Shinichiro Watanabe, the director of Cowboy Bebop, debuted the first key image for his animated short A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot at the Niigata International Animation Film Festival. For the TAISU project, a Chinese anthology animation project that weaves together four distinct sci-fi stories with directors from Japan, China, and New Zealand, the short film, produced by MAPPA and directed by Watanabe, also joins director Shuhei Morita’s short film Roots. Once the films are screened, Watanabe and Morita will participate in a discussion event.
“A Girl Meets A Boy And A Robot” Anime Film Key Visual
Directed By Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop).
A Studio MAPPA Production. pic.twitter.com/1Ev4zTWwMg
— Anime News And Facts (@AniNewsAndFacts) March 2, 2023
Shinichiro Watanabe, well known for his work on Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, looks to be working on a slice-of-life sci-fi show set in an other Earth: A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot.
渡辺信一郎・森田修平も参加の映像作品、新潟国際アニメ映画祭でアジアプレミア上映https://t.co/N4fUUtEx7n#NIAFF #新潟国際アニメーション映画祭 #渡辺信一郎 #森田修平 pic.twitter.com/YXkO3Hnu3f
— コミックナタリー (@comic_natalie) March 1, 2023
The well-known production company MAPPA, known for its work on shows like Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Jujutsu Kaisen, is responsible for the creation of A Girl Meets a Boy and a Robot. It is the first animated short film produced by the company, and Watanabe directed it from a screenplay that he co-wrote with the musician and artist Jukki Hanada. The 20-minute movie follows a little girl who has lost her memories as she keeps looking for other people in a world where automated technology has taken over. She runs into a kind robot who decides to accompany her on her search for other people. The two finally come upon a young child trying to connect with his long-forgotten past by reaching the Crystal of Time, among other things, in order to survive. The Girl is played by Misaki Kuno, who is most known for her appearances as Hawk in Seven Deadly Sins, Faputa in Made in Abyss Season 2, and Frederica Rosenfort in 86 Eighty-Six. The Boy is voiced by Yuuma Uchida, lastly.
While the film will be MAPPA’s latest production for the silver screen, it is not their first foray into filmmaking. The studio’s experience began with Garo: Divine Flame in 2016 and continued with In This Corner of the World (also known as In This Corner of the World and Other Corners of the World) in 2019. This was followed by the production of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in 2022 and currently underway is their Yuri!!! On Ice film series. Meanwhile, Watanabe’s latest film credits consist of Blade Runner Black Out 2022, which was preceded by a Baby Blue story found within Genius Party anthology film. He served as director on both projects, with his most recent television anime credit being as chief director on Carole & Tuesday anime series released in 2019.
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