Shingo Natsume's ghost - end of night is set for a February 11, 2027 release in Japan through Bandai Namco Filmworks, with a supporting cast announced in October 2026 and an advance screening booked at the New Chitose Airport festival.
Shingo Natsume's first original theatrical feature, ghost - end of night, has moved through 2026 on a fixed schedule. A teaser in August introduced Mayu Hotta as Neekei and Issei Takahashi as Masu, with Hitsujibungaku performing the theme song and the insert song "Sugar." The film is set in a near future where labor is no longer necessary, and Neekei resists the order of a content society.
The staff list is settled and draws on Natsume's earlier work. Natsume directs and writes the script at Madhouse. Natsume Ono provides original character designs, Norifumi Kugai handles animation character designs, and Ohzora Kimijima composes. Bandai Namco Filmworks distributes. The August teaser tied this team to ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. as a shared creative group.
A second cast announcement on October 21 filled out the adult supporting tier. Kenjiro Tsuda plays Mobius Dick, creator of the virtual reality network who contacts Neekei. Hiroki Yasumoto plays Karate and Hiroshi Kamiya plays Ito, both childhood friends of Masu working at the observatory where Neekei is assigned. The film opens in Japan on February 11, 2027. A collaboration movie ticket card limited to 2,000 goes on sale first at Hitsujibungaku's Yoyogi National Stadium shows on November 10 and 11.
The festival circuit picked the film up before release. The 13th New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival, running November 20 to 24, lists an advance screening of ghost - end of night. The Busan International Film Festival's anime strand, Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1, includes new work from Natsume alongside Rintaro's Metropolis and Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg.
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3d ago
The official website for ghost - end of night, Shingo Natsume and Madhouse's theatrical anime project, announced three more cast members on October 21, 2026. Kenjiro Tsuda plays Mobius Dick, the creator of the virtual reality network who takes an interest in the protagonist Neekei and makes contact with her. Hiroki Yasumoto plays Karate, a childhood friend of Masu who manages the observatory department where Neekei is assigned. Hiroshi Kamiya plays Ito, another childhood friend of Masu who provides mental coaching at the observatory. Mayu Hotta voices Neekei and Issei Takahashi voices Masu. The film opens in Japan on February 11, 2027, directed and written by Natsume at Madhouse, with original character designs by Natsume Ono and animation character designs by Norifumi Kugai. Bandai Namco Filmworks distributes. Hitsujibungaku performs the theme song and insert songs, and a collaboration movie ticket card limited to 2,000 will be sold first at the band's Yoyogi National Stadium shows on November 10 and 11.
Oct 9
The 13th New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival runs November 20 to 24 at the New Chitose Airport Terminal Building, with more than 60 programs. The lineup includes a special screening and solo talk by Mai Yoneyama, an advance screening of Shingo Natsume's 'ghost／Night's End', a screening of Atsushi Nishigori's 'GROTESQQQUE', a selection screening of 'Goodbye Lara' with director Takashi Koide, and a PERIMETRON retrospective.
Sep 2
The Busan International Film Festival has added a curated anime strand to its 31st edition. Titled Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1, the program pairs 12 anime films with one European classic, Paul Grimault's The King and the Mockingbird. The selection spans Taiji Yabushita's The White Snake Enchantress, Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix 2772, Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg, Rintaro's Metropolis, and new works from Shingo Natsume and Ryo Katanosaka. Rintaro, now working on a new Galaxy Express 999 feature, will appear at the festival.
Aug 7
The official website for ghost - end of night, the new theatrical anime project from director Shingo Natsume and studio Madhouse, unveiled a teaser trailer on Friday that introduces the film's two lead cast members. Mayu Hotta plays Neekei, a 15-year-old girl who has already been selected in a society where people are judged at age 18 on whether the world needs them. Issei Takahashi voices Masu, a man burdened by the loss of his family who wanders while covering his body with tattoos before crossing paths with Neekei. The teaser includes the pair's first voiced scenes and features the insert song "Sugar" by alternative rock band hitsujibungaku, who also perform the film's theme song. The film is set in a near future where labor is no longer necessary, and follows Neekei as she seeks what is real while resisting the order of a content society. Natsume directs and writes the script, marking his first time directing an original anime film. Natsume Ono provides original character designs, Norifumi Kugai handles animation character designs, and Bandai Namco Filmworks distributes. The film opens in Japan on February 11, 2027.