GKIDS announced at its Anime Expo 2022 panel that it and American Cinematheque will screen a retrospective of films by anime director Masaaki Yuasa in two California theaters from August 5-7, 2022. The retrospective celebrates and leads up to GKIDS’ upcoming screening of Yuasa’s latest film INU-OH in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2022.
INU-OH and Ride Your Wave will screen as a double feature at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on August 5, 2022, with a Q&A segment with Yuasa in between both films.
Mind Game and The Night is Short Walk On, Girl will both screen at the Loz Feliz Theatre in Los Angeles on August 6, 2022. The Mind Game screening will have a Q&A with Yuasa. The director will also introduce The Night is Short Walk On, Girl film screening.
Lu over the wall will screen at the Loz Feliz Theatre on August 7, 2022.
GKIDS has announced that it will begin screening Atsuko Ishizuka and Madhouse’s Goodbye, Don Glees! anime film in North American theaters on September 16, 2022, with fan preview screenings on September 14, 2022 for the English-subtitled version and September 15, 2022 for the English-dubbed version. Tickets go on sale on August 5, 2022.
GKIDS will screen the North American premiere of the film and a sneak preview of loundraw’s Summer Ghost anime film at Anime Expo on July 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. PDT at Regal Cinema.
Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life.
Goodbye, Don Glees! opened in Japan on February 18, 2022. The film is also screening at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which will run from June 13-18, 2022 in France.
GKIDS has announced that it has acquired the North American theatrical, home video, and electronic sell-through rights for the Evangelion: 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time anime film. The company will screen the film in theaters in late 2022, then release it on home video at a later date.
The film opened in Japan in March 2021, and ranked #1 in its opening weekend. The film surpassed 10 billion yen (about US$74 million) in the Japanese box office. The film’s new Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 version began screening in June 2021 for the film’s “last run.” The new version contains “minor revisions” to some animation sequences, but does not change the film’s story.
The film deuted on the Amazon Prime Video service worldwide in August 2021. The film is available in Japanese, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Peninsular Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and English audio, as well as with subtitles in 28 languages.
The charming anime film Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko will be released in a Blu-Ray™ + DVD combo, as well for digital download on all major platforms, from GKIDS, with distribution from Shout! Factory on July 19, 2022. Packed with bonus features including a “Making of” documentary, the Blu-Ray™ + DVD combo Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is currently available for pre-order on GKIDS.com.
Planned and produced by the beloved Japanese actor and comedian Sanma Akashiya, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko was based on the novel of the same name by Kanako Nishi. From director Ayumu Watanabe and STUDIO4°C comes a heartwarming and moving comedy-drama with touches of magical realism. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is about an unconventional family and the bonds that they share in their sleepy seaside town.
The uplifting film was awarded a Jury Special Mention in Axis: The Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and continued collecting accolades including a Best Independent Feature nomination at the 49th Annual Annie Awards. The film marks the latest collaboration between GKIDS and STUDIO4°C, following GKIDS’ local distribution of previous STUDIO4°C works Children of the Sea, MFKZ, Mind Game, Genius Party, and Genius Party Beyond.
SYNOPSIS:
Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her mother, Kikuko wants nothing more than to fit in as she navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school. Life in the harbor is peaceful until a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.
A sci-fi adventure on the high seas, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is the acclaimed television series from director Hideaki Anno. This award-winning show is loosely based on the works of Jules Verne, and its popularity later inspired a film, manga, and video games.
Available August 2, 2022 from GKIDS with distribution by Shout! Factory, the release boasts an all-new 4K restoration, and includes all 39 episodes of the series in both the original Japanese and an English dub, as well as a number of bonus features including a new booklet featuring character and mechanical designs from the series, a sneak-preview featurette, a TV spot, and more. Fans can preorder their copies now by visiting GKIDS.com.
SYNOPSIS:
It’s 1889 and people from around the globe are flocking to Paris to see scientific achievements at the Exposition Universelle despite rumors of dangers lurking in the oceans. While attending the fair, teenaged inventor Jean meets Nadia, a mysterious girl who possesses a highly sought-after crystal called Blue Water. Pursued by nefarious forces, the pair journey by sea and by sky to escape their would-be captors and to discover the secret of the crystal.
