GKIDS Acquires North American Theatrical Rights To THE LAST BLOSSOM

Photo courtesy of Pony Canyon. © Kazuya Konomoto / The Last Blossom Production Committee

IN THEATRES FOR TWO NIGHTS ONLY ON AUGUST 30TH & 31ST
Source: GKIDS press release
Additional Content: Pony Canyon, Inc.
Official Site: https://anime-housenka.com/ (Japan), https://gkids.com/films/the-last-blossom/ (US)

Special Thanks to Will Teare

Photo courtesy of GKIDS. © Kazuya Konomoto / The Last Blossom Production Committee.

GKIDS, the Academy Award-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed and artist-driven animation from around the world, announced today it has acquired all rights for North America to THE LAST BLOSSOM (ホウセンカ, Housenka, 2025), the first original feature-length anime film directed by Baku Kinoshita (ODDTAXI) and animated by CLAP Animation Studio, who previously released POMPO THE CINÉPHILE with GKIDS in North American theatres. The animated feature will be released in theatres for two nights only in Japanese with English subtitles from August 30th and 31st.

THE LAST BLOSSOM held its world premiere as a selection for Best Feature at Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2025. The film recently announced its US premiere within North America’s largest Japanese film festival, JAPAN CUTS, hosted by Japan Society in New York on June 3rd.

The film was released in Japan in October 2025 and stars Kaoru Kobayashi as Akutsu (Younger), Junki Tozuka as Akutsu (Older), Hikari Mitsushima as Nana Nagata (Younger), Yoshiko Miyazaki as Nana Nagata (Older), Natsuki Hanae (Kensuke), Hiroki Yasumoto as Tsutsumi, Soma Saito as Wakamatsu, Hideaki Murata as Hayashida, Kouta Nakayama as Konishi, and Pierre Taki as Housenka Flower.

Synopsis:

Former yakuza Akutsu is serving life in prison after a middling career in the underworld. On the night he lays dying in his cell, he reminisces with his only companion, a smart-mouthed flower growing out of a can, about the choices that brought him here, the woman he loved, and a child he would give everything to protect. Is redemption out of reach?

From director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kazuya Konomoto, creators of ODDTAXI, and award-winning Studio CLAP (POMPO THE CINEPHILE), THE LAST BLOSSOM is a thrillingly original work from animation’s most inventive new talent. Moving across time and memory, the film is an unforgettable meditation on found family, sacrifice, and the complicated pieces that join together to make a life.

Director & Character Design: Baku Kinoshita

Written by: Kazuya Konomoto

Animation Producer: Kinue Itoh, Matsuo Ryoichiro

Planning & Production: CLAP

Runtime: 90 minutes

Rating: Not Rated

About GKIDS

GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning curator, producer, and distributor of artist-driven, globally inspired cinema dedicated to connecting North American audiences with distinctive stories from around the world. Widely celebrated for its leadership in the “animation is film” movement, the studio has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape for feature animation in the U.S. and internationally for nearly two decades. GKIDS represents the work of many of the world’s most acclaimed animation filmmakers, including Makoto Shinkai (YOUR NAME., WEATHERING WITH YOU), Satoshi Kon (PERFECT BLUE, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS), Tomm Moore (SONG OF THE SEA, WOLFWALKERS), Mamoru Hosoda (MIRAI, WOLF CHILDREN), and serves as the North American home of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli.

Upcoming theatrical releases include the highly anticipated GODZILLA MINUS ZERO, the follow up to director Takashi Yamazaki’s Academy Award-winning GODZILLA MINUS ONE; and SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM, the latest Aardman feature in the beloved Oscar-nominated film series. In addition to Oscar-nominated KOKUHO and LITTLE AMÉLIE AND THE CHARACTER OF RAIN, recent theatrical releases are the box office hit JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION, Mamoru Oshii’s cult classic ANGEL’S EGG, and the critically acclaimed ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, alongside groundbreaking television series such as DAN DA DAN, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, and ARCANE: LEAGUE OF LEGENDS. @GKIDSFilms