We Are Aliens, Kōhei Kadowaki's debut anime feature, opens in Japan on September 25. The cast and theme song are set, and the film has screened at Cannes and Annecy and is booked at three more festivals in 2026.
We Are Aliens is Kōhei Kadowaki's debut feature, following two estranged childhood friends, Tsubasa and Gyōtarō, across 20 years. The film premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and screens at Annecy. TOHO NEXT backs the release, and CHARADES handles international sales.
The film's visual language is hybrid rotoscoping, an approach Kadowaki developed over five years with a mostly inexperienced animation team. He chose it to capture natural movement and childlike gestures, driven by empathy for the characters. The trailer frames the central reunion around the Heisei era, the period when the two friends first met as children.
Ryōta Bandō plays Tsubasa and Amane Okayama plays Gyōtarō as young adults. The supporting cast includes Gaku Sano as Seiya Toda, Reika Ōzeki as young Seiya, Arisa Sasaki as Elmo Matsushita, and Edo Harumi as a calligraphy teacher, with Ten Yamasaki and Kemuri Matsui also joining. The band adieu performs the theme song "Sasakure." The film opens in Japan on September 25, and its festival run extends to the Ottawa, Melbourne, and New Zealand international film festivals in 2026.
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1d ago
NOTHING NEW began streaming a theme song trailer for its We Are Aliens anime film on Tuesday, featuring adieu's song 'Sasakure' (Split). Director Kohei Kadowaki helmed the video, which previews part of the theme song not previously made public. The film opens in Japan on September 25. It stars Ryota Bando as Tsubasa and Amane Okayama as Gyotaro as young adults, with child actors Yuto Maki and Tasuku Nakagome voicing the younger versions.
Aug 28
NOTHING NEW began streaming a trailer on Thursday for the We Are Aliens anime film. The trailer highlights the Heisei era, the time period when the main characters meet. The film, directed by Kōhei Kadowaki, stars Ryōta Bandō as Tsubasa and Amane Okayama as Gyōtarō as young adults. It opens in Japan on September 25.
Aug 20
The We Are Aliens anime film announced four new cast members on Thursday. Gaku Sano plays Seiya Toda, Reika Ōzeki plays young Seiya, Arisa Sasaki plays Elmo Matsushita, and Edo Harumi plays a calligraphy teacher. The film opens in Japan on September 25.
Jul 27
The official website for the We Are Aliens anime film released a full trailer and visual on Monday, revealing two new cast members and the theme song. Ten Yamasaki and Kemuri Matsui join the cast, and adieu performs the theme song "Sasakure." The film opens in Japan on September 25.
Jul 20
The We Are Aliens anime film will screen at the Ottawa International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and New Zealand International Film Festival in 2026. The festivals also announced screenings for Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3 and the live-action film The Samurai and the Prisoner.
Jun 27
Director Kohei Kadowaki discusses his debut feature 'We Are Aliens,' which premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and screens at Annecy. The film follows two boys over 20 years and uses a hybrid rotoscoping approach to capture natural movement, developed over five years with a mostly inexperienced animation team.
Jun 27
TOHO NEXT and NOTHING NEW announced that Kōhei Kadowaki's anime film We Are Aliens will open in Japan on September 25. The film, which follows two estranged childhood friends, stars Ryōta Bandō and Amane Okayama as the adult leads. It previously screened at Cannes and Annecy.