Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

This 2018 anime feature about an immortal girl named Maquia, who is separated from her clan and raises a human child, is a fantasy with epic scope and an intimate focus. The story features a kingdom of warriors who conquer the clan to recharge their bloodline, flying dragon-like lizards that are slowly dying off, the past and future woven into mysterious cloths on sacred looms, and a culture suspicious of outsiders. And it spans decades while the innocent Maquia sacrifices everything to raise her son. Since she never ages, Maquia has to move before people become suspicious, and as her son Ariel grows into a young man, her eternal youth adds another dimension to his rebellion. Mari Okada, a veteran screenwriter of both animated and live-action features and TV shows, brings a fresh dimension to the fantasy genre, exploring the challenges of parenthood and the complex feelings of being an outsider in another culture in this touching, bittersweet tale about being human. Presented in a dual-language edition on separate DVD and DVD/Blu-ray Combo releases, suitable for 13-up, extras include a "making-of" featurette. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)