AMC Atlantic Times Square 14
May 3, 2026, 6:00 pm (buy tickets here)
* Mild Spoiler Alert
Although Tommy Ng’s animated adaptation of Naka Saijō’s novel Thousand Year Ghost differs from its source, that’s likely because the original’s intent is hard to comprehend cleanly. It’s possible this work is more like a huge anthology than a focussed tale about one individual. Another World is more digestible. At its core, we follow Gudo (Suet-Ying Chung), a child-like supernatural being searching for the meaning of life. As one of many soulkeepers guiding spirits toward reincarnation, he understands that not all will pass on. Those weighed down by guilt or resentment risk becoming “Wraths,” not ghosts in the traditional sense, but manifestations of unresolved emotion taken to their extreme.
These beings linger in the living world, causing harm. Stopping them isn’t Gudo’s role; others handle that. What stands out is how observational the movie feels. There’s no grand rebellion against cosmic order, just quiet witnessing. This lad’s presence adds to that unease. The mask he wears, or what may simply be his face, seems to act like a chamber, giving his voice a different resonance. We hear him as though he’s speaking from an empty room. The sound design brilliantly reinforces that he’s not from our world, but another one, which perfectly suits the film’s title.
The story takes shape when Gudo meets Yuri (Hiu-Tung Choi), a young girl searching for her brother Kenji. With help from The Goddess (Kay Tse), they gain the ability to move through time and space. Together, they witness deeply tragic human stories. One of the strongest threads follows a princess whose anger over her father’s death leads her to become the feared Ghost Princess. When bitterness takes root, it can easily erupt into a destructive force. The movie’s use of “Wrath” over “wraith” isn’t accidental. These aren’t spirits you encounter; they’re states you become.
Years later, a farmer named Keung considers embracing that same path to protect his people. Gudo intervenes by urging restraint, but even after showing how turning into Wrath only deepens the cycle, fate can’t be changed. This human who wanted to start a rebellion fails, and the suffering continues. This soulkeeper’s connection to this yin and yang cycle runs deeper than it first appears. Yuri’s past, and her future, are tied to it. The way the story folds multiple lives into a single emotional thread gives weight to the idea that pain carries forward if left unresolved.
While there are figures who combat Wraths in Another World, they aren’t framed as traditional heroes. The action sequences brought to mind older animated works like Demon City Shinjuku and Wicked City. The monster designs will feel familiar to anyone who grew up with those titles.
On a thematic level, the movie blends traditions without locking itself into one system. There are clear echoes of Buddhist reincarnation, Daoist balance, and yōkai-like transformations. They emerge after emotions surface, and the individual loses control. The new mythology sometimes concerns what those knots in the rope mean, and how many seeds need to be spread. Ng draws from various traditions, and if viewers are supposed to understand everything, I’m still at a loss.
Despite some cryptic moments, I love this movie and disagree that it plays like something from Studio Ghibli. Maybe that connection comes from how it fuses philosophical concepts into something genuinely reflective. It asks why being true to yourself matters. Maybe the reason it hurts so good is because the themes lean closer to Grave of the Fireflies, and that’s where the only comparison matters.
But without an official English translation of the novel, finding where the ideas truly belong, whether to the author or the filmmakers, remains out of reach.
4 Stars out of 5
Another World Trailer
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