ANI-MOVIES, *Like The Clouds, Like The Wind

While the rumor of it being a Studio Ghibli production, the 1990 made-for-TV anime movie, Like The Clouds, Like The Wind, was in fact done by Studio Pierrot. The confusion comes from the character designs of Katsuya Kondo, who worked on several Ghibli titles like Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. Kenichi Sakemi wrote the original novel that the movie is based on, and the majority of his titles deal in Chinese history and legends. Gatchaman animator Hisayuki Toriumi directed the film, and features some theatrically-relased movie quality.

Set in 1600s China, the residing emperor passes away, and his oldest son is set to inherit the throne, thus must acquire a harem of wives to solidify his lineage. Happy-go-lucky farmer girl Ginta decides she'd like to give a shot at being a pampered concubine, but once at the capitol's inner palace begins to realize the stark reality of the power-shifting kingdom. Ginga is one of several girls from all over China who apply for a position as one of the new emperor's wives. There's an assassin plot from the mother of the previous emperor's younger sons, and a rebellious uprising from some hooligans who start their campaign just because they were bored. The real meat of the story though it Ginga, and the bonds she forms with the other bridal candidates, as well as her relationship with the castle staff, including her future husband in disguise.

This movie is set apart from most "harem anime" as it is about an actual harem, plus it is one of the few ones to give real respect to Chinese culture. Sometimes referred to Kumo Kaze, the film was finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray by Discotek Media, although only in Japanese with subtitles. It has very somber moments, but some truly memorable characters, and worth a look at least on streaming.