Netflix's new anime film, The Ribbon Hero, serves as a loose adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's pioneering 1953 manga, Princess Knight. Directed by Yûki Igarashi, the film struggles to translate the source material's groundbreaking themes and narrative into a compelling cinematic experience, resulting in a dull and incoherent feature that prioritizes homage over substance.
Princess Knight, created by Tezuka, who is credited with establishing many shōjo manga tropes, centered on Sapphire, a cross-dressing princess tasked with protecting her medieval kingdom. The character was inspired by the all-female Takarazuka Revue musical theater group. Igarashi's adaptation attempts to echo this theatrical influence through a framing device of parting curtains, segmenting the story into acts. A montage depicting Sapphire's adventures in Goldland even transitions into an in-world puppet show. However, the film largely omits the gender-bending aspect that was central to the manga's revolutionary nature, reducing it to ambiguous imagery of two hearts. The narrative suggests Sapphire's power stems from possessing both male and female hearts, a concept that is under-explored.
The plot establishes that Sapphire's mother trained her rigorously to survive a world plagued by monsters known as Nergul. This preparation proves futile when a Nergul destroys Silverland, killing everyone except Sapphire and her guardian, Zirco, an elderly engineering genius. Despite Zirco's advanced technological skills, the pair spend seven years wandering and scavenging, a significant departure from the potential for utilizing her talents.
Their fortunes change when a baker named Pine, portrayed as kind but strangely isolated, offers them shelter and employment in a crystal mine. During an attack by another Nergul, Sapphire falls into a pool of water and crystals. This incident, rather than proving fatal, imbues her with inexplicable powers linked to her oversized hair ribbon, enabling a magical girl transformation and granting her a new outfit and a laser sword. The film also features instances where she inexplicably transforms into a swan.
Goldland operates under a theocracy that forbids resistance against the Nergul, fearing the wrath of their leader, the King of Ash. Velvet, the chief enforcer for Goldland's pope, seeks to challenge this doctrine and ultimately partners with Sapphire. The film relies heavily on lengthy, static monologues filled with exposition regarding the Nergul and methods of dealing with them. These scenes often feature characters against unmoving backdrops, delivering dialogue with little visual dynamism. Notably, Velvet, who presents as female and is voiced by a male actor, is never addressed or commented upon in relation to gender, a peculiar element given the theocracy's xenophobic stance and its practice of sacrificing orphans to monsters.
The animation styles employed by Outline and Twin Engine contribute to the film's overall lack of cohesion. While much of the art adopts a hand-drawn aesthetic reminiscent of Disney fairy tales, repetitive flashbacks to Sapphire's childhood are rendered in black and white or sepia tones, evoking old photographs. The Nergul are depicted through jagged CGI, creating an alien yet unsettling appearance. The film also incorporates exaggerated anime-style reactions, a 1920s-inspired sequence featuring angels, and even a live-action segment connecting Sapphire's abilities to Tezuka's manga. These stylistic shifts, coupled with trite dialogue and uninspired action, obscure any potential meta-commentary on theater, religion, or art.
The Nergul's terrifying aura of fungal spores, which cause decay, is introduced as a significant threat. However, this element, along with Sapphire's apparent immunity, is quickly forgotten. The film shifts focus to allow Sapphire's allies to participate in battles, and the tone fluctuates erratically. Moments of dark fantasy, such as a demonic monster consuming souls, are juxtaposed with slapstick sequences involving the retrieval of Sapphire's magical ribbon.
Princess Knight was both a groundbreaking and controversial work. The Ribbon Hero struggles to live up to its esteemed source material, falling short on multiple fronts. It presents as pretentious and uninspired, a jumble of tropes and a convoluted cosmology lacking compelling characters or memorable action. Viewers interested in Tezuka's original work are advised to seek out anime inspired by his creations, such as Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Magic Knight Rayearth, rather than this adaptation.
The Ribbon Hero is scheduled for release on Netflix on August 8.