Anime Review: Journey to Agartha

Anime Review: Journey to Agartha [no spoilers], aka Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below (...bit of a mouthful, I can see why the Western release had the title shortened and changed)

Continuing my exploration of films made by Makoto Shinkai, the author of Your Name and Voices of a Distant Star. This film about a little girl and a grown adult entering the mysterious underworld has all the signature hallmarks of a Shinkai production: the jaw dropping background visuals, the odd relationship between a young boy and girl, the passage of time, the chasing of a lost love, longing etc.
The score is just beautiful and matches the scenic paintings perfectly. And yet... The whole doesn't quite seem to be the sum of its parts. When it ended I was left feeling emotionally flat.
My problem is that I just didn't like the really creepy adult character. I didn't buy the fact that a pre-pubescent kid would run off into the underworld with a very creepy adult she barely knew. I didn't really like the kid either.
I did appreciate the theme - the longing for a lost loved one and the two different paths taken by the two main characters in their search of that goal.
I've read some reviews that suggest it's one of the best anime films out there, so your opinion might be completely different. Most reviews seem to agree with my assessment that's it's a bit disappointing. I do however agree with the universal acclaim for Makoto Shinkai as a truly talented artist. So far none of his films have disappointed from a visual point of view for when it comes to spine tingling stunning views of sweeping twilight skies filled with the beauty of the cosmos, he's definitely the master.
If you liked Princess Mononoke and Naussica of the Valley, then I suggest it's still worth watching along with your kids just to kill a spare Sunday afternoon. My own daughter thought it was boring and she confessed she didn't bother to finish the film having stopped halfway.
6/10