To celebrate the first anniversary of the animated Studio Chizu film Belle, a special Cinematic Orchestra will be held on August 14 at the Tokyo International Forum. Original merchandise will also be on sale at the venue, with some pieces featuring an incredible illustration of Belle from the feature film and others displaying Studio Chizu’s symbolic blue sky and white clouds.

With only a few tickets left to attend the concert in person, it has been announced that the concert will be streamed online! Viewers can enjoy this powerful performance by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra along with iconic footage from many Studio Chizu works from the comfort of their own homes. 

Studio Chizu’s films are loved around the world. The songs to be performed in this special concert include those from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Belle.

Which Studio Chizu film has your favorite soundtrack?

©「時をかける少女」製作委員会2006/©2009 SUMMERWARS FILM PARTNERS/©2012「おおかみこどもの雨と雪」製作委員会/©2015 THE BOY AND THE BEAST FILM PARTNERS/©2018 スタジオ地図/©2021 スタジオ地図/©STUDIO CHIZU/©上野隆文

To celebrate the first anniversary of the animated Studio Chizu film Belle, a special Cinematic Orchestra will be held on August 14 at the Tokyo International Forum. The event will feature a number of other beloved Studio Chizu works.

The event will feature a symphony orchestra performing songs from many Studio Chizu films while famous scenes play on an oversized screen. The works to be featured include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Belle.

Masakatsu Takagi will be playing piano while Hanako Oku and Ann Sally will be attending as guest vocalists.

Original merchandise will also be on sale at the venue, with some pieces featuring an incredible illustration of Belle from the feature film.

Which Studio Chizu film is your favorite?

Featured Works

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Summer Wars (2009)
Wolf Children (2012)
The Boy and the Beast (2015)
Mirai (2018)
Belle (2021)

In promotion of Studio Chizu’s upcoming animated film Belle, Animate is holding a free online tour which will begin on July 15.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle, which will be released in Japan on July 16, 2021. All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

The online tour will be offer early-access digital entry to Animate’s upcoming Studio Chizu Exhibition which is set to open at Animate Yokohama Vivre on July 16. Shotaro Otan, the store manager of Animate Yokohama Vivre who is also active as a YouTuber, will guide viewers through the exhibition as well as show products that will be sold online as part of the event.

Ten random people who purchase Studio Chizu-related goods from Animate once the tour ends will be randomly chosen to win some free Belle merchandise too.

©スタジオ地図　©2021 スタジオ地図

Tokyo-based amusement park Yomiuri Land and flower park HANA・BIYORI are celebrating 10 years of Studio Chizu, the animation studio spearheaded by director Mamoru Hosoda, as well as the upcoming release of their new film Belle with a special event that is running from July 17 to September 5.

Studio Chizu 10th Cross Park in Yomiuri Land

Flowers collide with digital art at HANA・BIYORI

Solve puzzles in an AR rally

Themed food

Exclusive merchandise

The events will celebrate Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu’s entire filmography including The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and their upcoming film Belle which will be released in Japan on July 16. This includes themed attraction, food, merchandise, and more. There will also be a special AR rally where guests will need to locate hidden characters around the park. A digital art show will also take place at HANA・BIYORI which is connected to Yomiuri Land.

More details about the attractions and food will roll out in early July.

Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has revealed the top song and album rankings of artists for April 2021 who earn the site’s RecoChoku Award for the month. Taking the number one spot for the monthly single charts is YOASOBI with Mou Sukoshi Dake (‘Just a Little More’) which released on May 10 as the theme song for Fuji TV’s Mezamashi TV.

RecoChoku Award Monthly Music – May 2021

Single Charts

1st Place: “Mou Sukoshi Dake” – YOASOBI (Released May 20, 2021)
2nd Place: “Kaitou” – back number
3rd Place: “Kirari” – Fujii Kaze
4th Place: “Butter” – BTS
5th Place: “Cry Baby” – Official HIGE DANdism

Album Charts

1st Place: “ZZ’s II” – Momoiro Clover Z (Releasing May 17, 2021)
2nd Place: “THE BOOK” – YOASOBI
3rd Place: “Kimi Shika Katan (Special Edition)” – Hinatazaka46
4th Place: “Butter” – BTS
5th Place: “LADYBUG” – LiSA

YOASOBI’s Mou Sukoshi Dake is inspired by the novel Meguru. by Chiharu and first hit the air on March 29 as the main theme for the weekly Japanese news show Mezamashi TV. Excited words of praise flooded social media in Japan when it played on the show. The single’s cover art was created by hmng and captures a scene of a schoolgirl bathed in light. This girl also appears in the novel, giving a peek into its story as well as the feeling of the song itself. Mou Sukoshi Dake has ranked number one two weeks in a row for RecoChoku’s weekly rankings on May 12 and 19 and has now taken the monthly spot.

YOASOBI’s success doesn’t stop there however as it was recently announced that band member ikura is receiving her voice acting role in Studio Chizu’s upcoming anime film Belle which is set for release this July. 

Momoiro Clover Z’s compilation album ZZ’s II is set to release on May 17 in celebration of the group’s 13th anniversary. The tracks were re-recorded by the current four members. There are 10 songs in title including Nippon Egao Hyakkei -ZZ ver.-, Saraba Itoshiki Kanashimi-tachi yo which features arrangement and guitar work by Tomoyasu Hotei, and more.

