"Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms" Review
"Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms" is a fantasy epic written and directed by Mari Okada (writer of Anohana, Dragon Pilot and many many other anime and live action TV shows and movies) and follows the touching tale of a man and his adoptive mother over the span of several decades.
Something I found immediately striking is the movie's use of lighting that blends beautifully with its immersive and highly detailed background art. I do find the character design to be lackluster and at times hard to identify. Visually, no one character stood out and that's very unfortunate because I do think these characters are interesting and memorable to a degree.
From a writing standpoint, dialogue feels cheesy and a bit tropey but there are flashes of brilliance when the story focuses less on the high fantasy setting and more on this intimate bond between Maquia and her son Ariel. The movie does time jumps like it's nobody's business and the transitions feel fluid and is often accompanied by some decent exposition that doesn't stand out too much. The movie does explore other plots with a lot of its more important and dramatic beats in these subplots coming out of nowhere and mostly falling flat (I'm referring to the character arcs of Lang and Krim). Because the movie tells its story over several major time jumps, the progression for the side characters feel extremely rushed and result in confusing and unearned decisions. Although these moments don't take up much of the runtime, they are noticeably off-putting and dramatically weak.
"Maquia" is a movie that wears its heart on its sleeve. For better or for worse. Okada is a writer known for her romantic and hyper melodramatic style. If you're a viewer who prefers emotions over story and character, you will definitely enjoy this movie. The scope of the narrative is ambitious but the result feels rushed and juggles too many ideas during its limiting 115 minutes. That being said, its unapologetically heartwarming thesis is hard not to relate to.