is a 2020 Japanese animated romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

based on a manga of the same name written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu. The film is directed by Hikaru Yamaguchi, written by Yuniko Ayana, and produced by Lerche. The film was released in Japan on August 22, 2020. Adapting the second story arc of the manga, the film takes place after the events of the

anime series is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

, focusing on the relationship between Haruki and Akihiko. The film was licensed by

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

, and was streamed on its website on February 2, 2021.

Synopsis

As Mafuyu attempts to write a new song for the upcoming festival, he learns about the complicated relationship between Akihiko and his ex-boyfriend, Ugetsu. Meanwhile, Haruki harbors unrequited feelings for Akihiko.

Voice cast

Shōgo Yano is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Super Eccentric Theater. Yano graduated from Hosei University and debuted as an actor in 2012, in a stage role with Super Eccentric Theater. He debuted as a voice actor in 2014, as the voice of Shingo Sa ...

as Mafuyu Satō *

Yuma Uchida is a Japanese voice actor and singer who works for Intention. His big roles have included Yuuma Kousaka in ''Gundam Build Fighters Try'', Nagisa Kiryū in ''Classroom Crisis'', Megumi Fushiguro in ''Jujutsu Kaisen'', Eishirō Yabuki in ''The As ...

as Ritsuka Uenoyama *

Masatomo Nakazawa is a Japanese actor and voice actor, represented by Haikyō. He is best known for his role of Clear in the ''Dramatical Murder'' franchise. On October 5, 2020, it was announced Nakazawa had tested positive for COVID-19, but was asymptomatic. F ...

as Haruki Nakayama *

Takuya Eguchi is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He is affiliated with 81 Produce. He has voiced in a number of lead roles in anime shows, including Kazuya Kujo in ''Gosick'', Yoshiharu Sagara in ''The Ambition of Oda Nobuna'', Kon Hokaze in ''Ixion Sag ...

as Akihiko Kaji *

Shintarō Asanuma is a Japanese scriptwriter, director, actor, voice actor, narrator, copywriter and designer. He was affiliated with Office Osawa and currently attached under DANDELION. Biography Filmography Television animation ;2003 *'' Origami Warriors'' ...

as Ugetsu Murata

Production

In September 2019, it was announced that a sequel

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

film of '' Given'' anime television series was in the works by adapting the second story arc of the manga. The key staff and cast members reprised their respective roles for the film.

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

's new

boys' love ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created b ...

(''yaoi'') anime label,

Blue Lynx is a Japanese anime label and subsidiary of Fuji TV. Founded in 2019, the label produces boys' love (''yaoi'') anime films exclusively. History Development of Blue Lynx began in 2017 through the efforts of Yuka Okayasu, a producer at Fuji TV wh ...

handled the development of the film. The key staff, including director Hikaru Yamaguchi expressed their gratitude for the film.

Release

The film was scheduled to release in theaters in Japan on May 16 2020, but was postponed to August 22, 2020, due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

acquired the international distribution rights for the film, and streamed on its website on February 2, 2021. In Southeast Asia, WeTV released the film on May 25, 2021.

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number 9 out of top 10 in the Japanese box office in its opening weekend, and later dropped off from the charts in its second weekend.

Critical reception

Kim Morrisy of

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

gave the film a solid "B" rating, and stated "Overall, I will say that I was satisfied with this continuation, even if I didn't like it quite as much as the original series".

References

External links

* * * {{Blue Lynx 2020s Japanese films 2020 anime films 2020 films Anime films based on manga Japanese LGBT-related films Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Lerche (studio) LGBT-related animated films Noitamina Yaoi anime and manga