Origin: Spirits of the Past

I don't often know how kindly people look back on Anime Movies, as for the most part, it's the series that get talked about, especially these days. So I don't know how common a thought this is, but I do remember some talk of Origin: Spirits of the Past being a bit of a Studio Ghibli knockoff. Having re-watched it, I don't think that is an entirely fair statement, though I don't know how many people had that impressed overall. The influence is pretty clear, mind you. But I think the movie has enough going for it too not place it simply in the knock-off category.

Origin happens in the future where, for some reason, the forest has grown violent towards humanity, and much of the world is currently a ruin of what it once was. Mankind is of two mindsets, you have those of Neutral City who wish to learn how to live in harmony with the Forest, which controls the supply of water, and the militaristic nation of Ragna, who use their technological prowess to fight the forest and create their own water.

The story follows around a young boy Agito and a girl named Tuula who awoke from a cryogenic state and lived before the calamity that ruined civilization. Tuula finds herself longing for the world of the past, and there enters the villain of the story, a second person who awoke from the past and who also knows about what happened to the world.

The story makes a smart move by choosing to focus on the story of Agito just wanting to get Tuula back and not help out Shunack because were the actual focus on the Forest or Ragna, you'd be hard-pressed to care. The forest, under control of The Druids, is a bunch of assholes. See, Agito's Father was 'enhanced' by the forest and given great strength. The cost of which is he turned into a tree and is currently unable to move from his current location. To keep him alive, Agito sneaks into the forest regularly to steal enough water to give to his father, an act which upsets the Forest. So the 'Forest' they wish to live peacefully with doesn't just give them enough water to keep a man who has essentially given up his life for the sake of the forest.

And the empire is just a bunch of violent assholes with an absurdly high amount of pollution output and was never shown any real redeeming qualities. Though very little time is spent with them either, as Shunack was working to betray them anyway for his own plans. So really the only take away is absolutely everyone outside of Neutral city are assholes.

There are two things that keep the story interesting. The first, and biggest reason, is the characters are likable and relatable. You have Tuula who is torn between accepting the new world she lives in and her desire to return to the world she once came from. It's a very understandable struggle she is going through, and even when she makes the wrong decisions you aren't really able to hate her for it. Then you have Agito who, while fairly typical for a lead character, manages to be very likable. He's not really fighting for the greater good of the world, he just wants to save Tuula and continue living the life he has known and loved, a simple goal he puts his all into achieving, even going so far as to become enhanced himself.

The second is the action and animation are both incredible at times. Seeing this small boy catch and toss tank shells, tearing massive structures in half, it's got this crazy almost 'Incredible Hulk' vibe to it. There are also some wonderfully otherworldly aspects to the Druids that keep them feeling separate and distinct from the rest of the world.

The show does struggle with anything beyond the relationship of Tuula and Agito, however. As mentioned above, everyone comes across as assholes here. The twist about Shunack's plan and what Estok really was is a bit odd as well and doesn't really have all that much of an impact. In the end, it's still a means to destroy the forest, and nothing really changes as a result. Then there is a bit of dead weight to the plot of a girl from Agito's hometown who is in love with Agito that goes absolutely nowhere.

There is a lot of things dragging the movie down and keeping it from being a classic, especially when the influence of Ghibli is fairly obvious and is going to immediately draw comparisons to the likes of Naussica and Mononoke. But even with all that, it's a fun watch. It's not going to go down as anyone’s favorite movie, but it's hardly going to be a waste of your time to watch. If you're up for what is simply an above average title to enjoy and kill a bit of time, Origin is a pretty great one to pick up.