This gives the film an aesthetic we don't really see in animated movies of this scale.
#Pokemon reborn abandoned power plant skin#
There's also a fair bit of dieselpunk thrown in for good measure: huge sculptures and tributes to deities are built out of engines and other car parts, and our hero relies on a suit of armor made out of car parts to protect his still-human skin from his newfound fire god powers. Donghai City is a visually stunning and inventive location, with a unique aesthetic that mixes 1930s Shanghai art deco architecture with '50s style Americana (all those classic cars and motorcycles). (There's also a weird bit where the film opens with Yunxiang breaking the fourth wall for no reason, and talking directly to the audience about identity and destiny, the two big themes of the movie.) What really makes Nezha Reborn stand out is its fascinating setting. Story-wise, this is pretty standard stuff, with the film just using the concept of reincarnation rather than a spider-bite or Kryptonian blood cells. The first half of New Gods: Nezha Reborn plays almost like a superhero origin story, with Yunxiang learning to tap into his powers with help from an eccentric mentor, and learning that with great power must also come great responsibility, as wave after wave of superpowered assassins are sent to kill his loved ones.
Yunxiang is marked for death by Ao Bing (Ling Zhenhe, or Alex Le in the dub), the third son of the boss of the Dragon Clan, after it’s discovered Yunxiang is the latest reincarnation of the child-god Nezha, sworn enemy of the Dragon Clan.
The winner of this dangerous race is Li Yunxiang (Yang Tianxiang, or Stephen Fu in the English dub), a daredevil delivery courier who, by night, is a renegade hero who would break into a factory to get free water for the people.