User reviews

Version I saw: UK cinema release (subtitled) Actors: 6/10 Plot/script: 7/10 Photography/visual style: 7/10 Music/score: 6/10 Overall: 6/10

Clarke's Law, originated by the great science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke, states that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Napping Princess is one of an enormous number of works over the decades that have played with this interplay between magic and technology.

Kokone (Mitsuki Takahata) is an ordinary high school girl who gets caught up in industrial espionage machinations when her father is accused of stealing tech for automating of motor vehicles from a previous employer. She goes on the run with his tablet computer and the family motorbike which the father has been tinkering with. Meanwhile, her sleep is overtaken by dreams of a magical kingdom which Princess Ancien (also voiced by Takahata) tries to protect from monstrous behemoths, despite the machinations of an evil vizier, with the aid of... a magic tablet (an alternative title for the movie of 'Ancien and the Magic Tablet' can still be seen in the end credits). Is Ancien a parallel version of Kokone? If not, who is she? What exactly is the technology the father has been developing? As elements of the real world and Kokone's dream world start to bleed into each other, events buld to a climax around the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony (the film was released in 2017, they couldn't have known).

Writer/director Kenji Kamiyama carries over much of the art style from his previous work Eden of the East, as well as innovative use of modern and near-future telecommunications. He is a dab hand with science fiction, having been one of the primary hands in the creation of the acclaimed series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The vibrant energy of the fantasy scenes, complete with a steampunk sensibility that blends in robots and machines seamlessly, contrasts with the mundanity of modern Japan, and the combination is visually arresting.

The concept of a fantasy world that parallels and comments on the real one is hardly new - I could point to The Wizard of Oz or Sucker Punch, or in anime Black Rock Shooter and When Marnie Was There. It's a rich seam for stories though, and far from mined out. I feel that Napping Princess overplays its hand a bit though. It feels like a teenage writer's first excited attempt at playing with a high literary concept, enthusiastic but lacking the methodical discipline that comes with experience, losing its cohesion towards the end. Kamiyama is not a teenager though. He has over 20 years of experience with exactly this kind of work, during which he has been in pretty much constant demand. My theory is that this is actually a story he came up with in his youth and held onto until he could bring it to life, and his affection for it has blinded him to its flaws. That is very much speculation though, and I admit that I have no real evidence to back it up. It could just as well be that the change in story length from the 25-minute TV series episodes he is accustomed to proved his undoing.

As I have said, the visuals are impressive, and the cast and score do their job without standing out. I like the fact that the ideas in the story reach for something bigger, and if only they were stronger, they could have carried the other elements to somewhere really impressive. It's still a good and enjoyable film, as a couple of hours' entertainment, but with the elements it has, I still want to hope for something more...

For my full review, see my independent film review weblog on Blogspot, Cinema Inferno.

I am so so so so sorry that i couldn't catch up what the storytelling was about. I don't know that i am not smart enough to understanding such high level thoughts or the story itself was too complicated but the idea of the all movie was so confusing so i was and still being confused. I don't like the main girl character at all. Sometimes i doubted that she was so stupid and beside a good heart and decent spirit, she was no used at all. Even held her comrades back sometimes. On the other hand, I liked those robots and machine, especially the bike so much. It was so cute and smarter than humans, of course. I liked cinematography, the way they built and painted the whole world. It was so beautiful.

The story centers around a girl named Kokone, who I think has narcolepsy. She often dozes off and dreams about a kingdom known as Heartland. Her father is arrested and accused of stealing technology from a famous company and Kokone and her old friend Morio track him down.

I really like the two main characters, Kokone and Morio. I appreciate their dynamic friendship and their personalities. I truly believe they have a bond that can't be broken. Besides these two and Kokone's dad, none of the other characters stand out that much. Of course, I have to talk about the animation. The animation is beautiful. I've always loved Japanese animation and this film is no different. I love the backgrounds of both the real world and Heartland. I love how the characters move. All of it is so appealing. And speaking of visual stuff, the outfits that the characters wear are amazing. If there was an award for best costume design in animation, this film would win it!

The Heartland dream sequences are the best part of the movie. The dreams have their own story, separate to the story taking place in the real world. The dreams are my type of adventure. A kingdom with a combination of sci-fi and fantasy with lots of action? Perfect! It's also really ingenious. Ancien's magic tablet is one of the most original and imaginative inventions I've ever seen in fiction.

I also love the soundtrack. The background music has a pretty orchestral vibe. The music composer is Yoko Shimomura, a famous video game composer known for working on Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. She also composed one of my favorite video game songs, so I got pretty excited finding this out. The one thing that did bother me is that the movie is advertised as a sci-fi / fantasy movie. However, there isn't that much fantasy. The movie has elements of fantasy, such as in the dream sequences, but it doesn't feel as if it is an actual fantasy film. This bothered me just a bit. Also, certain things are left unexplained and that left me confused.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, due to some mild language.

Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

Just watched, anime is very lovely and kind one. recommend everyone, animation very cute and fast evolving , interesting....

Love anime to death, especially Studio Ghibli, so would see anything regardless of the studio and subject matter. There are many great animes out there that are among my favourites ever, and 'Napping Princess', despite not being a favourite, has a lot to admire.

'Napping Princess' (aka 'Ancien and the Magic Tablet') at times tries to do too much, with a lot of ideas and strands, and while thought-provoking the ending is slightly overblown and goes on for a little too long. Otherwise, 'Napping Princess' is a very intriguing and extremely well made film that makes the most of an inventive and ambitious concept. The merging of dreams and reality was beautifully done and always coherent, and there is admiration for how the film manages to incorporate many elements and execute a vast majority of them very well with enough complexity and magic.

The animation as expected is wonderful. Rich in meticulous background and character detail, atmospheric and ethereal in colour schemes and alive to nuances in its use of settings and character gestures and expressions, it becomes a character of its own. The music has whimsy, haunting beauty and understatement, while not overbearing the drama and letting it speak when needed.

Strong writing always helps and 'Napping Princess' has that, being thoughtful and not taking itself too seriously that it becomes dreary, there is some humorous quirkiness that lightens things a little. It doesn't feel too over-complicated either. There's plenty of warmth and heart, the characters are rootable and the voice acting dynamic.

Overall, very well done and deserving of more attention. 8/10 Bethany Cox