Yoshimi Itazu’s anime film The Concierge will be distributed in North America by Crunchyroll, according to an announcement by the company, which is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex.
The Concierge will be released in Japan on October 20 and is expected to be released in North America by Crunchyroll in 2024. It had its world premiere in June of this year at the Annecy International Film Festival and made its North American debut at the Fantasia International Film Festival. It’s scheduled to open at Los Angeles’s Animation Film Festival on October 21.
The voice cast for The Concierge includes Natsumi Kawaida as Akino, Takeo Otsuka as Elulu, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Woolly. The film is an adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s manga The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, a retailer that caters exclusively to animals. In the story, a trainee named Akino is pictured frantically trying to serve her customers’ whims. According to the trailer for the film, Akino is quoted as saying, “The word ‘no’ doesn’t exist in a concierge’s dictionary! This is a store for people who are doing their best.”
The Crunchyroll app is available on over 15 platforms, including all gaming consoles. According to a statement from the company, Crunchyroll “connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories with the content and experiences they love. In addition to free ad-supported and subscription premium content, Crunchyroll serves the anime community across events, theatrical, games, consumer products, collectibles, and manga publishing. Anime fans have access to one of the largest collections of licensed anime through Crunchyroll and translated in multiple languages for viewers worldwide. Viewers can also access simulcasts — top series available immediately after Japanese broadcast.”
Describing itself as “the global brand offering the ultimate anime experience,” Crunchyroll recently announced its upcoming release schedule, noting that the following titles would soon be available for purchase by consumers in the UK: Chainsaw Man, My Dress Up Darling, Overlord IV, Classroom of the Elite, and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, among others.
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