Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet Is on Netflix Right Now and It Is the Anime Film Event of June 2026
Mamoru Hosoda’s newest film Scarlet is now streaming on Netflix and if you are a fan of his previous work — Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Belle, or Mirai — this is essential viewing. Hosoda is one of a small group of anime filmmakers working today whose name alone signals a certain level of emotional ambition and visual quality. Scarlet arrives on Netflix on June 6, 2026, and it is the animated film event of the month for anyone who takes the medium seriously.
Scarlet is a time bending action packed fantasy adventure, with the lead role voiced by Mana Ashida. Hosoda films are built around emotional truth first and spectacle second. The high concept premise is always a vehicle for something more personal: grief, family, identity, the passage of time. Scarlet continues that pattern with a story built around the weight of choices made and unmade across timelines.
Studio Chizu, Hosoda’s own production company, handled the animation. The visual approach maintains the distinctive aesthetic developed across previous films — clean character designs against richly detailed environments, with action sequences that prioritize emotional clarity over sheer kinetic chaos. Hosoda has spoken in interviews about wanting Scarlet to feel both epic and intimate, which is a balance his best films achieve effortlessly.
The Academy Award nomination Hosoda received for Mirai brought his work to a wider international audience, and Netflix acquiring Scarlet for global streaming is a direct result of that expanded profile. If you have been meaning to explore his catalog and have not yet, Scarlet on Netflix is the moment to start.
My take: Hosoda releasing a new film is one of the genuine events of any year it happens. Scarlet on Netflix means there is no barrier to entry — no theatrical hunt, no waiting for a home release. Watch it this weekend. If it lands the way his best films do, you will spend the following week trying to get other people to watch it too.
