The X account of A New Dawnthe first animated film from the illustrator and director Yoshitoshi Shinomiyatoday revealed its Japanese title: Hana Roushô ga Akeru Hi Nias well as a trailer, a view, and its headlining cast:
Riku Hagiwara (live-action My Beautiful Man, Meguru Mirai, Den’ei Shōjo ~Video Girl Mai 2019~) embodies the main role of Keitarô Tatewaki, et Kotone Furukawa (live-action Yu Yu HakushoIdol, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy), plays him in the role of Kaoru Shikimori. This film marks the start of the careers of these two artists.
This project, which marks Shinomiya’s feature film debut, focuses on a 330-year-old fireworks factory that is reaching the end of its life. The story follows three young people who grew up near this factory and over the two days surrounding the Shuhari fireworks shop. Keitarô locked himself in the factory for four years to perfect the perfect “Shuhari” in his father’s absence. Meanwhile, his childhood friend Kaoru, who left home due to an incident and now lives in Tokyo, visits him. Upon their reunion, the two hatch a surprising plan to uncover the long-lost secret of fireworks. (The “Hana Rokushō” in the title is the green pigment of Paris once used in fireworks and a key element of the story. “Akeru” can mean “dawn” or “daybreak”).
In addition to directing the film, Shinomiya designed the story and wrote the scripts. Utsushita (Heavenly Delusion) signs the design of the characters and Akiko Majima (Suzume) is credited as artist. Shuta Hasunuma composes the music. The film is joint production between ASMIK Ace and the French studio Miyu Productions (Anzu, Ghost Cat).
The film was presented at an event dedicated to animation during which Shinomiya revealed the project – and offered a making-of video on May 19, during the Annecy festival.
To provide context, Shinomiya is the artist who illustrated the poster for the film The Garden of Words of Makoto Shinkaiand he also designed the sets for his films your name. et Children Who Chase Lost Voices. He also designed the sets for Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin et Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. He worked as director ofanime on your name.and directed its flashback sequence. He also provided the illustrations for Pokémonthe film: Secrets of the Jungle. He also led a collaborative project including a short animation dedicated to the history of the Shibuya crossing, in 2018.
Sources: the channel YouTube by Asmik Ace, the X account of the film Hana Rokushō ga Akeru Hi Ni, (2nd link), AEiga Natalie
