{"rewrite":{"id":"r_35f2fdbeadda143dacaeaef1","clusterId":"c_b3fb5050b34c484c28ee3762","slug":"shingo-natsume-s-ghost-film-reveals-lead-cast-in-new-teaser","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Shingo Natsume's Ghost Film Reveals Lead Cast in New Teaser","summary":"The official website for ghost - end of night, the new theatrical anime project from director Shingo Natsume and studio Madhouse, unveiled a teaser trailer on Friday that introduces the film's two lead cast members. Mayu Hotta plays Neekei, a 15-year-old girl who has already been selected in a society where people are judged at age 18 on whether the world needs them. Issei Takahashi voices Masu, a man burdened by the loss of his family who wanders while covering his body with tattoos before crossing paths with Neekei. The teaser includes the pair's first voiced scenes and features the insert song \"Sugar\" by alternative rock band hitsujibungaku, who also perform the film's theme song. The film is set in a near future where labor is no longer necessary, and follows Neekei as she seeks what is real while resisting the order of a content society. Natsume directs and writes the script, marking his first time directing an original anime film. Natsume Ono provides original character designs, Norifumi Kugai handles animation character designs, and Bandai Namco Filmworks distributes. The film opens in Japan on February 11, 2027.","whyItMatters":"The project reunites several key staff from ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., including Natsume, Ono, Kugai, and composer Ohzora Kimijima, suggesting a continuity of creative approach for Natsume's first original theatrical feature.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe teaser arrives alongside a manga adaptation by artist himiko, which launched in Kadokawa\u0026#39;s Young Ace magazine on August 4, giving readers a preview of the story before the film\u0026#39;s February 11, 2027 release date.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNatsume described his aim for the project as \u0026#34;a work that could be called fictional but is in tune with our current time and seeks realism.\u0026#34; The director previously worked on One-Punch Man, Sonny Boy, Space Dandy, and ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., but this is his first original feature-length anime film.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cast announcement pairs Hotta, whose character Neekei struggles with isolation despite receiving privileged status early in the selection process, with Takahashi as Masu, a wandering man marked by tattoos and family loss. Bandai Namco Filmworks describes the setting as a near future where labor is no longer necessary and society determines each person\u0026#39;s value through a selection process.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"ghost - end of night casts Mayu Hotta as Neekei, a girl already selected in a society that judges worth at 18, and Issei Takahashi as Masu, a tattooed wanderer grieving his family. Opens February 11, 2027.","twitterPost":"Shingo Natsume's first original anime film at Madhouse has a teaser and a cast. The insert song \"Sugar\" by hitsujibungaku plays in it. The manga adaptation is already running in Young Ace.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Shingo Natsume's original anime film ghost - end of night revealed its lead cast in a new teaser. Mayu Hotta and Issei Takahashi star in the story set in a future where labor is unnecessary. The film opens in Japan on February 11, 2027.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-06/shingo-natsume-madhouse-ghost-end-of-night-original-anime-film-unveils-teaser-cast/.240360\",\"title\":\"Shingo Natsume, Madhouse's ghost - end of night Original Anime Film Unveils Teaser, Cast\"},{\"source\":\"Anime Corner\",\"url\":\"https://animecorner.me/shingo-natsumes-original-anime-film-ghost-reveals-main-cast-in-first-teaser/\",\"title\":\"Shingo Natsume's Original Anime Film ghost Reveals Main Cast in First Teaser\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5736,"outputTokens":1057,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786073558,"createdAt":"2026-08-07T03:15:11.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-07T03:17:14.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-07T03:15:11.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b3fb5050b34c484c28ee3762","canonicalTitle":"Shingo Natsume’s Original Anime Film ghost Reveals Main Cast in First Teaser","representativeArticleId":"a_f0206351ea8347e4226df6fa","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"ghost – end of night\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Madhouse\"],\"people\":[\"Shingo Natsume\",\"Mayu Hotta\",\"Issei Takahashi\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-06T22:14:39.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-07T01:06:28.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-07T03:17:15.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-06/shingo-natsume-madhouse-ghost-end-of-night-original-anime-film-unveils-teaser-cast/.240360","title":"News\nShingo Natsume, Madhouse's ghost – end of night Original Anime Film Unveils Teaser, Cast"},{"source":"Anime Corner","url":"https://animecorner.me/shingo-natsumes-original-anime-film-ghost-reveals-main-cast-in-first-teaser/","title":"Shingo Natsume’s Original Anime Film ghost Reveals Main Cast in First Teaser"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["ghost – end of night"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Madhouse"],"people":["Shingo Natsume","Mayu Hotta","Issei Takahashi"],"type":"announcement","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["ghost - end of night opens in Japan on February 11, 2027.","Mayu Hotta voices Neekei, a 15-year-old girl selected in a society that judges people at age 18.","Issei Takahashi voices Masu, a man who wanders with tattoos after losing his family.","Shingo Natsume directs and writes the script at Madhouse, his first original anime film.","A manga adaptation by artist himiko launched in Kadokawa's Young Ace magazine on August 4."]}