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Sunao Katabuchi Streams New Pilot Video for The Mourning Children Anime
posted on by Alex Mateo
The official YouTube channel for Sunao Katabuchi's Contrail studio began streaming on Thursday a new teaser pilot video for his new feature-length anime film The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black (Tsurubami-Iro no Nagiko-tachi):
The channel also streamed three videos that feature storyboard sketches and behind-the-scenes footage.
A previous video for the film teased that the film's story will feature an epidemic, and teased that Sei Shōnagon will be a character in the film, alongside character names such as Koretada, Tokinaka, Chikatada, and Takaie.
Katabuchi is credited with the original work and is also penning the script in addition to directing the film. Chie Uratani (Hijikata Toshizo: Shiro no Kiseki, Princess Arete, Ushiro no Shōmen Daare) is serving as directing assistant (translated as co-director in the pilot film), and Masashi Andō (The Deer King, Princess Mononoke) is the chief animation director. Akira Senju (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam) is composing the music. Yūji Kaneko (Ranking of Kings, Little Witch Academia, Kill la Kill) is credited as the art director. (Toshiharu Mizutani was credited as art director in previous videos for the film.)
Contrail, the anime studio that Katabuchi established in September 2019, is producing the film. MAPPA's Manabu Ohtsuka is Contrail's representative director, and Katabuchi is a board member. The company is located in Tokyo's Suginami ward.
Katabuchi has directed such anime as Black Lagoon, Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Mai Mai Miracle, Princess Arete, and Meiken Lassie. He wrote the screenplay and directed the critically acclaimed In This Corner of the World film, which opened in November 2016. The extended version of the film, In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World, opened in Japan in December 2019.
Sources: Contrail's YouTube channel, Comic Natalie
