This started out a little slow, but by the end, I was really into it. It's definitely a soft core fantasy geared towards a younger crowd, but when that's done well, it can be magical. This story accomplished that for me. Lots of whimsy. I can see why they tried to make a Ghibli movie out of it. Wish that had better reviews. Looks like it is not worth watching. I would recommend this to someone who likes Harry Potter or Howls Moving Castle.