Screen Anime March 2021 Line-up

Online film festival Screen Anime announced their line-up of films that will be available from Thursday 25th February until Thursday 25th March. This line-up currently does not feature a series marathon title but also adds a live-action Japanese film for the first time.

The titles below will be replacing the films Mirai, HAL, Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, the OVA series Cyber City Oedo 808 and the television series Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.

Tokyo Ghoul

Audio: English, Japanese

Screen Anime’s Premiere title is Kentarō Hagiwara’s 2017 live-action film adaptation of Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul. The film stars Masataka Kubota (Takashi Miike’s First Love), Fumika Shimizu (The Dragon Dentist) and Yū Aoi (The Case of Hana & Alice) with a screenplay written by Ichirō Kusuno and music composed by Don Davis (The Matrix Trilogy).

“In modern day Tokyo, society lives in fear of Ghouls: creatures who look exactly like humans – yet hunger insatiably for their flesh. None of this matters to Ken Kaneki, a bookish and ordinary boy, until a dark and violent encounter turns him into the first ever Ghoul-human half breed. Trapped between two worlds, Ken must survive the violent conflicts of warring Ghoul factions, while attempting to learn more about his powers.”

Anime Limited licensed Tokyo Ghoul in 2017 for theatrical and home video release. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in July 2018.

Mind Game

Audio: Japanese

Screen Anime’s Classic title is Masaaki Yuasa’s 2004 anime film Mind Game animated by Studio 4°C (Children of the Sea). The film’s voice cast features Koji Imada, Sayaka Maeda, and Takashi Fujii with screenplay written by Masaaki Yuasa and music composed by Seiichi Yamamoto.

“Nishi has always loved Myon since they were little. And now as adults, he wants to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist and marrying his childhood sweetheart. There’s one problem, though. She’s already been proposed to and thinks Nishi is too much of a wimp. But upon meeting the fiancé while at her family’s diner and accepting him as a good guy, they encounter a couple of yakuza, only to have Nishi grasp a certain revelation. And, with his newly acquired look on life, adventures abound as he, Myon, and her sister, Yan, escape the yakuza into a most unlikely location where they meet an old man…”

Anime Limited licensed Mind Game in 2017 for home video release. The film was released on Blu-ray in April 2018.

The Case of Hana & Alice

(Hana to Arisu Satsujin Jiken)

Audio: Japanese

Screen Anime’s Festival Favourite title is Shunji Iwai’s 2015 anime film The Case of Hana & Alice, a prequel to his 2004 live-action theatrical film Hana & Alice featuring returning cast Yū Aoi and Anne Suzuki (Sion Sono’s Himizu). Shunji Iwai has also written the screenplay and composed the music for the film.

Anime Limited licensed The Case of Hana & Alicein 2015 for home video release. The film was first released as a collector’s edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and standard DVD in January 2017 followed by a standard Blu-ray in February 2021.

“Alice, a transfer student to Ishinomori Middle School, hears a strange rumour that one year ago, “Judas was killed by four other Judas” in Class 1. While investigating, Alice discovers that the only person who may know the truth, Alice’s classmate Hana, lives next door to her in the “Flower House” that everyone is scared of… Eager to know more about the “Judas” murder, Alice sneaks into the Flower House to ask the reclusive Hana for more information about the Judas murder and why she’s a recluse. The chance meeting of Hana and Alice sets them off on an adventure to solve the mystery of the “smallest murder in the world.”

Summer Days with Coo

(Kappa no Kū to Natsuyasumi)

Audio: Japanese

Screen Anime’s Curated title is Keiichi Hara’s 2007 anime film Summer Days with Coo animated by Shin-Ei Animation. The film’s voice cast features Kazato Tomizawa (Code Geass), and Takahiro Yokokawa (Colorful) with screenplay written by Keiichi Hara and music composed by Kei Wakakusa (Kemonozume).

“Life changes for fourth-grader Koichi Uehara when he picks up a fossil on his way home. To his surprise, he has picked up a baby Kappa, a mythical water creature, who has been asleep underground for the past 300 years. Koichi names this baby creature “Coo” and brings him to live with his family, and soon the two are inseparable friends.

However, trouble abounds as Coo struggles to adjust to life in suburban Tokyo, and begins to miss his family, leading Koichi and Coo to embark on a summer road trip adventure in search of other Kappa.”

Anime Limited licensed Summer Days with Cooin 2020 for home video release. The film was recently released as a collector’s edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack in February 2021.

Source: Screen Anime Press Release