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GKIDS Licenses Naoko Yamada's Garden of Remembrance Anime Short

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2024 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

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GKIDS announced during its panel at Anime Expo on Thursday that it has licensed Naoko Yamada's Garden of Remembrance original anime short film. It will screen the film at Avex Pictures' Anime Expo panel on Friday at 7:30 p.m. PDT.

GKIDS also confirmed it will release Yamada and Science SARU's The Colors Within feature film in theaters this fall.

Yamada and Science SARU first previewed the anime at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2022 as part of the festival's Work in Progress track for ongoing productions. Yamada then presented the short film's world premiere at the Scotland Loves Anime event in October 2022. The film also had a special screening at Annecy in 2023. The film is slated to release in Japan in 2024.

The anime's official website features the following official description for the short:

Beer cans and a whisky glass are placed in an open space on the floor. Though a bit disorganized, ”Your” room is filled with art supplies and an electric guitar lining the perimeter of the room. The alarm on a phone goes off, and “You” leisurely wake up to start your day.

The anemone flower that “I” liked. A precious flower that holds memories which tie “You” and “I” together. After opening your bedroom closet one day, “You” become engrossed in your memories of "Me." A story that represents “Me,” “You,” our “Childhood Friend,” and our goodbyes.

Manga creator Etsuko Mizusawa (Hello, this is Terumi.) is the anime's original character designer. Singer-songwriter Lovely Summer-chan composed the anime's music.

Yamada was a veteran director on several Kyoto Animation works, before leaving the studio and moving to Science SARU as a director in 2021. There she directed The Heike Story, her first work with the studio, which debuted in September 2021. Garden of Remembrance is her second project with the studio.

Yamada and Science SARU are also currently working on a new anime feature film titled The Colors Within (Kimi no Iro), which will open in Japan on August 30. The film was originally slated to open in fall 2023, but it was then slated to open in 2024. The film held its premiere at this year's Annecy International Film Festival in June. GKIDS has acquired the film for North America, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. Anime Ltd. has acquired the film for Europe. PLAION PICTURES will handle Italian- and German-speaking territories, and CHARADES will manage sales for the rest of Europe, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Source: GKIDS AX 2024 panel (Darius Washington)