Nothing New on Netflix: 'The Heroine with the Ribbon' | Film Review
Netflix has brought a new anime film to its subscribers, including the Israeli audience. While the fantasy premise inspired by Osamu Tezuka's manga sounds intriguing, the final result is disappointing, serving as yet another example of the streaming service prioritizing quantity over quality.
Netflix has brought a new anime film to its subscribers, including the Israeli audience. Joy and celebration! It is a fantasy inspired by manga by Osamu Tezuka. Sounds intriguing already! But after watching, one is disappointed to discover that it is just another film among quite a few movies and series that the streaming service rushes to acquire, but which do not necessarily meet expectations.
The heroine of the film 'The Heroine with the Ribbon' is a princess named Sapphire whose kingdom was destroyed by a mystical threat known as 'Nargol' that feeds on human souls. After losing her home, she manages to get a job in a precious stone mine—which also possess some power—and even befriends some of the other workers. But the mysterious 'Nargol' returns and threatens her life and the lives of the people important to her again. When she falls into a pile of those gems during a confrontation with that destructive monster, she suddenly gains superpowers, adopts a persona called 'The Knight Princess', and sets out to rid the world of the 'Nargol' threat once and for all.
As mentioned, the film is disappointing for those accustomed to the standards of creators like Makoto Shinkai or Mamoru Hosoda (whose latest film 'Scarlet' received theatrical distribution in Israel and is currently available on Netflix). The film is not bad, but it is not really different from many other films that Netflix seems to acquire in quantities without serious quality control, prioritizing quantity over quality.
The plot offers nothing special, and one can more or less understand how the story will end as soon as it begins. All the fantasy elements feel like leftovers from other series and films. Another noticeable drawback is that the heroine's struggle and the film's message are done in a way that is too direct and lacks subtlety, often causing the viewer to roll their eyes.
The animation is very beautiful, with spectacular fight scenes and a lovely use of colors. But now that animated films from around the world are becoming more accessible, it is hard to say that this is still an impressive achievement. In addition, the film can sometimes feel like it is stretched too much and drags on a bit.
It is a nice and even enjoyable, but quite mediocre film that one can watch, but it will not remain in memory for long. Those looking for more successful anime would do better to sit down and watch one of the Studio Ghibli films, all of which are available on Netflix.
Rating: 2.9 out of 5
