Anime film collection Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films announced for December 2023 release
Masaaki Yuasa’s most beloved titles will arrive as part of a special collection later this year.
Announced today, Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films will be released on December 19 via GKIDS with distribution from Shout! Studios. The collection will feature the films MIND GAME, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, Lu Over The Wall, Ride Your Wave, and INU-OH. Aside from the films, this six-disc collection will have a ton of bonus features, including an exclusive interview with Yuasa in Los Angeles, two short films (2007’s Happy Machine and 2013’s Kick-Heart), and commentary for each film.
Pre-orders for the collection can be made here.
Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films special features
English-language dub of The Night is Short, Walk On Girl for the first time on Blu-ray
Two short films by Masaaki Yuasa: Happy Machine (2007), and Kick-Heart (2013)
Filmmaker commentaries for MIND GAME, Lu Over the Wall, and INU-OH
Scene breakdowns and commentaries from each feature film
Masaaki Yuasa draws characters from MIND GAME, Lu Over the Wall, and INU-OH
Filmmaker interviews about Lu Over the Wall, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, and INU-OH
A Night Out with Yuasa: An exclusive interview with Masaaki Yuasa at a Los Angeles speakeasy, where he discusses his inspirations, favorite type of restaurants, perfect vacation, dancing, and more
A 60-page book featuring an essay by Emily Yoshida and excerpts from Masaaki Yuasa’s sketchbooks
And more!
MIND GAME
Audiences will begin to grasp what they are in for early on as loser Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting Nishi into the afterlife. In this limbo, God – shown as a series of rapidly changing characters – tells him to walk toward the light. But Nishi runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest.
THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL
As a group of teens go out for a night on the town, a sophomore known only as “The Girl with Black Hair” experiences a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife… all the while unaware of the romantic longings of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her, in an effort to win her heart. Featuring boundless imagination and visual wit, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl is a celebration of the unconventional, confusing routes that life and love can take, from one of the most exciting voices in anime today.
LU OVER THE WALL
After his family moves from Tokyo to a small fishing village, teenager Kai spends his days sulking and adrift. When his classmates invite him to play keyboard in their band, their jam sessions bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose fins turn to feet when she hears the beats, and whose singing causes humans to compulsively dance. But when an ancient prophecy threatens Lu and the village, Kai and his new friends must save the day in this toe-tapping adventure for the entire family.
RIDE YOUR WAVE
Hinako is a surf-loving college student who has just moved to a small seaside town. When a sudden fire breaks out at her apartment building, she is rescued by Minato, a handsome firefighter, and the two soon fall in love. Just as they become inseparable, Minato loses his life in an accident at sea. Hinako is so distraught that she can no longer even look at the ocean, but one day she sings a song that reminds her of their time together, and Minato appears in the water. From then on, she can summon him in any watery surface as soon as she sings their song, but can the two really remain together forever? And what is the real reason for Minato’s sudden reappearance?
INU-OH
Born to an esteemed family, Inu-oh is afflicted with an ancient curse that has left him on the margins of society. When he meets the blind musician Tomona, a young biwa priest haunted by his past, Inu-oh discovers a captivating ability to dance. The pair quickly become business partners and inseparable friends as crowds flock to their electric, larger-than-life concerts. But when those in power threaten to break up the band, Inu-oh and Tomona must dance and sing to uncover the truth behind their creative gifts.