the audience applauded

not as good as all the hype

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Am a big fan of nature documentaries, especially the work of David Attenborough. Having been recommended 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' through Amazon, it was instantly put down on my list as a must see. Also heard nothing but praise for it, so that further sparked interest. 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' is as good as others on Amazon have said and there is not much to add, actually feeling much more than just a documentary. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more.It is hard knowing when to start with the praise. 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' for starters looks enchanting, reasons enough to make book a trip to see the more naturalistic parts of Japan. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life. The rich colours just leap out and the scenery from this part of the world has rarely looked more beautiful. The music here is a remarkably good fit, throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them and there is an authentic flavour to it.What of the narrative and information aspects? Can't fault 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful.From start to finish, 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' managed to intrigue and illuminate, and there is a freshness to the material, not feeling derivative of anything. The narration is delivered articulately by Michelle Dockery, there's an enthusiasm and precision about the delivery and it never feels preachy.The wildlife themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable and the dangerous, and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. Not just that we also see how humans interact and adapt which was just as great and interesting to watch. There is a good deal of suspense and emotional impact. There are some scenes where one is amazed that they managed to be filmed in the first place, like with the snakes.In all the three episodes, 'Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands' feels much more than a series and it doesn't feel episodic or repetitive. The episodes instead feel like their own story, without being too reliant on that approach, with real, complex emotions and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.Overall, really enchanting. Shame that it didn't last longer. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This three part BBC documentary shows us some of the wonders of nature in the islands of Japan. The first concentrates on Honshu; the mountainous main island that is home to most of the country's population. We see that away from the crowded population centres there is a wide variety of wildlife including bears and macaques which can be problematical for the rural populous but also more welcome species including fish that are used for cleaning the dishes in one town! The second episode moves to the subtropical islands of Okinawa where locals farm seaweed and catch deadly sea snakes, and the largest land crabs and smallest wild boar are to be found. Finally in part three we are taken north to Hokkaido where mild summers give way to Siberian winters. Here we see how man lives alongside bears and magnificent Steller's Sea Eagles and red crowned cranes that have been brought back from near extinction.Anybody who enjoys natural history or is fascinated by Japan is sure to enjoy this series. Michelle Dockery does a fine job narrating the series; delivering the information in an interesting manner without being overly gushing. The photographic team did a great job filming the various creatures in their spectacular natural habitat… they certainly made the country look great; if it hadn't been on the BBC I might have thought it was sponsored by the Japanese tourist board! Some of the things shown were familiar but most weren't and all of it was interesting… I don't think I'll forget the amazing scenes of two seventy year old women catching sea snakes with their bare hands! Overall a fascinating insight into the nature of Japan; my only real complaint is that it was only three episodes long.