Introduction
In a tranquil neighborhood of Tokyo, seven students are avoiding going to school—hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends—until the moment they find the mirrors in their bedrooms are shining.
At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives into a wondrous castle straight out of a Grimm's fairy tale. This whimsical place, oddly lacking in food and running water but full of electrical sockets, is home to a petulant girl in a mask, named Wolf Queen and becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. Hidden within the walls, they're told there's a key that will grant one wish, as well as a set of clues to find it. But there's a catch: the key must be found by the end of the school year and they must leave the premises by five o'clock each day or else suffer a fatal end.
As time passes, a devastating truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved. And so they begin to unlock each other's stories: how a boy is showered with more gadgets than love; how another suffers a painful and unexplained rejection, and how a girl lives in fear of her predatory stepfather. As they struggle to abide by the rules of the game, a moving story unfolds, of seven characters trapped in a cycle of misunderstanding and loneliness, who are ultimately set free by the power of friendship, empathy, and sacrifice.
(Source: Erewhon Books, edited)
Audience reviews
17 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
hxsfjt
Would easily have been the most heartwarming, feel-good movie I’d ever seen if I were a third-grader—but I’m an adult now.
The story was as corny and cheesy as you can imagine. The first half—your run-of-the-mill teenage drama about school bullying—was borderline unwatchable. The only reason I could sit through it was that I’d been told there would be a massive plot twist in the second half. However, the supposed “plot twist” turned out to be every bit as predictable and underwhelming as the rest of the movie—a huge letdown.
Should’ve seen that coming from five hundred miles away. I mean, given how bad the writing was in the first hour, how could you expect anything impressive from the second? I should’ve dropped the movie halfway through—at least an hour of my life could have been saved…
Read at the sourcerubbingmybelly
"Lonely Castle in the Mirror" was originally published as a novel in 2017, with a manga adaption serializing from 2019 to 2022, and an anime movie adaption also releasing in 2022. Both the novel and the anime movie received a good amount of positive recognition, so why are there so many people unhappy with the anime adaption compared to the novel, you ask?
Actually.. I didn't read the novel. I only completed the manga adaption recently. Despite hearing that the manga didn't entirely live up to it's source, I really enjoyed it, so I had very high expectations when I decided to watch the movie. I didn't even expect the movie to be perfect, but I wasn't anticipating to be let down as much as I was, either, so my expectations were eventually crushed.
The story stays the same: 7 kids who avoi…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
When it comes to fiction embedded in our world, with characters drawn into a fantasy realm, there used to be a different, more subtle approach emphasizing the fantastical. Nowadays, fantasy of this ilk tends to be about abusing a pretense of the incredible to mollycoddle characters who have some maladaptation that they resolve by accessing the unknown, which functions as a rite of passage, correcting their problems in the real world. The result is a dissipation of any sense of wonder because what might appear at first unknowable becomes tacitly knowable, rendered as a mere device for self-improvement.
My takeaway is always to ask what about those who don't get the privilege of having a fairy tale that resolves their problems conveniently? Doesn't it give the impression that we must resort…
Read at the sourcegraspulver
I was really disappointed with this adaptation from manga/book to anime. So many details were missing, even important ones. It's a shame because the book is really good. Watching it, you don't even get to know the main character properly. Of course, she doesn't talk much, but she has a lot of inner monologues that build up her character. The other characters have as much personality, which is a shame. Everything is so random, and the pacing is even worse because the movie is so rushed. Let's not talk about the animation.
I wouldn't recommend this movie, and I'd rather suggest reading the book. I haven't read the manga, so I can't really say anything about it.
Read at the sourceggultra2764
Lonely Castle in the Mirror is another anime film focused on a troubled teen overcoming her personal issues through some extraordinary means, in this case entering a parallel world in a castle through her bedroom mirror where she encounters six other teens having their own personal troubles. There are two main elements explored throughout this film's run: exploring the personal issues of each of the characters and the mystery surrounding the alternate world that the seven are able to enter.
