Starlight Promises (2018): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2018, Starlight Promises is a fantasy, adventure, mystery and animation film directed by Kazuya Murata, running about 62 minutes. “A festival of miraculous reunions.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Shoma Mihara, a freshman in high school, receives a sudden message from his friend Atsushi inviting him to meet again at a mysterious festival. Having been unable to contact Atsushi for three and a half years, Shoma jumps at the chance and heads to join the Starlight Festival, held in a deserted mountain village. Once there, Shoma searches for Atsushi but finds no trace of him. Instead Shoma meets Shiori, a young woman who’s also looking for someone. Kana, the director of the Starlight Festival, assures Shoma that he’ll be able to reunite with Atsushi before the festivities end. Both Shoma and Shiori end up helping with preparations, only to find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into a series of strange happenings. Will Shoma be able to meet his dear friend...?

Who’s in it. Starlight Promises stars Nozomi Yamamoto as Shiori Senozawa, Soma Saito as Shoma Mihara, Ayaka Fukuhara as Kogetsuhime and Daiki Yamashita as Atsushi Fujii, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.8/10, Starlight Promises has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Crunchyroll and Crunchyroll Amazon Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Starlight Promises page.

If you liked it. Fans of Starlight Promises tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.