Anju is so much better than its predecessors. You'd expect some slight progression, but thanks to Saiyuuki's blatant incompetence only a year before, it didn't happen. I can feel Takahata's touch in this, always granting his stuff a sense of gravitas, however subtle. It's also vastly superior in terms of presentation, with fluid and consistent animation, clever use of color and texture, and accurate drawing. For the first time Japanese animators fully committed to visual timelessness. Screenwriters also finally realized idealism shouldn't be the norm, presenting a rather tragic story about coping with loss, and such a fitting ending. Even the cuteness didn't feel nearlyas misplaced as in other titles, but rather properly integrated. I genuinely don't understand how this is both less watched and scored lower than garbage like Saiyuuki. This is probably the first good anime and the first case of quality losing to popularity. Most people will keep sucking Hakujaden despite being inferior merely cause it's the first.