Hara’s ‘Lonely Castle in the Mirror’ reflects on teen angst

Keiichi Hara explores the mind of a misbehaved high school student in his latest feature film, “Lonely Castle in the Mirror.”

“I think I’m relatively good at portraying characters realistically and making the audience identify with them,” the anime director said.

Hara, best known for his emotional “Crayon Shin-chan” films, delicately portrayed the inner workings of a high school student who dies and has a fresh start in life in “Colorful” (2010), which is based on a novel. of Eto Mori.

“I was worried that (the new film) would end up being something similar to ‘Colorful,’ but I felt safe while working on the storyboards,” he said.

“Lonely Castle in the Mirror,” which is being shown nationwide, is based on a novel of the same title by Mizuki Tsujimura, which won the Japan Booksellers Award.

The story centers on Kokoro, who is absent from school. One day, she is sucked into a mirror in her room and finds herself in a castle on an isolated island with six other high school students she has never seen before.

A mysterious girl in a wolf mask tells them that any wish will be granted if they find a key hidden in the castle within a year.

As they search for the key, they realize they have something in common.

As the seven boys and girls frequent the castle and spend time together drinking tea and playing games, they begin to see that they each have their own worries and anxieties.

But as the story draws to a close, there is a big transition in Kokoro’s relationships with her friends that has haunted her. At the same time, his companions in the castle are struck by a tragedy.

And when the normally shy Kokoro plucks up the courage to act, audiences are swept away by the thrill of solving grand mystery puzzles and the brilliant visual art of this fantasy.

“I gave him nine and a half minutes for a scene just before the climax, in which Kokoro goes into her teammates’ memories,” Hara said. “It is an emotionally heavy moment in which painful experiences are recounted, but then it leads to catharsis.”