Maquia: An Exploration of Motherhood, Growing Up, and Life Itself

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is an anime that explores these themes from the perspective of the titular character. Maquia is descended from a race called the Iorph, who are people that age slowly, and live long lives. For this reason, she is told that to find companionship, is also to find loneliness, since to bond with a mortal is also to eventually lose them. But after being displaced from her home, she finds a baby in the woods, and unable to abandon the child, her sense of duty takes over. From that moment onward, Maquia begins to understand the highest joys, and deepest sorrows of motherhood.

My absolute biggest compliment for this film is for the immaculate set pieces that it showcases. From towering oceanside cities, to more industrial steampunk lands, to the more quaint farmstead cottages at the end of a rolling field, the scenic vistas that are on display here are downright splendid. The artwork in this anime is extremely detailed, and incredibly lived-in. I especially enjoyed the use of lighting in this movie. Whether it's artificial light that casts shadows, or natural light at dusk that cuts a village in half, there's a certain weightiness to this technique, and every usage was exemplary.

Perhaps even more standout was the OST. Composer Kenji Kawai leans heavily into celtic inspiration, with much of the soundtrack utilizing shimmering string instrumentation, such as harps, violins, and pianos. There's also an interspersed use of choral arrangements to give this soundtrack a truly ethereal feel. At the same time, I also find that there's an undertone of hopefulness that can be found floating throughout these melodies. Ultimately, Maquia is a story about the value of life, and for that reason, I feel that there's a compelling relation between the musical progression, and the everyday beauty that can be found around us.

The story of Maquia is perhaps its most divisive element. When this film was exploring the different avenues of motherhood, I thought it was wonderful. Maquia’s perspective is inexperienced, but doting - she cares for her son, and everything that she does is for his betterment. Other characters in the film all offer their own flavor of motherhood, which range from more classical examples, to the unconventional. When this contrast is the goal, I think the movie does justice to its themes. When this film is more concerned with the plot, I don’t think it lands as well. I don’t think it is outright bad, but oftentimes, it feels more like a backdrop, and deters from what I think the aim of this film is. I really wished for some tighter execution on this front, but I don’t think it severely detracts from the experience as a whole.

In terms of the pacing, I think the passing of time can be a little hard to track sometimes. Characters will be young in one scene, and then be old the next, with little means of transitioning these moments. I’m not sure if this was deliberate or not, as this film is primarily seen from Maquia’s perspective, and this might be done to mirror her view of the world. But I think that better clarity could have been offered to the audience, as I found these transitions to be jarring sometimes - especially later in the film.

Lastly, I think the characters are fascinating. While I don't think I would define anyone as particularly rich or complex, I do admire the fact that we get the full trajectory of many character’s lives, as we meet them while they’re young, and watch them change as they become adults. This is something I’ve only ever seen a few pieces of media do before, but I think it’s always fascinating to try and understand why people change, and sometimes, why they stay the same. They served exactly the points that I think each of them needed to, without feeling shallow or one-note.

Maquia is a film that I would honestly describe as triumphant. I don’t think it’s a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve found that it’s one that’s left a deep impression on me. More than 24 hours later, I’m still thinking about this film, which clearly means it did something right. And, I’m not ashamed to say that I cried for the ending, which was poignant, yet left me with a sense of fullness, due to having an extremely strong emotional payoff. Some people might describe this film as one steeped in melancholy, but personally, I found it to be an utterly enriching experience, handled with maturity, and a certain amount of delicate poise. This film accomplished everything that it set out to do, and more.