Napping Princess is a Japanese animation film produced by Signal.MD studio and Kenji Kamiyama(Ghost in the Shell, Eden of the East) directed and wrote the film's script. At the time of the film's release, it reached ninth place in Japan. The films popularity also spawned a spin off short film that will I hopefully get the chance to see soon. Gkids licensed the film for North American release on Blu-ray and DVD.
A teenage girl enters a world where she is the princess of an entire kingdom when she naps. People she knows when she is awake appear in this world too but what is this world? And how is she related?
Viewers will probably write this film off as a Your Name spin off right from the start. I can't really blame you either. While the film doesn't unfold in the order that Your Name did, there are some contained qualities that are similar to the smash hit film. One of them being the concept of sleep being a tunnel for fantasy action that sparks the conflict for the film. However, I will assure you that Napping Princess creates it's own unique path to take. A plot that has a very mysterious flare was create from the idea of imagination…. That's all I will say without giving too much away but what lies in the core of all the fantasy is family drama. This carries the plot's progression without being overly sappy or mediocre. The interactions between the characters are pretty realistic causing viewers that came for the action/fantasy to stay for the emotion. Our characters already have solidly built personalities before the film got the chance to do the character building for them. The main character is strong willed in the face of all her family's past progressions but the script makes sure to leave room for more growth as she looks for answers. The Villain was… comedy relief most of the time. Is it bad that I worried more about the conflict with the family than I did about the bumbling Villain? I kept watching to find the answers to the questions that I had based on how the plot started. My mind had a hint of confusion. Not the bad kind of confusion. Confusion that gets you excited because you want to find more information to the questions you seek. Napping Princess threw my movie watching experience for a loop. The loop is a fun ride though.
The art style reminds me less of Ghost in the Shell and more of other anime films like Summer Wars. Even the character designs along with the drawn scenery gave off a Summer Wars vide. This isn't a bad thing overall since I love that that youthful formula that brings the drawings alive.
I would recommend watching this film if you enjoy anime films. It's not the best anime film out there. You will enjoy the emotionally driven storyline and the action the film has to offer.
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