CloverWorks' Omnibus Anime Film Grotesqqque Casts Akio Ōtsuka
The announcement of Ōtsuka's casting and the full musical lineup signals that Grotesqqque is moving into active promotion ahead of its November premiere, with the Fantasia festival debut providing an early international showcase.
Key Facts
- Akio Ōtsuka voices the Space Agency Bureau Director in the "A(E)liens" story of Grotesqqque.
- The film opens in Japan on November 6, 2026.
- Grotesqqque has its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal from July 16 to August 2, 2026.
- The film features 35 musical acts, with METALVERSE performing the opening theme and Haoto performing the ending theme.
- Atsushi Nishigori directs, writes the screenplay, and designs the characters for the film.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Anime.
CloverWorks and director Atsushi Nishigori announced on July 27 that Akio Ōtsuka has joined the cast of the original omnibus anime film Grotesqqque. Ōtsuka will voice the Space Agency Bureau Director in the film's first story, "A(E)liens." The film is set to open in Japan on November 6, 2026, and will have its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, running from July 16 to August 2. Grotesqqque consists of three distinct stories: "A(E)liens," "Yoroshiku★Girl," and "Nocturne: Nuit Grotesque." The staff also revealed the extensive list of 35 musical acts contributing to the film, with the band METALVERSE performing the opening theme "Shoot Shoot Shoot" and Haoto performing the ending theme. Nishigori, known for directing The IDOLM@STER and DARLING in the FRANXX, is directing, writing the screenplay, and designing the characters. The film is produced by CloverWorks and comes from JOEN, a company jointly established by Aniplex, CloverWorks, Wit Studio, and Shueisha.
Ōtsuka's character, the Space Agency Bureau Director, is wary of the alien goodwill ambassador Ellie. The director oversees the agency where the civil servant Kento Kurikura works. Seven new scene cuts from the "A(E)liens" story were released alongside the casting announcement. The images show Ellie entering a school, stuffing bread into her mouth, and taking sticker photos with Earth women.
The film's three stories each have a dedicated set of musical performers. For "A(E)liens," the artists include Mika Ichinose, VaVa, Ken Kamikita, sabio / Fūta Takamura, SEE, Surii, Taku Inoue, tsumiki, Yūshi Nakajima (from Gusokumuzu), Nanahira, and Hashimero. "Yoroshiku★Girl" features ASCA, Akki, -otoha-, Kotoko Satō (from yutori), Kanon Shizaki, Ayato Shinozaki, JUNNA, Suisō, Ryōsuke Tachibana, Shiina Natsukawa, Iori Noguchi (from =LOVE), Shōta Horie (also known as kemu), Myuk, MIRI, Rei Yasuda, Yuyoyuppe, Runaar, and Reol. "Nocturne: Nuit Grotesque" uses eba and Nakano + Kairi Yagi.
The story synopsis for "A(E)liens" describes Ellie as an alien girl who arrives on Earth as an interstellar goodwill ambassador during an era of interplanetary exchange. She loves Earth's wasteful daily life and teams up with Kento to search for friends. Her abilities sometimes go out of control, and public suspicion grows, leading to her being viewed as an invader. The story is described as a slapstick comedy.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.