This is a heavy statement but it is indeed one of the best animated movies I've ever watched. Honestly, the first time it simply blew me away and stayed in my head non stop for like 3-4 days.
I wasn't sure how to feel about it so I watched it twice in cinemas in Japan with a one week cool-off period in between both viewing.
Let's start with the obvious: Yes I did give this movie a bold 10/10.
Although she knows nothing of the human world, how to raise a child that ages much faster than her, or how to live with the smoldering loneliness inside, she is determined to make it all work somehow. Maquia finds the baby in a destroyed village and decides to raise him as her own, naming him Ariel. It soon dies, and she is left deserted in a forest far from home, now truly alone save for the cries of a single baby off in the distance. Caught in the midst of the attack, Maquia is carried off by one of the Renato that has gone berserk. The humans and their Renato ravage the Iorph homeland and kill most of its inhabitants. They already have what is left of the giant dragons, the Renato, under their control, and now their king wishes to add the immortality of the Iorph to his bloodline. One day however, the outside world finds her, as the power-hungry kingdom of Mezarte invades her homeland. She daydreams about the outside world, but dares not travel from her home due to the warnings of the clan's chief. However, Maquia has always felt lonely despite being surrounded by her people, as she was orphaned from a young age. Here English-language cast for the movie includes Xanthe Huynh as Maquia, Eddy Lee as Ariel, Ryan Shanahan as Teen Ariel, Barnaby Lafayette as Child Ariel, Cherami Leigh as Leilia, Kevin Collins as Krim and Michael Schneider as Lang.Maquia is a member of a special race called the Iorph-mystical beings who can live for hundreds of years and remain separate from the lives and daily troubles of mankind. She takes him to raise as her own, names him Ariel, and watches him grow up as she herself retains the form of a young girl. Managing to escape, Maquia finds a baby boy left alone in the world by the carnage. Here, an orphan named Maquia lives an oddly lonesome existence despite being surrounded by beloved friends - but everything is thrown into chaos when a Mezarte army and their dragons come to reap the Iorphs’ powers of longevity with violence. Here is the plot description: Far from the lands of men, the long-lived people of Iorph weave the threads of human fate into a fabric called Hibiol. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms also won the Best Animated Film Award at Shanghai International Film Festival. The film, hot off its initial February release, quickly made its way across the globe to premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival, where it captivated audiences. Okada wraps all these poignant themes into a sweeping epic with well-developed characters, emotional gravitas, stunning visuals, and an exhilarating score by composer Kenji Kawai ( Ghost in the Shell).
The film dives into the dilemmas of motherhood, adolescence, femininity, and leadership. Maquia is the directorial debut of renowned screenwriter Mari Okada.
Maquia, which premiered at theaters across North America in July in Japanese, will now be released with an English language on September 21 st. Eleven Arts Anime Studio has announced the English dub cast and English dubbed trailer for Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.