For the first one, the seven teens share a common dilemma in that they have their personal traumas impacting their lives to varying degrees. The film addresses school bullying and parental abuse in exploring the problems faced by each of the seven teens throughout Lonely Castle's nearly two hour run.…
Read at the sourceiFound
It's a great story about basically 9 people who suffered greatly when they were young and how they overcame their struggles.
It's not an action anime. It's not really a fantasy either. It's pretty much a straight forward message to the young kids who are struggling while growing up, while going to school - the most important thing in your life is to hear others, so that they could hear you as well, that not everyone will be your friend but that you have to look for friends in order to find them, since they maybe right near you but if you don't look hard enough and don't overcome your fears then you may never find them.
It's a very nice romantic story.
The art is great. The only question I had is that one of the girls(Kokoro) is called ugly by the girls in her school, while she is drawn v…
Read at the sourceZettaiken
The movie is based on a Novel written by Tsujimura Mizuki in 2017, I do not have the knowledge if the whole novel was adapted here or a portion of it, I would guess that the movie covers a majority if not entirely the story of it.
The main theme of the movie is involved within the very old fairy tale from 1812 of Grimm Brothers "Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein" - "The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats" which is very well known worlwide a fairy tale of a mother goat leaving her 7 children at home the wolf make 3 attempts to enter the house, eats 6 of them while the 7th was hidden in a big grandfather clock, later the others are saved by cutting the wolf's stomach and the wolf's stomach is replaced by rocks. I guess we've all heard/read it one day. Aswell as there is little reference t…
Read at the sourcepoirotto
Best anime movie I've watched this year (2023). I watched it at the Indonesia Japanese Film Festival 2023 (JFF) and it's certainly my favorite movie at the festival.
I have so much thought but I can't say it properly for the movie. This movie has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
This is one of the most memorable anime movies for me, thanks to the loneliness, hopelessness, bullying, escapism, and anti-social issues that they bring. As for the plot and conclusion, the storytelling is done beautifully and the conclusion, as well as the settlement for each question that arises from the plot, has been answered and portrayed clearly, resulting in such a satisfying ending.
The art style is neat and decent, although not memorable. The OST fits perfectly with the movies and the color grading i…
Read at the sourceLittlotaku
It's a good movie showing the consequences of bullying and it offers a path to recover from it.
Each character has his own reason to drop school, even though it's hardly shown. The movie mainly focus on Kokoro's experience, how she feel and how she's dealing with it. I find it very accurate to reality.
What I find quite new and interesting is how Kokoro's mother is reacting to events. She's extremely supportive, don't push her daughter and reassure her every time it's needed. It could be quite a lesson to parents whose child is being bullied.
It's a shame that the pace is so slow at the beginning, it takes time to reach to the main part.
Animation is amazing, music is great.
I think the film is definitely worth watching.
Read at the sourceDigiCat
A story at it's core full of potential unfortunately hindered by it's pacing and script which are, for lack of a better word... shit
Although i did ultimately enjoy this movie, i feel like it missed by a long shot how great it could've been
It tries to showcase emotional and even tough themes, but these lose their depth and instead come off as exagerated and/or melodramatic thanks to mediocre writing and directing
The first half is paced extreamly badly, with the characters actions feeling so slow a snail could run a marathon before the scene ends
It's also very dialogue focused, like i mentioned before, the script's quality is questionable, so not a good combination
Second half is when things finally start to get a little more interesting, we slowly start to learn about the mysteries o…
Read at the sourceAkiakiSan
Absolute sleeper of a gem.
Bit of a slow burn - but perfectly paced for it's genre - this brilliantly accurate depictions of trauma, and how individuals react and cope to such, make you question if the author themself had first hand experience in living a tragic upbringing.
And it's superb to see mental health treated with respect by the adult characters, especially since Japan is reasonably culturally conservative in that area (at the time of this review), meaning that the movie's themes and uplifting messages make for much needed representation on screen.
Character archetypes are on the simpler side, but do their job in aiding the story and theme.
