Anime movies have become more popular than ever over the past several years, with some seeing huge box office success. Many of these films are based on pre-existing anime franchises, namely hugely popular shonen series. Even with this precedent, a far more musical anime film could play a different note in 2023.
Based on a manga franchise that's been going since 2016, Blue Giant is based around a student who falls in love with jazz music. The source material has been lauded by many, and this quality -- and the folks working on the film -- could see it become an even bigger hit. Here's why Blue Giant can be one of the biggest anime movies in years.
Blue Giant's Manga Is Already an Award-Winning Classic
Based on Shinichi Ishizuka's manga of the same name, Blue Giant focuses on a student named Dai Miyamoto. Though he's somewhat rudderless in terms of what he wants to do with his future, Dai gains inspiration when he sees a live jazz performance. This sees him fall in love with jazz music, and upon getting a saxophone of his own, he's determined to become the best jazz musician possible. That's despite his inability to read sheet music, though this setback -- and the distaste of his detractors -- will not stop him from achieving his dreams.
The Blue Giant manga and its sequels have sold over five million copies altogether, winning awards such as the Shogakukan Award. It's also won several comic awards outside Japan, and the series' seemingly mundane premise hasn't kept it from being beloved by many. Everyone from everyday manga readers to Japanese comedians like KEndo Kobayashi have lauded the book and its follow-ups, only further raising its profile.
This is a testament to the quality of the slice-of-life story, which naturally appeals to a wider audience than the typical shonen anime film. Given that Blue Giant will adapt an award-winning story, it's already in good shape to wow audiences in both Japan and other countries. Of course, that's without even looking at the creative team behind what's sure to be a 2023 anime film standout.
Blue Giant Has Several Anime Veterans Working On It
The well-known TOHO is distributing Blue Giant, though the team isn't actually involved with its production. That falls to NUT, a comparatively more nascent animation studio that worked on the anime adaptation of Tanya the Evil. It also produced the movie for that series, which was well-received among fans. Blue Giant's director is Yuzuru Tachikawa, who himself has a rather illustrious career in the anime industry, including storyboards for the well-known anime Sword Art Online. Other works of his include the popular Mob Psycho 100 anime, as well as fellow NUT production Deca-Dence.
One element some fans are worried about is the anime film's use of CGI to portray its jazz concert sequences. While this is certainly jarring given that the rest of Blue Giant is in more traditional animation, CGI in anime as a whole has definitely improved in the past several years. For instance, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was a huge hit despite being entirely done in a somewhat experimental new CGI animation style. In the case of Blue Giant, the focus will generally be more focused on the plot and drama, which again have the most potential to see the film succeed. There's also been a huge increase in music-based anime and their popularity, so this is one area where Blue Giant is bound to succeed.
It's unknown how much of the first manga's story Blue Giant will adapt, though it's most likely planned as simply part one of a series of movies. With its collection of talent and great source material, it's most likely going to do absolute gangbusters in Japan. The jury is still out on an English theatrical release, but the film's trailer and footage so far suggest a level of charm and jazzy music that breaks all barriers.