New US Teaser Trailer for ‘The Deer King’ Anime from Masashi Ando
by Alex Billington
June 17, 2021
Source: YouTube
“To live on with her, I shall stay defiant!” GKids has unveiled the first official US teaser trailer for a new Japanese anime film titled The Deer King (the final English title), originally known as 鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅 in Japanese (which translates to Promised Journey with Yuna, the King of Deer). This teaser is timed with the film’s premiere at the 2021 Annecy Film Festival in France this month, and it’s set to open in Japan in September later this year. No US date has been announced yet. The Deer King marks the directorial debut of the acclaimed animator Masashi Ando. Ando has previously worked as a character designer, animation director, and key animator with the famed Studio Ghibli, and also with directors Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai. Masayuki Miyaji is best known for directing the 2009 series Xam’d: Lost Memories. The fantasy film, adapted from a novel, is about a battle of empires. Shinichi Tsutsumi voices the lonely warrior Van, who survives a deadly and mysterious disease; Ryoma Takeuchi voices the genius doctor in search of a cure; Anne plays a skilled female warrior named Sae, who is attempting to track down Van. Get a first look.
Here’s the US teaser (+ poster) for Masashi Ando & Masayuki Miyaji’s The Deer King, from YouTube:
In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa – except for Aquafa’s Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation. The Deer King, also known as Shika No Ou or 鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅 in Japanese, is co-directed by artists / designers / filmmakers Masashi Ando (making his feature directorial debut after work as an animator / character designer) & Masayuki Miyaji (of the film Fuse: Memoirs of a Huntress, plus “Overman King Gainer” & “Attack on Titan” previously). The screenplay is written by Taku Kishimoto. Made by Production I.G. This is premiering at the 2021 Annecy Film Festival this year. Toho will release The Deer King in Japanese cinemas on September 10th, 2021. No other US release date is set yet. Intrigued?
