Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, translated by Phlip Gabriel (Penguin)

Mizuki Tsujimura is well known in Japan as a mystery writer. However, her novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror has elements of fantasy and science-fiction in it. It centers on seven junior high school students who wake up one morning to find the mirrors in their rooms are casting a shiny light. As they touch the surface, they are pulled into the mirror and find themselves in a beautiful castle. There they meet each other for the first time, and are greeted by a little girl wearing a wolf’s mask who calls herself the Wolf Queen. Although none of the students are aware of it yet, they all have one thing in common. 

Originally published in the Japanese language as かがみの孤城 (Kagami no Kojo) in 2017 by Poplar Publishing, it was adapted into a manga by Tomo Taketomi and serialized in Shueisha’s Seinen Magazine from June 2019 to February 2022. The manga has also been published as a five-volume series. The book was adapted into an animation film and released in December of 2022. 

The English version is translated by Phlip Gabriel, an American translator and Japanologist, who is also known for translating a number of works by Haruki Murakami. Although Gabriel is an American, the first English publication of this book was published by Penguin Random House UK and therefore the book is written in British English. 

Kokoro is a student in her first year of Yukishina No.5 Junior High School. However, after her first month there, she has stopped going to school. A couple of days ago, she and her mother went to check out a private alternative-learning school. Kokoro thought she may be able to make a fresh start there but on the day she is to go, she has a severe stomachache and knows she isn’t going to make it in this new place.

As you delve deeper into the story, it becomes clear why Kokoro stopped going to school. She would not admit it to herself but she was being bullied, or to put it lightly, she was shunned and ignored which is still a form of bullying. After a particular incident, she made a drastic decision—she stopped going to school. 

It is when she’s alone in her room that the mirror shines. The first time she stepped through and met the Wolf Queen, she just ran away. The following day when the mirror is shining again, she takes the initiative to go back in. There she meets six other people who seem to be around her age, named Aki, Rion, Subaru, Fuka, Masamune, and Ureshino.

What they find that they have in common is they all stopped going to school. Later, they even find out they all went to the same junior high school and they all have their own issues. 

The Wolf Queen who gathered them together tells them they’re all in a castle which can grant them a wish. She tells them, “Deep inside this castle is a room none of you is permitted to enter. It is a Wishing Room. Only one person will actually have access. Only one of you will have your wish come true. One Little Red Riding Hood.”

The students don’t understand what the Wolf Queen means by calling them ‘Little Red Hood”. She says, “You are the lost Little Red Hoods”, and continues to tell them, “from now until next March, you will need to search for the key that unlocks the Wishing Room. The person who finds it will have the right to enter and their wish will be granted.”

Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel is a fantastical tale of overcoming your fears, working together, becoming self-confident, and having empathy for others. Not only does she hit upon the subject of bullying, but she also deals with abuse, neglect, social withdrawal, and other issues facing teens today, not only in Japan, but throughout the world in general. 

At times heartbreaking but very inspirational, this book will make you think back to the times when perhaps you were considered “different” at school and shared the same trauma as these seven students, but you will also feel compassion for how they were able to overcome their fears. You will care for the characters, you will be pulled into their world, and you will be thinking about his book long after you have finished it. ~Ernie Hoyt