like good but not good enough Soundtrack is mid Story is good not bad I understood everything. I don’t understand how people like say plot holes, time skips? Bro that’s how some people tell stories man. I kind of like story telling like this gives a sense that time pass by so fast for her since she lives so long. Kinda sad but didn’t cry at all. Unique plot. Characters are cool they grow and shitz but you know like the focus of the characters are kinda messy. Are they going to focus on war? Becoming a mother? Relationship of other characters? … but at the end they clear things up but you know messy. Pacing is good short movie you know didn’t really feel bored Animation is good but nth like your name or koi no katachi or even the ghbli movies. Emotions and after thoughts not much just mid thought would feel sadder. Overall mid I thought it would be a more unique and more emotional grabbing movie. This movie nails how human life is so brief but lacking in execution. Btw I rate movies on how I feel during and after the movie. If the movie is funny I want to laugh. If the movie is scary I want to be so scared I can’t fall asleep. You get the point. So 7/10 prolly going to like change how I rate this stuff soon.

Let's start with the obvious: Yes I did give this movie a bold 10/10. Honestly, the first time it simply blew me away and stayed in my head non stop for like 3-4 days. This is a heavy statement but it is indeed one of the best animated movies I've ever watched. i have only watched it once Story 9/10: Well, Mari Okada all right. She is known for her emotional stories and this one indeed enters the category just fiiiine! The movie feels very long in a good way: The story, the world and places, the character development, the sub plots... All these elements adds up and fill the ensemble to the brim giving the impression to have lived and discovered a lot with the characters ; and that is one of the main strenghts here. Everything is well rounded and the difference of pace in the various plot elements do not leave any space to get bored. There is a well-balanced mix of emotional moments, intense action and everyday life organized in a non generic narrative structure, which I find very refreshing. The theme developped is that of the relationship between mother and child. It is not a very common subject developped in detail and I really enjoyed the depth and various angles the movie takes to treat the subject. -Takes place in a world that is a mixture of high-tier utopia fantasy where peaceful beings similar to elves are coexisting with nature and medieval human race in where kings and knights rule their part of the land in highly immoral and not-so-peaceful manner. -Mixes together political thriller, war, drama and daily life of both races. -Focuses on interracial willing and unwilling relationships. The main plot line being about elf-woman and a human child starting a family together where she takes the role of a (foster) mother. Another heavy motherhood-related concept is related to another elf-woman who is raped by the human king and becomes a (biological) parent to her child, but never sees her. -Deals with heavy questions about family, love, living, finding your own place in the world. As well as regret, adapting and one's purpose in life. Art 10/10: It goes without saying that this movie is beautiful. One look at literally any scene in the movie will go to show the polish put into it. The way that the sun and lighting are portrayed, the ethereal landscapes, the imaginative yet fully developed world, and even the tiny details such as the look of bricks were clearly polished and given thought. This is one of the greatest aspects of the movie. In much of what the storytelling lacks in time of narration, it makes up for in sound and art design. For example, the world's continual push towards industrialism is seen and reflected in world design. Scenes of similar areas in different time periods will have the nuances of the time period worked out. The introduction of steelworking is reflected in the lighter nights, the sight of smokestacks throughout regions of the city, and even more specifically reflected in the lives of the world. As the introduction of more industrial applications is continued, some jobs, for example, weaving on the loom, are accurately presented as slightly less common for it can be expected that such developments are becoming more centralized in factories. These are the sorts of nuances that will draw a viewer in without them fully realizing, and the degree to which the imaginative world reflects realism in such an intricate manner is what drives me to say that the story is outstanding; it is because the art and sound are outstanding to a degree that it greatly strengthens the story. One of my first worries about the art in specific was the usage of CGI in the animation of the movie. Yes, there are perhaps two scenes where the usage is notable in a way that could affect immersion. Despite that, the usage of CGI was so well accomplished that I was instead pleased with the fluid animation and vividness that it allowed. Thankfully also, the fluidity never subtracted from the style of the