By
Evan D. Mullicane
Published 46 minutes ago
Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.
Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.
In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.
You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia
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Few anime dominated headlines in 2025 like the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. The movie was nothing short of a smash hit, becoming the highest-grossing anime film of all time. Though the anime was obviously quite popular, it's another 2025 anime movie whose quality is so impressive that it's being compared to Shakespeare.
Acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda's Scarlet. The film is a very loose adaptation of Hamlet that adds elements of sci-fi and fantasy to enhance Shakespeare's classic tale of revenge.
Even outside of plot comparisons to Shakespeare, however, the film is earning comparisons for its place in history. In an interview with Oricon News, veteran voice actor Kōtarō Yoshida says he believes Scarlet will stand the test of time just like Hamlet has.
I personally really love Hamlet. I think it's the greatest play in the world. Scarlet was born on Hamlet. What's more, Hamlet was written around 1600 and is still read today. I strongly felt that this film is also a work that should be remembered for generations to come.
Mamoru Hosoda's Scarlet Could Be 2025's Most Meaningful Anime Film
Mamoru-Hosoda-Scarlet-Teaser-Visual
Yoshida plays a character named Voltemand in the film, so his perception is obviously a little biased, but his praise is not something to be taken lightly.
Mamoru Hosoda's Scarlet has all the makings of a new epic, and with its Shakespearean source material, the film is clearly aspiring to something greater than just another mindless popcorn movie.
The film only recently released on November 21st in Japan, and Western fans will have to wait till February 6th 2026, for a wider release. Scarlet has been met with decent critical praise and has a 73% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.
That number is, unfortunately, quite a bit short of Hosoda's previous works, as his films Belle, Wolf Children, and the Boy and the Beast all have scores of over 90% fresh on the critic ranking site. That being said, each has far more reviews than Scarlet, so the movie's real critical test will come when it gets a wide release in early 2026.
Critics who enjoyed the film have praised its emotional depth, impressive visuals, and its impressive reimagining of Hamlet.
Does Scarlet Have What It Takes To Compete Against Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man
While it's unlikely that Scarlet will come close to approaching the record-breaking box office of Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man, it doesn't necessarily have to in order to be a huge success.
Hosoda is an acclaimed director who has been compared to the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai, and Scarlet is certainly visually impressive, so it has a good chance of performing well at the international box office.
Regardless of its commercial success, though, the real test of Scarlet will be its artistic merits. If the film wants to age as well as Kōtarō Yoshida suggests it will, then Scarlet's artistry will be all that really matters.
Scarlet
Like Follow Followed Animation Action Romance Fantasy Release Date February 6, 2026 Runtime 112 Minutes Director Mamoru HosodaCast
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Mana Ashida
Scarlet (voice)
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Masaki Okada
Hijiri (voice)
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Yutaka Matsushige
Cornelius (voice)
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Kotaro Yoshida
Voltemand (voice)
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Anime
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Scarlet
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