The scene where adult Ariel runs after Maquia’s carriage saying “I’m sorry” — and she smiles and waves and mouths “I know” — is the most beautiful and painful thing I have ever seen in animation.
★★★★½ Favorite line: “You don’t have to be good at being a mother. You just have to be there.” ⚠️ Content warnings: Death of a parent (on-screen), childbirth, war violence (bloodless but intense), emotional abandonment, themes of child mortality (by aging, not violence). Would you like a shorter version (e.g., for a quick Letterboxd review text box) or a spoiler-free recommendation blurb? maquia letterboxd
If you have ever loved someone who grew up and away from you — child, parent, or friend — this film will find the crack in your heart and pour itself inside. The scene where adult Ariel runs after Maquia’s
The B-plot — a parallel Iorph girl, Leilia, forced into royal captivity and motherhood against her will — feels underbaked. Leilia’s tragedy is meant to mirror Maquia’s chosen path, but the film cuts away from her just as her story becomes truly interesting. The political/war subplot (Mezarte vs. the Renato dragons) is serviceable but never more than that. Would you like a shorter version (e
The Iorph are a clan of ageless weavers who live apart from the world, preserving ancient texts and tending to looms. Though they appear as adolescents, they live for centuries, and their hearts remain untouched by time’s passage — until loneliness finds them. Young Maquia, orphaned and restless, watches as her clan’s elders speak of a “lonely death” as the price of immortality.
Fantasy, Drama, Anime Director: Mari Okada Studio: P.A. Works Runtime: 115 minutes 📝 Synopsis