The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will screen two highly anticipated anime films, The Concierge (Hokkyoku Hyakkaten no Concierge-san) and Komada – A Whisky Family, as part of its Animation section running from October 23 to November 1.
This also marks the inaugural year of the revamped Animation section, a departure from the previous “Japanese Animation” category exclusively dedicated to Japanese cinema. The festival will also screen other anime films, including “Blue Giant” and “Lonely Castle in the Mirror.”
In the International Film Festivals and Directors retrospective category, viewers can enjoy the likes of “In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World,” “Lu over the Wall,” and “ON-GAKU: Our Sound.” The Concierge debuts on October 20, followed by Komada – A Whisky Family on November 10 in Japan.
Komada – A Whisky Family anime film is a part of P.A. Works’ “workplace” series, following the previously released films, Hana-Saku Iroha, Shirobako, Sakura Quest, and The Aquatope on White Sand. The movie also had a screening during this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which took place from June 11 to 17 in the French town of Annecy.
Also Read: 20 Anime Like Kengan Ashura
About Komada – A Whisky Family
The anime film follows Rui Komada, a determined young leader of her family’s struggling whisky distillery. Following her father’s death, Rui steps into her role amidst financial struggles, familial rifts, and the aftermath of a natural calamity.
With a plan in mind, she shoulders the responsibility of rejuvenating both the distillery’s fortunes and the fractured relationships within her family. Rui’s mission? To breathe life back into their iconic Japanese whisky, forming a path toward unity and restoration.
The original anime film is directed by is directed by Masayuki Yoshihara and produced by P.A Works. Scriptwriters Yukito Kizawa and Munemasa Nakamoto, known for their contributions to the Monogatari series and Sword Art Online franchise, write the scripts.
Tomomi Takada worked on the original character designs, while Kousuke Kawazura animates those character designs and is also the chief animation director.
The cast announced includes Saori Hayami voicing Rui Komada, Kensho Ono voicing Kōtarō Takahashi, Maaya Uchida voicing Tomoko Kawabata, and Yoshimasa Hosoya voicing Hiroshi Yasumoto.
About The Concierge
The Concierge revolves around Akino, a new concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store. While the title hints at a typical retail setting, the unexpected twist lies in the customers being animals rather than humans. As Akino navigates her role, the story unfolds with extinct animals seeking assistance with various needs.
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store was serialized in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Big Comic Zōkan from February 2017 to November 2018. The series has only two volumes. However, even the limited volumes managed to capture the attention of many new and old manga readers.
The manga won the Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Art Festival in the Manga Division in 2022, praising how the story is told in a light-hearted and humorous way while also highlighting the seriousness of the conditions that humans are facing.
The mangaka, Tsuchika Nishimura, created a worldview where the role of the customers is mirrored by extinct animals, which in turn symbolized the arrogant overconsumption of humans.
The art style takes inspiration from the picture book authors Edward Gorey and Tsuchika Nishimura, who always make sure to give their animal characters strong personalities, which makes them as unique as a human.
The Concierge anime film is produced by Studio Production I.G., who also initially announced the anime film adaptation of The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store manga.
Also Read: Top 25 Anime Series to Watch on Apple TV
