The anime film premiering on Netflix this month, Bubble, unveiled a new trailer with plot details, along with cast and production announcements.
The original anime film, Bubble, announced its first trailer that provided a first look at the storyline and stunning visuals. Warner Bros. Japan dropped the latest trailer on Thursday this week as the film will be on Netflix on April 28 and have a theatrical release in Japanese theatres on May 13. The movie is an original piece, not based on any manga or visual novel, which will mainly revolve around the two characters, Hibiki and Uta. The film gained critical attention when it was screened at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival this past February.
Netflix described the anime film, Bubble, as the following:
“The story is set in Tokyo, after bubbles that broke the laws of gravity rained down upon the world. Cut off from the outside world, Tokyo has become a playground for a group of young people who have lost their families, acting as a battlefield for parkour team battles as they leap from building to building. Hibiki, a young ace known for his dangerous play style, makes a reckless move one day and plummets into the gravity-bending sea.
His life is saved by Uta, a girl with mysterious powers. The pair then hear a unique sound audible only to them. Why did Uta appear before Hibiki? Their encounter leads to a revelation that will change the world.”
Interestingly, the singer-songwriter, Riria, will be performing the ending theme song, “See You, Catch You Later” for Bubble, and she will be the voice voicing the heroine, Uta, as well. Riria grew in popularity in 2019 when she began posting anonymous songs on TikTok and YouTube and has since gained over 1.7 million followers on various social media platforms. The rising star was personally contacted by the director, Tetsuro Araki, and the producer, Genki Kawamura, for her first acting role ever.
Alongside Riria, Jun Shison (Way of the Househusband) will voice the other protagonist, Hibiki. Other characters revealed were Kai (Yuuki Kaji), Usagi (Sayaka Senbongi), the leader of Denki Ninja (Tasuku Hatanaka), the leader of Undertaker (Marina Inoue), and the leader of Kantō Mad Lobster (Shinichiro Miki).
The studio bringing Bubble to the streamer (and later to the big screen) are the ones who started the anime adaptation of Attack on Titan and will be debuting their highly anticipated show this weekend on Crunchyroll, Spy x Family. It is none other than Wit Studio, which consists of a production team who had worked on other great hit shows such as Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Madoka Magica and Death Note.
Netflix announced last year their increased investments in anime content, which has really found traction with licensing and producing popular shows like Komi Can’t Communicate and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures. With the recent success of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 at the box offices internationally, perhaps this will be the streamer trying to compete on a different platform for the anime film of the year award at different award shows next year.
As Bubble is an original property, the fan base will not be there, but I have I havehigh hopes the visuals and story they have provided so far will be enough to entice me to check it out. This film has brought many great animators together, so there is also added credibility there. Ultimately, I am planning to have a box of tissues ready as these relationships in anime films have made my eyes precipitate a number of times in the past few years. The first official trailer was released on Netflix back on February 28, 2022.
