It's complex. and exotic, but very human. No mecha, no cutsey mascots or droids, no epic battles. Yet it traces the story of one man and the people around him as they journey from commonplace to heroic. The pursuit of a dream, and the way it transforms and converts all those involved until they attain imortality.
This is not sexy, hip, or filled with ironic humor. It succeeds wonderfully in telling a compelling story. A thinking man's anime. Mankind worts and all, set in another place and time, a fresh take, not dated at all by the passing of years since it was made. You may start to watch it for the beautiful animation, and find yourself spellbound as I was.