{"rewrite":{"id":"r_2ec2aa0747407e4b6ee900a3","clusterId":"c_b6b10aad5bc8f21302292417","slug":"gkids-acquires-cocoon-one-summer-of-girlhood-for-north-american-theatrical-release","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Gkids Acquires Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood for North American Theatrical Release","summary":"Gkids has acquired all North American rights to the wartime anime film Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood, based on Machiko Kyo's manga, and will begin screening it in theaters on September 4. The film will be available in Japanese with English subtitles and with an English dub. It will have its North American premiere at the JAPAN CUTS event in July before the wider theatrical rollout. The 63-minute feature, directed by Yukimitsu Ina in his directorial debut, follows two schoolgirls, San and Mayu, on a tropical southern island during World War II. As war escalates, the students are ordered to nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden in a cave, and they lose friends one by one. The anime originally debuted on BS-NHK in March 2025 and later aired on NHK General that August. The music was composed by Kensuke Ushio, and Hitomi Tateno, a former Studio Ghibli animator, served as animation producer. The studio Sasayuri produced the anime. Gkids said it will announce home entertainment plans and details about the English-language cast later this year.","whyItMatters":"The acquisition marks the first North American theatrical release for a deeply personal wartime story from a veteran Ghibli-affiliated team, bringing a 2025 Japanese TV anime to a wider international audience.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eYukimitsu Ina, making his directorial debut, previously worked on the television series \u003cem\u003eKeep Your Hands Off Eizouken!\u003c/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eStar Wars: Visions\u003c/em\u003e short \u0026#34;Tatooine Rhapsody.\u0026#34; Ina co-wrote the screenplay with Taku Kishimoto.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe film brings together veteran animators Akihiko Yamashita and Shinji Otsuka, whose credits include \u003cem\u003eSpirited Away\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Boy and the Heron\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eKiki\u0026#39;s Delivery Service\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePrincess Mononoke\u003c/em\u003e. The voice cast stars Hikari Mitsushima as Mayu and Marika Itō as San.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMachiko Kyo released the original manga in 2010, 65 years after the end of World War II. The anime\u0026#39;s 2025 release came 80 years after the war ended. Viz Media licensed the manga. Kyo\u0026#39;s earlier manga \u003cem\u003eMitsuami no Kami-sama\u003c/em\u003e won an award in the 18th Annual Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize in March 2014. That manga inspired Production I.G\u0026#39;s 28-minute short anime film \u003cem\u003ePigtails\u003c/em\u003e, which won the Platinum Remi Award at the 2016 WorldFest Houston International Film Festival and the Diamond Award at the 2016 California Film Awards.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Gkids picked up Cocoon, One Summer of Girlhood for a wide North American release before it even finished its NHK broadcasts in Japan. That timeline suggests the distributor saw theatrical potential from the March 2025 premiere.","twitterPost":"Gkids acquired Cocoon, One Summer of Girlhood before its NHK broadcasts wrapped. Theatrical release is set for September 4.","threadsPost":"Gkids acquired Cocoon, One Summer of Girlhood for North American theaters before its NHK broadcasts in Japan even concluded. The September 4 release date means the film will hit U.S. screens within six months of its March 2025 debut, an unusually fast turnaround for a wartime anime feature.","newsletterBlurb":"GKIDS has acquired North American rights to Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood, a wartime anime based on Machiko Kyo's manga. The film will open in theaters on September 4 in Japanese with subtitles and an English dub, following its North American premiere at Japan Cuts in July. The 63-minute feature is directed by Yukimitsu Ina with music by Kensuke Ushio.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-16/gkids-to-screen-cocoon-wartime-anime-on-september-4/.238580\",\"title\":\"GKIDS to Screen Cocoon Wartime Anime on September 4\"},{\"source\":\"Variety\",\"url\":\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/cocoon-one-summer-of-girlhood-gkids-north-america-1236781836/\",\"title\":\"Wartime Anime 'Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood' Sets North American Theatrical Release via Gkids (EXCLUSIVE)\"},{\"source\":\"Cartoon Brew\",\"url\":\"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/cocoon-one-summer-of-girlhood-gkids-distribution-262973.html\",\"title\":\"GKIDS Acquires Wartime Anime 'Cocoon - One Summer Of Girlhood' For North American Release\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":9092,"outputTokens":1280,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781635320,"createdAt":"2026-06-16T18:30:13.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-16T18:34:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-16T18:34:57.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b6b10aad5bc8f21302292417","canonicalTitle":"Wartime Anime ‘Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood’ Sets North American Theatrical Release via Gkids (EXCLUSIVE)","representativeArticleId":"a_293fcef9ffa53a3a2058bc96","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"license\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-16T15:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-16T18:25:46.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-16T18:34:57.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-16/gkids-to-screen-cocoon-wartime-anime-on-september-4/.238580","title":"News\nGKIDS to Screen Cocoon Wartime Anime on September 4"},{"source":"Variety Anime","url":"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/cocoon-one-summer-of-girlhood-gkids-north-america-1236781836/","title":"Wartime Anime ‘Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood’ Sets North American Theatrical Release via Gkids (EXCLUSIVE)"},{"source":"Cartoon Brew","url":"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/cocoon-one-summer-of-girlhood-gkids-distribution-262973.html","title":"GKIDS Acquires Wartime Anime ‘Cocoon – One Summer Of Girlhood’ For North American Release"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"license","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Gkids acquired all North American rights to the wartime anime film Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood and will begin screening it in theaters on September 4.","The 63-minute feature, directed by Yukimitsu Ina in his directorial debut, follows two schoolgirls, San and Mayu, on a tropical southern island during World War II.","The anime originally debuted on BS-NHK in March 2025 and later aired on NHK General that August.","The music was composed by Kensuke Ushio, and Hitomi Tateno, a former Studio Ghibli animator, served as animation producer.","The film will have its North American premiere at the JAPAN CUTS event in July before the wider theatrical rollout."]}