Mari Okada, a writer of countless runs and mini-series for hit animes including Lupin the Third, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Rurouni Kenshin, has finally stepped into the director's chair of her own with this high fantasy film: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, released in North American theaters on a limited release as of July 20th (originally with a Japanese release date of February 28th, 2018). Okada pairs up with production company P.A. Works Corporation (Progressive Animation Works), a company she has previous ties with as a screenwriter for another anime television romantic comedy series, Hanasaku Iroha.
Here is the trailer for her directorial debut:
The film follows Maquia, a beautiful girl from the lolph clan, a mysterious group of ageless beings. She becomes seperated from her people after another faction attacks her home, thus leading her into the normal world where she becomes attached to a mortal boy named Ariel. She, against the word from her elders, helps care for the boy. As he ages, she does not, which in turn leads him down a path of wonderment for her lost people and sparking his interest in rekindling Maquia with her past.
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a melancholic tale that reminds us about the power of maternity, of preserving things that may end up being lost for good in time, and the importance of love. -Crunchyroll Press Release
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms currently has a limited U.S. release as of July 20th, 2018.