Donten ni warau

Laughing under the clouds was almost close to the anime, but, overall, was interesting and entertaining.

The special effects were really good and that helped with the enjoyment of the drama. The action scenes were really good as well and the costumes, although some of them were wierd, they were nice enough and close to the ones in the anime. The performances were good as well and I especially loved the bond between the brothers that ignite the whole action.

So, overall, seven out of ten for laughing under the clouds.

Tenka (Sota Fukushi) was once the head of an elite military unit, but he walks away from that job in order to look after younger brothers Suramaru (Yuma Nakayama) and Chutaro (Kirato Wakayama) when their parents die. Now he protects his family and his town by being the strongest and best around, and especially through his constant good mood and laughter. But legend has it that every 300 years, a series of cloudy days presages the return of the Dragon Orochi, a creature that takes a human for its vessel and wreaks havoc on the world; and it's been getting awfully cloudy lately.... This is the third film at FantAsia this year to feature rising young star Sota Fukushi, and each role has been completely different, which is a great showcase for the young man. This film, set in the Meiji Restoration period in Japan (around 150 years ago) has a great heart and a lovely style; there are several sub-plots to complicate the story and a number of well choreographed fight and dance scenes to keep the audience entertained. Good fun for all!