Director Mamoru Hosoda, the visionary behind acclaimed anime films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Mirai, injects his love for splashy fantasy into a medieval revenge tale with his latest work, Scarlet. The result is a highly emotional and visually captivating epic that can’t always capitalize on the potential it presents with its world and narrative.
The film follows Scarlet (Mana Ashida), a princess who fails to take revenge on her father’s killer and finds herself trapped within a realm between life and death. There, fueled by vengeance and hatred, she seeks newfound strength and companions to avenge her father. While the medieval-focused first act is pretty on-par for a Shakespeare-inspired revenge tale, Hosoda’s signature anime-fantasy and time-travel story elements shape this intriguing new realm Scarlet finds herself in, known as the “Otherwold.”
The idea of people who die throughout time coalescing in this vast space builds intriguing lore. It’s fascinating to watch other soldiers and citizens throughout different eras of humanity interact, fight, or even work together. There’s an awesome sequence of Scarlet entering a huge marketplace where Middle Age Knights can be seen bartering with Feudal Samurai. The wide array of armor and weapons Scarlet can find gives her the opportunity to essentially become the ultimate warrior. Even the concept of Scarlet being paired with a modern-day EMT named Hijiri (Masaki Okada) is great because it allows her Medieval mindset to clash with Hijiri’s modern sensibilities.
This blend of time-spanning history and Hosoda’s fantasy vision allows for a feast of striking visuals that easily make Scarlet one of the most stunning films of the year. While the film’s distinct digital art style takes some getting used to because the characters and backgrounds don’t always mesh well, Scarlet is absolutely eye-watering. Hosoda’s ambition hits new peaks as the genre-blending within the animation is phenomenal. Pure fantasy soaks into the medieval-themed combat flawlessly to create powerful action scenes that keep your heart pounding.
Scarlet’s trip into the Otherworld spews nightmarish horror into the experience, making for one hell of a transition into the second act. Even from the character design, there’s a great blend of realism and anime fantasy that lets the colors pop and immediately catches your eye. And, it’s hard not to be impressed by the wild sense of scope Hosoda brings, especially in the final stretch of Scarlet’s adventure. The entire last act is a masterclass in visual storytelling with some astonishing fights and awe-inducing set pieces. From Scarlet initially entering this higher plain of existence to the film’s final moments there, you’re just gorging on all the eye-widening aesthetics Hosoda provides.
All of this is what makes Scarlet such an ambitiously crafted work from Hosoda that never ceases to amaze. Seriously, it can’t be understated how special the visuals of the last act are and it’s one of the key things that keeps you engaged, even through some of the so-so storytelling. While there is a great throughline within the narrative when it comes to Scarlet herself, Hosoda doesn’t establish the overall lore smoothly. Hosoda hides important details for too long and creates confusing threads that clog up the pacing.
Sometimes it’s weird to see certain characters in the Otherworld, like the main villain, because it’s unclear how they got there. Plus, there are these flimsy rules about why you can exist there even if you’re not totally dead that further muddy the waters. It’s where Hosoda’s fantasy vision gets in the way at times and the film can be so tough to keep up with. Plus, Hosoda leaves too much on the table when it comes to utilizing all the different eras of warriors at his disposal. There’s so much potential that isn’t touched on, like different fighting styles through time or more old and modern interactions, that could’ve been incredible to see play out. Even by the end you’re still perplexed by certain details and it’s a big reason Scarlet lacks some of the sticking power of Hosoda’s previous works.
Still though, Scarlet’s central arc and her budding relationship with Hijiri shine through enough to make the film surprisingly emotional. From the start, you’re deeply connected to the revenge that drives Scarlet because the first act is perfectly grounded by its Shakespearean inspirations. Then, as Scarlet and Hijiri meet and travel together, there are themes of forgiveness and personal retribution that form to slowly melt your heart away. There’s still some funniness and fantasy action that Hosoda’s known for, but there’s also a personal awakening within these characters that’s astounding to see evolve. They have gone through revelations and changes that make for a satisfying epic full of well-cooked reveals and cutting emotional daggers. It’s a story about self-healing and finding peace that’s truly timeless and those last few scenes between Scarlet and Hijiri are absolute tear-jerkers. Hosoda really crafts a superbly poignant and heart-melting final stretch that’s completely satisfying in every fashion. From tearful goodbyes to a villain’s demise, Scarlet’s finale is can’t miss stuff and leaves the film on a titanic high.
The jumbled lore and mixed-bag of world-building leave some untapped potential that keeps Scarlet from ranking among Hosoda’s best, but it’s still a magnificently animated epic that doesn’t disappoint. Its genre-blending aesthetic is as cinematic as it gets and the tender main storyline chock-full of thematic resonance are more than enough to make it a worthwhile ride that ranks among the best animated films of the year.