movie, and only added. It was a surprise to me seeing the two layered on top of each other to such great effect. That said, every facial animation and every camera angle was given much care as well. Even without extensive film training, I could see the desired effect of such framing in a way that was incredibly natural; that's just one more thing I was impressed by. Sound: 9.5/10: The sound is amazing for sure but it doesn't feel unique. To say something what Mothers Basement had to say about the movie: it doesn't have a unique musical piece. Its the same fantasy music you hear in fantasy anime and JRPG's. it feels very nostalgia. Characters: 10/10: I have seen many dramas, slice of life, romance and all other genres that tend to be thoroughly driven by the characters for the simple reason that they tend to be my favorite animes. And, well, in terms of characters, Maquia holds quite a high spot. And it seems only logic given how the anime works. You see the characters growing, so the character development that is usually done through flashbacks or other means of going back to the past are not necessary here as you are literally seeing all characters grow from children to adult. That means that the character development is close to complete, as you see all the important moments of their lives but get to live it at the same time as them and really gets you to like the characters a whole lot more. Along with that, although I'm not really sure whether what I'm about to say falls under Story or Character, the fact that you see the characters grow along the whole movie means you see their departures and deaths making it sad or at least gloomy, but it also makes you feel incredibly happy when friends that you had left at the beginning of the story reappear as adults, even if you saw them for only a minute or two before. For that simple reason, I consider this worth a 10/10 as i have just not seen anything better than that done before in terms of characters. Overall: 10/10 This anime takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, showing the hardships of the MC and the destiny fated to the clan of partings. My favourite quote from the movie, "Once you love someone, you'll truly be alone". This movie made me love love more, not just romance. Tear-jerking, heart-breaking, heart-mending. Beautiful movie, an artwork on a digital canvas. i simply scrolled down on MAL to see amovie for the night but it ended in a shocking happy way how good the movies truleyt was.

I can't explain how incredible and breathtaking this movie is. I watched it at first without having any expectations in particular and ended up ugly crying all the tears I had in my body. This is the type of movie where words cannot describe the amount of raw and pure emotion it holds. It flawlessly conveys the universal theme of love, more specifically, parental and maternal love. It's so much more powerful and impactful than your typical teenage romance, which is also really refreshing to see. The characters are endearing, the art is beautiful and colourful, and the OST is delicate, profound, and is used so well in the movie that it stands very well on its own. If you want a bittersweet and heartfelt storyline, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is the movie that you must watch if you don't want to miss something outstanding.

Maquia: The Promised Flower Blooms. *Spoilers ahead* What a film, what a film! For almost as long as I've lived, I've been in a weird relationship with my mother. Not a relationship where we downright hate each other but there certainly is bad blood there that is pretty far gone as far as family goes. I've spent forever searching for something to show me why everyone who engaged in loving relationships with their mothers say "you should talk to her more" or "but she's your mother!" Like yeah, I know, but what does that really mean? Being a mother, all that nonsense. That's the same question that is posed to a young Maquia when she is separated from her village of Iorphs, a race that harbors individuals that can live for much much longer than the normal person. A dragon sweeps her up and she is inadvertently sent to a forest. As she is kind of wandering around in her new environment, she finds the dead body of a mother who seems to still be hugging her supposed child. And I don't exactly know what compels her to pick up the child, either be it the director had to do it to progress the film or maybe it came as a shock to her that someone would be willing to go so far for anyone. Her sentimentality on love is, "If I ever love anyone, I will truly be alone" as explained to her by Racine, the village elder. I imagine this sight is not just one to behold but one that holds deep significance to her. She realizes that he is not truly alone as his bond with his mother, even if he had never seen her was still much greater than having nothing. And so she grabs the baby from outside of the mother's grasp, one that was still firm and adopts it. And just in that moment alone, I applied it to my life back in better times. Times that I can say I unconditionally loved my mother and she did so for me as well. Would she, in some