The Deer King Review
Of Kingdoms & Family, Pledge Your Allegiance
The Deer King is a 2021 debut film for directors Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji; the former helms storyboarding, chief animation, and character design for this movie working previously as animation director for Spirited Away, Paprika, and your name. to name a few; the latter also does storyboards for the movie and worked as an assistant director for Spirited Away as well as a series director for Xam’d Lost Memories and Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress. A promising duo nonetheless.
Set in a medieval fantasy, the Zol kingdom reigns over its rival Aquafa, yet the Zol are the primary victim of the mysterious Black Wolf Fever, killing every class of Zol citizenry/lineage from prisoners to high court officials. Caught in the fray is former Aquafese military leader, Van, as well as his newly adopted daughter, Yuna, an Zol orphan in the mines. Together they venture onward, fighting to stay together in a world that continues to tear itself apart politically, medically, and relationally.
This feature is as straight-forward as it goes, and I personally like that. Anchoring this is an emotionally driven narrative of Van and Yuna forming a familial bond. It is genuinely heart-warming to see these two interact from Yuna sharing a piece of bread to Van to Van pursuing the wolves to rescue Yuna’s life. A lot of this can be attributed to the duo’s loss: Van lost his family in the midst of the Black Wolf Fever and Yuna’s only guardian mauled by a Black Wolf. Both characters depend on one another in their own unique way, Van as the obvious parental figure in Yuna’s life, and Yuna’s cheerful demeanor and affection rekindling Van’s fatherly love. It is nothing short of effective and relatable. Yet this is where the “to-the-point” story can be a double-edged sword. Take it as is, and you can enjoy the ride just like I did. However, those who want more than what is presented, you will not find this engaging.
From left to right: Yuna and Van
This trickles down to the characters as they are simple, motivated, and functional to the plot. There is not a lot of depth with any of these individuals as they are servicing the story and nothing more. Van wants to protect Yuna as a father who lost his own kin, Yuna wants to be with Van as he is her only guardian, and the medical examiner and doctor, Hohsalle, wants to find the cure for the disease plaguing the world. These are archetypes that simply service the grander narrative as opposed to characters one can sink their teeth in. For some it can be a disconnect, and for others, like myself, is not a problem. I cannot really pinpoint a reason other than it works effectively.
Complementing the main plot of familial bonds is the fight for humanity. There is a particular scene wherein Doctor Hohsalle argues for a cure to a military general hellbent on overthrowing the Zol Kingdom claiming it is humanity’s pursuit to defy destiny; the latter being the general’s reasoning for the Zol’s lack of immunity. A provocative claim considering the body count of lost lives due to the illness, furthering the film’s point of bridging connection.
Hohsalle
This film echoes that of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke as it involves a plight of humanity, the might of nature, and a noble warrior fighting through his way in all the sensory chaos. It is no surprise as Masashi Ando had worked on the project as a character designer and an animation supervisor. As impressive as this feature may be, I am left wanting more from The Deer King - presentation, plot, and ending (the latter will not be spoiled).
This is a very exposition heavy film. Turn your head away from the screen or some other minute form of distraction you will lose a key detail in the world-building. There are a lot of involved moving parts that make the world as it is and to miss it will leave your head scratching. In my view it is a well-oiled machine, you just need to pay attention.
Plot details are fine, though some parts lack significance, weight, and stakes. The coming of the emperor is made out to be a titanic event for the kingdom, immense balloons are hoisted from the ground to guide his airship towards the de facto location as well as this becoming a ripe opportunity for assassination. What is not mentioned is how important he is to the world as opposed to an element to drive the plot. What is he to his subjects, nearby villages, and the kingdom as a whole? And if he is lost, what will be the cost? One can only infer.
The ending is what continues to boggle my head the more I think about it. Without giving too many details, the film communicates very clearly that it is a noble feat. One can say it is purposeful and another can argue it is under-developed. Passing days have made me side with the latter simply because of my dissatisfaction. Though at this moment and time, I think once again of the details I may have missed and overlooked and now lean towards the former. In other words, the movie “clicked” for me.
This movie leaves a lot to be desired. On one end, I want more world immersion through a more expansive world, or perhaps a more focussed one solely on Van and Yuna. Then again, I miss straightforward action-adventure films where characters can simply function in service of the story, and with the emotional potency of a familial love - especially one between a Aquafese widow and a Zol orphan - it is truly a refreshing one to boot. And as mentioned previously, it continues to grow the more I think about the details, plot, themes, and previously held problems of the movie.
The Deer King is a promising debut for both Ando-san and Miyaji-san who have shown their competency as storytellers. Both have learned from the greats and worked with the greats, enough for me to look forward to their upcoming projects and overall progression. May they continue on their creative paths towards greater, focused, and inspired projects.
The Deer King is distributed and acquisitioned by GKids and is currently in theaters at the time of this review. Tickets here.
Many thanks to Sophia Kandah of 42WestLLC and GKids for the screener.