Animated film "Dawn Tells Lou's Song" unveils a poster visual that captures the encounter between a boy and a mermaid!

The latest poster visual from the anime film "Dawn Tells Lou's Song," which will be released on May 19, 2017, has been released.

Dawn Tells Lou's Song" is the first completely original theatrical animation directed by Masaaki Yuasa, who has created many popular works such as "Shijohan Shinwa Taikei" and "Ping Pong the Animation". Set in the desolate fishing port town of Himashi, the film depicts the story of Kai, a boy with depressed feelings toward his divorced parents, and Roo, a mermaid girl, with the fast-paced and dynamic animation typical of Yuasa. The original character design is by manga artist Nemu Yoko, and the screenplay is by "K-ON! Girls und Panzer" and music by Takatsugu Muramatsu of "Mary and the Witch's Flower.
⇒Animation film "Dawn Tells Lou's Song" will be released in May!　Completely original new work directed by Masaaki Yuasa.

This poster visual was released on Valentine's Day, "the day of confession once a year," in keeping with the film's theme of the importance of conveying one's true feelings. It depicts the encounter between the main character, Kai, a boy, and Rue, a mermaid, and raises expectations for the story that begins here.

In addition, on the official website ( # ), a video taken by a fixed-point camera at the production site of this visual is on view. Mr. Hiroshi Ohno, who has created the backgrounds for many masterpieces including "AKIRA," "The Witch's Delivery Service," "Wolf Children: Rain and Snow," and "Hundred Days Red: Miss HOKUSAI," is in charge of production, and the video shows the actual process of background art production. If you are interested in the field of animation production, check out this video as well.
Here are some comments from Mr. Ohno.

Comments] (*Honorific titles omitted)
Art Director: Hiroshi Ohno
I was surprised by Director Yuasa's idea.
He explained that "Hinamachi," where the story takes place, is a mosaic of images from Kyoto, Nagoya, Kurashiki, and many other towns... It was very difficult for me to create the picture because I had to be flexible in my mind.
This was my first experience in creating pictures that were a battle between realism and crazy ideas.
I wonder what goes on in Director Yuasa's head (laughs).
The background of the poster visual is the scene where the mermaid Roo and the boy Kai meet for the first time.
It is nighttime, but we tried to create a dramatic atmosphere with moonlight so that it would not be too dark.
It was the first time for me to be photographed working in the background, but I hope you will be interested in how the background art of an animated film is depicted.