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Collector's Penguin Highway and Silent Voice Home Release Details

Anime Limited has announced that it will release the film Penguin Highway on February 24 2020 in three formats: a standard Blu-ray and DVD, and a Collector's Blu-ray/DVD. The latter edition will include a 300-page storyboard book; some of the storyboards will be in colour.

Anime Limited describes the film:

Aoyama is a serious 10 year-old boy who records all of his day-to-day experiences in his notebook. One day in May, penguins inexplicably appear in his home town, despite being located a long way from the sea. When Aoyama sees “Big Sis” – a young woman who works at a dentist's office – drop a soft drink can which inexplicably turns into a penguin, he decides to investigate and resolve the mystery behind these strange events.

Together with his classmates, Aoyama happens upon a strange phenomena which is surely the key to these goings-on. Will their investigation bear fruit, and just how is “Big Sis” linked to these occurrences?

Kana Kita (Byplayers' Jasmine) plays Aoyama, while Yū Aoi (Redline's Sonoshee McLaren, live-action Rurouni Kenshin's Megumi Takani) plays the woman.

Hiroyasu Ishida, who directed Colorido's "Hinata no Aoshigure" and "Fumiko's Confession" shorts, directed the film as his first feature-length directorial work. Typhoon Noruda director Yōjirō Arai designed the characters for the film. Makoto Ueda, who wrote and supervised the scripts for anime adaptations of Morimi's The Tatami Galaxy and Night is Short, Walk On Girl novels, returned to pen the script for this film. Umitarō Abe composed the music.

Anime Limited also announced that it will release a new Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD of Kyoto Animation's film A Silent Voice on February 10 2020. It will include five art cards and a 40cm x 34cm poster. On-disc extras include interviews with director Naoko Yamada, character designer Futoshi Nishiya, art director Mutsuo Shinohara and music composer kensuke ushio; a feature exploring the real-life locations in the film; and music videos.

Kyoto Animation's anime is an film adaptation of Yoshitoki Ōima's A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) manga. Anime Limited described the story:

“A heart-wrenching romantic anime drama, A Silent Voice follows a youngster named Shoko. After moving to a new school, Shoko is taunted because of her hearing impairment, principally by Shouya, who leads the class in teasing her. When Shoko is eventually forced to transfer to another school, Shouya's classmates in turn ostracise him for his cruel behaviour.

Years later, as a young adult, Shouya is riddled with guilt over his humiliation of Shoko. Living an aimless life with no friends, he determines to find her and try to atone. But is it too late, and what might her reaction be?”

Naoko Yamada (Tamako Market, Tamako Love Story, K-ON's two anime seasons and anime film) directed the film at Kyoto Animation. Reiko Yoshida (Non Non Biyori, K-ON!, Yowamushi Pedal) wrote the script, and Futoshi Nishiya (Free!, Hyōka, Nichijō) designed the characters for animation. kensuke ushio (Space Dandy, Ping Pong) composed the music at Pony Canyon. AIKO performed the film's theme song "Ai wo Shita no wa" (Loving Is).