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Shout! Factory to Release Liz and the Blue Bird Anime Film on BD/DVD in March

Eleven Arts Anime Studio confirmed with ANN that Shout! Factory will release the Liz and the Blue Bird anime film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on March 5, 2019.

The film opened in Japan on April 21 and earned 53,573,900 yen (about US$492,400) in its opening weekend. Eleven Arts screened the film in United States theaters with English subtitles and an English dub on November 9. The film will also screen in Vancouver on January 2 and 3.

The film is the first of two planned all-new anime films for the Sound! Euphonium franchise, based on Ayano Takeda's Sound! Euphonium novel series. Liz and the Blue Bird is based on the Sound! Euphonium ーKitauji Kōkō Suisōgakubu, Hanran no Dai Ni Gakushō: Kōhen (Sound! Euphonium - The Kitauji High School Concert Band's Turbulent Second Movement: Part 2) novel.

The film focuses on flutist Nozomi Kasaki and oboist Mizore Yoroizuka, the characters who were also the focus of the Sound! Euphonium 2 anime's first half. In the film, both Nozomi and Mizore are in their final year of high school, and Nozomi has rejoined the band. The band's new competition piece, "Liz and the Blue Bird," has a flute and oboe duet, which requires both Nozomi and Mizore to be coordinated. But while both have been together since middle school, Mizore is uneasy at the thought of being separated from Nozomi once more at the end of the year, which begins to affect not just their music, but also their relationship.

Naoko Yamada (K-ON!, A Silent Voice) directed the film off scripts by Reiko Yoshida (K-ON!, Yowamushi Pedal). Futoshi Nishiya (A Silent Voice, Free!, episode animation director for both television anime seasons) returned to design the characters. Mutsuo Shinohara (A Silent Voice, Clannad) returned as art director. kensuke ushio (A Silent Voice, Space Dandy) composed the music.

Sources: Email correspondence, Amazon via ultimatemegax