Gekijô-ban: Kaidan resutoran

People disappear in an abandoned restaurant in this horror movie. But it's for children, so not very scary. More of a horror comedy.

It followed upon the episodic, and more serious, anime series Kaidan Restaurant of 23 episodes. As a transition, the first part of the movie is animated in the same style as the series. It sets up a spooky atmosphere, and made me interested in the anime.

The live-action part begins seriously, but has silly moments, overacting, and anime mannerisms. Replacing anime characters with actors had mixed results. One girl is overacting a lot, but the female and male leads act seriously. Asano Masumi was actually around 33 years old, and already a distinguished voice actress for anime and games. The little sister of the female lead is also adorable and funny.

The graphics and special effects look cheap, but the locations can be imaginative and sometimes surreal. The music is expressive.

The main story is a bit random, full of ideas, and is never slow or boring. It is made more exciting by a few action and fight scenes. You could compare it to Alice in Wonderland in how the protagonists come upon weird characters, puzzles, optical illusions, and challenges. Still, there is a somewhat logical plot beneath it all.

The first time I saw it, I thought it was very bad because of the goofiness. Maybe because I expected horror. Rewatching it as a comedy, it was funny, with things to like in every scene.