I have just finished reading Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, I liked it very much and wanted to share my review with you.
In a way, this is a flawed novel. It repeats itself for at least hundred pages in middle, has a big cliché (and an additional one in the end), and the explanation behind why the initial setup of the story occurred doesn’t make sense. Still, all of those flaws are mended with beauty. This is a beautiful story from the beginning to the end, with its every detail.
It repeats itself, but the conversation between the characters makes up for it. The story didn’t progress and there was no new ideas introduced in the repetitive parts (obviously, then it wouldn’t be repeating itself…), but reading the conversation between the characters and witnessing their monotonous relationship felt nice.
The big cliché it had was overcoming the challenges with the power of relationship. Knowing a story has this cliché would make many people reluctant to give it a chance. But the way it’s handled is so nice, I didn’t get repelled by it and to be honest, I even liked it. Telling what the second cliché is, would be a spoiler, that’s why I don’t mention it but the same applies for that too.
And the whole reason behind the events occurring in the book doesn’t make sense, like hearing silly but very pleasing compliment. You don’t believe it, but you want to, because you like hearing it. By the end, I still didn’t believe it, but I liked the idea of believing it so much, I simply didn’t care. I have finished the book with a huge smile on my face. The message it conveys is powerful and I believe many needs to hear it.
It’s about mental problems, and it can give a new perspective to its reader regarding how to fight with it. Even if you are not struggling with any serious mental issues, it will still apply to you too. There is not a single person on this earth, that doesn’t act as a referee from time to time, in a small or a big fight that takes place in their head. They might not be on the level of turning into a ‘real issue’ but nevertheless, they are there.
The characters in this book are teenagers, and we all know what teenagers mostly do, they turn it into a bigger problem. Maybe only in their heads, but they still make a bigger deal out of it. Some of the characters deal with much bigger problems, but others don’t, including the protagonist. What’s common between the characters is the outcome of their problems; skipping school. Which creates a new problem for their lives, possibly damaging their future. And when our story, magically, gathers those students into a castle through a mirror, they get a chance to fight together against their common problem.
And it feels good to read how these students, with unique characters and problems, get to know each other. You will empathize with them, find yourself cheering for their success, and feel proud of their process. Only if you can look over the clichés, and give it a proper chance.
I rate it 5/5, if you are interested in that 🙂
by erdem0451