type of catastrophic event have sacrificed herself for me? Would her protective grip be so strong, that she is able to hold on to me and comfort me even from beyond the grave? When she brings the child outside and smells him, he smells like the sun. Beautiful. And sure, you can say this scene is a bit overblown in terms of emotion especially when that somber soundtrack comes on, but I think its meaning far outweighs that. For now, anyway. Her name-choosing process was quite adorable. Her eyes darting around the room, at first choosing a female name to honor her lost fried before blurting out Ariel and staring at the floor like a nervous wreck. It's a fun, lighthearted moment, but this is the moment when the child really becomes hers. His identity is set now. She goes on a small walk around town with Mido before coming to a stop where Mido explains a mother's life is hectic. After being hit with a, "I don't know" from Maquia, she jokingly slaps her stomach. When Maquia laughs, Ariel follows suit. These fun, energetic, and bright scenes really help the narrative develop as we see how Maquia becomes more of a mother, how Ariel begins as such a loving baby, it humanizes this "mother" role that we've all come to misunderstand. Our moms are people just like us. The film then shows us another symbolic showing of Maquia dyeing her hair to fit Ariel's, distancing herself from her heritage and in a way, leaving that life of pain, of misery, and of isolation, a theme that comes to be developed. Which is really one of Maquia's strong suits. It develops every idea it starts, every theme, every narrative is woven together through progression of the plot. More light heartedness ensues after the first time skip which is understandable if you want to show someone's whole life in the span of 2 hours, but they do start to get a bit much later on into the movie. And it's when Ariel's friends tell him that liking your mother is weird is when we see the first instance on valuable social commentary. This is definitely not a thing limited to fiction as children in real life are ridiculed by their peers for loving their moms all the time, especially little children who don't know any better. And when Maquia meets an existential crisis as she comes to realize everyone will die much quicker than her, she truly understands what the elder meant by her words. The irrationality of this scene is what really sells it because almost everyone understands that others die, it's just a fact that we don't really account for. Lang goes on a charade about how mothers don't cry, which may be just a tiny drop of chauvinistic and completely irrelevant to the narrative they're trying to sell and quite frankly might have only been introduced to make the final scene that they did. When you hit the festival, the first thing you notice are the vivid colors flying across the screen as the citizens are dressed in different types of the colors, the banners up are characterized by a royal blue, and the venues offer a wide array of hues for you to feast your eyes on. But if this is the first time you notice the breathtaking audiovisuals, I hope you look back because almost every scene is brought to life with lively animation befitting of the moment. The high definition water, unique art style, wonderfully apricot skies, the velvet trailing of the Renato as Maquia is soaring through the illuminated night, every detail is left observed and there is no speck that doesn't amaze me in the art department. Tranquil plucked strings for the calm scenes as opposed to grandiose choirs for the climactic ones, who can't love that? My least favorite moments of this picture are when the themes of motherly love go overboard. Leilia not wanting to leave because of her child, Leilia only wanting to see her child (despite it being unwanted in the first place and her freedom being taken for it), and an assortment of other melodramatic "but my kid!" scenes make the narrative quickly go from heartfelt to cinematic tool for drama. As Ariel grows up, he goes from wanting to protect his mother to...wanting to protect his mother. But this never feels static because his outward personality wanes from warm and loving to cold. His overall personality changes, of course, but it's important to the narrative that he remains wanting to protect his mother. He just realizes he's too weak and undeserving of someone who treats him so carefully. And when I heard the line, "Why does that person treat me so carefully?", I couldn't stop the emotion crawling up my throat. It's such a relatable emotion. such a genuine piece of dialogue, such a beautifully understanding moment. Maquia really understand both sides of adolescence. Both from the parent's perspective and the child's. But it's this superb understanding coupled with powerful intertwined themes such as finding happiness in separation that really catapults this picture in quality. Beautiful artwork, beautiful morale, but sometimes the otherwise genuine and vehement themes are blown out of proportion into something else entirely. The pacing is, honestly fine but those time skips don't do it any favors. I'm feeling a strong 8 to a light 9 on Maquia.

