Celebrating its 15th, GKids announced that it will bring Blue Giant to select theatres nationwide for event showings on 8 and 9 October.
Prior to its theatrical release, the film will have a special North American premiere on 6 October at Japan Society in New York City, featuring a Q&A with composer Hiromi Uehara. Tickets for Japan Society’s Blue Giant screening are available now on their website.
The film is directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, whose credits include directing the mega hit anime series Mob Psycho 100 as well as the cult hit series Death Parade, Deca-Dence and the latest film in the blockbuster Detective Conan franchise, Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine.
The film follows the story of Dai Miyamoto, a former high school basketball player who discovers a love of jazz, and dedicates himself to learning the saxophone. He leaves his town for the clubs of Tokyo, determined to become the best saxophone player in the world, but he soon discovers the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart.
World-renowned virtuoso pianist Hiromi Uehara composed the in-story original music played by Miyamoto and his jazz trio JASS, and additionally plays for the character Yukinori Sawabe. Drummer Shun Ishikawa, of the global hit band Millennium Parade, and saxophonist Tomoaki Baba join Uehara in playing for the characters Shunji Tamada and Dai Miyamoto respectively.
Blue Giant is adapted from the internationally renowned manga of the same name, written by manga artist Shinichi Ishizuka. The series won the Japan Media Arts Festival Award and the Shogakukan Manga Award, and was nominated for the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize and as “Comic of the Year” at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. Number 8, the editor of the original manga, joined the film production to write the script.
The anime film opened domestically in Japan on 17 February and earned over one billion yen (approx. $7.5 million) at the Japanese box office throughout its run in Japanese theatres. The film previously played as a sneak preview screening at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Blue Giant features electric performances and a stunning jazz soundtrack. The Japanese voice cast includes Amane Okayama, Yuki Yamada and Shotaro Mamiya.