If any talent in the anime industry from this decade is worthy of being labeled a legend, it’s Masaaki Yuasa. Over the last 10 years, Yuasa has directed a master-class of back-to-back anime classics that are all absolute must-watch shows and films. From The Tatami Galaxy to Ping Pong the Animation and his recent Netflix series Devilman: Crybaby, Yuasa consistently delivers artistically driven experiences that are unlike anything else. His latest film project, Ride Your Wave, debuted in Japan in 2019. Now, there’s a strong possibility that the movie will be screening in North American theaters as early as next month.
A variety of theater chains are currently listing Yuasa’s new romance film as screening in the United States on February 19th at 7:00 p.m. local time. The listings also describe the screening as having Japanese audio with English subtitles. While GKIDS is the official North American distributors for the film, they have yet to confirm a specific premiere date for the movie in U.S. theaters. Their website simply states that Ride Your Wave is “coming soon to theaters.”
GKIDS described the movie as follows:
From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa (The Night is Short Walk On, Girl, DEVILMAN crybaby) comes a deeply emotional new film that applies his trademark visual ingenuity to a tale of romance, grief, and self-discovery.
Hinako is a surf-loving college student who has just moved to a small seaside town. When a sudden fire breaks out at her apartment building, she is rescued by Minato, a handsome firefighter, and the two soon fall in love. Just as they become inseparable, Minato loses his life in an accident at sea. Hinako is so distraught that she can no longer even look at the ocean, but one day she sings a song that reminds her of their time together, and Minato appears in the water. From then on, she can summon him in any watery surface as soon as she sings their song, but can the two really remain together forever? And what is the real reason for Minato’s sudden reappearance?
Ride Your Wave premiered in Japan on June 21st, ranking at #9 during its opening weekend. Masaaki Yuasa directed the film, while his studio, Science SARU, produced it. Reiko Yoshida wrote the script for the film, having previously worked on Lu Over the Wall, A Silent Voice, and Liz and the Blue Bird. Michiru Oshima handled music composition for the film, previously composing or Patema Inverted and The Night is Short Walk On, Girl.
