GKIDS has officially secured the North American distribution rights for two notable Japanese cinematic projects: the acclaimed anime film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s renowned animated feature, 5 Centimeters per Second.
For Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, GKIDS plans to host limited theatrical engagements of the Japanese-language version with English subtitles this autumn, leading up to a wider theatrical and home media rollout in 2027.
Synopsis for Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust:
After a young woman is seemingly abducted by the vampire Baron Meier Link, her father hires D – a vampire-hunting “Dunpeal” – to rescue her. As D rides across the wastelands, he must compete against a group of tough mercenary hunters, and confront the complex truth about the woman.
The franchise traces back to Hideyuki Kikuchi’s original novels, which previously inspired a 1985 original video animation (OVA) directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri at Studio Madhouse, followed by the 2000 feature film. Over the years, companies like Urban Vision, Discotek Media, Sentai Filmworks, and HIDIVE have handled various home video and streaming releases for the earlier entries in the series.
In addition to the vampire classic, GKIDS has acquired the North American theatrical rights to the live-action adaptation of 5 Centimeters per Second. The movie made its theatrical debut in Japan in October, opening strongly at #2 with a first-weekend box office haul of 420 million yen (roughly US$2.78 million) from 278,000 ticket sales.
The live-action film stars Hokuto Matsumura, a member of the idol group SixTONES who previously voiced Sōta Munakata in Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume.
Produced by Spoon and distributed by TOHO, the live-action project was directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama, with a script by Ayako Suzuki and a musical score by Ayatake Ezaki. Kenshi Yonezu contributes the theme song, titled “1991.”
Synopsis for 5 Centimeters per Second:
After transferring to the same elementary school, Takaki and Akari became best friends. However, their lives change when both their families are forced to relocate. After a year of separation, Takaki is about to reunite with Akari. As he sits on the train from Tokyo, memories of the past rush through Takaki’s head, his meeting time with Akari drawing ever closer. Takaki and Akari begin to wonder if they will ever be able to see each other again, and share their secret feelings. Join Takaki on a journey into three interconnected tales of love and lost innocence that span the minutes and months of their lives.
The original animated version of 5 Centimeters per Second, directed, written, and storyboarded by Makoto Shinkai with music by Tenmon, originally premiered in Japan in 2007.