Customer Reviews

A Chinese Ghost Story [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this quirky little gem at a local video store that specializes in foreign, independent, and classic films. Having exhausted much of the anime and Far East categories, I decided to give this one a chance, even though I had looked over it dozens of times before.

I'm a huge fan of animation in all its forms, so when this piece began, I was bombarded by awkward, bulky CGI images playing as a background to the traditional 2-D approach to animation. Normally, I'd find that sort of thing appalling (hey, if the styles clash, they clash) but at the same time, the odd mixture seemed to work in a very surreal sense and heightened my dedication to the story, which, as it turns out, was about China, ghosts, and a bunch of mystical weirdness that really seemed to draw strength from its bizarre visual scizophrenia.

And then there was the story. Firstly, you've got your underdog who is dense as a rock, but ultimately a good guy, his love interest, who is kind of a retread of that old "bar girl with a heart of gold" character you'd see in old Western movies, three bumbling enemies who start out trying to destroy the underdog's ghost girlfriend but end up mainly fighting each other, and, of course, the vain villainess whose only goal in life (death?) is to hang on to her youth. What kid's flick would have been complete without her, after all? Apparently, kid vehicles in China work much as they do here, in that there was also a cute, anthropomorphic dog sidekick that would drop over or growl or bat his eyelashes comically whenever the situation demanded it. Despite the formula, I found his antics charming, and only ended up liking his character more after I learned that director Tsui Hark provided all his grunts, snarls, and whimpers!

There's definitely something about the idea of a living man and a dead woman being in love--it's that darned Romeo & Juliet star-crossed lovers thing, again!--that stirs the romantic in me, so I found myself really rooting for Ning and SiuSeen's cause when they decided that the best way for them to be together was for them to be reincarnated and try to find one another on earth after their births.

So basically what it comes down to is that it looks weird, feels weird, sounds weird, and that the weirdness is wonderful to experience. I could safely liken it to some of Tim Burton's films, if you really need an American equivalent to get a better idea of what you're in for. But it's still kind of a loose comparison; just check it out for yourself, and I'm sure you'll have more fun with it than you're expecting.

I liked this movie quite a bit, but the friend I watched it with didn't. The story is very strange, almost incomprehensible at times. I generally don't like it when computer animation in mixed in, but here it actually worked pretty well. If you like computer animation and don't mind your anime being pretty weird I would recommend this tape. Also, keep in mind that some of the other reviews posted for this animated movie were actually referring to the live-action film produced by the same director.

This Hong Kong production is an interesting change of pace from Japanese anime.

The plot is bizzare view of ghosts, ghost busters and life paths. A clue to understanding this film is identifying the "standard" life path and how the ghosts are opting out.

The animation style consists of 2-D characters on a 3-D computer generated background. I found it impressively surreal, but exhibiting an element of harshness. It was less ethereal than the reference standard Princess Mononoke (2-D characters on nature paintings background)

Those who prefer English dub should switch the audio to Cantonese for the songs, you'll notice the meter flows better. (I listen in Mandarin with subtitles and switch to Cantonese for the songs)

This isn't really "anime" by otaku definition. I give it a good score for its unique Chinese flavor not found in other animated films. Not quite a masterpiece, but worth seeing.

I must admit that i have never seen the original live action movies of "A Chinese Ghost Story". Therefore, I am basing this review on the movie itself. I stumbled on this film at work, took it home and watched it. I was amazed with the innovation of this movie. The animated characters fit nicely with the cgi background. There have been other movies that have done the same thing like "What Dreams May Come". There will be other shows, and movie that have and will follow suit. The story itself is very tender, sometimes melacholy, but these emotions lent themselves to the overall atmosphere of the movie. The relationships between the two main characters, was wonderfully done. This movie was about finding something and holding on, and love. Overall this movie was very sweet and tender

Any fan of anime (or animation) shouldn't miss this wonderful film about the boundless love between a mortal and a ghost. The main characters are like Romeo & Juliet - unable to live without eachother, but circumstances (the fact that one is alive & one isn't)make their being together an impossibility. Yet they manage to be together whenever possible and in whatever manner they can until they can be reborn together. The animation in this movie is remarkable - especially the scenes featuring the ghost city which is as amazing as its other-worldly inhabitants. Another element of beautiful fantasy is the reincarnation train! All the characters, even the most dispicable baddies, are wonderful - especially the adorable dog, Solid Gold, who goes through every imaginable adventure to be with his owner and his "spirited" girlfriend. This movie is a true treasure that I enjoyed as much as my children!

Dumped by his girlfriend, debt collector Ning, with his pet dog, Solid Gold, wanders heartbroken through the countryside until he encounters a beautiful spirit named Sui Seen in a dangerous ghost town. After rescuing him from the inhabitants of the town, Sui Seen appears ready to surrender Ning's soul to her mistress, the demonic, soul-eating Madame Trunk.

Because of Ning's persistence and his lovable demeanor, she finally grows to care for him. Barely escaping the clutches of the Tree Demon, Ning and Sui Seen finds themselves pursued by a pair of ghost-hunting monks by the name of White Cloud and Ten Miles. Racing for the Reincarnation Gate on a ghost train, the two hope to start a new life together.

One unforgettable tale it is with great graphics, dubbed voices, story and everything!

I didn't see the live-action movie and had no idea what this was about. I bought this one based on its "award winning" designation (it won some animation festival somewhere). The good point is that the animation, which is a combo of computer and conventional animation, is superb. It *looks* really cool and is cool to watch. On the downside, the storyline itself is almost non-existent, something about a boy who's in love with a ghost. Not much plot to keep me interested, so fortunately the animation kept me interested. Also, the English dubbing is not that good, on par with your typical Saturday morning over-acting. If you're an artist or animator this may be interesting, but if you are a new animation fan or a parent looking for a good foreign anime, you'd do better with Hayao Miyazaki.

Some other reviewers seem to think the story is strange, but the thing you have to keep in mind with this movie is it is taking place in china therefore there are concepts of reincarnation and after life. Anyone who is a little up on eastern thinking ie; Buddhism, Yoga Hinduism etc.. should not be too surprised about what's in this movie. This movie is definitely a fresh breeze in world of run of the mill Anime. I liked the hybrid of CG and 2d. and the voice over work is pretty good. This Movie was said to have had a ridiculous cost to produce although they have kept the actual number a secret.When this was made 1997 Cg was still very expensiveto produce. Tsui Hark took a big chance and in my opinion it paid off for the viewer.

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 the 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 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 the ghost 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 gives you a brief glimpse of the intricate and interesting world of Chinese mythology. It's a fairly solid title which the whole family can enjoy.

My brother brought me the original live action Chinese Ghost Story movies (1,2,and 3) from Japan and I loved all three. They have become some of my favorite movies of all time. I was expecting the same level of story and animation to match the imaginative visuals in the live action version but I was sadly disappointed. The story was acceptable, but very pale in comparison to the live action movies. Not really anything to write home about. There did not seem to be much, if any, of the tension or humor from the live action films. Unfortunately, the quality of animation was definately below that of most feature lenght animated films. It is pretty much on a par with what I see on saturday morning cartoons here in America. I was most disapointed with their attempt to mix 2D and 3D animation, the style of the ghosts in this film reminded me of old Scooby Doo cartoons from when I was a kid only a lot sillier looking. use this movie as a benchmark of what not to do when making an animated film.

If you are looking for an animated kids movie, I would recommend some of the old Miazaki films like "Castle in the Sky: Laputa", "My Neighbor Totoro", or "Kiki's delivery service" over this film. Definately I would say rent this one before you buy it.