I suspected there might be... it's an adaptation of a Japanese comic, by a Japanese author, made almost entirely by Japanese animators, writers, and actors, but OMG WHITEY!

That gaijin is a friend of mine, so I'm biased but I believe if people didn't know, they wouldn't suspect... It's a great movie, not just a great anime... but like I said, I'm biased. (Hi Michael!)

It's really awesome for two acts, then meanders off into some pseudo-philosophical mumbo-jumbo sidetrack for the last act. Of course it's anime.

I'm definitely picking it up as soon as I can. Not so much "new" as "relatively recently out on home video where people actually stand a chance at seeing it, as opposed to the usual three-theaters-in-the-continental-US approach major studios take when releasing even vaguely artsy foreign movies."

The backdrops really are absolutly stunning. There is no valid reason to dislike this film.

It kinda falls to pieces in the final act.

It's still pretty good though.

KJS, please: What is the name of the book?