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Crunchyroll, the ultimate home for anime worldwide, announced today the North American theatrical dates for two films – the fantastical anthropomorphic film The Concierge, and Trapezium, a fresh, realistic take on Japan’s idol-obsessed culture. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute The Concierge on September 11 and Trapezium on September 18, both for one-day-only, in North America.
The Concierge will also be distributed in Italy on September 23, Germany on September 24, Australia on September 26, and Spain on September 27. Trapezium, which has been acquired by Crunchyroll, will be released in France on November 19 and Germany on November 26. Both films are set to be distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment in the above-mentioned territories.
The Concierge
Akino is a trainee concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store, an unusual department store that caters exclusively to animals. Under the watchful eyes of the floor manager and senior concierges, Akino runs around to fulfill the wishes of customers with a myriad of needs and problems in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge.
The Concierge is directed by Yoshimi Itazu from production company PRODUCTION I.G (Ghost in the Shell, PSYCHO-PASS, HAIKYU!!). The main voice cast includes Natsumi Kawaida as Akino, Takeo Otsuka as Elulu, and Kenjiro Tsuda as Woolly.
The award-winning film made its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2023 and its North American Premiere in July 2023 at the Fantasia International Film Festival. The film has also been selected and screened at several film festivals worldwide in 2023-2024.
Run time: 70 mins
Who might this film appeal to: Folks looking for a whimsical tale, fans of the Animal Crossing franchise and Beastars, anime lovers looking for a film that will pull at the heart strings
Trapezium
Driven by an unwavering passion for becoming an idol, Yu Azuma, a young, ambitious first-year student at Joshu East High School, embarks on a journey to form an idol group.
To make her dream a reality, she recruits one girl from each of her region’s four high schools (located to the north, east, south, and west) and soon finds her fellow group members.
Joining Yu is Ranko Kashima, a sophisticated second-year student at Holy Teneritas Southern Girls’ Academy, with a distinctive curly hairstyle and admiration for Ochofujin (“Madame Butterfly”); Kurumi Taiga, a student at West Tech Vocational High School, who wears cute, oversized jackets with long sleeves and dreams of winning the championship at a robotics competition; and, Mika Kamei, a student who also hails from Joshu North High School, is known for being a kind-hearted girl and for her dedication to volunteering.
With the help of Shinji Kudo, Yu’s “collaborator” and confidante, these four young girls set off on the road to stardom. But the journey hides unexpected trials, rigorous demands, setbacks, and pressures that threaten to undo all that Yu has worked so hard for.
Trapezium’s original story comes from Kazumi Takayama novel “Trapezium” (Da Vinch / KADOKAWA) and was created into a screenplay by Yuko Kakihara. It is directed by Masahiro Shinohara and produced by Cloverworks. The main voice cast includes Asaki Yuikawa, Hina Youmiya, Reina Ueda, and Haruka Aikawa.
Run time: 95 minutes
Who might this film appeal to: Idol anime lovers, anime centered on teenage girls and their friendships and their hopes and dreams
About Aniplex Inc.
Aniplex Inc. (ANX) is a diversified entertainment company operating worldwide with focus on the planning and production of anime video and music content, its distribution in theaters and broadcast syndication as well as their respective physical and digital products, development of related game apps and merchandise such as figurines and apparel, stage production of musicals and live events, and operating the online store “Aniplex Online” which provides hand-picked items for sale.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.
Films distributed and marketed by Crunchyroll—domestically and internationally—have a proven track record of both box office and critical success. Crunchyroll’s theatrical team has been behind 10 of the Top 20 best-performing anime films in U.S. box office history, including Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, Suzume, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO, One Piece Film: Red, and more. Not only have Crunchyroll films seen box office success, but they have also been recognized with numerous awards and accolades and been accepted and screened at international film festivals around the globe.
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The post Crunchyroll Announces Theatrical Release Dates for ‘The Concierge’ and ‘Trapezium’ Come September appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Howard University announced the cancellation of its Homecoming Tailgate Party, to the disappointment of many.
The university, located in Washington, D.C., is celebrating its 100th homecoming since the school’s founding. The weekend will not lack activities. According to Howard’s official website, “Student Fashion Show, Greek Step Show, Yardfest, Homecoming Parade, Young Alumni Day Party Brunch and Alumni Jazz Brunch” are just a few of the scheduled events. The centennial celebration for past and current Bison will look a little different this year. The Tailgate, a Bison family reunion of sorts, will be notably absent.
On November 27, 1924, Howard University’s first Homecoming was simply a football game against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. This year, from 10/13 – 10/20, we’ll celebrate the Centennial in true Bison fashion. Learn More: https://t.co/scA1Q177KO pic.twitter.com/AJnmvVaPYG
— Howard University (@HowardU) July 31, 2024
Howard claims the removal of the official Tail Gate Party comes from the desire “to create a more unique and family-friendly experience on Saturday.”
David Bennett, senior vice president of Development and Alumni Relations, wrote, “Each year, Howard Homecoming appeals to students, alumni and members of the local community and, this year, we are confident that an even greater level of enthusiasm will be had by people as we celebrate 100 years of Homecoming,” Bennet continues, “It’s our intention to create a week of events that appeal to everyone – past, current and even future Bison.”
Howard, affectionately called “the Mecca” by its Alumni, is one of the nation’s leading HBCUs. Not only is the institution renowned for its education, it is also known for its impressive list of celebrity alumni. The Howard Halls have been graced by current Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Oscar winner Samuel Jackson Jr., and late actor Chadwick Boseman.
YES @KamalaHarris!
#WhenWeAllVote #Vote2020 pic.twitter.com/iOU3duBAcA
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 11, 2020
The campus is considered a bastion of Black culture and is attended by Black people from all across the diaspora. The Tailgate Party is a much-anticipated event that allows past and present Bison to network and fellowship,
Ok Howard tailgate go off! pic.twitter.com/zKJGdJ5mrq
— Farnan (@farnan4dc) October 22, 2022
RELATED CONTENT: Howard University Receives Record-Breaking $5M Donation From Autodesk
One of Warner Bros.’s earliest coups of the TV age was acquiring the Hanna-Barbera library of animated programming. With it, they own stuff like Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, et al. Cable network Cartoon Network began as a joint venture between Warner and Turner as a place to showcase classic animated programming. Once it started making its own new programming, and acquiring newer shows, it spun out Boomerang, a channel specifically for those older ‘toons. Eventually Boomerang launched a separate streaming service, but, as seemed inevitable, WB Discovery is sunsetting Boomerang and will absorb it into Max. Some of it, anyway.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Boomerang streaming service will cease operation on September 30 of this year. Subscribers and “some content” will be moved over to ad-free Max with no immediate change to subscriber price. That is, at least, a bargain. Boomerang is $6 per month while Max’s ad-free tier is currently $17 per month. Max already carries some of Boomerang’s content, including Looney Tunes shorts, Scooby-Doo series, Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones, etc. What else will come over is unclear at this time.
The Boomerang cable and satellite channel will continue to operate, because packages need channels. However this speaks to yet another way Warner Bros. Discovery under David Zaslav continues to consolidate all of its holdings into a single entity. Last month, WBD announced it would join with Disney+ and Hulu for a massive streaming bundle. Surely keeping as much in the Max portfolio as possible makes their end of the deal look more enticing. And I’m not going to say Boomerang was the best service out there. I tried it for a while and it was fairly pedestrian. But more and more, streaming, once the wild west of choice, is turning into mega corporations trying to increase their bottom line.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
The post WB Discovery Shuts Down Classic Cartoon Streamer Boomerang appeared first on Nerdist.