It's been 3 years since Mahito Maki lost his mother during the war in a fire. Now he is starting a new life with his aunt Natsuko who was going to be his new step mother in the countryside.

Before long he meets the local resident heron who leads him to an abandoned tower and claims it could reunite him with his late mother. Soon Natsuko goes missing. While following her into the forest, he finds himself whisked to another mysterious world mostly full of the departed. There he meets entities that resemble the ones from the real world as he goes in search of his missing aunt.

The background art feels very rough compared to older Ghibli movies; not the kind of clean polished art you see done in graphics software these days. It resembles a lot of Miyazaki's classics such as Totoro, Laputa, Whisper of the Heart etc. Gore sequences look like Princess Mononoke of course.

Once it gets going it starts to feel more original half way through. The kind of mystery you feel from Spirited Away before it starts drifting back to its mish-mash of ideas. Lively characters that's for sure complete with cute mascot characters.

Quite enjoyed it overall.