The stag king is one of the works that give acclaim to Anime (or Japanese animation). Discovered in Annecy then projected in Gérardmer, this sumptuous fresco by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji plunges into ancestral legends to take the viewer into a fantastic world populated by magical or evil creatures. Enough to wake up the child who lies dormant in each of us with the desire to be told beautiful stories.
Masahi Ando, former collaborator of Hayao Miyazaki, and Masayuki Miyaji, who cut his teeth on The attack of the Titans, have surrounded themselves with the cream of Japanese animation for their first production. They bring to life the adventures of a warrior reduced to slavery and a little girl in a land devastated by a strange disease. It’s impossible not to think about Princess Mononoke in front of this visual splendor between an ode to nature and warlike confrontations.
Ecological, warlike and aesthetic
The IG studio to which we owe, among other things, the sublime Ghost in the Shell and Miss Hokuzai did not skimp on the means to bring to the screen with dignity a novel by Nahoko Uehashi, rewarded in his country of origin. The action almost never stops! An epic breeze sweeps through this work which sometimes leaves time to develop the relationship between the two heroes to whom we gently become attached. The complexity of the scenario requires a small effort of attention from an audience that could get lost in a complex plot. He is amply rewarded by the total change of scenery offered by this magnificent fresco. And this all the more so since this case of a deadly pandemic, for which a doctor is seeking the remedy, is a theme that echoes with a recent past.
It is a universal message that the filmmakers deliver through intensely aesthetic sequences. The plague symbolized by a pack of wolves like forests rich in magical plants and majestic animals confirms that the IG studio has nothing to envy to Ghibli from a visual point of view. The splendor of deer king is coupled with a welcome ecological content which adds to the strength of this very mysterious and virtuoso film. We leave the room with eyes full of stars and an incredible desire for forest walks. It is a very good thing to be able to taste The stag king on the big screen.