The official website of ghost – end of night, the upcoming original anime film directed by Shingo Natsume, has released the film's main trailer alongside a second key visual and five additional cast members. The trailer is carried by Hitsujibungaku's theme song life as it follows Neekei, a brilliant 15-year-old who was selected years ahead of schedule and now rages against a near-future society that has everything and feels nothing.
Set in a future where labor is no longer necessary, the trailer opens on a society that has everything and feels nothing. Neekei, a brilliant 15-year-old who was selected years ahead of schedule, rages against that order and insists that she is not the one in the wrong. Her path then crosses with Masu, a man carrying a deep loss, and a fragile bond begins to form between them as Hitsujibungaku's theme song life carries the footage.
Watch the main trailer here:
The second key visual released with the trailer shows Neekei reclining among vivid red flowers, a revolver resting in her hand. Her distant gaze, paired with the visual's question of whether it is her or the world that has gone mad, distills the film's uneasy tone into a single striking image.
Five more cast members were announced alongside the trailer, rounding out the observatory and the people drawn into Neekei and Masu's orbit:
Takeo Otsuka (Aqua Hoshino in Oshi no Ko) as Bora, Neekei's self-assured predecessor at the observatory, who has a love of beautiful things
Kazuhiro Yamaji (Kenny Ackerman in Attack on Titan) as Ahab, a bad-tempered homeless old man who was once part of the elite
Yuki Shin (Takemichi Hanagaki in Tokyo Revengers) as Structure, a privileged man whom Neekei meets through Bora
Hina Yomiya (Anna Yamada in The Dangers in My Heart) as Mike, a ghost-like girl Neekei meets in the middle of the night, who dreads her own selection
Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya Forger in SPY×FAMILY) as Masu's son, who once traveled the world with his father
The five join a cast led by Mayu Hotta as Neekei, the gifted girl searching for a place where she belongs, and Issei Takahashi as Masu. Kenjiro Tsuda voices Moby Dick, the creator of the Orthoverse, with Hiroki Yasumoto as Masu's childhood friend Karate and Hiroshi Kamiya as fellow friend Ito.
Both leads commented on their roles when their casting was announced. "Nike is someone who is almost clumsily straightforward, and she continues to search for her place in the world while cherishing things she finds beautiful or authentic. Her strength is so radiant that, at times, I even felt a sense of envy while portraying her," Hotta said. "I believe the charm of this film lies in the fact that it doesn't impose a single answer, so I would be happy if the work reaches each viewer in a different way."
Takahashi added, "I feel that the sense of resignation Masu carries somewhere within him resonated strongly with my own perspective at times. The needle-hole-like light born from Natsume-san's gaze shines as a guidepost within the winter beauty of this world that is continuous with our own."
Behind the camera, Natsume is directing and wrote the script at Madhouse, reuniting with manga artist Natsume Ono, who provides the original character designs. Norifumi Kugai is designing the characters for animation, while Ohzora Kimishima composes the score, his first for a film. Alternative rock band Hitsujibungaku wrote six songs for the film, led by the theme song life and the insert song Sugar, which has begun streaming ahead of the single's release.
The film arrives with festival momentum behind it, having held its world premiere at Sitges and its North American premiere at the Animation Is Film festival in October. Japanese audiences got their first look at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where it screened as an official selection in the animation section.
What is ghost – end of night About?
ghost – end of night is an original anime film, with the original work credited to Shingo Natsume, Tomohiro Suzuki, Bandai Namco Filmworks and Madhouse. A near-future science fiction drama, it unfolds in a world sustained by the Orthoverse, a virtual reality network accessed through contact devices worn on the eyes, where everyone is selected at 18 as either needed by the world or not. Neekei was selected at just 15 and now manages the Orthoverse's starry sky from an observatory, all while searching for somewhere she truly belongs.
Here is the description of ghost – end of night:
In the near future, where labor is no longer necessary, only the most talented work and keep the world running. At the age of 18, everyone is "selected" into those who are necessary for the world and those who are not. Neekei, a talented girl who lives in a mature yet absurd society, already possesses the privilege of being "selected" at the age of 15. Despair and conflict lie before her—and then she meets Mass, who carries a deep sense of loss. Finally, Neekei makes a "decision" that no one could have imagined.
ghost – end of night opens in Japanese theaters on February 11, 2027, distributed by Bandai Namco Filmworks, with no international release announced yet. The home stretch brings Akimaro Mori's novelization on January 25, the first volume of himiko's manga adaptation on February 4 and Hitsujibungaku's life / Sugar single on February 10.
Sources: the official website of ghost – end of night, Bandai Namco Filmworks press release via V-STORAGE
