Nobô no shiro

On first inspection The Floating Castle appears to be an odd mix of comedy and warfare.

Indeed, there are some excellent, very Japanese, comic moments but if you dig deeper, this film is really about the pointless tragedy of war and the enduring joy of life.

The main character is a off beat, seemingly un-samurai, samurai who hides a sharp strategic mind behind a goofy, childlike exterior. More than that, however, he's a humanist, who understands the value of the simple joys of life and places them above martial ambition.

This is a wonderful film that's funny, sad, joyful and poignant in equal measure. Its easy to overlook these aspects of the film as a good portion of it, is taken up with remarkable battle scenes that could be seen to "shout down" its anti war message.

Surprising in so many ways, its a shame The Floating Castle, has had so few reviews as there is so much to like. Nine out of ten from me.