An Incredible Story With Beautiful Animation

Read Time:2 Minute, 9 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
Summer Ghost
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Genre: Animation, Short, Drama
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 40m
Director(s): Loundraw
Writer(s): Hirotaka Adachi (screenplay,) Loundraw (story)
Original Voice Cast: Chiaki Kobayashi, Miyuri Shimabukuro, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rina Kawaei
English Dub Voice Cast: David Errigo Jr., Megan Taylor Harvey, Clifford Chapin, Kyla Carter, Anne Yatco
Where To Watch: coming to Blu-ray and all major digital platforms on November 1 from GKIDS with distribution by Shout! Factory (rent/buy here https://gkids.com/films/summer-ghost/)

RAVING REVIEW: How many emotions can you pack into a 40-minute anime short? Well, watch this and find out. It was captivating in every way!

You don’t often see the name GKIDS and think of anything less than impressive. They have become synonymous with quality and have helped bring so many fantastic anime films to a larger US audience that they may never have seen otherwise.

This was a masterfully done short, with the ability to tell a complete story with heart and soul while keeping you on edge for what’s next. I was shocked at exactly what the trio of Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo was able to bring to life through this story.

There’s something about the simplicity of the story of the film that made it so intriguing. The different worlds come together, seeking a similar answer and having the fallout, rendering different results within each.

My only real issue with the film is that I wish they had expanded it further. The story was inspired by a drawing from Illustrator Loundraw, who made their directorial debut with this beautiful but short coming-of-age story. Hopefully, with the success of the short, Loundraw can expand on this world and make more films or further this specific story.

I would love to see this nominated for the animated short category; the run-time fits perfectly, and I would be genuinely surprised if this didn’t have a great chance of winning. It’s beautifully animated, and you can see the heart and passion that went into creating the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
– To You Before Dawn Documentary
– Feature Animatic
– Interview with Loundraw

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