Film distributor, GKIDS, has acquired the distrobution rights of Naoko Yamada's A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird. The company specifically have the rights for North America.
With its North America rights, GKIDS will bring the films back to theaters on December 15 and December 16. The acclaimed A Silent Voice was a huge hit in Japan back in 2016, debuting at #2, according to Animation Magazine.
The story of A Silent Voice follows Shōya Ishida who decides to make amends with those he's wronged over his life as he enters high school as an outcast. The big sore spot includes Shōko Nishimiya, a deaf girl who he and his friends bullied to the point of her tranfering to another school, all the while he kept her notebook. The Kyoto Animation made film saw immense success to the point of getting nominated for Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2016.
Following that, Yamada directed 2018's Liz and the Blue Bird, a film following introverted oboist, Mizore Yoroizuka, and her best friend, Nozomi Kasaki rehersing for the musical duet sharing the same name as the film -- Liz and the Blue Bird. The official synopsis reads:
"Though they became teammates in their middle school brass band and have played beautifully together ever since, Mizore and Nozomi find that with graduation from high school looming and the duet proving difficult, their friendship begins to buckle under the pressure. Interspersed with the story is the fantasy tale of Liz, drawn like a storybook, contrasting with the crisp realism of the school. These two distinct styles weave with stirring music to tell a touching coming-of-age story."
GKIDS has a long list of different films and TV shows they've distributed across the globe, such as The End of Evangelion, Inu-Oh, and most notably, the Studio Ghibli Collection, which includes much of what the famed, award-winning animation studio worked on. Full list here:
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Castle in the Sky
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- Only Yesterday
- Porco Rosso
- Ocean Waves
- Pom Poko
- Whisper of the Heart
- Princess Mononoke
- My Neighbors the Yamadas
- Spirited Away
- The Cat Returns
Similarly, they nabbed the distrobution rights to Yamada's short film, The Garden of Remembrance. Beyond her directorial work, she has worked on some influencial anime like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, and Clannad. She also directed the widely popular K-On! as well as its sequel series.