Ning is a boy who had just been dumped by his girlfriend for another guy. With his faithful pet dog Solid Gold, Ning sets off and finds himself in a
bustling town full of ghosts.
Ning then meets a pretty young ghost named Siu Seen, who means to bring Ning
to her master for consumption.
But after a strange chain of events involving some enraged ghosts and
determined exorcists, Ning and Siu Seen find themselves on the run... and
falling in love while they're at it.
Can a ghost and a human just live and love in peace?
Review: A Chinese Ghost Story
Despite the fact that A Chinese Ghost Story is actually a Chinese production
(made in Hong Kong in fact), it's always being classified as an anime
everywhere online.
If you're still in doubt, you can check A Chinese Ghost Story DVD release and see that the only
language tracks available are Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.
Anyhow, I'll be joining the internet bandwagon by placing this review on the
anime index.
The first thing I noticed about A Chinese Ghost Story 1997 is the youthful look of the characters.
Our hero Ning looks like a 10-year old boy (although he's actually older than
that) -- being the vertically-challenged and roundish-ly drawn character that
he is.
It's kind of hard to believe that he has a girlfriend and that they are of
marrying age already (but then people did marry young in ancient China).
The female characters look slightly older, maybe around their mid-teens.
Ning is immediately attracted to Siu Seen, and Siu Seen in turn gradually
falls for Ning... but theirs is a love that's not supposed to be -- and that
becomes the main dilemma of this unique story.
Things happen in a frenzied pace, and get a little too chaotic for my taste.
In many scenes, the characters run, scream, fight, and jump around all at
once.
The art and animation are good. Although the character designs are on the
cutesy side, vibrantly rendered visuals abound.
The Chinese countryside comes alive with backgrounds that are computer
generated, reminiscent of video game FMV sequences.
The theme songs and music also add a nice touch. They are unmistakably Chinese in style (performed by popular Chinese artists)
and tempo, which suits the film perfectly.
The English dubbing is pretty decent, albeit in this case the Mandarin track
(if watching the DVD) would give you a more authentic experience.
A Chinese Ghost Story movie gives you a brief glimpse of the intricate and interesting world of
Chinese mythology. It's a fairly solid title that the whole family can enjoy.
Miscellanies: A Chinese Ghost Story
If you find A Chinese Ghost Story animated' visual style on the anime-ish side, it's probably because
the character designer is a Japanese guy.
A Chinese Ghost Story (Xiao Qian) | |
| Genre | Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 1 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jul 31, 1997 |
| Producers | Polygram Japan, Film Workshop |
| Studio | Triangle Staff |
| Rating | PG - Children |
| Themes | - |
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