Anime: Peter Pan no Bouken

This is a variation of the famous, homonymous children’s story. As a retelling it was interesting; but it failed to prove itself better or even equal with the original.

ART & SOUND SECTIONS: 6/10

Nothing special, but still bearable. It took me a long time to get used to the characters’ appearance, as the animators paid no attention to how they looked in the book. The general portrayal of everything and everyone in Neverland is darker and more dangerous than normal.

The action scenes are nicely done, with fluid movement and scary traps filling the screen. Although it seems as if everyone can die at anytime, there is hardly any on-screen bloodshed or death. The voice acting was mediocre but the music themes ranged from wacky to grim, giving a nice boost in the atmosphere.

STORY & CHARACTER SECTIONS: 7/10

It helps to have knowledge of what happens in the book. As normal, Peter Pan is an adventurous boy, who takes Wendy and her siblings to the magical Neverland, where they face the same adventures of the book (pirates, Indians, fairies, etc) but with a higher level of difficulty. Plus, unlike in the book, the kids can’t return home and are stuck there for good.

On the surface, the characters are as adorable as in the book. Peter Pan is a magical, flying, danger-seeking boy, Wendy is a mother figure for the orphans, and captain Hook is an obsessed, evil pirate who wants to kill Peter.

The story is the same, until mid-way, where it takes a totally new path. Here, Peter tries to protect a girl from an evil witch, who aims to make her the next heir to the Throne Of Evil. Captain Hook becomes a minor villain and the story gets a lot darker and scarier. Although this twist was a good thing, the several subliminal messages of the book were left out completely, turning the series into an average children’s adventure.

VALUE SECTION: 2/10
The hidden meaning in the original book was the refusal to grow old and responsible (it was presented in an excellent way in the movie Hook, starring Robin Williams). Neverland is our childhood that we wish it could last forever (that’s why time is frozen there), Peter Pan is the kid inside us, that prefers to play games instead of taking responsibilities from grown-ups, Wendy is our biological clock that spurs us to raise a family, Hook is our fear of growing old, the ticking crocodile that chases him is time that goes away and steals our vitality (represented as Hook’s eaten limbs), and so on, and so on… With all these not present in the story, everything simply feels as another superficial battle between good and evil.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 5.5/10
Nice try but shallow result.

VERDICT: 6/10
The accused is found … GUILTY! … of using plagiarism for disguising a mediocre title.