Maquia is the pure definition of mature process and tangible context of loneliness. With a charm that achieves the drama to deliver the sadness, it is genuine that this is not a lazy work to handle such a masterful writing of melodrama. It never abandons the theme itself to the point that watching them (him) grow up is exactly a systematic irony towards the reality itself. It never abandons the grasp of connection and contrast between two main characters, Maquia and Ariel, who builds their wholesomeness into a simple yet significant empathy to hold such a meaning with the tears shedding from our eyes. First of all, I really love the entire ambiance throughout this film to exhibit the beauty of light and Ionian wonders before our eyes. The prologue creates a good job to introduce the brief origin of how Maquia has provided her ideal and behavior to the point that we can understand that she has been curious around how the practice has been dealt with her to grasp the felicity. We can see the peace that pulls up its breathtaking start to realize what will come up next. Then, in the next time, there is a threat that deals Ionian to offer the prosperity of biological greatness that the royal blood will acknowledge Ionian ethnicity due to its lengthy life expectancy. In which, the threat makes Maquia walk off from her home as she seeks an escape to her own peace. While escaping, she finds infant Ariel crying while being held by his deceased biological mother. Ignoring the baby to leave himself in hunger is inexcusable for Maquia to leave him alone, so she instead carries and cares him to ensure his life not to be wasted by his actual mother's sacrifice. Thus, the motherly theme has begun. Such admiration to see them growing and building each other up is chaste to recognize their familial love in a large extent of contentment. As such playing and educating together is a rightful thing that can suffice the charm with heartwarming aura. A slice-of-life which can deliver their daily lifestyle into something that will prepare to trigger their gradual struggles is a total gaiety to enrich their relationship up until Ariel realizes his maturity doesn't offer him to give back everything that is worthy for his mother, Maquia. Honestly, that is such a fallacious belief for Ariel to give back everything towards his mother because it's like you're giving back the present from Maquia towards Maquia herself. That's not how Christmas gift works. She just wants to nourish him and his love to the fullest, and yet Ariel acts arrogantly with excessive idea of minimalism. That being said, giving her back will result to discontentment between each other because she knows it's not enough for him to offer since their life expectancy is far different to await. On the other hand, the side characters have their own struggle to liven themselves up due to the corruption that the royal blood is trying to pursue for. Honestly, they're not significant to follow the main storyline of this film, and yet this bonus thing is a plus points to consider that the worldbuilding is transverse from its narrative limit. We get to explore more what's going on which leads Maquia and Ariel to be apart for their own agenda. It's like the son is going to his first work while the mother is heading towards her origin to reflect what and how she had been going through, realizing that they forget to bid their farewell properly in a sense that it clouded them to die for. The art itself is perfectly fantastic that the background and structure really affects the world to be alive for excellent immersion. The designs are well-fitted throughout the ambiance, and the fluidity is masterfully present with perfect camera angle and saturation. Thus, I consider it to be exceptional in this case. The sound is indescribable. It's like when you listen to Celtic flute music, it feels like you're going to relax while watching this film for the better effect. Your ears will going to pierce your mind like an acupuncture, and your eyes will feel like you're in that world to perceive the understanding of what's going on and touch the texture of its medieval, light-hearted ambiance. Overall, my enjoyment is soothingly indescribable. The tears I have with this film really strike me to value the love for my family until I'm going far away from them. Loneliness is the only thing you can think of, and it is harshly beautiful in a way that there is no way to return back what has been offered ever since. The story is simple yet mixed with emotional seasoning to it. It is to the point that there's no more words to say about this. This film is self-explanatory to describe the feeling of solitude. The consequences they had have already fulfilled to realize it is indeed worth an ending. Thus, I highly recommend this series with a cozy touch. No critical thinking is ever needed when there is a critical feeling from this wholesome, heartwarming film.

