{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8bd4d2958ad0b52f35c117dd","clusterId":"c_4380e4da120463ac2144c5d0","slug":"gkids-licenses-vampire-hunter-d-bloodlust-and-live-action-5-centimeters-per-second","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"GKIDS Licenses Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Live-Action 5 Centimeters per Second","summary":"GKIDS announced on Saturday that it has acquired North American rights to two films: the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust anime and the live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second. The distributor will screen the Japanese-language version of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust with English subtitles in select theaters this fall, ahead of theatrical and home entertainment releases planned for 2027. The 2000 film, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri at Madhouse, is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series and follows D, a half-vampire hunter hired to rescue a woman abducted by the vampire Baron Meier Link. Cartoon Brew notes the film was developed with an international audience in mind, with its English soundtrack recorded in Los Angeles before Japanese dialogue was completed. GKIDS will also screen the live-action 5 Centimeters per Second in North American theaters. That film opened in Japan in October 2025, ranking second in its opening weekend with 278,000 tickets sold and 420 million yen earned in three days. SixTONES member Hokuto Matsumura stars, Yoshiyuki Okuyama directs, and Kenshi Yonezu performs the theme song.","whyItMatters":"The fall screenings of the Japanese-language Bloodlust mark a notable shift for a film whose prior North American home video editions featured only the English dub, per Cartoon Brew.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGKIDS announced the pickups at an Anime NYC industry panel, per Cartoon Brew, and will screen the film in a new HD master, with exact dates and home video details due later this year.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBloodlust premiered at Montreal\u0026#39;s Fantasia International Film Festival in 2000 and received a limited U.S. theatrical release the following year, building a cult following since.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKawajiri\u0026#39;s other directorial credits include \u003ci\u003eNinja Scroll\u003c/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWicked City\u003c/i\u003e; the characters derive from Yoshitaka Amano\u0026#39;s illustrations.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe fall screenings mark the Japanese-language version\u0026#39;s North American debut, since prior home video editions from Urban Vision (DVD and VHS in 2002) and Discotek Media (DVD and Blu-ray in 2015) carried only the English dub.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGKIDS describes the 5 Centimeters per Second film as three interconnected tales of love and lost innocence spanning minutes and months, with Takaki and Akari separated when both families relocate.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe live-action production credits beyond the director and star: Spoon produced, TOHO distributed, Ayako Suzuki wrote the script, and Ayatake Ezaki composed the music. Kenshi Yonezu\u0026#39;s theme song is titled \u0026#34;1991.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 5 Centimeters per Second anime opened in Japan in 2007; Shinkai directed, wrote, storyboarded, and served as sound director, producer, and art director, with Tenmon composing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 1985 Vampire Hunter D OVA got a 40th anniversary screening via Iconic Events Releasing and AX Cinema Nights in April 2025, and began streaming on HIDIVE and Shudder in May 2025; Sentai Filmworks released it on Blu-ray in August 2025.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"GKIDS picked up North American rights to Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the live-action 5 Centimeters per Second. The Japanese-dubbed Bloodlust screens this fall, a first for North American audiences who previously only got the English version.","twitterPost":"Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is coming back to North American theaters in 2027 via GKIDS, with a new HD master. The live-action 5 Centimeters per Second, which earned 420 million yen in Japan, is also part of the deal.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"GKIDS adds two very different films to its North American slate: Yoshiaki Kawajiri's gothic Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the live-action take on Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second. The former gets a fall Japanese-language screening run before a 2027 rollout.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-22/gkids-licenses-vampire-hunter-d-bloodlust-anime-live-action-5-centimeters-per-second-film/.240863\",\"title\":\"GKIDS Licenses Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Anime, Live-Action 5 Centimeters Per Second Film\"},{\"source\":\"Cartoon Brew\",\"url\":\"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/gkids-yoshiaki-kawajiris-vampire-hunter-d-bloodlust-265889.html\",\"title\":\"GKIDS Acquires Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Gothic Anime Classic 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":9989,"outputTokens":1493,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787870274,"createdAt":"2026-08-27T22:32:56.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-27T22:36:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-27T22:32:56.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_4380e4da120463ac2144c5d0","canonicalTitle":"News\nGKIDS Licenses Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Anime, Live-Action 5 Centimeters Per Second Film","representativeArticleId":"a_c46267832bccc1f4ed97ad80","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"5 Centimeters Per Second\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Yoshiaki Kawajiri\"],\"type\":\"license\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-23T02:37:39.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-24T14:10:12.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-27T22:36:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-22/gkids-licenses-vampire-hunter-d-bloodlust-anime-live-action-5-centimeters-per-second-film/.240863","title":"News\nGKIDS Licenses Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Anime, Live-Action 5 Centimeters Per Second Film"},{"source":"Cartoon Brew","url":"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/gkids-yoshiaki-kawajiris-vampire-hunter-d-bloodlust-265889.html","title":"GKIDS Acquires Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Gothic Anime Classic ‘Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["5 Centimeters Per Second"],"studios":[],"people":["Yoshiaki Kawajiri"],"type":"license","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["GKIDS acquired North American rights to the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust anime and the live-action 5 Centimeters per Second film, announced on Saturday.","GKIDS will screen the Japanese-language version of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust with English subtitles in select theaters this fall, with theatrical and home entertainment releases planned for 2027.","The live-action 5 Centimeters per Second opened in Japan in October 2025, ranked second in its opening weekend, and sold 278,000 tickets earning 420 million yen in its first three days.","Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri at Madhouse and is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series."]}