Images courtesy of GKIDS

 

At Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, GKIDS hosted a panel covering their upcoming titles. From soon-to-be releases of new films to home releases of new favorites that have taken the anime world by storm, GKIDS covered the newest titles they will be releasing.

 

The first film is “Lupin III: The First”. Taking the classic gentleman thief Arsène Lupin III in his first 3DCG adventure, the film was dubbed by GKIDS with some of the most well-known English voice cast for the Lupin franchise, including Tony Oliver, Richard Epcar, Lex Lang, Michelle Ruff and Doug Erholtz. As of right now, the theatrical release of the film is unknown due to circumstances, however a home release date is planned for later this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next film GKIDS planned for a theatrical release was “Children of the Sea”. However, due to the pandemic, this has been put on hold. However, the film recently had a home release on September 1st. The film, by Studio 4°C, is based on the manga of the same name by mangaka Daisuke Igarashi. The film is seen by some as experimental with it’s dense lore, and it’s accompanied by a score from Joe Hisashi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the panel, one of the films that the panelists were most excited about was “On-Gaku: Our Sound”. The film is based on a manga by Hiroyuki Ohashi and follows three delinquents high schoolers as they form a band to play music. The film is the passion project of Kenji Urasawa, who spent over seven years working on it, and features alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto. With dry and unique humor along with it’s indie vibes, “On-Gaku: Our Sound” won Best Feature at its debut at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier this year in January, GKIDS released Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering With You”. Because of how the year has been unfolding, the film is currently the third top animated film of 2020. A home release as well as a deluxe for the film has finally been announced for September 15th. These will include a number of special features, including a bonus documentary, a steel case, and a limited edition poster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of GKIDS’ most well-known releases, “Promare”, finally is getting a deluxe home release. Originally slated for a release in May, the Studio Trigger film was pushed up to April. The collector’s edition release dropped in August. This release includes the soundtrack, poster, booklet, decal, and an English script book. There is also talk of another theatrical release of Promare in theaters in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next batch of films are in relation to legendary director Masaaki Yuasa. Known for his work with “Lu Over The Wall”, “Devilman Crybaby”, and most recently with “Japan Sinks: 2020”, Yuasa has a number of his works being released in North America through GKIDS. The first is “Ride Your Wave”, which had a theatrical release in February for the sub. The film had a digital and home release in August, which made it GKIDS’ first remote dub. Second, Yuasa’s film “The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl” is now slated for an English dub by GKIDS. And finally, Yuasa’s current project, “Inu-Oh”, is slated for a GKIDS release. The film is still a work in progress and is due sometime in 2021.

Finally, the last Studio Ghibli film has joined the GKIDS ranks. “The Wind Rises” is due for a home release from GKIDS on September 22nd. Along with the film, a documentary will be included about Miyazaki’s work upon the film. This film will complete the GKIDS’ physical release of all Studio Ghibli films. There are also plans for steel book releases of the rest of the Ghibli library, starting with “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. Currently, all Ghibli films are available for viewing on HBOMax.