Labyrinth Review (Scotland Loves Anime 2025)
Phones are an extension of ourselves; in essence, they can be viewed as a digital version of our identity. Everything is tied to an app or a web application, whether it’s banking, medical, or personal information. Our data is extremely valuable because of the sheer amount of insight it provides. Alongside our reliance on technology in daily life, our existence has become deeply interconnected with our phones. They are how we communicate with friends and family, a source of entertainment, and even a substitute for books. Labyrinth explores this connection by presenting a body-swap narrative in which the digital self takes over the physical body.
The unlucky soul experiencing this traumatic event is Shiori Maezawa (Suzuka), a high school girl who wants nothing to do with her father’s judo school and only participates to make him happy. Her judo skills have already caused trouble. When she was younger, she accidentally broke someone’s arm. Shiori’s true passion lies in singing, and she dreams of gaining enough likes and money to open a small café. After her friend Kirara Kurashina (Aoi Itō) uploads an embarrassing video of her online, Shiori tries to reach out. A mysterious crack suddenly appears on her phone screen, and she notices stickers appearing physically. Eventually, she is completely sucked into the digital realm, where the personification of her true personality takes over her human body.
Early on, a rabbit sticker called Komori (Taizō Harada) provides context for how the labyrinth within the phone exists. You might expect this to lead to an enticing thematic re-evaluation of our digital lives. Instead, it settles into a familiar message about being true to yourself and not hiding your emotions, similar to films like Belle. Because nothing new emerges on a thematic level, Labyrinth feels narratively shallow, especially in 2025, when commentary on our reliance on technology is ripe for exploration. It’s not bad by any means, but in this digital age, where people’s offline lives often differ drastically from their digital selves, the film ultimately takes the easy road.
A major plot point is that Shiori wants to sing and dance, yet she doesn’t perform a song until the third act of Labyrinth, a bizarre choice given that her voice actor, Suzuka, is the lead singer of the hit J-pop group Atarashii Gakko!, which is popular even outside Japan thanks to their breakout track Tokyo Calling. This creates a disconnect for most of the film; we hear Suzuka deliver somewhat flat and emotionless line delivery as a voice actor, only to finally hear her sing two songs at the very end. It left me wondering why she was cast in the first place, rather than hiring a voice actor who could also sing.
If the disconnect doesn’t come from the voice acting, it arises from the animation. Labyrinth is entirely 3D animated, and while it represents some of the best work I’ve seen in this style, it still feels unpolished. This is a common trend in 3D animated films from Japan, which often lag behind their Western counterparts. Ultimately, the visuals remain rough, even bordering on bland, with generic character designs and flat textures. It’s difficult to fully invest in the story; you’re left wondering why the film looks somewhat ugly and why the characters move so awkwardly.
Ultimately, Labyrinth isn’t a disaster or a bad film; it simply feels underdeveloped. With more refinement, it could have flourished into something truly compelling. Instead, it’s a film that looks, sounds, and is narratively fine, but nothing more. Like a notification swiped away, it disappears from memory almost instantly, a fleeting reminder of what might have been, rather than what is.
★★1/2
Screened at Scotland Loves Anime 2025 / Suzuka, Aoi Itō, Taizō Harada, Jun Saitō, Takuto Teranishi / Dir: Shōji Kawamori / GAGA / 15
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
