where be this film when i be a kid . after his parent split up tadashi move with his mom to live his his grandfather . tadashi sister stay with their dad and they talk frequently on the phone . grandfather be only here every third day . mom never really home . the kid always be pick on the poor kid . during a village festival tadashi be choose the kirin rider or spiritual champion of the peace and justice . little do he suspect that soon he will have to actually step into role of hero a the force of darkness join up with the rage of thing discard in a plot to destroy mankind and the spiritual world . okay that be the easy part . now come the hard part and try to explain the film . this be a great kid film . no this be a great film and flaw and ( very flawed . ) but a great film none the less . it unfold like all of those great book you love a a kid and be just a dense at time a tadashi struggle to find the strength to become a hero . watch it i felt i be read a great book and and think how huge this would have be if it be a book . i love that the film do not follow a normal path . thing often happen out of happenstance or through miscommunication and one character get suck into event simply because his foot fall asleep . there be twist and turn and moment that seem like non sequiters and be all the more charming for it ( which be typical miike ) certainly it a takashi miike film . that japanese master of film be clearly in charge of a film that often touch and scary and funny all at the same time . no one except miike seem to understand that you can have many emotion at the same time and or that you can suddenly have twist a thing get dark one second and then funny the next . i admire the fact that miike have make a film that be bleak and hopeful and that doesn not shy away from be scary and i mean really scary and especially for kid . this be the same dark territory that should be in the harry potter movie but rarely be . this a dark grimms tale with humor . my first reaction upon see the opening image be that i couldn not believe anyone would begin a kid film with a picture of the end of the world and then i realize who be make the movie . hat off to miike for make a movie that know kid can handle the frightening image . it also operate on more than one level . the mechanical monster that the bad guy make be forge from mankind discard junk . it the rage of be throw away that fuel the monster . one of the yokai ( spirit ) talk about the rage sneaker thrown away because they be dirty or too small feel when they be toss . you also have one of the good guy refuse to join the bad guy because that would be the human thing to do . it a wild concept and but like other thing float around it what lift this movie to another level . ( there be a good many riff and reference to other movie and tv show and novel that make me wonder who this film be for since kid may not understand them and though many parent will ) and of course there be the monster . they run the gamut from cheesy to spectacular with stop everywhere in between . frankly you have to forgive the unevenness of their creation simply because they be have to be hundred if not thousand of monster on screen . it way cool and it work . one of the main character be a yokai which i think be best describe a a hamster in a tunic and be often play by a stuffed animal and it look dumb and yet you will be cheer the little bugger and love every moment he rid on tadashi head . ( acceptance be also easy if you have ever see the old woodcut of the weird japanese monster ) i mention flaw and and there be a few . the effect be uneven and some of the sudden turn be a bit odd ( even if understandable ) and a few other minor thing which be fade now some two hour after watch the film . none of them truly hurt the film over all and however most kind of keep you from be completely happy with the movie . i really love this movie . i be pretty sure that if i saw this a a kid it would have be my favorite film of all time . ( where the english dub . ) . see this movie . it a great trip . ( besides it a good introduction to the film of miike minus the blood and graphic sex ) .