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The Concierge: Crunchyroll has Anime Film for US Cinematic Release

Crunchyroll has anime film The Concierge, adapted from the novel "The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store" set for North American release.

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Crunchyroll has acquired the North American rights for the new anime film The Concierge. The film, an adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura's novel "The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store," follows Akino, a trainee concierge, who works at a very special store – the customers are all animals, and the most valued among them are extinct species. The story is one of Japanese fiction's entries in stories in the service industry and learning empathy by having walking, talking animals as stand-ins and metaphors for humans because Japanese fiction's greatest interest is in learning empathy as part of the base Shinto Buddhist beliefs in core Japanese culture. Who doesn't love a comedy of manners with humans and talking animals in a department store?

The Concierge: Crunchyroll Picks Up
Key art ©2023 Tsuchika Nishimura/Shogakukan/"The Concierge" Film Partners, courtesy of Crunchyroll

"Akino is a trainee concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store, an unusual department store that caters exclusively to animals. Under the watchful eyes of the floor manager and senior concierges, Akino runs around to fulfill the wishes of customers with a myriad of needs and problems in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge."

The Concierge is directed by Yoshimi Itazu from the production company PRODUCTION I.G (Ghost in the Shell, PSYCHO-PASS, Haikyuu!). The main voice cast includes Natsumi Kawaida as Akino, Takeo Otsuka as Elulu, and  Kenjiro Tsuda as Woolly.

The Concierge made its World Premiere this past June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its North American Premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival. The film will screen in competition at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 21, at 3 p.m. PT. Tickets are now on sale at https://animationisfilm.com/events/the-concierge/. The Concierge is the first feature film from director Yoshimi Itazu (Welcome to the Ballroom). The film is set to be released by Aniplex in Japan on October 20 and is expected to come to Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures territories in 2024. Let's remember Crunchyroll also has movies on the service.

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Adi TantimedhAbout Adi Tantimedh

Adi Tantimedh is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote radio plays for the BBC Radio, “JLA: Age of Wonder” for DC Comics, “Blackshirt” for Moonstone Books, and “La Muse” for Big Head Press. Most recently, he wrote “Her Nightly Embrace”, “Her Beautiful Monster” and “Her Fugitive Heart”, a trilogy of novels featuring a British-Indian private eye published by Atria Books, a division Simon & Schuster.
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