Maybe I am too American to understand this movie. I watch just about every kids movie out there with my little ones. The most entertaining part of the movie is in the optional footage where the translators explain how they had such a hard time understanding some scenes because of cultural differences. For years we watched Pokemon and that was creative, deep and funny. This movie was similar but had nothing special in it. I don't go for anime, but I think the problem is bigger than that. I could not wait for it to end - my wife loved it.