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Studio Ghibli has yet to release information regarding the next project that the production house will work on, following the smash success of The Boy And The Heron. Despite this fact, animators who got their start with Hayao Miyazaki’s company are working hard in the anime medium to this day. Recently, Japan saw the release of a new anime special dubbed Cocoon that pulls on viewers’ heartstrings in a way that feels right in line with Ghibli. If you want a closer look at this new anime special based on real-life events, a new trailer has arrived online that proves the Ghibli animators have learned quite a bit from their time with the studio.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Cocoon first arrived as a manga in 2009, from creator Machiko Kyo. In the past, Studio Ghibli has worked on movies that are based on real-life events including The Wind Rises, Grave of The Firefliesand parts of The Boy And The Heron. When it comes to studio Sasayuri, Cocoon is the first production that hails from the production house that was founded by Hitomi Tateno. If you’re not familiar with Tateno, she worked for Ghibli for around thirty years and had a hand in projects such as From Up On Poppy Hill, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Awayand more. Hitomi’s anime resume even includes the likes of Devilman and Akiraproving how much of an influence she has had on the medium. Unfortunately, there has been no word on a North American release for Cocoon but we’re crossing our fingers it will one day come to the West.
[RELATED: GKIDS Addresses Studio Ghibli AI Controversy to Celebrate Princess Mononoke Re-Release]
Cocoon’s Release
If you want a closer look at this new television special from Sasayuri, here’s an official description of Cocoon“San and Mayu are two schoolgirls living in Okinawa during the closing months of the Pacific War. Together with their classmates, the two friends are drafted into the war effort as nurses for wounded soldiers. When ordered to die for their country, the remaining members of the group escape only to face the harsh environment of a tropical paradise that has become a hellish battlefield.” You can check out the new trailer below.
Ghibli’s Unexpected Controversy
Studio Ghibli has been making headlines recently for an issue that has nothing to do with the studio itself. Thanks to a new AI tool that allows pictures to be recreated with a “Ghibli” style, many have been talking about the home of Hayao Miyazaki and how artificial intelligence is having a big impact on the anime world as a whole. With the recent re-release of Princess Mononoke into theaters, with a 4K remaster, even the folks at GKIDs decided to chime in on the controversy.
Chance Huskey, VP of distribution for GKIDS, had this to say when it came to the A.I. controversy, “In a time when technology tries to replicate humanity, we are thrilled that audiences value a theatrical experience that respects and celebrates Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece in all its cinematic hand-drawn glory.”
