Its war even inside the dragons mouth. Gainax is effectively dead. Imaishi led an exodus of its best animators to Trigger. Hideaki Anno and his protg Kazuya Tsurumaki took the golden goose of Evangelion to Khara. Its there that Tsurumaki FLCL directed this 90minute NHK special that recalls Gainaxs classic era an adventure in a thoroughly crafted world of ShintoBuddhist spiritualism and an altWWII that together evoke a familiar nostalgic nationalism. Within that a meditation on war pacifism and death. Theres also a perky Gainax girl with a ko name. Dragons are mighty flying isles of the afterlife ferrying the spirits of the dead through their teeth. Dentists like priests purify the holy grounds. Turns out theres a lot to purify in a time of war. When one young American soldier is reborn inside a Japanese dragon he joins the dentist tribe who protected him from interrogation. But in this era dragons are also impenetrable flying fortresses. The sacred is militarized and the battlefield beckons even in purgatory. I suspect much Japanese culture flew over my American head in Ryuu no Haisha but like other classic Gainax anime theres a density of worldbuilding and action to hold my interest and even engage my thoughts after the credits roll. Little advertised this will likely evade the radar of otakudom but it deserves a look.