A new feature film of Director Kihachiro Kawamoto, who has been working on marionette performances and animations for almost 40 years. The Book of the Dead is a love story about a ghost in Japan′s 8th century capital, Nara, and is based on Buddhist motive. Iratsume is the daughter of the Hujiwara family. She is devoted to the Buddhist religion and she copies page upon page of Buddhist scripture everyday. One day, the ghost of Prince Otsu appears, a man who died 50 years before in a fight for the throne. He mistakes Iratsume for the girl Mimimo No Toji, a girl he saw right before his execution, and for whom he has been wandering and seeking. On the other hand, Iratsume believes that the ghost of Prince Otsu is the Buddha. She plans to execute a religious service to console the spirit This film focuses on description as well as image, with the colors of Japan. Eastern motives including reincarnation, spirit, and religious ceremony become lively in the midst of subtle and beautiful colors. Detailed movements of the puppets, such as the wind blowing the dresses and shaking shoulders when laughing, are impressive. It could be seen as too static to eyes accustomed to Disney and Japanimation, but the uniqueness is entirely new. (Kang So-won)