Anime Title: Sword of the Stranger

Review Background: I was recommended this movie as part of a secret santa project for 2023. I did not read the plot summary, reviews, or scores ahead of watching this. While I have seen a number of shows by Studio Bones (well known for their action and Shonen series such as My Hero Academic, Blood Blockage Battlefront, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood), I have not heard of this movie before the recommendation. For the review, I only watched the English Dub on Crunchyroll.

Composite Rating 6.5/10

Plot/Story 2/10

Animation/Design 9/10

Characters 7/10

Audio/Soundtrack 5/10

Synopsis: An unnamed warrior (we never learn much about his past) meets a boy who is on the run and they face off against an evil Chinese group. The Chinese group was on a mission from the emperor to find the everlasting life elixir. They are running up against the deadline and believe the boy is the final key to completing their mission.

Plot/Story 2/10:

All of the fighting seemed pointless and even with all the different groups of people introduced, the movie didn't provide much motivation for their actions. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel bad for the main protagonist (since he was betrayed and put up as an offering) or the main warrior (since he seemed to have a sad backstory in the flashback) or the foreigner with blue eyes (dying after finding his true rival). For me, the story was the weakest part of the movie. I'm not saying I cannot enjoy senseless action (for example, most people would say Blood Blockade Battlefront suffers from mindless action as well. but at least it was fun to watch and didn't take itself too seriously) Sword and the Stranger started off like it had an epic story to tell but didn't quite success in its execution.

Animation/Design 9/10
It's hard to find fault with the animation/visuals from this movie. There were a series of well choreographed fights featuring different groups, settings, and weapons. Everything from the first hut fight to the final show down were beautifully animated. The horses looked great (a difficult feat if you have seen anime with horses). The sword, lance, arrows, and knives looked great. The characters moved fluidly when they were walking, running, jumping, and of course fighting. The natural environment and manmade structured both looked gorgeous (mountains, snow, houses, towers, etc). I was surprised to see how a movie from 2007 still looked so stunning 16 years later (review written in 2023).

Characters 7/10
I fell in love with the dog sidekick Tobimaru and felt its whimpering in certain scenes. Otherwise I did not personally connect with the main boy Kotaru or the warrior. The English dub cast sounded pretty good. For some reason, in the English dub version I watched, they didn't dubbing over the Chinese dialogue which was strange. Not sure how the Japanese version dealt with those parts (whether they had subtitles or not). There were a few warriors with seemingly cool attacks but they were all eventually killed off as well. The only character development appeared to be how the two main characters got to know each other and develop certain level of trust (there were some small touching moments such as teaching the boy to ride a horse).

Audio/Soundtrack 5/10
Overall the music and themes were quite repetitive. I did not feel moved when the music played during the more emotional scenes.

Review Conclusion:
In conclusion, I would not recommend this movie to someone looking for a compelling story or strong cast. However, if you want to see Bones showcase some great action, you will probably enjoy this movie. I may try rewatching with the Japanese version but I don't think it will dramatically change my score or opinion.