The animation is decent, with any jankiness attributed to the scene's "camera angle" being tricky to animate on (e.g. spiral staircase), but…
Read at the sourceedroth
I wish more “kids” movies like this were as emotionally intelligent. Absolutely outdid my pretty mid expectations. Almost all the characters were memorable - surprising for a movie like this. I thought I wouldn’t like something like the lil epilogue but it was quite clever with the foreshadowing. I don't think it's wrong to complain about it being formulaic when the visceral nature of Kokoro's story is quite unique. Aki's story was also good if a bit more formulaic. Subaru was extremely unmemorable. Moe's role was left somewhat unexplained considering how important she was to the conclusion. These are minor complaints, though, and they only make me want to read the novel. Exactly the kind of movie I wish I saw in middle school (though I doubt I would have liked it then).
Read at the sourcexShiningxMoonx
7.5/10
-Unclear theme and muddled plotting
-Sloppy, dues-ex-machina world building
+Relatable heroine with interesting backstory
+Fun, colorful cast of characters
Upon first glance, Lonely Castle and the Mirror sets itself up as a fantastical adventure—seven lonely children get whisked away to a magical castle where their wishes can be granted. The initial concept is promising as it opens the door to discuss themes of escapism vs reality, finding courage to face adversity, self sacrifice, etc. Our heroine Kokoro is sympathetic and easy to relate to, the colors in the film are whimsical, and there’s a fun mystery, all a recipe for success.
So what went wrong? Unfortunately the movie’s plotting and story beats are not well defined. With three fourths of the movie surrounded by a large c…
Read at the sourceAeroGunz
“Lonely Castle in the Mirror” is what happens when You have a pretty nice idea with a twist and absolutely butcher the drama in it.
At first glance You might think we will follow seven different characters on their journeys. That’s a negative. We see the plot and follow mostly one of them, our MC - Kokoro Anzai. One day, while avoiding school she is transported through the mirror into a castle in the middle of nowhere. There she meets six more young teenagers and a mysterious girl, clothed in a red dress and a wolf’s mask.
They are given a challenge: Enter the room that cannot be entered by finding a key. There will be granted one wish. They have about a year to do so.
That’s the premise and I think it’s pretty solid. Mixing red riding hood with a little bit of Alice through the looking…
Read at the sourcefabiandewa19
This movie has a Lonely Castle uses fairy tales like The Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf and the Seven Goats.
The mystery genre referred to here is actually a puzzle. So that the fall of this genre feels better, try to always think like "why..." & "how could...". That way, you can feel and judge well. Your curiosity will be answered when you are nearing the end of the movie. while watching you have to be patient and have to remember that there are always puzzles. Well that's all there is to say because most of this story is prone to spoilers.
Well that's all that can be said because some of them contain spoilers. I think this is sufficient as a review.
Thanks for reading. Hope you liked this review and can watch it soon.
Note: I guarantee you will enjoy watching if you follow what I…
Read at the sourcethe_Oli__
TLDR: After watching the movie I honestly felt like it was a waste of time. Was it a good movie? It was fine. Is it worth watching? Only if you have time, there are a lot of anime/movies to watch rather than watching this one. If you have not watched Wonder Egg Priority then watch that instead, both have quite a similar story and setting and in my opinion the latter did it better. Watch this movie only if you have spare time(which means you dont have any anime back log, go clear your back log first... I am pretty sure that decade old anime which is still in your to watch list is worth watching more than this)
Now for an in depth review. The movie is about seven students who are not going to school due to their problems, so they are transported to a fantasy world where they empathise with…
Read at the sourcekumajoi
My first impression. The foreshadowing is wonderful. Reminds me of my childhood. A slightly dark story continues, but at the end you can see the path of light.
- Great foreshadowing
As written in the story synopsis, this is the story of seven junior high school students who are unable to go to school due to various problems, and the castle's master, who wears a wolf mask.
The original novel was released in 2017. In 2018, the bookstore grand prize (given to the book that bookstores want to sell the most). Many people admire this story.
I saw the movie without reading the original novel. Until the middle of the story, there are scenes that calm down, but overall it's dark. There is also fear. However, at the end, the foreshadowing gathers and the heart trembles at the ending. By the middle…
Read at the source