Mamoru Hosoda is an award-winning director who has worked for the biggest anime studios, including Toei Animation and Studio Ghibli, before he founded his own studio, Studio Chizu, in 2011. He is best known for hit films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Belle. His unique storytelling style has captured people’s imaginations and created many magical moments. His latest film, inspired by the Shakespeare play Hamlet, aims to recreate that same magic as Scarlet slashes her way into cinemas worldwide.

Set between the 1600s and 1700s, Scarlet, a medieval-era, sword-fighting princess on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father, is the protagonist of this powerful, time-bending animated adventure. After failing in her mission and finding herself fatally injured in a surreal world, she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but also shows her the possibility of a future free from bitterness and rage. When confronted once more by her father’s killer, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge?

The title character, Scarlet, is voiced by Mana Ashida in Japanese and Erin Yvette in English. Scarlet lived a happy life as the Princess of Denmark with her loving parents until her father was executed by his brother, Claudius, so he could claim the throne and become King. As Scarlet grows up, she dedicates her life to training in various forms of combat to one day get revenge, and when that day arrived, she was unsuccessful. She then finds herself in a mysterious desert and meets Hijiri, who instinctively tends to her wounds.

Hijiri is voiced by Masaki Okadain Japanese and Chris Hackney in English. He is a paramedic from modern-day Japan, wearing his uniform and equipped with his medical gear. His appearance is where the film gets interesting, as he comes from a completely different era than Scarlet’s, and they must work together to find a way out of this strange place.

Their interactions, with their vastly different personalities, quickly become the story’s biggest feature. Scarlet is a warrior hellbent on revenge and won’t hesitate to kill anyone who poses a threat, while Hijiri’s natural instincts are to help anyone in need, even if they were trying kill him or Scarlet. As they learn more about each other, Scarlet begins to question her own motives and whether revenge is the answer after hearing about Hijiri’s world being more peaceful and happy, reminding her of her childhood before her father was executed.

Throughout the film, Hijiri also has to make questionable decisions, sometimes picking up a weapon to save Scarlet, but possibly at the expense of someone else. Even when he has to make tough decisions, he never forgets why he became a paramedic in the first place, and he gets many opportunities to put his skills to good use, which Scarlet admires about him. No matter how badly Scarlet desires a peaceful and happy life, most times fighting and killing is the only answer, but that doesn’t stop her from wondering what a life without war, violence and revenge might be like.

Scarlet and Hijiri have fantastic on-screen chemistry as they learn from each other despite their polar-opposite personalities, different motives, and life experiences. It’s easy to forget that Scarlet’s main mission is to find and kill Claudius, but of course, she never forgot.

The pace of the story might feel a bit slow in the middle, but it also gives audiences a chance to take everything in rather than rush into the next scene. The slow pace also allows Scarlet to process everything and question her motives.

The mysterious world that Scarlet, Hijiri, and other characters encounter along the way is mainly a vast, open desert. The context of this place is slowly explained throughout the movie as Scarlet and Hijiri encounter warriors from different countries and eras. First, they’ll encounter sword-wielding bandits before they’re taken out by a different group of bandits armed with muskets, which Scarlet hasn’t seen before.

They’ll also meet groups of people from different regions across the world, identified by their traditional clothing. Over time, an evil empire is also forming, composed of warriors from all over the globe. This mysterious world seems to be attracting people from different regions and eras across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Polynesia, and Studio Chizu did a fantastic job of representing their respective cultures.

The movie utilises a mix of 2D and 3D animation to bring this story to life. The film is primarily in 2D, but 3D is used mainly for the action scenes, which are plentiful. The character designs all look excellent from afar and even better up close, where you can see their facial expressions. The characters become 3D when an action scene begins, but their designs remain intact. The transitions between 2D and 3D aren’t as smooth as they could be, but it’s easily forgiven given how exciting the action scenes are, best seen on a cinema screen.

There is even a big dance scene that feels really out of place, but has a good reason. Given how complex the dance moves are, it’s an amazing display of animation quality, bringing them to life. As bizarre as this scene might be, audiences will be wanting more of it after it’s over, but no one more than Scarlet, especially. The music during this scene fits in perfectly, as does the entire film’s strong musical score composed by Taisei Iwasaki.

With Mamoru Hosoda’s previous films leaving a lasting impression on audiences, expectations are high for Scarlet. His latest film certainly has a lot going for it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite reach the same mark as his more successful and memorable films. That’s not to say that Scarlet isn’t worth seeing at all, as it still has plenty of emotion, exciting action, and memorable moments. The ending is an emotional tear-jerker and a great example of powerful storytelling in true anime style. Watching the movie in Japanese is, of course, recommended, but the English voice also does a brilliant job of bringing the characters to life.

Scarlet may just fall short of being one of Mamoru Hosoda’s best films, but it’s still a must-see movie with more than enough to keep audiences engaged, thanks to its unique take on the Hamlet story, stunning visuals, action scenes, and more. Above all, the on-screen chemistry between Scarlet and Hijiri is the biggest and best feature of the film, given their polar-opposite personalities and their different eras. Even with its faults, Scarlet is still a worthwhile anime movie full of emotion, tragedy, betrayal, a desire for peace, moral questioning, and powerful storytelling, which should be experienced in a cinema.

Written by: Sammy Hanson