Sinbad: Soratobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima (original) (raw)
Synopsis
Sinbad dreams of voyaging to an unknown world. He and his pet monkey Mimi encounter Sana, a girl riding a flying wooden horse. Then, the wind shifts.
(Source: ANN, edited)
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Characters & Voice Actors
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Reviews
Jun 12, 2024
This is a very nice adventure film for all ages. While I think it's a bit too dark for very young kids (the last film of the trilogy in particular), it should be appropriate for most school age children, and it's plenty enjoyable for adults too. The story is pretty straightforward and easy enough for kids to understand. Sana, the princess of the sorcerer clan, is searching for her people, who went into exile after Sana's parents were overthrown by a treacherous advisor, with the help of Sinbad the sailor, who everyone is likely familiar with in one form or another. It's semi-episodic in nature,... each of the 3 films involves a trip to a different island as Sana's search continues. They feel less like distinct films than 3 double length episodes of a short series. The plot is pleasant enough, and the story does wrap up conclusively, but there's nothing especially unique or innovative about it. It hits all the beats you'd expect it to hit, no more and no less. The one clear complaint I have with the substance of the film is with the character Ali, who is very annoying and didn't need to be that way. The films are also quite short, with each of the 3 clocking in at well under an hour in length. That makes them easily digestible for kids, but they might be a bit *too* short for older viewers.
What really makes it worth a watch though isn't the plot, but the sense of wonder brought by the visuals. If the character designs look familiarly warm, it's because they come courtesy of veteran Studio Ghibli artist Yoshiharu Satou, who also did the character designs for My Neighbor Totoro. The art direction from Minoru Nishida is equally impressive, with gorgeously drawn backgrounds and evocative settings that make the world of these films like no other (not even that of the original text the story is based on). The animation is consistently good, though not terribly ambitious aside from a few action scenes in the first film, and is closer to "good for TV anime" than "good for an anime film".
Overall, these are fun films that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are a delight to look at, and the plot keeps itself focused on the simple pleasures of adventure rather than complex plot machinations. Well worth a watch, especially for those that typically enjoy the vibe of Studio Ghibli's films.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 7, 2017
This is an interesting movie about the beginning of Sinbads journey, as well his first adventure.
Overall it is an enjoyable story the characters are fun and interesting to watch, the music if and when it appears is quite nice to the ears and although the art style isn't the most extravagant aspect of this anime it is not bad along with the okay animation the movie for just those aspects is good enough.
Story of this isn't the most complicated and is pretty simple at the moment but still it's interesting and worth giving a try along with the characters which make the story move... nicely and during the beginning a bit emotionally.
I do have a weird question that I asked myself but i will refrain from doing so here in the review but I will make an assumption that it was due to the budget limit that certain aspect occurred once that the studio chose to make use of a character that was already introduced and focused on rather than some random side character.
Lastly it's pretty good if you like or would like to see the Japanese version of the stories of Sinbad than you would enjoy it, tbh I myself never read the stories of Sinbad but watched some cartoons of his adventures as a kid + with myself being a fan of Magi (manga) and it's version Sinbad I am willing to give a chance to other Japanese takes on the character known as Sinbad.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 28, 2022
Very content to be the budget "Laputa" that it is, it doesn't really coalesce into a movie at any point. It spends the first half on Sinbad leaving his birthplace, and the only part of that that feels filmic is his mother's reaction. After that point, it picks up a bit because it has to get through the magic island portion with the rest of its time. Or, rather, it needs to get them there and have the princess emote.
Even so, it's not bad by any means. Being budget Laputa means it still has a few interesting visuals, nice character designs, and an easygoing attitude.... I found it pleasant more than anything else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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