The world is falling apart, being reduced to nothing but scammers and negative aspirations by the majority. However, a young group of girls believe that they have found a way to defeat these evils and to summon Master Salt (Rin Kijima)–the one who can bring balance to a wavering world. The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins is the story of Master Salt as she does all that she can to rid Tokyo of these threatening evils. The powerful individuals that have reigned supreme for so long will prove to be difficult to defeat, but Master Salt refuses to yield.
It seems fairly obvious that the intention of The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins is to express to the world the morals that should be upheld by mankind on a regular basis. This is wonderful, but the way in which that is approached fails so terribly, almost making me want to rebel. The entire film is about teaching people how to do the right thing and how to have a high moral compass–but Master Salt approaches this as if it’s her way or the highway. The way in which she is developed is incredibly off putting, and it’s difficult to support her throughout. The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins is written in a way that conflicts with its own belief system–and that simply causes issues with the film as a whole. I don’t want to take advice from someone that doesn’t value that advice themselves, and that’s what is present throughout the course of this film.
The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins is an odd combination of live-action and animation. The animation works to supplement the narrative and create aspects of the story that may not have otherwise been possible. Devils, gods, and a series of unique things in between take the stage throughout The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins–and, while the animation isn’t perfect, it plays its role successfully. Some of the visuals are a tad cheesy, but I actually think that the cheesiness provides the film a nice shift in tone. Even though aspects of the film tend to be a bit more lighthearted than I think the cast and crew anticipated, it seems that the content still manages to be a little heavier than I believe it needed to be. The simplicity and silliness of the animation provides some sense of ease throughout. Much of the film isn’t very inviting, but the animation is–it allows the film to feel fun and entertaining, making it the most powerful and effective aspect of the entire film.
Light versus dark is such an important theme present in The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins, and the physical light and physical darkness present throughout the course of the film play a role in presenting that idea to viewers. Again, the point that the series of writers wants to get across to viewers is understood, but it’s not well received as a result of how it’s presented via the characters–it’s the use of light that allows the film to reach viewers.
The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins is ultimately a difficult film to get through. It contains so much content that isn’t necessary to the story, or to the film as a whole. With as much content as is shoved into this film, it ends up being far longer than it needs to be–and it feels like it drags on and on forever. I genuinely appreciate the time and effort that went into developing the animated aspects of the film, as it creates a nice balance throughout. I believe there are valuable lessons to be learned, and that’s an important part of The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins, and the animation allows the film to move in the right direction from time to time–however, the way in which much of the film is presented isn’t effective, and that puts a huge damper on the overall experience.
Directed by Hiroshi Akabane.
Written by Sayaka Okawa, Ryuho Okawa, & Shio Okawa.
Starring Rin Kijima, Sya Fukunaga, Mariya Suzuki, Yoshida Munehiro, Donpei Tsuchihira, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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