I Love Studio Ghibli and this was CLEARLY one of their more earlier films. I give them credit for a movie of that time period because it REALLY look like anime was just starting to make aname for itself and the few elements that hold it back are a product of that era in animation and story telling. As far as classic anime goes, it wasn't that bad. The chorus of people every few minutes got terribly annoying and some of the character were bland but the story had a very classic theme to it; slay the demon, save the maiden, win the hearts of thepeople. None of that was easy considering the only weapon that could slay the demon was unusable until about the third act. Also, the maiden not only had to be saved from the demon but also herself as she's feeling the evil in her own heart growing and it tore her between clinging to life and clinging to her humanity. And finally, as Horus was a newcomer to the village, he not only had to earn their trust (especially against a power-hungry man of the village) but also prove that they were in danger as he was the only one who could see it.

Where the characters were uninteresting, the story somewhat made up for it. The animals looked like they were drawn by an elementary schooler but agaiin that was a product of the times. Anime was just starting out and the detail we see in scenes and characters weren't yet realized. Still, this is a classic and I have to say as hard as it was finding this in english sub, it's worth a see...if you can find it or if you understand japanese.