GKIDS announced on Wednesday that it had acquired the North American distribution rights to Blue Giant, an anime film from Mob Psycho 100 director Yuzuru Tachikawa.
When will Blue Giant release in North America?
With the acquisition, GKIDS is set to release the film in the United States sometime later this year, although no official release information has been made. For now, a sneak preview screening will be held at the ongoing 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which has been taking place this week.
Blue Giant originally premiered in Japan earlier this year, and has earned 1 billion yen (~$7.5 million) at the Japanese box office during its run. The film is based on the jazz-themed manga of the same name, which was written and illustrated by Shinichi Ishizuka.
The manga originally released in 2013 and ran through 2016, running for a total of 10 volumes, with 5.8 million copies in circulation as of 2020.
“Dai Miyamoto’s life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz,” reads the official synopsis for the film. “A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins practicing day and night, determined to become one of the greatest of all time. He leaves his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, but soon finds the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart.”