*MILD SPOILER* "I'm sorry, Ariel. Mother is gonna break her promise..." Those simple words, when were spoken my Maquia, the heroine, sparked an emotional explosion to me. Because of it, Maquia hands down is one of the most impactful anime that I have ever watched. So many emotions packed in 2 hours of screen time, and it was executed beautifully. Let's get straight to the fact that the plot is not always logical, it is full of plot holes and unexplained lore for such an elaborate fantasy world. But does that matter? At least in the case Maquia, it is not. The fantasy setting is nothing but just a medium to portray the power motherhood, shining like a beacon in such a chaotic and cruel world. The story is fairly simple, it is the time diary of an immortal mom and a human child, and the challenges they face in the midst of political wars and internal conflict when a discrepancy in their life span becomes apparent. If we look at the story from that perspective, it was executed really well. The movie follows the mother and child from the time he just a baby to a teen, and later as an adult. It is not a normal mother and child relationship because of the fantasy twist emphasizing the difference in mortality. The struggles between Ariel and Maquia as well as the consecutive time jumps throughout the characters' lives are such cool concepts. It makes you feel living throughout a circle of life instead of just a snapshot in the time period. It is grandiose, ambitious, bitter-sweet, and heartbreaking to embark on such a journey. And that ending hits straight into the heart of the viewers. the flashback at the end would not hit home that hard if you only see the character's life in a small period. It culminates through time and experience, both old and young. Nearing the end, blending the war images parallel with the birth scene provides such an intense, over-the-edge feeling, and the contrast of death and life provides a strong message and profound impacts on the story. It is a cycle, people are sacrificing to protect the future lives thriving on the homeland. Tragically beautiful! Maquia has a grand cast of characters, but it only focuses on certain 10 or less including both Maquia, Ariel, and supporting characters. The supporting cast has a decent amount of time for their personality to shine and develop, and none of them you will feel as such as an extra and annoying. Each person has his/her own story, background, and regret. And when time keeps moving forward, their lives are inter-weaving each other naturally. Ariel and Maquia, the main characters, were created naturally, Maquia is an inexperienced, shy, and young maiden who works hard to care for a child that not blood-related. Deep down inside she knows falling in love for her is the suffering and watching beloved people walk through her life is a curse. That constant contrast between her fear and her love is surreal and yet heart wrenching. On the other hand, we have Ariel growing with devotion to his mother, then to his inferiority complex to unable protect her, and finally the pain of separation. All of them are handled with high-level detail of care, there is no waste of time for unnecessary drama. The transition is surely fast but never feels unnatural. Music and Art deserve the respect from viewers. PA Animation really outperforms themselves in this with gorgeous animation ranging from the dreamy but yet cold and lonely world of Iorphs to the bustling human city, and finally the lustful green blended with peaceful, nostalgic feeling in the countryside. Characters are given the souls to them with sophisticated animation, diverse facial expressions, and always retain their own traits despite growing up between the time skips. Music is another important component to enhance the viewing experience. There are not a lot of soundtracks but when they hit, they hit really hard. The use of harp, flute, and string instruments portrays perfectly the medieval fantasy world that the story bases on. It is magical, powerful, deep, and reminiscent, like the story itself. A good story overall usually requires a complete sketch of the universe, well execution / original element concept, the fluid transition between scenarios, and the perseverance of setting continuum as well as character's progression. While Maquia might fall short on certain factors, it takes the concept very seriously and does it best in the limited timeframe of 2 hours. Coupling with the impeccable visual manifestation is the script that just works and represents Maria Okada's talent for her first directorial debut. the characters' creation and storytelling are pleasantly fresh. The narrative is coherent and tight knight, but for what it counts can also be a stifled mess, and it takes skill to walk on that thin line and convey the story. The inclusion of a high sheer amount of time jumps is well thought and necessary to shift the dynamic between the characters and on a larger scale, the world they live in themselves. It makes Ariel and Maquia are just peas in the pod but simultaneously does not diminish their individual value. The movie did not spoil the reader with straight facts, it treasures hunts with hints and subtle details, and the answers ultimately come from our accumulation of life views through the lens of not only Maquia, Ariel but also the supporting casts. Their lives are reflected through the mother and son and the mother and son are reflected in others' way of living. There are a lot of things to unpack, and as viewers, if we treat the story seriously and respectfully with high attention, then the confusion would not inflate to be an issue. If we look at the movie with a barebone perspective, it is not a 10/10 perfect story. It is not a masterpiece in terms of plot. It may be way too fast and have too many plotholes to fill in. But nevertheless, it is not a movie that tries to explain wars between species, or a fantasy action-adventure of the heroine. It is the story about the motherhood, and motherhood alone. Mother's Love is always underrepresented in the anime setting. And by focusing on this beautiful relationship, viewers share the pain, the smiles, and tears with the characters. Motherhood is the one we can expose without hesitation, without condition that can stand still in the test of time. If it touched your soul spiritually, then Maquia has fulfilled its purpose masterfully. A story about Mother's love that transcends the difference of race, species, and mortality. For anime fans, this isn't the masterpiece your mind rationalizes, it's the one your heart always knew it to be.

