Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

The Japanese love their taiga. So much so that entire production companies are vested in bring stories of the past, fictional and mythical, to light.

Moribito is one such taiga that stems from a novel series about a travelling spear warrior and her encounters with kings, princes and commoners, demons, spirits and spiritualists, while embodying a courageous noble code of not killing her opponents.

Because taiga are episodic, they carry much of a soap opera style in writing and dramatic effect. Moreso than the source material they derive from. Motivations and emotions are very key to the characters' journeys and arcs from beginning to end.

Apart from the through-plotline there were enough episodes to show slice-of-life scenes that grounded the main characters in their locale, and several that gave enough back story to Balsa's tale.

If you enjoy period fantasy tales, this series is for you. Watch it with enjoyment.