Screen Anime Cloud Matsuri November 2020 Panel Reveals 2021 UK Theatrical Screenings for Evangelion, Josee, Lupin III: The First, Millennium Actress 4K, Violet Evergarden, Your Name 4K & More
Screen Anime, an online film festival service, ran a panel during Cloud Matsuri’s November 2020 event with news for a bunch of anime films coming to the United Kingdom on the big theatrical screens.
These titles were also noted to include plans for digital and home video by UK distributor Anime Limited. Due to the global situation, the exact dates for the films are not yet finalised but all of them are currently planned for 2021, some are due for Q2 or Q3 at the earliest.
The films announced were as follows:
The Deer King
(Shika no Ou)
Animated by Production I.G, The Deer King is co-directed by Masashi Ando (character designer for A Letter to Momo, Paranoia Agent & Your Name) & Masayuki Miyaji (Xam’d: Lost Memories).
“Van is the head of a group of soldiers who expected to die fighting for their lands against a large empire looking to incorporate their home into its kingdom. Instead of dying, however, Van is taken as a slave and thrown into a salt mine. One night, a pack of strange dogs attacks the salt mine, and a mysterious illness breaks out. During the attack, Van takes the opportunity to escape, and he meets a young girl. Elsewhere, rumor is spreading that only immigrants are coming down with this mysterious illness. The medical scientist Hossal risks his life to search for a cure. Doctors also study a father and child who seem to have survived the illness.”
Plot Synopsis via AnimeNewsNetwork
Evangelion: Death(true)2 and The End of Evangelion
Animated by Production I.G and GAINAX, Evangelion: Death(true)2 and The End of Evangelion are both directed by Hideaki Anno (Gunbuster). The former is a compilation film that summarises the events of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series while the latter is a re-telling of the show’s final two episodes with a different continuation. Anime Limited previously announced the license for these two films earlier in the year.
Inu-Oh
Animated by Science SARU, Inu-Oh is directed by Masaaki Yuasa (Devilman Crybaby). Anime Limited previously announced the license for this film earlier in the year.
“Inu-Oh was born with unique physical characteristics, and the adults cover every inch of his body with garments and make him wear a mask on his face. One day, he meets a boy named Tomona, a blind biwa player. Inu-Oh tells him, “Write a biwa song about me”. Tomona makes a song about Inu-Oh’s tangled fate and starts performing it with biwa.Inu-Oh and Tomona become business partners for their survival in society and develop an inseverable friendship. Helping each other unlock their talents, they produce one hit after another and climb the ladder to stardom. And Inu-Oh, who comes to mesmerize his audiences on stage, frees parts of his body one by one and achieves unequaled beauty.
Why is Tomona blind? Why was Inu-Oh born with unique physical characteristics? It is a story about the friendship of Inu-Oh and Tomona, who dance and sing to get to the truth and break each other’s curse.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
(Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi)
Animated by studio Bones, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is directed by Koutarou Tamura (Noragami).
“Tsuneo is a university student and Josee is a young girl who has rarely gone out of the house by herself due to her being unable to walk. The two meet when Tsuneo finds Josee’s grandmother taking her out for a morning walk.”
Plot Synopsis via AnimeNewsNetwork
Love Me, Love Me Not
(Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare)
Animated by studio A-1 Pictures, Love Me, Love Me Not is directed by Toshimasa Kuroyanagi (The Great Passage) and is an adaptation of Io Sakisaka’s original manga series.
“Four friends share the springtime of their youth together. Fast friends Yuna and Akari are complete opposites: Yuna is an idealist while Akari is a realist. When lady-killer Rio and the oblivious Kazuomi join their ranks, love and friendship become quite complicated!”
Plot Synopsis via Viz Media
Lupin the Third: The First
Animated by studio TMS Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet, Lupin the Third: The First is directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Dragon Quest: Your Story) and is one of many Lupin III films based on Monkey Punch’s original manga series.
“The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.”
Plot Synopsis via GKIDS
Millennium Actress
Animated by studio Madhouse, Millennium Actress is directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) and will be using the recent 4K restoration transfer for theatrical. Anime Limited previously announced the license for this film earlier in the year and will soon be releasing a collector’s edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray combo this January 2021.
“With the renowned Ginei Studios shutting down and their buildings about to be demolished, film-maker Genya Tachibana sets out to commemorate this historical moment by interviewing the studio’s former superstar – the now-reclusive Chiyoko Fujiwara. Thirty years on from her disappearance from the limelight, one question lingers – why did she end her career and vanish at the peak of her acting powers? The truth lies within a key found by Genya many years prior… a key that is far more than just a memento, and instead serves as an emblem of her entire raison d’être. As Chiyoko recounts her story, so Genya and his cameraman are pulled into a wide-ranging journey through the lens of her films. Interviews and recollections, acting and reality, all blur into the single rich tapestry of a remarkable life.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited
On-Gaku: Our Sound
Animated as a passion project, On-Gaku: Our Sound is directed by Kenji Iwaisawa and is an adaptation of Hiroyuki Ohashi’s original manga.
“When you’re a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock ‘n roll. Having no skill, money, or even a full set of drums, a feared trio of high school delinquents nevertheless decide they are destined for musical glory in a quest to impress their only friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and – most importantly – jam out.”
Plot Synopsis via GKIDS
Violet Evergarden the Movie
Animated by studio Kyoto Animation, Violet Evergarden the Movie is directed by Taichi Ishidate (Beyond the Boundary) and is an adaptation of Kana Akatsuki’s original light novel series. Anime Limited have the rights for the main series and the spin-off film Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll.
“Violet Evergarden tutors a young lady at a private women’s academy, but still grieves for the only person who ever brought her happiness.”
Plot Synopsis via AnimeNewsNetwork
Your Name
(Kimi no Na wa.)
Animated by studio CoMix Wave Films, Your Name is directed by Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You) and will be using the 4K transfer for theatrical. Anime Limited announced a 4K Ultra HD release for the film during their Cloud Matsuri panel the day before the Screen Anime panel.
“Mitsuha and Taki are total strangers living completely different lives. But when Mitsuha makes a wish to leave her mountain town for the bustling city of Tokyo, they become connected in a bizarre way. She dreams she is a boy living in Tokyo while Taki dreams he is a girl from a rural town he’s never visited. What does their newfound connection mean? And how will it bring them together?”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited
That’s all of the news revealed during the Screen Anime panel. They did not announce any new details for the Screen Anime November to December 2020 line-up but expect news on that to be revealed pretty soon.
Source: Screen Anime Cloud Matsuri November 2020 Panel
