Netflix has announced that it will be adding the jazz drama anime film Blue Giant to its streaming platform on September 1, 2024 in the U.S. and Canada. The film originally premiered in Japan on February 17, 2023 and was screened again on October 18, 2023 in commemoration of its home video release.
Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100 III chief director, Mob Psycho 100 and Mob Psycho 100 II director) directed the film at studio NUT, with NUMBER 8 as screenwriter, Yuichi Takahashi (Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-) as character designer and chef animation director, Toshiyuki Komaru (Parasyte sub-character designer) and Takao Maki (Kageki Shoujo co-sub character designer) as main animators, Satoru Hirayanagi (Immoral Guild) as art director, Yoshinori Horikawa (Back Arrow) as color designer, Kasumi Tougo (Burn the Witch) as compositing director, Masato Takahashi (Pompo the Cinephile) as 3DCGI director, and Hiromi Uehara as music composer.
© 2013 Shinichi Ishizuka/Shogakukan
Hiromatsu Shuu (Chainsaw Man Ending 5 and Fate/Grand Order Memorial Movie 2023 director et al), Satoshi Kimura (Deca-Dence opening director), Kiyoshi Hirose (Inu-Oh editor), and Tachikawa served as live performance directors.
Meanwhile, the anime’s main voice cast starred Yuuki Yamada as Dai Miyamoto, Shotaro Mamiya as Yukinori Sawabe, and Amane Okayama as Junji Tamada.
The film is an adaptation of the jazz manga by Shinichi Ishizuka, which ran in Shogakukan’s Big Comic magazine from May 10, 2013 to August 25, 2016. A total of ten tankobon volumes were released. Seven Seas Entertainment releases the manga in English for North America.
The manga was followed up by several sequels: Blue Giant Supreme in 2016, Blue Giant Explorer in 2020, and Blue Giant Momentum in July 2023. Since the ninth tankobon volume of Blue Giant Supreme, NUMBER 8 has been credited as story director.
GKIDS released the anime film in North America in October 2023 and describes the synopsis as:
Dai Miyamoto’s life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins practicing day and night, determined to become one of the greatest of all time. He leaves his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, but soon finds the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart. His passion eventually wins over the cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, and after Dai convinces his friend Shunji to learn the drums, they launch a new jazz trio whose rough sound contains a raw energy that quickly wins attention from local audiences. But what does it take to truly be great?
Source: Netflix Anime Official Anime Twitter
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