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Manga to Release Summer Wars, Kamui in United Kingdom (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The British anime distributor Manga Entertainment has announced on Tuesday that it will release the Summer Wars family anime film from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda in September. Manga had previously announced on New Year's Day that it will release Yōichi Sai's live-action Kamui film adaptation of Sanpei Shirato's Kamui Gaiden ninja manga in the summer.
Both films will be released on DVD as well as on Blu-ray Disc.
The light-hearted "action entertainment" story of Summer Wars revolves around a modern-day family on a midsummer adventure. The project reunites many of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time's staffers, including scriptwriter Satoko Okudera (Angel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Miyori no Mori) and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, FLCL). The Summer Wars film opened in Japan on August 1, and the first five minutes of the film were posted on the YouTube website just before the film's opening. Manga had previously released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in the United Kingdom.
In Yōichi Sai's (Choi Yang-il's) Kamui, Ken'ichi Matsuyama (Death Note movies' L, Detroit Metal City's Sōichi/Krauser II) starred in the title role, and Kankurō Kudō (Ping Pong, Ikebukuro West Gate Park) wrote the screenplay. The film just opened in Japan on September 19. Viz Media published the original manga under the name The Legend of Kamui.
Thanks to Fudce for the news tip.
Update: More background information added.
Image © 2009 Summer Wars Film Partners © Kamui Gaiden Production Committee
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