Momoiro Clover Z have been posting videos of songs from the album on their official YouTube channel. The album came in at number one on the daily charts and that has continued in the weekly and monthly charts.

Since January, Studio Chizu has been teamed up with the Japanese apparel brand Graniph to release a new t-shirt design every month in celebration of their 10th anniversary. The fifth and final design was released on May 26.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle (2021). All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

Mirai x tupera tupera

The past four t-shirt designs have included The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, andThe Boy and the Beast, each illustrated by a different popular artist. The fifth and final design is for Mirai which was drawn by tupera tupera and features Mirai, Kun, the mother, the father, and the pet dog Yukko.

Graniph posted an interview with tupera tupera on their YouTube channel which you can watch below in Japanese.

tupera tupera Interview

(C)2018 スタジオ地図
(C)STUDIO CHIZU

Studio Chizu, the Japanese animation studio working on the upcoming anime film Belle which is set for release sometime this summer, has announced an exhibition at TeNQ Space Museum in celebration of their 10th anniversary and in promotion of their newest work. It will be held from July 7 to November 14.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle (2021). All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

One of the biggest aspects when it comes to creating an animated world are the backgrounds used. This exhibition will focus on two key background features threaded throughout Hosoda’s creations: the sky and clouds. Both of these sceneries are showcased in different ways in all four of his films and will be explored throughout the event with a special, exclusive showing of a slideshow with various scenes of the sky and clouds littered in the filmography, as well as a more ‘academic’ exhibit of the cumulonimbus, a cloud that symbolises Studio Chizu, and more.

Limited edition mask case 

There will also be a selection of original merchandise for anime fans to pick up, as well as a limited stock face mask case when purchased together with select tickets.

Exhibits to look out for at the event

Who are Studio Chizu?

Learn about the 10 year history of the Japanese animation studio Studio Chizu.

Studio Chizu and the cumulonimbus

The cumulonimbus is a cloud synonymous with Studio Chizu’s works – see it in all forms from their filmography in this special exhibit.

(more…)

House Food Groups has announced that it will roll out limited-time packaging of its popular Tongari Corn snack in early July in collaboration with the upcoming anime film Belle which will be released in Japanese cinemas on July 16, 2021.

There will be six packaging designs in total with three each for both the salted and the grilled corn chips. The designs include the poster for the anime film on the front and scenes from the film and the 10th anniversary poster for Studio Chizu, who are animating the film, on the back.

The film is being directed by Mamoru Hosoda who is known for such hit anime films as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), and of course his 2018 hit Mirai which was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Animated Feature Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Studio Chizu describes the story: “The protagonist of this story, Suzu, is a 17-year old high school girl living with her father in a rural town of Kochi — their town is a textbook definition of depopulation in the Japanese countryside. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world, “U,” and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U’s eyes are fixed on Belle (Suzu), when one day the mysterious and infamous Dragon-like figure appears before her.”

Product Line-Up

Assari Shio (Salted)

Delightfully seasoned with sea salt, 50% of which comes from the deep ocean, to perfection so you never get bored of the chip’s moreish flavour.

Yaki Toumorokoshi (Grilled Corn)

Grilled corn flavoured and seasoned with umami-packed soy sauce.

The Packaging

Assari Shio Packaging

Yaki Toumorokoshi Packaging

Enjoy a packet of Tongari Corn or some Japanese snacks while you watch Belle!

Studio Chizu’s Mirai directed by Mamoru Hosoda was selected to receive the award for Best Animated Independent Feature at the 46th Annie Awards.

This is the first time a Japanese director has won in this category. The other nominated films in the same category include Ce Magnifique Gâteau!, MFKZ, Ruben Brandt, Collector and Tito and the Birds.

Hosoda made the following statement about the win: “I was very surprised when they called out Mirai, but I’m incredibly happy. This is a personal film modelled on my own childhood, but for such a small film as this to receive such a big award that encompasses [films from around] the world, in being able to hold hands with people throughout the world and convey my feelings fills me with surprise and gratitude. I am grateful that the story of an ordinary Japanese family reached and was able to be seen by people from different countries. I am thankful to everyone who has watched Mirai, everyone at Studio Chizu, and my wife and children. Thank you.”

The Japanese animated film Mirai written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu was nominated at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.

The film is described on the Oscars website:

Four-year-old Kun is overwhelmed by the arrival of his baby sister, Mirai. Although he wants to love her, Kun is jealous of the attention she receives and so retreats to a make-believe world where he is visited by their late grandfather and their dog in human form, as well as by Mirai herself, as a teenager from the future.

This marks the first of director Hosoda’s films to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Speaking about the nomination, Hosoda stated: “I was simply overwhelmed when I heard that Mirai had been nominated for the 91st Academy Awards. It’s a cute film that follows the simple story of a child’s daily life and growing up. I feel a strong meaning and significance at the fact that the film is mixed together with other films that talk of heroes. I hope this serves as a chance for the film to spread and for more people to enjoy it.”

The film is now available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan. The Special Edition features an interview with the producer who discusses the development of the film and character design, a new piece drawn by animation director Hiroyuki Aoyama, and more.