Scarlet

SCARLET 👑 (2026) 果てしなきスカーレット

Academy Award–nominated director Mamoru Hosoda, known for Digimon: The Movie (2000), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), and the Academy Award–nominated Mirai (2018), returns to the big screen with his latest anime epic, SCARLET.

Set in medieval times, the film is an inspired reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, that follows a princess driven by vengeance after the murder of her father, the king. Her quest forces her to travel a purgatorial plane of existence, where the boundary between life, death, and purpose begins to blur.

On her journey, she meets a paramedic from the present day, who believes that healing, not killing, is the path to a hopeful future free from rage and pain.The more they speak to one another, the harder it becomes for SCARLET to face the daunting challenge ahead. Does she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning beyond revenge? Or does she kill the man who murdered her father?

SCARLET bears all of Hosoda’s hallmarks: a strong, nuanced heroine, breathtakingly detailed animation, and a story set against an otherworldly, sprawling domain.

Like most of his movies, it’s easy to immerse yourself in the world he creates, but SCARLET lacks emotional weight, leaving much of what unfolds feeling like a fleeting malaise. That being said, this is still a serviceable anime fantasy, one that rewards an appreciation for animation and score—even if its story struggles to meet its own ambitions.

It reminded me a lot of his last film, Belle (2021), where the story is built around the music and the in-between character moments matter less than the hopeful spectacle of togetherness that’s being exuded on screen.

Ultimately, SCARLET is a sweeping, time-bending tale of revenge that begins with intensity and ambition, but gradually drifts into a beautiful yet hollow fantasy, a spectacle that impresses the eyes but struggles to linger in the heart. 

Enjoy!

6.2/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 1hr52mins

Where: In Theatres

The Richmond Reviewer Scarlet Review - February 6th, 2026.

#Scarlet #Movie #Anime #Review #Animation