Before I delve into this whole story I would Like to say that this is purely a movie. Meaning it only has so much time to finish up the story in a satisfying way. I believe it accomplished this but at the cost of the run time. I don't really have a problem with movies, it just makes me wish that we could know more. A good example of a movie done right is A Silent voice. I won't explain any further since this is my review of a different anime. If this whole movie was adapted into a couple of seasons then I would've broke. If all of the characters backstories were introduced and it slowly took it's time then my eyes wouldn't of lasted. Story - I'm disappointed of how much info we got regrading this. I've said previously that it's a movie so we get what we get. There is so much that I would of loved to learn, about their origin, and more about the red eye disease. I know it was hinted at being about their emotions being bottled up but it could of gone more in depth. There is so much about this world that we don't know. So there are dragons but what else, monsters? Magic? well we don't really know. Would've been awesome to get more world building. Art - Holy shit was it beautiful I want to give it a ten but at some points the CGI distracts from the overall experience. All the landscapes and animations were so fucking good. This is a strength of being a movie, since you're able to take your time and not have to worry about a hard deadline to meet. Sound - The Ost was soothing and felt really good to listen to. Especially the credits really hit home, the music here was used correctly but we didn't have enough information. Characters - This is where my main criticism comes in. The audience didn't see much about anyone, even on the island where the start takes place, we are just placed there, not really knowing anyone and why should we care in the first place. If there is a character whom I don't really know his story or his emotions then I just don't give a shit. Kinda like Krim. Hopefully I spelled it right. The anime can take it's time for character development and that should of been how this was made. 9/10 Make an anime out of it

TLDR Review at the bottom. Hopefully, that helped, thank you for reading it in advance. For convenience, I will be referring to Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms with high expectations as Promised Flower Blooms I went into Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms with high expectations, did the film meet those expectations? Well, not really. Did it meet my standards, however? Yes, certainly. To be fair, I didn't read any review or synopsis beforehand, I just dived right into the movie hoping for the best. And whilst I can say that the movie is no masterpiece, it is something that I wholeheartedly recommend that you shouldn't skip over. Story - 8: I'm going to be honest if you have had a decent experience with a movie regarding family relationships, you will see everything coming, the story is predictable and it has nothing new to bring to the table. It is sad really, that most dramas regarding family use the same formula of ups and downs in family, and whilst one could argue that that is probably the most realistic thing in a drama to do with family, it is by no means original. So then you might be asking. What's up with the 8/10 for the story score? Well, short answer, the execution. A longer answer is that the execution just changed everything. Even though everything is predictable, Promised Flower Blooms is one of those movies where no matter how much experience you have with drama, you still feel as if this were your first time viewing one of it's kind. I could have just said that, yeah, this is your mediocre kind of stories you get every now and then since studios need to make a quick buck. But Promised Flower Blooms isn't in that group despite being anything of original quality. It is quite funny, people are quick to shun down average stories just because they are average. But sometimes even those that take upon the average path can still shine through the others that are just like it. So much so that it will be a story you can remember in the years to come. If I had to split the story into sub-categories of elements, then I would give scores to: Plot - 6, Execution - 9: Overall - 7.5 (8) I did try to find some flaw in the execution, but I didn't really get anything, everything flows so smoothly and nothing seems cheated or half-assed. To be fair, anything with great visuals like Maquia can actually pull off good execution simply because everything looks so good and realistic to the world it is set in, which is why I didn't give execution a 10/10. Other than that, it does a great job of telling its own story. Art/Visuals - 8: Very good visuals all around, though unlike your average Ghibli film or Makoto Shinkai film. The film