The Deer King is a Japanese animated feature directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, both alumni of Studio Ghibli. Not surprisingly, it does provide echoes to Princess Mononoke, what with the protagonist being a warrior who rides a deer. This film, sadly, doesn't match up to that masterpiece, but it still has a warm, tender heart that outshines its flaws.

Still, one can't help but notice the similarities between both films as well as Hayao Miyazaki's earlier Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, both of which are tales of two kingdoms at war, and someone caught inbetween. In this tale, the kingdoms of Zol and Aquafa are at war, but unlike the aforementioned masterpieces, this subplot feels a bit more like an afterthought, is it does cause for some confusion. (In all fairness, part of it comes down to the fact that this is Ando's first feature as a director, and this film is based on a series of Japanese light novels. Squeezing it into one film might cause some confusion.)

The real plot concerns Van, a former soldier who lost his wife and child to an epidemic years ago. In the film's opening scene we see him working in a salt mine overseen by cruel slavemasters. One evening, a pack of black wolves attacks and kills everyone, but Van and a recently orphaned baby girl named Yuna, are the only ones to survive despite being bitten. Adopting the child as his own, Van swears to keep her safe. As he ventures to start a new life, he becomes involved in another struggle. The wolves, you see, are infected with a disease called "Black Wolf Fever", which soon threatens everyone in the empire. (Easy to almost call this film a parallel to the COVID pandemic, as well as the divisive reaction to combating it. There is one scene in which a character refuses to take an effective vaccine to be cured because he "doesn't want his royal blood contaminated.") Enter Hossale, a respected and compassionate doctor (this film's Fauci), who is under the belief that Van's own blood (infected with the disease which somehow gives him power) might provide a cure.

The core storyline is very interesting and compelling, as are its cast of characters. Young Yuna in particular steals every scene, but it's hard not to appreciate Van and Hossale for their honorable characteristics. A tracker from the Zol who at first tries to kill Van for vengeful purposes, named Sae, is also interesting in that she undergoes a transformational arc. That said, there is at least one villainous character who appears toward the end. (We can tell he's evil because he has a smirk on his face and he dresses in black.)

Less successful, however, is the handling of the kingdoms' war. As this two-hour film progresses, new characters are rapidly introduced, to the point where it's a bit tough to keep track of which one is which. As mentioned, this is one of the challenges of squeezing a multi volume story into a full length feature. Sometimes it is done successfully and seamlessly, like A Silent Voice. But in this film it does cause for its story to become more and more complicated. This is one of those films you might have to view more than once to get a full grasp of the whole story. This fault hampers from The Deer King from becoming the classic it aspires to be, which may disappoint viewers expecting another Princess Mononoke.

But that's not to say that this movie isn't an enjoyable experience. On the contrary. Aside from having a compelling core story and appealing leads, the film is gorgeous to look at, with rich, pastel colors and lavishly drawn animated that does at times look like it could come from the House of Totoro. The film was actually animated at Production I.G., better known for works such as Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Last Brigade, as well as the underrated A Letter To Momo. These films have been heralded for their strong production values, and this is no exception. The film is also backed by both a lovely score supplied by Harumi Fuuki, and another solid dub from the folks at NYAV Post, with Ray Chase, Erica Shroeder, and Griffin Puatu all turning in reasonably good performances. The showstealer, though, is young Luciana VanDette as Yuna. I always liked how these guys have made the effort to cast children whenever they can, adding a touch of tangibleness to their work.

Be warned, though, that aside from its sometimes overcluttered plot, The Deer King does have its share of gruesome violence. There are scenes in which characters get shot with arrows, dead bodies, blood spilling, and at one point toward the end, a character's arm is cut off. Thankfully, all the above are brief and not overdone. But the film still earns its R rating. (Truth be told, however, it's no more so than the PG-13 rated Princess Mononoke, which has a similar amount of brief violence.)

So is The Deer King a classic, must-see film? Probably not, but it is a fairly pleasant way to spend two hours, and being a movie that feels tied to the times we are living in, it couldn't be more fortunate. Had the story been tightened up a little bit and the confusing plot-strands smoothed out, this film would easily get my highest rating. As it is, though, it still provides solid entertainment value.