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water: The Complete Series Bonus Features
Belle, the fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media from the acclaimed Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, will be celebrated with a deluxe Collector’s Edition, coming August 30, 2022 from GKIDS with distribution by Shout! Factory. A 3-Disc set, Belle Collector’s Edition will include the film in UHD™ + Blu-ray™, will be available both in the original Japanese and with an English dub, and contain a bonus disc of exciting new special features, wrapped up in beautiful deluxe packaging.
The extensive bonus features on Belle Collector’s Edition include those from the Blu-ray™ release, as well as several new captivating offerings, such as new special dialogues with cast, a new interview with Takeru Satoh, a new Eric Wong interview, and more.
Belle boasts a star-studded English voice cast including Chace Crawford, Manny Jacinto, Kylie McNeill, and Hunter Schafer. Fans of this heartfelt fable for a digital age can pre-order copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com and GKIDS.com/store.
Lauded by critics around the globe following its world premiere at the 74th Annual Cannes Film Festival, and North American premiere at the 59th Annual New York Film Festival, this stunningly animated film is a breathtaking adaptation of a tale as old as time that was nominated for five Annie Awards including Best Independent Feature.
On Belle, the Japanese creative team worked in collaboration with a roster of international talents. Character designer Jin Kim, the artist behind several iconic Disney features including Moana, Tangled, and Frozen, designed the titular Belle. Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar®-nominated Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart also join the team, contributing artwork for the various virtual fantasy worlds within the film. Hosoda continues his film collaborations with architects and is joined by up-and-coming British architect and designer Eric Wong, who designed the virtual world of “U.” Taisei Iwasaki along with composing original songs and score, led multiple composers and produced the film’s music entirely. Other composers include the critically acclaimed Yuta Bandoh and BAFTA nominee Ludvig Forrsell. The film’s main theme “U” was performed by groundbreaking Japanese act Millennium Parade, led by the composer of the song Daiki Tsuneta.
Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U,” a massive virtual world, she escapes into the online persona of Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.
Belle Collector’s Edition Bonus Features
NEW Behind the Japanese Dub
NEW Promo Events with Hosoda and Cast
NEW Special Dialogues with Cast (Kaho Nakamura, Takeru Satoh, Lilas Ikuta)
GKIDS, the producer and distributor of multiple Academy Award-nominated animated features, has announced that it will bring Inu-Oh, the latest feature film from director Masaaki Yuasa, to cinemas nationwide starting on August 12, 2022. The film made its world debut at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, followed by a North American premiere at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, marking the director’s first invitation to both festivals. Following the film’s previous presentation as a work in progress at the 2020 Annecy Film Festival, Yuasa returns to Annecy honored as the patron of the 2022 Mifa campus. The visionary filmmaker will also present the new rock musical at a screening event at the festival.
Featuring character creation from manga artist Taiyo Matsumoto, who previously collaborated with Yuasa on the anime adaptation of Matsumoto’s series Ping Pong the Animation, the musical animated feature tells the story of the friendship between the legendary 14th century Noh performer Inu-oh, and the blind biwa player Tomona. As the two rise from hardship to stardom through their creative partnership, they also come to break each other’s curse.
Animated by Japanese production company Science SARU INC., in collaboration with its partner, the Japanese production, distribution, and sales company Asmik Ace, Inc., the feature opens domestically in Japan on May 28, 2022.
Inu-Oh marks GKIDS’ fifth title from director Masaaki Yuasa, following local releases of Lu Over the Wall, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, Mind Game, and most recently, Ride Your Wave.
SYNOPSIS
From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, hailed by IndieWire as “one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation,” comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm.
Born to an esteemed family, Inu-oh is afflicted with an ancient curse that has left him on the margins of society. When he meets the blind musician Tomona, a young biwa priest haunted by his past, Inu-oh discovers a captivating ability to dance. The pair quickly become business partners and inseparable friends as crowds flock to their electric, larger-than-life concerts. But when those in power threaten to break up the band, Inu-oh and Tomona must dance and sing to uncover the truth behind their creative gifts.
