Kagami no Kojou

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)

Anzai, Kokoro Main

Touma, Ami Japanese

Inoue, Akiko Supporting

Kiryuu, Sakura Japanese

Ookami-sama Supporting

Ashida, Mana Japanese

Mizumori, Rion Supporting

Kitamura, Takumi Japanese

Hasegawa, Fuuka Supporting

Yokomizo, Naho Japanese

Masamune, Aasu Supporting

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Kitajima-sensei Supporting

Miyazaki, Aoi Japanese

Ida-sensei Supporting

Fujimori, Shingo Japanese

School Nurse Supporting

Takizawa, Karen Japanese

Kokoro's Mother Supporting

Aso, Kumiko Japanese

Obuse, Kensuke Assistant Producer

Hara, Keiichi Director

Nagatomo, Takakazu Episode Director

Yuuri Theme Song Performance

Reviews

Jan 27, 2023

kumajoi

Recommended

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 of the movie, I kind of figured out the trick of the movie. When I finally figured out that it was the right answer, my emotions were greatly elevated. It may be a simple, common trick. But a wonderful script that could make use of that trick.

I think fans of the original novel will be happy with this movie. Of course, the original author is also pleased (details will be described later). I want to read the original novel as soon as possible.

- Character expressions and clothes
Junior high school students who are unable to do not go to school. The theme is a little heavy. Sometimes they darken their faces, sometimes they get scared. But they also have times when their hearts soften, and times when they have courage. Many facial expressions are drawn. Personally, I like how the character's clothes change with the seasons. Of course, the everyday world and castles are also wonderful.


Well,
In my reviews, I often write about what it looked like when it was released in Japan. This time, I was able to participate in a talk event with director Keiichi Hara and author Miduki Tsujimura.
Director Keiichi Hara has been join in many Japanese animations, including the Crayon Shin-chan movie. The original author of Miduki Tsujimura is a popular writer. Her novels are often turned into drama series and movies.

## After that, little spoilers





There were various talk topics, but I would like to tell MAL two things.

1. In the middle of the movie, characters say great lines. (That is, I highly recommend watching with subtitles.) At the talk event, I was able to see the post-recorded script, but the lines was handwritten. In other words, a lines that was added at the director's idea during recording. The director apparently recorded it as Plan B, but he realized it worked as a foreshadowing, so it was used.

2. "Anywhere door" shoes problem. They go back and forth between the room and the castle through mirrors. Like Doraemon and Nobita. When Tujimura wrote the novel he wasn't thinking about shoes. However, Director Hara prepared shoes in front of the mirror. Tsujimura seems to have been impressed by this. This is with Doraemon!
Tsujimura says he loved Hara's anime since he was a kid. Especially Chimpui. (Tsujimura has also written a script for a Doraemon movie [Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration (movie 2-14)] ). Director Hara has participated in Doraemon and other Fujiko F. Fujio animations for many years.
Tsujimura was thrilled to be working with one of his favorite animators, Hara. Great anime makes great animators for future.


A personal story at the end of the review.
I thought back to my childhood. There were times when I was sad. It's a small thing now, but I remember the feeling. Children's world is small because what they can do with their power is limited. Especially Japanese children. I remember struggling too. What I can do is release that littleness.
And do the exact same thing for me as an adult.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 3, 2023

the_Oli__

Mixed Feelings

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 one another and through the power of friendship, empathy and sacrifice they overcome their challenges. If this looks similar or heard, then yes this plot is similar to Wonder Egg Priority (the name is repeated a lot as i cannot help but compare the two so i will be usnig WEP as an abbrivation). Though WEP came in 2021 and the novel for this came before WEP and WEP strayed away from the plot a lot and is still incomplete, I still feel WEP did a better job in doing what this movie wanted to do in almost all aspects (from story and characters to animation and sound) and here's why...

The movie takes a unique take and addresses the issues faced by students in school which makes them feel like not attending the school. It has a very diverse cast each facing a different issue but the movie did not do justice to any other character other than the MC. None of the issues were addressed or explored. The supporting characters did not feel like they developed, maybe if it was not a movie and was an anime series of like 12 to 24 episodes exploring each and everyones stories, then that anime could have achieved something. What WEP does right in this case is that it explores all its character better than this. It felt like it was a lot of wasted potential as the movie could have explored more darker sides of the issues and it could have addressed them properly.

Experience: 6/10
The first 20 minutes or so of the movie were not captivating at all, i pushed through till like 30 minutes to get the interest built up slightly. the Ecperience was not bad but was not worth spending 1hr 20 mins on (I watched it at 1.5x) there are better movies/animes that i could have watched in this time.

Story: 6/10
The story tried to explore a really unexplored area of life which is a great thing but the story itself lacked in what it was trying to achieve. There was almost no tension built for the final act in the first two acts of the movie. The Final act felt forced, trying to shove down something which was not built up for.

Characters: 4/10
The most disappointing part of the movie was its characters. Though it had quiet a large and diverse caste, none of them other than the MC were explored, their issues were given like 15 to 20 seconds of screen time. The characters should have been explored more. In the end, the character development felt like it was forced and did not make any powerful impact. Even the MC was not explored completely. This is the part that lacked the most in the movie.

Art and Animation: 8/10
As you can expect from a movie the art and animation was theatre grade. The colors were vibrant and animation was smooth. The art style was not something unique but was fairly good.

Sound: 6/10
The OST and ED were pretty okay-ish. Nothing too standing out nor somthing that you will notice or remember unless you are specifically looking for it.

Overall: 6/10
Apart from Art and Animation, all of the aspects could have been improved. Would not recommend to watch this at all. watch only if you have spare time (spare time as in there is definitely no other anume for you to watch in your watchlist).

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 11, 2024

graspulver

Not Recommended

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	There's actually an epilogue to this film Jax - Apr 8	9 replies	by Jax »» Jul 1, 2:04 AM
	Poll: Kagami no Kojou Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Usopp8000 - Jan 1, 2023	51 replies	by Rei_III »» Jun 30, 11:09 AM
	Over a year, movie is still loved by many people. kumajoi - Feb 9	5 replies	by BassDrivenM »» Mar 24, 2:46 PM
	Is this English Dubbed? OtakuSociety8 - Feb 10	3 replies	by Akmalbarg47c »» Feb 12, 9:07 AM
	Beautiful movie, if it gets a local release, don't miss it. blenderben - Dec 25, 2022	3 replies	by sxnchit »» Jun 20, 2023 10:20 AM