Critic's Notebook

La Biennale di Venezia

This is going to sound a bit like inside baseball, but it’s not every day you see a major studio releasing anime. Within the Sony Pictures corporate structure, Crunchyroll handles such titles by default. Otherwise, they’d go to niche labels such as Destination Films or Sony Pictures Classics. Tangentially, homegrown Sony Pictures Animation productions lately have been dumped on Netflix, including surprise hit “KPop Demon Hunters.” The first (and hopefully not last) anime feature to carry the Columbia Pictures banner proper is “Scarlet” by Mamoru Hosoda, director of the Oscar-nominated “Mirai.”

It makes sense that “Scarlet” merits special treatment and a coveted awards season slot, though, considering its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival among many Oscar hopefuls. It possesses the epic bravado and artistry that exemplify prestige pictures. The voice cast features such luminaries as Koji Yakusho, and it’s a relief the studio has the good sense to not to dub it in English, at least for now. Its credits even boast Danish academics serving as historical and cultural consultants. It’s some serious stuff we’re talking about here.

The titular protagonist (voiced by Mana Ashida) is a princess in 16th century Elsinore who is already in the afterlife at the very start. In flashback, we learn that her father, the beloved king Amleth (voiced by Masachika Ichimura), is executed after his brother, Claudius (voiced by Mr. Yakusho), stages a coup. Thus Scarlet vows to exact revenge and commences a rigorous training regimen. She stubbornly continues her quest even in the afterlife, where she procures a suit of armor and painstakingly sharpens blades.

She encounters Hijiri (voiced by Masaki Okada of “Drive My Car”), a paramedic from our time who believes he’s still alive and on the clock. Almost immediately, they face an attack by the underlings of Claudius who are promised spots in eternity at the summit of the afterlife. Hijiri does little to intervene, as he deems violence not to be the answer.

They are soon pillaged by bandits from different time periods, who even loot Hijiri’s first-aid kit despite theoretically not knowing its uses. Suffice it to say, there are many, many action sequences incorporating daggers, swords, arrows, guns and even cannons. Scarlet and Hijiri briefly find refuge with an ethnically diverse caravan. Unexpectedly, we get a musical number complete with Bollywood style song and dance initiated by a woman who appears to be an indigenous Hawaiian. Indeed, the afterlife is a pastiche of different cultures and eras.

Mr. Hosoda employs traditional hand-drawn style for the characters but places them against immersive photo-realistic C.G.I. backdrops. While this is nothing new, his particular art style creates interesting contrast and juxtaposition. Despite this method’s deliberately calling attention to the artificiality of the character designs, it doesn’t necessarily disrupt the storytelling.

“Scarlet” truly feels like Oscar bait, both thematically and visually. It’s by no means breaking new ground or establishing itself as a new classic like the works of Makoto Shinkai, but it’s still an entertaining spectacle. Mr. Hosoda’s screenplay thrills and carries a meaningful message, even if Scarlet arrives at this epiphany rather abruptly. The story does get a bit intense and gory for younger children, so subtitles shouldn’t deter its intended audience.