Featuring character design by Taiyo Matsumoto and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan and Mirai Moriyama, Inu-Oh is a glam-rock ode to the power of music and a forceful statement on artistic freedom from one of animation’s singular talents.
GKIDS, the producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, has announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for Goodbye, Don Glees!. Produced by the acclaimed Studio Madhouse, the film is the first original feature from writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka, who previously directed the widely lauded series A Place Further Than The Universe. Goodbye, Don Glees! follows the story of three friends over the course of one summer, as their backyard adventures turn one small incident to a life changing journey. It was domestically released in February 2022, and stars Japanese voice actors Ayumu Murase, Natsuki Hanae, Kana Hanazawa, and Yuuki Kaji. The film is represented internationally by KADOKAWA. GKIDS will release Goodbye, Don Glees! theatrically in both original Japanese language and an all-new English language dub in 2022.
“We were all incredibly moved by Atsuko Ishizuka’s perceptive and fresh take on a classic story of teenage friendship,” said GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt. “We can’t wait for audiences to share this beautiful blend of comedy and drama, set in the days of summer when anything seems possible.”
SYNOPSIS
Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life. Director Atsuko Ishizuka follows up her critically acclaimed series A Place Further Than the Universe with her first original feature film. With luminescent animation and lush backdrops, Goodbye, Don Glees! is a tender coming-of-age story about the fearlessness of being young and the bittersweet journey of self-discovery.
GKIDS has announced on their Twitter account that there will be a special double feature screening of the Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko anime film and Deiji Meets Girl anime shorts in U.S. theaters on June 2, 2022. Ticket presales are available now in select theaters.
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is described as:
Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her mother, Kikuko wants nothing more than to fit in as she navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school. Life in the harbor is peaceful until a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.
Deiji Meets Girl is described as:
Maise is stuck spending the summer after her first-year of high school helping out at her family’s hotel in the sleepy seaside town, but things become a little less sleepy once Ichiro, a mysterious young man, checks into the hotel. It seems as if only Maise and Ichiro can see the strange, sudden apparitions: the hotel lobby and the room transforming into an aquarium, a giant tree erupting from the floor or the rowdy monsters laying claim to the hotel restaurant. Maise vows to figure out not just what’s causing these odd occurrences but why Ichiro has come to this remote town in the first place.
GKIDS, the producer and distributor of multiple Academy Award®-nominated animated features, has announced that it will bring The Deer King, the new feature from Japanese animation veterans Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, to cinemas nationwide in July 2022. Continuing their partnership with Fathom Events, fan preview events for The Deer King will play in cinemas nationwide on July 13, 2022 (Japanese language), and July 14, 2022 (English language dubbed). In addition to the full feature, audiences will view a special introduction from Director Masashi Ando, exclusive to the Fathom Events screenings. Fan preview events will be followed by a limited theatrical release in select markets nationwide by GKIDS starting July 15, 2022.
Animated by the studio Production I.G, the film marks the directorial debut of animator Masashi Ando, who previously worked as a character designer, animation director, and key animator with the Studio Ghibli, and with directors Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai. Co-director Masayuki Miyaji is best known for directing the 2009 series Xam’s: Lost Memories and work on Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbors the Yamadas. The original book series, by author Nahoko Uehashi, won the Booksellers Award and the fourth Japan Medical Novel Award in 2015, and has printed 2.2 million copies in Japan to date. Known for their work in series and feature animation, notable works from animation studio Production I.G include the film Ghost in the Shell, and series FLCL, Haikyu!!, and Psycho Pass. The studio’s 2011 feature A Letter to Momo and 2015 feature Miss Hokusai are also distributed by GKIDS.
Tickets will be on sale June 10, 2022 at FathomEvents.com, TheDeerKing.com and participating theater box offices. The ticket on-sale date may vary based on local cinemas, so please check back often. Theaters and participants are subject to change.
SYNOPSIS
In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.
The Deer King is a sweeping fantasy epic that marks the directing debut of Masashi Ando, whose work on such films as Spirited Away, Paprika, and your name. helped shape the world of modern animation.
Lesley's Anime and Manga Corner 