Lonely Castle in the Mirror (かがみの孤城, Kagami no Kojō) is a 2022 theatrical anime film based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel of the same name. The film was adapted by A-1 Pictures, and the staff credits include director Keiichi Hara, screenplay writer Miho Maruo, character designer Keigo Sasaki and music composer Harumi Fuuki. The film theatrically released in Japan on December 2022.
Background:
“Shy outcast Kokoro has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. When a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game, the teens must work together to uncover the mysterious connection that unites them. However, anyone who breaks the rules will be eaten by a wolf.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, January 2025.
Keiichi Hara worked on a number of films throughout his career in the anime industry. Starting off with the Crayon Shin-chan franchise before eventually working on Summer Days with Coo, Colorful, Miss Hokusai and Birthday Wonderland. Outside of Colorful, those three recent films saw a UK release through Anime Limited and admittedly I’ve still not gotten around to watching them. But I do know each one have been received fairly well amongst fans and reviewers, though they do tend to slide under the radar for the most part when compared to the other directors.
The first time I learned about Lonely Castle in the Mirror is that it’s technically an isekai of sorts, the premise being a group of people are transported into a castle that’s not of their own world. As I like to watch films and such as blind as possible (i.e. avoiding trailers due to them giving away too much of the plot) I am intrigued to see what this one brings, especially discovering that Keiichi Hara worked with A-1 Pictures for this adaptation.
North American distributor GKIDS picked up the rights for Lonely Castle in the Mirror with a theatrical and home video release, as well as an English dub, though UK distributor Anime Limited didn’t pick up or announce the license until much later. The film saw a festival release in the UK through The Japan Foundation Tour Programme and Scotland Loves Anime rather than nationwide, but at least it’s also receiving a home video release.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
Anime Limited are fans of Keiichi Hara’s works and so far every title they have released from him have received collector’s releases and Lonely Castle in the Mirror continues that trend.
This release is presented with a rigid box containing a Scanavo case to house the Blu-ray disc, and alongside the case is a 32-page booklet and a fold-out A3 sized poster. The booklet includes a plot synopsis, staff profiles, character information, production notes interview with the director and an essay written by Shelley Pallis.
The rigid box artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray has 1000 units printed for an SRP of £39.99, with a standard edition Blu-ray available for retailers at an SRP of £19.99.
The film was included as part of their late December 2024 early bird pre-order range on their AllTheAnime online store where I ordered from. The set was on offer for £24.99 + £3.50 postage, with the Anime Unlimited membership lowering the cost down to £22.49 + £3.50 postage (totalling £25.99).
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Scanavo packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 32-page Booklet
- A3 Fold-out Poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 20th January 2025
The collector’s edition release for Lonely Castle in the Mirror contains the film on a single Blu-ray disc. The discs were authored and encoded by GKIDS, via their 2023 release.
The audio options available include Japanese with English subtitles and the NYAV Post English dub commissioned by GKIDS, plus English subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the discs are restricted to players set to B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.78:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English, English HOH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Art Gallery (15:02 runtime)
- Trailers (04:10 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Lonely Castle in the Mirror is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland. The collector’s edition Blu-ray release can be bought through the AllTheAnime Store, while the standard edition Blu-ray can also be bought through different retailers including AllTheAnime Store, Amazon UK, and Anime-on-Line.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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