Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King

In this movie, Nobita switches lives with a prince from a Maya-esque civilization, who somehow looks just like him. This might have been the first Doraemon movie I ever watched. I remembered it as a good one, and I'd generally still agree with that assessment. That's not to say that one can't find holes in the narrative (why does Doraemon try attacking the villains' moving statues even after he's already realized they're illusions?), but I found it a well-crafted and enjoyable story overall. Furthermore, Prince Tio may very well have the most compelling arc of any movie-exclusive character in a Doraemon film. This movie also ends up being a great showcase for Nobita, with his role as a foil for Tio bringing out Nobita's best qualities as a person. That being said, Tio getting together with his handmaiden, Kuku, at the end does feel a bit forced given that she barely gets to witness his character development firsthand during the events of the story (and what she thought she saw as growth on Tio's part occurred while Nobita was posing as the prince).

This is one of the best Doraemon Movies out there, right alongside Stand By Me and Stand By Me 2. It's villain, Ledina, was a force to be reckoned with, and the End Credits Song has become a memory for me! The entire movie and it's soundtrack is just AWESOME, and the pacing is just phenomenal.