Da Yu

We see so little Chinese animation and that often gets confused with Japanese Manga - in revenge for days past when Samurai film like Tomu Uchida's Lightning Swords of Death would get passed off as another Kung Fu Klassic? The excellent Art College 1994 was a total surprise, so the arrival Zhigang Yan's Da Yu / The Storm raises hopes. This one is not a heavily rotoscoped modern piece like that but a magic and mythology adventure that immediately invites comparison with a lot of the Japanese items. To add a bit more interest, director Zhigang made 2017's Dahufa, the first Chinese animated film to be self censored PG 13.

What turns up is at first an anti-climax. The manga material we see is generally faster paced, more elaborate and easier to follow. This one kicks off with painted title backgrounds which, in the manner of Chinese live action costume films, gives us a bogus historical sketch of the background. I didn't retain enough to be able to follow the ensuing action.

What is discernable is a kind of Moses fable, where peasant Daguzi retrieves Mantou, a baby found in a floating cradle, and raises it as his own child. We pick up where the kid is in a wooden helmet minus one horn which provides a convenient perch for the magic flying puff ball that accompanies him. Various picturesque factions (umbrella men, poisonous jellieel blobs, insect masked soldiers and pointy hat musketeers) are in combat. Chinese elements are discernable. There's a horse-riding girl commander who is very King Hu but the action is dominated by the big black boat which looks like a WW2 Submarine but turns out to be the transport of a spooky Chinese Opera Company, carried about on the legs of a giant mechanical spider.

The peasant falls victim of the blobs or is it the umbrella men and while the factions fight each other, the kid tries to rescue him. The cartoon figures are often familiar and the animation is less elaborate than a lot of what we see but this one does have its proper share of striking concepts and occasionally the simplified drawing catches attention - the storm as static grey clouds which flash with lightning or Mantou trying to retain his protector by standing on his shadow while he is consumed by paint dab black flames.

It left me with the impression that what we were seeing, with all its unresolved plot lines, was part one of a piece which might or might not be resolved with a further film. This one never really emerges from the shadow of Miyazaki (it's encouraging to see The Boy and the Heron is getting a long run here) whose characters are more clearly delineated and involving no matter how fantastic their activities might become. However, the imagery of The Storm is strong enough to carry the running time and leave us curious about the makers' other work and by extension the Chinese animation industry. It's another film that lifts a corner of the curtain between us and that nation's immense movie output.

Now I will readily admit that for a fair amount of this, I wasn't quite sure what was going on... The young "Mantou" has been adopted and cared for for many years by "Daguzi" (or "Biggie") but the arrival of a big wooden submarine-type ship spells disaster for all as the "jellieels" have taken over this vessel and if they come in contact with human beings - via their sort of flying umbrella bodies - then they will convert you into one of them too. If they can spread themselves widely enough, then they will be able to use the impending cloudburst to create a new king and he will rule the world. What's to stop them? The King has sent troops armed with guns under the command of his daughter and accompanied by her brother who is obsessed with finding the sacred satin cloth of their only potential ally in this conflict - a race of tribesmen who vaguely resembled ants. Anyway, as the denouement looms and the great storm that could facilitate the birth of the king starts it's steady stream of rain, we have to hope that all can put past differences aside and that the magic of the "fairy brother" and their combined efforts can thwart this Cronos-style reincarnation. There appears to be quite a bit of textual information on screen - beautifully calligraphic - at the start that tells us a little of the myth and source of the legends played out here. Without knowing what any of that said, I was in the dark a bit and had to make some guesses about who was whom and what was going on. That said, the animation is active and competent enough at filling in enough of the characterisation gaps thereby making the story quite enjoyable if just a bit confusing. Perhaps another viewing might improve things, but maybe this is just a jigsaw best left with - for the English speaker - bits missing?

Giving this an 7/10 rating

Rare chance to see Chinese animation, and it was great, a very good blend of and use of technology that has produced a very good looking film, just felt the story got a little muddy in places.

Two ancient tribes that have mystical links have been battling over time, and the fall out is a man a his son, trying to live out their lives in peace, but as it works out, sins cannot be forgiven, and all sorts of people have their own pasts that catch up with them, dead or other wise.

Plenty of ghosts and monsters run around and the action is swift, some times sharp and brutal, within the very different designs of the cast, creatures and landscape. Helped by some very good sound design.

It's not perfect, the boy, lead got a bit annoying and like I stated, the story gets lost a bit. Other than that, it's good and worth a look as far as different animated films go.