Review: ‘The Deer King,’ a gripping Japanese animated epic, harkens back to nature

Spiteful curses, warring states and the quaint joys of pastoral life intertwine in the “The Deer King,” a gorgeously realized anime epic set in the lush forests of a centuries-old realm.

Though ravishing to the eye, the film’s expansive lore takes time to come into full view for us to clearly discern between all the forces and themes at odds with each other.

Survivors of a grisly attack by a pack of wild dogs carrying a lethal plague, Van (Shinichi Tsutsumi in the Japanese-language version), a stoic and imposing warrior, and Yuna (Hisui Kimura), an orphan toddler, now hold within them the cure for the disease, as well as an ancient power. The incident rekindles the animosity between two kingdoms with a long history of violent conflict.

Conceived by a team of artists with previous careers at the venerated Studio Ghibli, including co-directors Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji and their key animators, “The Deer King” bears a similarly immaculate handcraft in the painterly detail of its backgrounds, polished character design and nimbly animated action set pieces.

Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful “Princess Mononoke” is an undeniable inspiration. Its influence comes to the foreground most prominently in Van’s knowledge to tame an ancient deer breed that holds the key for his people’s salvation. Inessential exposition, and terminology about the tribes’ shared past, abounds throughout the otherwise enthralling quest.

Yet emotionally, what cuts through the gritty fable’s oft-overwrought mythology is the hero’s paternal bond with young Yuna, a chance for him to experience tenderness once again amid the onslaught from multiple fronts. The score by Harumi Fuuki also infuses the grand narrative canvas with a rousing dramatism that matches the stakes.

Caught between the magical and the mundane, the fantastical premise speaks of the body and the soul as extensions of one another, with the poison of hatred manifested as a physical affliction that can only be cured by returning to their primordial relationship with nature. Even if mildly convoluted, “The Deer King,” a welcomed mature animated feature, nurtures enough admirable ideas and visual panache to command our attention.