Origin: Spirits of the Past

A plant experiment on the Moon went wrong, the forests gained consciousness, and human civilisation collapsed. Centuries later, young Agito finds Toola, a girl kept in suspended sleep. She wants to wake a weapon of the old world, and the fragile balance between forest and humanity starts to tip. Keiichi Sugiyama directed for Gonzo. The Japanese title is Silver-Haired Agito. This was one of Gonzo's first big theatrical productions, and the studio's approach of the period is visible throughout: hand-drawn characters laid over computer-generated forest and machine layers. The comparison was unavoidable, and critics set it beside Nausicaa: a fallen civilisation, vegetation living on its own terms, a young hero caught between two sides. The difference is that this forest is explicitly manufactured by people. The pacing is brisk but the characters stay thin; the background design is the strongest element. Who it is for: viewers who like anime science fiction about nature against technology. Who it is not for: anyone wanting depth of character; the story trails the imagery.