Windaria

What's not to find here that you would expect in an elaborate tragedy: War, corruption, greed, betrayal... At its core Windaria is about the journey of a boy, ambitious yet unaware of at what cost his ambitions will come to fruition. Buyer beware, true love doesn't conquer all in this, mostly unknown in the west, gem. Quite the contrary, blinded by greed, lust and the desire for self-worth through the admiration of others, love takes a distant fourth place right up until the end when our protagonist repents for his sins and decides that love was all he needed after all. As it stands, it works more of as a cautionary tale.

Full disclosure: I watched it first as a young boy at the age of 8 or 9 and it had quite an impact on me so that years later when I managed to drag it from the collective knowledge of the interwebs, I had no idea whether the actual experience of it would match the memory. In all fairness, it came as close as possible.

Echoing the comments made by others here, I would agree that the original Japanese version (rather than Harmony Gold's English dub) is by far the superior movie. The original is a tragedy in the classic sense of the word, while the English rewrite significantly softens the impact by grafting on a different ending, an ending that undoes the gravity and impact that the story had worked so hard and so skillfully to build.

The original version of "Windaria" is a genuinely moving and beautiful film, and deserves a new dub that is true to its dramatic spirit and content. Even if this never happens, however, the film is worth viewing in the original Japanese; such is the skill of the animators and writers that the story doesn't really require spoken dialog. Even if you don't understand a word of Japanese, you'll still be moved.

Like a lot of Eighties anime released in the US (Warriors of the Wind, Robotech, Space Warriors, Journey through Fairyland), this one was dubbed "down" to a child's level, with pandering voice acting and low intelligence expectations, in spite of the original's maturity. This isn't to say that Windaria is a particularly extraordinary feature even in the original version--it has pretty good animation, but it seems a little too derivative of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (and yet I can imagine Miyazaki laughing at the mystical parts of this movie). That said, the story in the English version, though missing sections important to the plot and character development, isn't so awful as to make it unwatchable. Hell, compared to Lin Minmei's voice on Robotech, this movie is rather pleasant!

As a fan of animation and fantasy, Japan is a bottomless pit of potential. There are hundreds of works spanning the decades, every genre represented, every show appealing to someone out there. Where does one even start? Which are the classics, which are lowest common denominator? Which are bad, which are so-bad-its-good? Which are forgotten treasures, which deserve their obscurity? My first world problem is answering these questions.

I just came across Windaria. Never heard anyone talk of it. It apparently did have an English dub, disastrously executed. I did find some small discussion, most notably a 2/5 star review from a trusted source. I didn't think it was that bad...but I see where that comes from.

Windaria is almost a Studio Ghibli quality film. I'm not joking when I compare their similarities. It develops an interesting fantasy world, has solid animation and a nice orchestral score, has similar technology, and even shares the anti-war, pro-environmental themes of Miyazaki. However, Windaria is not a family-friendly adventure. It delves into ambition, how it can take over one's mind, ruining their relationships and selling their soul for fame, power, and fortune.

Too bad we can't believe these changes of heart.

The main characters start out as likable, then suddenly 180. You are left wondering why they're acting so cruel, or with blind stupidity. Halfway through, all the problems of the film could have been solved, yet they keep fighting. This is probably due to their ambition...but it feels like we're missing 10 minutes of dialog. Its a shame that an otherwise great film screws itself over with such a simple mistake.

But I still got goosebumps at the ending. I still felt the devastation.

There's writing issues, yes. But if you fill in the gaps yourself, I think Windaria is pretty good, especially for its obscurity. Its beautiful, yet somber. Just make sure you watch it subbed!

When American critics and anime fans begin to start searching for other (older) anime to put on a list of classic and important anime films to watch, sooner or later they will find and add "Windaria" on that list.

"Windaria" and Miyazaki's "Nausicaa of the Valley wind" are two of the most beautifully crafted and carefully plotted animated ecological/anti-war movies created in the mid 80's. These two films are both timeless, with beautiful artwork and very memorable characters.

Because the romance between the characters in "Windaria" are so strong, well thought-out, and believable, the characters and their story help draw the viewer completely into the film's beautiful yet tragic tale--it is a finely crafted story about the loss of romance, loss of humanity, and the tragedies of war. It is truly a classic film. (One hopes for a complete, uncut, subtitled version of "Windaria" to be available very soon along with a new, complete, and uncut dubbed version.)

As many people here have commented already, "Windaria" is a gem that may bring tears to your eyes. I highly recommend this film. It is a classic film and is certainly worth viewing.