The movie has some incredible animation and breathtaking backgrounds, but is wildly inconsistent. Not that any of it is terrible, but some parts clearly stood out as rushed or with janky cgi character movements. Other scenes are quite striking, with fluid animation that adeptly conveys both action, and more subtle body language. In fact, one of the film’s greatest strengths is the animation’s ability to capture the personality of the characters in each scene, whether it’s the rebelliousness abandonment of Qi Jingxuan, or Yao Zhe Tian’s quiet desperation to find purpose and break free from her overly structured life. Even side characters like the teacher,who alternates between egotistical authoritarian, sniveling brown nose, achieve a depth of character through their movements and expressions...which is fortunate, because the English subtitle translations often left me unsure of what was really being said in dialogue.

The other great strength of the film is a touching soundtrack that hits all the right emotional notes and really like a punches you in the gut when it wants to make an impact! While not a masterpiece, it’s a respectable feature film from this first wave of big budget Chinese productions. This is a movie that I would like to rewatch if I can find a copy with more accurate english subtitles.