2nd Sumikko Gurashi Anime Film Reveals Title, Staff, Story, Teaser Visual, November Release

The official website for the anime film franchise based on San-X's Sumikko Gurashi characters revealed on Tuesday that the second film in the franchise is titled Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahō no Ko (The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night), and it will open in Japan in November. The site also revealed the main staff and a teaser visual.

Takahiro Ōmori (Durarara!!, Natsume's Book of Friends, Princess Jellyfish) is directing the film. Reiko Yoshida (Violet Evergarden, Lu over the wall, K-ON!) is penning the script, and Kaori Hino (Modest Heroes, Napping Princess) is returning from the first film as the art director. Fanworks is returning to animate the film, and ASMIK Ace is distributing.

In the film's story, the main characters go on a camping trip one day in the fall, and that night they recall a legend: that once every five years, on the night of a large and blue full moon, magical creatures will visit the town. The characters look up, only to see a large and blue moon overhead.

Sumikko Gurashi debuted in 2012 as slightly negative characters who like to stay in the corner of a room. The characters include "Shirokuma," a polar bear who is sensitive to cold; "Penguin?" (with a question mark in its name), a penguin who is unsure if it is actually a penguin; "Tonkatsu," a piece of pork cutlet that was left uneaten; "Neko," a shy cat; and "Tokage," who hides his nature as one of the last dinosaurs.

The first anime film, titled Sumikkogurashi – Good to be in the corner, opened in Japan in November 2019. The film ranked at #3 in its opening weekend. The film eventually sold a total of 1.22 million tickets, and it earned 1.4 billion yen (about US$12.8 million) at the box office in Japan as of February 2020. The film won the award for Best Animation of the Year at the 29th Annual Japan Movie Critics Awards in June 2020.

Mankyū (Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Theater, Jaku-San-Sei Million Arthur) directed the first film at Fanworks. Takashi Sumita (Europe Kikaku) penned the script. Kaori Hino (Napping Princess, In This Corner of the World) was the art director.

The franchise has inspired toys, books, stationery material, and video games.

Sources: Sumikko Gurashi film franchise's website, Comic Natalie