A new wartime animated drama is heading to theatres this September 4. Based on the manga cocoon by Machiko Hyo, cocoon — One Summer of Girlhood, will release in Japanese with English subtitles and English dub.
The animated film made its North America debut last week at JAPAN CUTS, North America’s largest Japanese film festival, in New York City.
The film’s trailer was released on Thursday:
The movie follows San and Mayu, two friends at an all-girls school on a balmy and calm island. When a war reaches Japan, they are ordered to work alongside other girls and women to nurse the injured. The girls work at hidden military hospital inside a cave. What was once considered their paradise has turned south, and the girls struggle to find peace in their lives amid war.
Crew
An all-star lineup of animators and screenwriters came together to produce cocoon — One Summer of Girlhood. This film is the debut feature for Director Yukimitsu Ina and animation studio SASAYURI (founded by Studio Ghibli alumna and animator Hitomi Tateno).
Others on the team include:
- Akihiko Yamashita, animator on Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron
- Shinji Otsuka, animator on Kiki’s Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke
- Taku Kishimoto, screenwriter on Haikyu!! and SAKAMOTO DAYS
- kensuke ushio, musician on Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, DanDaDan, and A Silent Voice. Fans will receive a special behind-the-scenes look at his process composing the score.
Background
This film is based on the true events of the Himeyuri students during The Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Female students aged 15-19 had to attend nurse training and fed, cleaned, and attend to patients; they also had to dispose corpses. They not only worked in the cave, but on the active battlefield. The battle lasted more than 90 days and killed around 120,000 Okinawans.
