I watched this movie last January. I didn't have much expectations about it, since I wasn't familiar with the director Keiichi Hara. However, the movie turned out to be so good that I enjoyed it very much. Although it was a fantasy, it represented the "real world" well.

The main character is Kokoro, a teenage girl who is being bullied at school. One day, she finds a mirror that, upon touching it, drags her into another world. She finds herself inside a castle with six other teenagers. Then the master of the castle appears before them and announces that whoever finds a hidden key somewhere in the castle will be granted one wish.

The movie reflects real life problems, such as bullying, child abuse, and other issues that can ruin a child's life. It pains me, but because of the character of Ms. Kitajima, I can say that the movie is also touching. There are people like her who care about the youth, which gives me hope. She is not a mother. She is not even a school teacher. Yet, she is much more than just a counselor for young people like Kokoro. Aoi Miyazaki is the actress who voices the character of Ms. Kitajima. I've always been a fan of hers, and I think she did a great job in this movie, as always.

When I reviewed "Drifting Home" last year, I said that when it comes to the fantasy genre, anime movies have a lot to offer. Unfortunately, that movie didn't showcase that potential.

But this movie certainly did.

I had such a magical experience with this movie. This is one of those mysteries where the movie is pretty simple in the first 90 minutes. It builds its plot points but it keeps it pretty slow and simple. It does this in a way that it keeps you interested in the story, but just barely. And then the last 30 minutes of the movie COMPLETELY change it. A lot of information is thrown at you until the entire puzzle is completed in your brain. And it's a lot of fun. Remember Astra: Lost in Space? Yup just like that. It's been such a long time since I've seen a mystery like that.

This type of structure is risky though. Because if you stretch out the movie too much, the final act can be a bit too late. This movie though, I thought handled it pretty well. I believe the first 90 minutes, while being slow, were important for that final payoff and for the overall mystery.

And the final act doesn't just provide answers. It really makes you care about these characters and because of that, you walk out completely satisfied. I just LOVED the final act of this movie. The animation by A1 Pictures is nice but towards the end, it's actually quite brilliant. Similarly, the soundtrack in that final sequence was outstanding.

I do think that not all the characters were necessary. They could have merged a few of them into one. But overall though, that final act really blew away all those thoughts. But I'm still confused about just 1 or 2 things, I think I might catch them on a re-watch.

In the end, I just adored this movie. "When Marnie Was There" is my personal favourite mystery movie in anime. But this movie was pretty damn good. If it comes to theatres in your region, please go and watch it. It'll be a beautiful experience.