Sword of the Stranger (2007)

Sword of the Stranger: Directed by Masahiro Andô. With Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Kôichi Yamadera, Akio Ôtsuka. A swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.

“My perception of 2D animation practically changed after seeing this movie. No doubt about it. Since todayu0026#39;s standards mostly rely on 3D technology to capture realistic and fluid movements in animation, this movie shatters the limits I thought really existed in 2D animation. Since animation marvels like Samurai Champloo back in 2005, Chinese and Japanese sword arts never looked so good in an anime. However yes 3D technology was used in making this movie but only to a limited extent to which it only deemed necessary like cameras panning to arrows, panning fluidly on background terrain and such. All the organic character movements were hand drawn so perfectly well that even all the action was so clear which is just a marvel to see over and over again. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story may not be the most original but at the same time it isnu0026#39;t bad at all. In fact the characters of this movie retain their depth throughout the entire film which makes it easy for any viewer especially who appreciates animation to look past it as the movie alone offers plenty of intriguing visuals that sincerely complement the story backed by a superb soundtrack which captures the very essences and themes of the setting. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHighly recommended for anime enthusiasts as well as anyone who appreciates cartoons. in fact they shouldnu0026#39;t miss this one as watching this film once simply isnu0026#39;t quite enough.”