NHK has released more preview images from the upcoming World War II drama anime Cocoon, which will start its advance broadcast on March 30 at 12:25 AM JST.
The stills — the full set of which can be found here — continue to showcase the anime’s Ghibli-esque character designs and present the juxtaposing imagery of young girls smiling in the sun and civilians tending to Japanese soldiers in a candlelit cave.
Cocoon, which will have its proper broadcast in August, is based on the manga by Machiko Kyou. In the story, the schoolgirl San and her classmates are drafted into the student corps as World War II worsens. The manga was serialized in Akita Shoten’s Elegance Eve and is collected into a single volume, which was published in 2010.
NHK stated when the anime was announced in June 2023 that it is meant to serve as a thought-provoking work about war, and noted that 2025 will mark the 80th year since World War II’s end.
Another stated aim of the production is to pass on animation knowledge and techniques. Cocoon‘s animation production company is Sasayuri, which was originally a cafe founded by the anime’s animation producer Hitomi Tateno (The Wind Rises and Ponyo on the Cliff in-between animation inspector) in 2014. The company was established in 2017 and includes animation-related training among its functions.
Sasayuri Cafe has been indefinitely closed since late 2020. It hosted a large number of art exhibitions, including the Jin-Roh Hiroyuki Okiura Exhibition, the Cyberconnect2 Art Works Exhibition, and Anime Style 20 Anniversary Exhibition Part 2 #Yoh Yoshinari Doodles.
Staff
• Director: Ina Yukimitsu
• Music composer: Kensuke Ushio (The Colors Within, Dan Da Dan)
Cast
• Hikari Mitsushima as Mayu
• Marika Ito as San
Source: @nhk_animeworld (via Catsuka)
