I've a strong connection with the anime and subsequent series, due to the fact it was one of the first ones i ever saw. Did I understand everything in there? No, i was 13 at the time. I rewatched it later though and throughout my life, this latest time with a friend from Alsace who actually saw the travesty that was the modern remake.

The anime is such a beautiful film, and a deeply spiritual/philosophical one. It doesn't even matter that it's an anime. It's just a great film overall, one of the best of all time imo. Action with merit, characters with soul, and a world that breathes and we see glimpses of our own in it.

I asked my friend what he thought after watching the original with me. He said, "I wish I hadn't wasted my time on the other."