Keiichi Hara's film originally opened in Japan in December 2022
Kodoani.com – Anime series adapted from the novel “Lonely Castle in the MirrorMizuki Tsujimura's ” (Kagami no Kojō) received the Special Award at the Stuttgart International Animation Film Festival in Germany. The festival took place from April 23 to 28.
The jury noted that the film deserved a special award “for its brave and sensitive storytelling in handling the important theme of overcoming loneliness through the friendship that can come with it.” .”
Benoît Chieux's “Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds” won the main AniMovie award for best animated film this year.
Hayao Miyazaki's “Ponyo” won the AniMovie award in 2010, while Makoto Shinkai's “The Garden of Words” won the award in 2014. Mamoru Hosoda's “Mirai” won the AniMovie award in 2019. “In This Corner of the World” by Sunao Katabuchi received a Special Award for Aniphim award in 2017.
“Lonely Castle in the Mirror” opened in Japan in December 2022. GKIDS screened the film in Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub in select theaters in North America in June 2023 .
The Japan Academy Film Awards Association nominated the film for Animation of the Year at the 46th annual awards ceremony.
The novel was released by Doubleday in April 2021 and describes the story as follows:
“In a peaceful neighborhood in Tokyo, seven teenagers wake up and realize their bedroom mirror is shining. With just one touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a magical castle filled with Winding staircases, wary portraits and glittering chandeliers, they are faced with a series of clues that lead to a secret room where one of them will be. are granted a wish. But there's a catch: if they don't leave the castle by 5 o'clock, they will be punished.
As time passes, a cruel truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved.”
Tsujimura (author of the novel “Anime Supremacy!”, and author of Naoshi Arakawa's manga “A School Frozen in Time”) released the original novel in Japan in 2017.”