While several films and TV anime have pushed back their release as late as next year due to the coronavirus shutdown, other studios have continued with their plans. Blue Lynx announced that Studio Hibari will be releasing the film adaptation of Kanna Kii’s boy’s love (BL) manga L’étranger de la Plage (The Stranger on the Beach) in theaters on September 11th, 2020. This will be Studio Hibari’s third feature film after 40 years of activity.
Published in ON BLUE’s bi-monthly magazine from 2013 to 2014, L’étranger de la Plage was originally a one-shot story that has since launched the sequel series, L’étranger du Zéphyr. L’étranger de la Plage tells the story of Shun Hashimoto (Taishi Murata), a struggling wannabe novelist, and an orphaned high school student, Mio Chibana (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) on the island of Okinawa. After growing close, Mio moves to an orphanage on the mainland, vowing to return one day.
After three years, the story continues with Shun having become a success after his debut novel, and Mio returning to Okinawa to confess his love.
Currently, the manga is four volumes long and ongoing in Japan, though a new book hasn’t been published in nearly three years. In 2014, L’étranger de la Plage ranked 5th on the list of recommended BL stories, as voted for by over 400 book stores across Japan.
At the same time, the film’s website announced that Kanna Kii’s first artbook will be released in August, proceeding the film as both a promotion, and to commemorate Kanna-sensei’s work. Kanna has been praised for her illustrations skills and use of color contrasts, close-up shots, and camera work. Kanna-sensei previously worked as an animator for titles such as Shonen Maid and If Her Flag Breaks. For the film, Kanna-sensei will be a supervisor and in charge of character design. No doubt L’étranger de la Plage will prove to be a faithful adaptation as a result.
Alongside the release date, a new teaser trailer was released. Check it out below.
