A bolder choice on the artistic style could also have benefited the work immensely, as so rigidly following the Ghibli aesthetic essentially abandons the more eerie style and atmosphere of the manga with it's abstracted, just out of sight (or not looked at) horrors. The artstyle of the 'Pigtails' short, another Machiko Kyō manga adaptation, would be an example of a better fit.
In summary: A good enough watch, although falls short in a number of areas as an adaptation of a what is a very interesting manga.
