Another Anime favorite has been offered up to the "Blu-ray" technicians. In this case, they have once again added a new dimension to the already respected anime offering.

Highlights
The never ending struggle between Man and Nature is explored in this beloved tale. In 2006 the creators at Gonzo served up this post apocalyptic story of the future where Scientists created a strain of plant genetics that have a full conscience and is able to affect the human genetic structure too. The world is split into two factions, one is Nature and the other is the Waring Mechanical Humans, in the middle is Neutral City. One day a young lady awakes who had been asleep for 300 years and just so happens to hold the key that would free Humans from the new Super Power, The Forest.

The young lady, Toola, is found and befriended by Agito, a young man from Neutral City. Agito's Father was a founder of Neutral City and because he accepted the power of the forest, he is changing and becoming a tree. The people of Neutral City believe that there is a way for Humans and The Forest to coexist, but the Humans from Ragna still believe in the old ways of Mankind and the machines that they build. Toola finds another sleeper, who has joined Ragna and is out to destroy The Forest. She goes with him to help "save Humanity". Agito has different ideas and goes deep into the Forest to accept a new path and become enhanced by the Power of the Forest. His new power makes him a super human and the battle begins. The real question is who is right.

Overall
Origin: Spirits of the Past, is a highly produced show and clearly strives to stand with some of the works by Hayao Miyazaki such as Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky or Princess Mononoke. Origin does a valiant job of taking on this subject matter and does reach the plateau of the Miyazaki films. Origin has a few flat spots and seems to take some short cuts to keep the audience's attention. The character development was decent enough and you do get a sense of who Agito and Toola are, along with some of the other major characters, but there is some historical information that would have helped the story get through a few of the awkward moments. The struggle of Man finally destroying nature and using the Moon as a lab to recreate nature is believable, but the fact that nature revolted and destroyed the Moon and was able to survive the travel from the Moon to the Earth without protection is just a little far fetched.

I enjoyed this film the first time I saw it 2 years ago and now seeing it on Blu-ray is even more exiting. The heightened graphics and sound add another dimension to the film and increases the gorgeous animation and artwork that went into Anime. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to see this film in the original DVD format and now in Blu-ray. It is well worth the money to increase the visual experience that this Movie has to offer. More importantly,Origin: Spirit of the Past is and will be considered a classic and offers a unique insight into the what may be if we do not get control of our destructive nature.

The 1 hour of extras provide with this disc are also very interesting. The 50 minute special interview with the producer Koji Kajita and Director Keiichi Sugiyama gives some great insights into their motivation and ideas. It did drag a little but you often don't get the in depth discussions. There was also a fun special that gave a good idea how the hand drawn and 3DCG came together along with some of the animation that was cut. All in all this package turns out to be very entertaining and a big plus to many collections.