A mute prince and his shadow form a friendship so genuine it makes you forget how corny that sounds. The animation doesn't just look beautiful, it tells the story when dialogue can't, and the score carries emotional weight that dialogue would only cheapen. By the midpoint the mystery fades and the pacing stumbles, but by then you're already invested in whether a kid who can't speak has earned the right to lead.

Prince Bojji cannot hear or speak, and he is too weak to swing even a child's sword. As the firstborn son he dreams of becoming the greatest king in the world, yet his people mock him as a worthless prince with no hope of ruling. Then he meets Kage, a living shadow on the ground and a survivor of a nearly destroyed assassin clan who now gets by through theft. Kage somehow understands him, and the two become friends. That unlikely bond starts Bojji's coming-of-age journey, a fantasy adventure in which he meets new people, faces his fears and keeps working toward the throne despite constant ridicule.