didn't seem to pay attention to the setting/surroundings it had to offer. It kind of gave a simple, yet pleasing character design, and kinda just forgot the setting existed. I'm not saying that you will get what looks like your mediocre setting for an anime adaption of an isekai/fantasy light novel, in fact, it looks way better than that. It just, wasn't as focused as the characters there are some beautiful shots here and there but all around the board, everything is just character detail at the end of the day for the anime. The animation wasn't bad. It had more detail than what you usually get in anime around its time of releasing. Nothing more to point out there other than it is a pleasing experience to watch. Sound/Audio - 8: Whilst writing this review I am literally listening over the OST lol. But I can say that since I have done that, everything feels like a variation of "Iorufu, Wakare no Ichizoku". Only non-similar audio I could remember where "Yakusoku no Hana" and "Viatoru". Both of which are great by the way. The varied versions aren't bad, but it just becomes a narrow selection of sounds to remember, in which, you have a better chance of remembering the original over the variety anyways, though, I will point out the variety in instruments the varied versions use as well as different pitches are quite nice as a change to the original. "Iorufu, Wakare no Ichizoku" on its own is an amazing piece to listen to though. I felt like it does a good job of telling the story of the Iorphs and their lifestyle. The VCs did a good job with the character and presenting their emotion too. Nothing more to focus on that matter, other than a job well done. Character - 8: The characters again, suffer like the story with predictable behaviour and unoriginality. Despite this, the characters feel real in the environment and actions that happen towards them. What I really liked about the characters however is that both Maquia and Ariel are learning. They are both, in the eyes of their respective races still very young people trying to go through life together with one another. Maquia reaches this hits this target more so than Ariel however, she is someone who becomes a mother figure for someone she literally doesn't know anything about, did she have to do this? No. No, she didn't. But out of the goodness she bore within her, she did so anyway. I wouldn't know what most would do in this situation but if I had to guess it would probably be something along the lines of sending a child-like Ariel to an orphanage or something similar. Though she didn't do this. She dedicated to go strong and whilst some may say, "well that was dumb". You need to remember that at this time Maquia had lost everything to her and had no more Hibiol (the memory paper), she had essentially lost some of her identity then too. The same is with Ariel. He had nothing, hell no one knows his real name too. Nevertheless, Maquia was the best fit for Ariel as a mother figure due to the similarities between the two. They really did come off as a good pair. The side characters don't have a lot to offer and to be frank, they don't give anything special to the wider picture of the story accept from Leilia who had a deep life I will not go into due to spoilers. All in all, very good characters. Enjoyment - 8: I don't really dislike anything I come across and Promised Flower is another one of those examples. Despite its predictableness and unoriginality, as said before, the execution made for a joyous experience and something that was certainly worth my time. As well as the visual beauty that was given. Overall - 8.0 (8) TLDR Review: Story - 8: Unoriginal and predictable story, yet execution made up for all of that, which turned out to be so very good. Art/Visuals - 8: Amazing character design and detailed animation. Though detail cannot be said the same for backgrounds. Sound/Audio - 8: Multiple variations of one particular soundtrack, however, nothing was actually bad rather, they were all well made. Character - 8: Again, unoriginal and predictable, but the pair of Maquia and Ariel was so very good and actually made a load of sense. Enjoyment - 8: Very enjoyable due to but that is just me enjoying everything I come across. How I came across this movie was by chance after the search "Makoto Shinkai" on YouTube then coming across on what is literally titled "Makoto Shinkai is JEALOUS OF THIS ANIME FILM". I am really glad that I got to take on this anime because it is a wonderful experience one can take themselves upon. Would I recommend this? Certainly. Though, if you are into originality and non-predictable behaviour then I don't recommend you watch this. However, due to the great audiovisuals, the movie has to offer, you probably should take the chance to watch it anyways regardless of where you are on the scale of watching unoriginal stories.